News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

Suicide Commando to SAMA
• SAMA in Gothenburg has released three more names to the April 2 event: EBM stars Suicide Commando (currently no. one at DAC), Mr Jones Machine (with the Ollila brothers from Daily Planet and Pouppée Fabrikk) and new SSC signing Univaque. Univaque is a synthpop trio from London produced by former Elegant Machinery men Robert Enforsen and Johan Malmgren. /Mikael Kahrle

Breaking news: Kraftwerk on tour

• We can release confirmed Kraftwerk live dates for Norway and Denmark. Oslo venue Rockefeller says Kraftwerk will play on February 12, and there are also two confirmed Danish dates: KB Hallen in Copenhagen on February 14-15. In addition to this, Kraftwerk will play in Sweden, but the band's record company EMI/Capitol in Stockholm can't reveal any details as of now. Catarina Oscarsson from the organiser EMA Telstar tells Release:
- There are discussions going on about Kraftwerk but they are not completed. We will release information as soon as everything is confirmed and set.
There are seven dates set for Japan between February 24 and March 3. /Johan Carlsson, Mikael Kahrle

Skinny Puppy signs worldwide deal with SPV
• Skinny Puppy have joined their countrymen in Front Line Assembly and signed a record contract with Germany's SPV. In Skinny Puppy's case it's a worldwide deal and a new album is expected in 2004. /Mikael Kahrle, Alex Veronac

Daft Punk's "Discovery" put to anime
• "Galactic Anime Interstella 5555" was released earlier this year on DVD to Daft Punk's last album "Discovery" from two tears prior. We caught the anime music video epic at the worldwide touring Resfest 2003 digital film festival which continues on until mid-December. "Interstella 5555: the 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem" designed by Leiji Matsumoto, is the story of a cosmic pop quartet kidnapped and brought to earth by an evil music manager to cash in on their musical talents. Under the direction of Kazuhisa Takenouchi at Toei Studios (Japan), french house duo Daft Punk make a cameo as they are nominated for a gold record as part of the tale. The story plays the vintage house disco soundtrack in order as found on Daft Punk’s second full album release. /Alex Veronac

Former Haujobb man returns on new "Septic" compilation
• The former third member of Haujobb Bjorn Junemann will debut his new as-yet untitled project on Dependent's latest "Septic" compilation fittingly entitled "Septic 4" which will be out on January 26. For those who do not know, Junemann's final work with Daniel and Dejan was 1994's "Freeze Frame Reality". /Peter Marks

ElectriXmas with Dive and Second Decay
• The annual electriXmas festival at Mejeriet in Lund, Sweden, is this year scheduled for December 13. A headliner will be revealed soon, but so far Dive, Second Decay and Spetsnaz are hired. /Mikael Kahrle

Exclusive Kraftwerk performance at MTV Awards

• Kraftwerk plan an exclusive appearance at the upcoming MTV Europe Music Awards in Edinburgh on November 6. This is the band's first and only new stage appearance. /Johan Carlsson

Alice in Videoland's "Maiden Voyage" delayed
• Hyped Swedish pop-punk-electro-band Alice in Videoland is now set to release their debut album “Maiden Voyage” on November 12 (instead of November 5). The next single to be pulled from the album will be “Got to Go”.
A release party will be held at Debaser in Stockholm on October 30. /Johan Carlsson

Release talks to Chemlab about a busy future

Chemlab are "ready to kill".

• Early 2004 sees the release of a new Chemlab album, “Oxidizer”. The "industrial" band’s last album “East Side Militia” came out in 1996, and the hiatus has, among many things, seen the departure of programmer Dylan Thomas More. Singer Jared Louche has solved the problem by collaborating with Acumen Nation and DJ? Acucrack, as well as enlisting the aid of old Chemlab contributors Greg “Cool Hand” Lucas and FJ. The album’s been produced by ex-Nitzer Ebb member Julian Beeston and Jared himself.
Louche claims that the sound still has its reference points in debut album “Burn out at the Hydrogen Bar”, but:
- It mutates the sound, makes it slightly more "Raw Power" and still looks ahead. I'm really happy with it. It's cold yet organic, dance yet rock, and, in some places really broken and sad. It’s Chemlab 2004, Louche tells Release.
He will join the Pigface tour of the United States this November, previewing a new Chemlab song. There are hopes for a proper Chemlab tour next year.
- We're working on details now. This time I'm going to bring the band over to Europe. This is made easier by the fact that I live in London now, he says.
Since “East Side Militia”, Jared Louche’s output has been rather sparse. He released the solo cover album “Covergirl” in 1999, and appeared on the 2001 H3llb3nt album “Hardcore Vanilla”.
Have you missed making music?
- Terribly. I hate not writing, recording and performing. I've been talking with lots of different people about doing music, but nothing has quite come together, though I'll be releasing a record with Mark Spybey (Dead Voices on Air, Download, Can) next year that will be twisted and bizarre. I'm working on a couple of different projects as well. I was in a mini ice age for a few years, but I'm thawed now and ready to kill.
One of the projects is a new album along the eclectic lines of “Covergirl”, but comprised of mainly original material this time. The difficulty of finding programmers “that can mix dirt and precision and aren't afraid of a horn section” seems to complicate things though. If any of our readers feel suited for the task, Jared Louche can be contacted at hydrogenbar@hotmail.com. /Kristoffer Noheden

