peek edition April/May/June 2024 free ofcharge, not for sale aboo music & subcultmagazine quarterly publishedmusic magazine 46 BESTIALMOUTHS - EMPUSAE ELEKTRIKILL - DEMONWARP GOETHES ERBEN - TVASHTAR FADGADGET (FLASHBACK)
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peek aboo contents music &moviemagazine 01 GOETES ERBEN © 04 Interview BESTIAL MOUTHS 06 Interview EMPUSAE 10 Interview ELEKTRIKILL 12 Interview DEMONWARP 14. InterviewTVASHTAR 17. Reviews 18 Interview GOETHES ERBEN 23 Reviews 24 Flashback review FAG GADGET 31 Calendar Want to support your sene & contribute to our magazine? English, Dutch, French, German … It’s all good! Come and join us and send an to e-mail [email protected] peek aboo music &moviemagazine ORGANISATION BODYBEATS PRODUCTIONS Marleen MASTBOOMS www.BodyBeats.be PORTA NIGRA Peter Verreycken www.PortaNigra.eu LE FANTASTIQUE Frédéric COTTON www.LeFantastique.net YOUR ORGANISATION HERE? Join us & support (y)our scene! WE NEEDYOU! Peek-a-Boo is always looking for new partners, distributors, writers, editors and translators. [email protected] LAYOUT Fred GADGET Veerle DE BLOCK EDITORS / TRANSLATORS Leanne AITKEN Kevin BURKE Michael BOGHE Tine SWAENEPOEL Gea STAPELVOORT PHOTOGRAPHERS Elke BREDENBRUCH Luc LUYTEN Yvo Moeys WRITERS Jurgen BRAECKEVELT Dimi BRANDS Jan DENO Peter DOLPHEN Fred GADGET Hamis HIREK Kurt INGELS Xavier KRUTH Lena DAUTEL Tom PLOVIE Dany QUETIN Britta TABRIT - 3 - colophon WRITERS (continued) Henk VEREECKEN Dan VOLOHOV Chris WHEATLEY William ZIMMERMAN François ZAPPA PARTNERS & DISTRIBUTION BODYBEATS PROD. (Antwerp) www.BodyBeats.be DARK BALLOON (Retie) www.darkballoon.be BUNKERLEUTE (Leuven) www.bunkerleute.be DARK ENTRIESMAGAZINE (B) www.darkentries.be GOTHVILLE (Hasselt) www.gothville.com INFRAROT (Germany) www.infrarot.de PORTA NIGRA (Aarschot) www.PortaNigra.eu WEBSITE Ward DE PRINS (RIP) Peek-A-Boo Magazine • Heilig Geesthoek 87A • BE-2070 • Zwijndrecht • Contact: [email protected] / Promo: [email protected] www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
BESTIAL MOUTHS Negative Gain Productions recording artists have most recently released a full remix LP called BACKBONE. Not too manyremix albums maintain the diversity that this particular one does. It exclusively includes tracks from their most recent studio release, ROTT (inmyskin). We're very grateful that vocalist and founding member Lynette joined us for an interview today. Your latest release is called ‘BACKBONE’. It has some intriguing artwork as does its predecessor. What’s the concept behind it? The art work for ROTT (inmyskin) (which stands for Road Of Thousand Tears) is the next in its lineage from INSHROUDDS (cocooned) to RESURRECTEDINBLACK (alive and showing the scars of living) to now. The color palettes are earth tones and darker to represent life and the aging process. Covered in moss to show the length of time but yet moss lives, breathes and continues. Crowned in regular jewelry yet with an edge of sharpness and danger. A reptile (a real live bearded dragon) representing our animal instinct but weathered skin and changing of colors. In a pile of soil to represent being buried or being born. With ‘BACKBONE’, were there factors more important than a remixer's reputation or metrics that went into your selection? BACKBONE we asked upon what grabbed my soul and those I felt so honored to take my babies into new forms. Some approached us and knowing our music reached them so dearly, how could I refuse? Bestial Mouths has an incredibly unique sound. Outside of the goth/industrial/darkwave arena which you are most often associated with, what do you think the most unique musical inspiration is for you? I have never wanted to or tried to recreate a certain sound. I take all I have listened to in the past and present and let it flow through me and let it take its form. I like to think of us as modern dark music. Life is the most inspirational to me, from nature to animals to random sounds or conversations or sculptures, buildings, rocks. Where does the name Bestial Mouths come from? What’s the inspiration? The name comes from my first band called African Greys. It was in a song called ‘POOR POOR POOR’: “Bestial mouths singing to drag in the winter”. I’ve always loved that line, and it just seemed to fit. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 4 -
Could you give us some insight into your studio, your “tools of the trade” so to speak? How much is hardware/physical instruments and how much is based on softsynths and the like? The very early stages of Bestial was all physical gear - acoustic drums, bass, guitar and analog synth. As we progressed (and as tech kept getting better) we elevated the sound when recorded - things that actually sound better to listen to. So today a lot of it is done in the studio and then we recreate it for live. What’s the biggest technical challenge that you’ve had to overcome? That could be anything from a computer crash, “learning curve” or anything like that. How did you overcome it? For me it’s having no classical training or background in music. When I first started I learned one note bass or guitar or synth lines. I just listened to singers and sounds and recreated it. As time progressed I learned more and more technical aspects, but to this day I truly have no clue what notes, keys etc are. I just listen and place it. Let’s say you were stranded on some island but you had the capability to put a flash drive with three of your most important songs into a sealed bottle and send it out to the world. These are songs that mean the most to you and best represent your legacy. What are they and why did you choose them? Three Bestial tracks? The latest is always what stays with me so that would be the ROTT (inmyskin) album. Road Of Thousand Tears" - it is where I sing in Spanish and English and tell my tale. I learned this is my story and I must walk it. I also conquer a fear, for though I’m Puerto Rican, English is my language and I am often ashamed I do not speak fluent Spanish. "Slit Skin" - this song acknowledges the fact that I can not bear children. On one hand I never expected to want to have kids but being left without the opportunity leaves you feeling less. But it also plays on the fact that this is my body, my life. A note to the world to shut up about what YOU want from me and let me live. I’m exhausted from all your pressures and at capacity. "Hex (I am the spell") - This one I feel proud to take something so painful and feeling so lost with no control back. To face a bully and try to tell others to do the same. Continuing to live www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be my life and be the spell, now directed toward good for me to prosper - because you are “just a laughing waste of time - a parasite”. Have you ever composed a song that was written from such a painful perspective that you refused to release it? I believe most of my songs are this but that is how I heal and hope to heal others. We appreciate your time. Feel free to share anything upcoming fans should know about. We are all the sun. Remember to adopt, don't shop - rescue animals are the best. And we put shows as they are confirmed on our website bestialmouths.com and please say hello (it means so much and keeps our hearts beating). William ZIMMERMAN bestialmouths.com Photos © Adrian Stucker
EMPUSAE I link the strength I have had to go up and down the tens of thousands of steps, to confront the heat and the hustle and bustle of the crowds, more and more directly with the nature spirit Ganriki. Empusae has a new album out. And as usual, it’s a masterpiece. ‘Pilgrimage to Ganriki’ tells the tale of a journey to the Ganriki shrine in Japan. Ganriki is the god of the eye in Shintoism, and mastermind Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe visited the shrine because he has been suffering from a rare eye disease for a number of years: retinis pigmentosa. The visit touched him deeply, and he felt it necessary to share these feelings with us in musical form. But let’s listen to what the master himself has to say about it. Your new album ‘Pilgrimage to Ganriki’ is about a pilgrimage to the Ganriki shrine – one of the Shinto shrines in Kyoto, Japan – that you undertook. Maybe you should start by explaining what that shrine actually represents and why you wanted to visit it? The Shinto shrine is part of the sacred mountain of Inari. The mountain itself is a stronghold with many gods or nature spirits – called Kami in Shinto – who descend from the three peaks of the mountain.The Ganriki Shrine is one of the shrines that you can find on the way to the top of the mountain. Not much is known about this shrine in question. Shintoism does not contain official scriptures like other religions. Ganriki could be translated as ‘god of the eye’ and is a magnet for Japanese people hoping for healing, www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 6 - rehabilitation and health of the eyes. Even in Japan this Kami is little known. My partner Christel Morvan – also known as Nesisart – discovered the scarce information about this on the internet