Allied Vision rescheduled

• The new album "O.S. Bandwidth" from Spain's Allied Vision is rescheduled to November 1. We published our review on September 3.
Allied Vision's new video clip "Coaxial Hardware" is directed by Rod Chong and can be downloaded now here. /Mikael Kahrle

And Also The Trees return to a classic sound
• October 24 will see the first new album from the venerable quartet And Also the Trees in five years. "Further from the Truth" sees the band departing from the 1950's noir approach their recent releases have explored in favour of a classic approach à la the "Virus Meadow" album. A short tour is planned towards the end of the year. /Peter Marks

DJ Tiesto to tour the US
• The "#1 DJ in the world" (?) has set his sights on the United States and will tour it in support of the "Traffic" single which is currently charting quite nicely the world over. A new DJ Tiesto album is currently being recorded and should see the light of day in spring of 2004. /Peter Marks

KieTheVez: new album and web site

• The members of old Gothenburg electropop band KieTheVez have teamed up again and are currently preparing the follow-up to their last album "Opium". The band has also launched a new official web site.
KieTheVez' history includes two albums and seven singles. Many years ago, they played live at concert nights organised by Release and at our Electric Café club. They also participated on our compilation "Sounds from the Electric Café" (released on, hmm, cassette).
They took a long break after performing live in New York 1999. /Mikael Kahrle

Melancholic Swedes Reverend Big O’s debut album out
• Reverend Big O released their debut album “Songs to Kill Your Lovers by” earlier this month on Speech, a sublabel of A West Side Fabrication. The album’s been produced by Manne von Ahn Öberg, who’s previous credentials include work with Mercury Rev and Stina Nordenstam. It is dominated by the band’s penchant for slow melancholia, and sounds much like what Sweden feels like in the wintertime - icy and sparse, yet pleasant. /Kristoffer Noheden

Duran Duran plays UK for first time in 18 years

Happy to be back.

• Did we call KieTheVez old? Well, aging UK new wave popsters Duran Duran stopped in London to play the Forum on October 14. It was their first gig in their home country in 18 years! The original line-up band is now embarking on a US/Canada tour in November. Then they're scheduled to play support for (ahem!) Robbie Williams in Australia in December.
See earlier Duran Duran comeback coverage at Release here. /Alex Veronac

Gothminister sign with BMG Germany; debut re-released
• Norway's Gothminister have officially become part of the BMG family via the Drakkar sub-label. Drakkar is home to notable acts such as T.O.Y., 18 Summers and Zeraphine. Gothminister's initial release "Gothic Electronic Anthems" is slated for a re-release and will include new cover artwork and one bonus track. /Peter Marks

Bartos communicates live, supported by Client

• The new British duo Client will open up for ex-Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos on his UK tour in October. They will play with him on three dates (October 20 in Manchester, October 21 in Glasgow and October 22 in London), but will also play on their own in Cambridge on the October 27 and in London on November 11.
The next single from their debut album ”Client” is ”Here and Now” and comes out on November 17 as CD or 12”. Two new tracks called ”Military Sex” and ”Can’t See Me Now” as well as a couple of remixes of the title track are included. The 12” includes an exclusive vocal mix by Cicada.
In further news, a Swedish company is planning a video clip for the Bartos song "Interview", the last on the new album "Communication". It is also just released in a double version via Kompakt Distribution. /Johan Carlsson, Mikael Kahrle

New songs from Raison D'etre ready for release
• Peter Andersson in dark industrial outfit Raison D’etre has just completed a new album called "Requiem for Abandoned Souls", which will see the light of day (hmm, the dark of night?) in November. Where? On Cold Meat Industry of course. /Johan Carlsson

Covenant update

• It has been an unusually long gap since we last reported on Covenant, but the lads have been pretty silent as expected in between two albums. Anyway, after the US tour with Melotron, they are back in the studio again, working on new material. The next album will not be released by the "Northern Light" label KA2.
Eskil Simonsson is also keeping himself busy with DJ gigs in Barcelona on Halloween, and by doing a remix for Seabound’s new single "Contact". The track he’s remixing is "Torn" from the last album. Joakim Montelius has made a remix for the new Dupont single “Motel Lover”. /Johan Carlsson

Dave Gahan concert to be broadcast in US
• US fans who missed the recent Dave Gahan "US Paper Monsters Tour" will be able to catch a full concert on their satellite TV. Gahan's July 2003 performance at Paris' Olympia Hall was filmed and will be shown on US Cable and DirecTV dishes. See musicchoice.com for detailed listings as the 60 minute set premieres on October 27 and plays until November 9. The Paris concert will later replay throughout November on the DirecTV network. Similarly, Depeche Mode's "One Night in Paris" played to the same home audience last March. /Alex Veronac