years ago. On our last visit to Japan, last spring, we planned this visit without much belief that it would be worth it. But with my current eye disease,we figured we had nothing to lose. Mount Inari itself is a beautiful place, well known for its ten thousand Toriis – traditional Japanese gates that give access to a shrine –and many shrines and temples. The record tells the story of your journey. First and foremost, let me express my great admiration for this beautiful album. I hear a lot of oriental sounds and instruments. How did you approach that? Are they original instruments or have you worked with digital sounds and samples? Did you have an idea of the structure of the record before you started composing? The sounds and instruments are both my own, sometimes homemade, instruments, and virtual instruments from Japan. I absolutely had to process this intense experience into music. I have been guided by my feelings and by what it has done to my mind. The intention was not to create a finished product with a narrative structure. It was mainly intended as a
personal tribute to Ganriki-san, and to record the experience of the pilgrimage in a composition,as it were, just as someone else would keep a diary, so as not to let it be lost. You speak of a ‘epiphany’ that you had when you had travelled the road to the shrine. You do add that the revelation is the result of the journey and not of the god. How important was the spiritual and mystical dimension of the trip for you? It is very ambiguous for me, and I am still not sure whether it is the journey itself, the emotions and overcoming of all the obstacles I have encountered, that has given me the epiphany, or the Kami itself. I honestly think it's a combination of both. I link the strength I have had to go up and down the tens of thousands of steps, to confront the heat and the hustle and bustle of the crowds, more and more directly with this nature spirit. The moment of prayer at the shrine touched me deeply and effectively changed something. It resulted in a click in my head. It is an inexpressible experience that is still evolving to this day and from which I draw ceaselessly. It is the most important – and only! – mystical experience I have ever had. In a previous interview – following your 2017 masterpiece ‘Lueur’ – you told us about your disease, retinitis pigmentosa, which is slowly making you blind. Were you able to visit the shrine despite your reduced vision? It was a serious challenge. I also wasn’t aware that it would be so trying. Despite the guidance of Christel and my white cane, going up and down stairs – especially without a handrail and with many people in front of, next to and behind me in two directions – remains something very complicated. What started as a tourist hike evolved into a hellish ordeal. But with every step towards Ganriki-san, I felt more strength and selfconfidence, much to the surprise of Christel, who could not really understand what was happening to me. I started to experience it as a pilgrimage and a challenge, things that I previously avoided because they were too confrontational. How has your disease evolved since the release of ‘Lueur’? Does retinitis pigmentosa hinder your ability to compose music or perform? During the period of ‘Lueur’, my disability was mainly night blindness and reduced contrast vision. Meanwhile, these aspects have worsened and were supplemented by new symptoms such as tunnel vision, loss of depth and myopia. In the studio I remain inventive in order to be able to compose with numerous adjustments. This gives - 7 - me new techniques for creating that I would otherwise never have come up with. Performing is more complicated. I used to play percussion with various projects such as Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Tzolk'in, Triarii and In Slaughter Natives. Unfortunately, I had to stop these collaborations. As Empusae, I have not completely given up yet, but it is not easy to ask for the necessary conditions and adjustments from concert organizations and venues. I currently continue to look for ways to make it possible. The biggest problem is not the moment of the performance itself, but the hours and days before it, the travelling, getting to and from the venue, and the hours I have to spend in dark spaces in the presence of other people. Social events are very difficult and confrontational in these times. I think ‘Lueur’ from 2017 was also the first album for which your life partner Christel Morvan or Nesisart had designed the cover. She has been making all the artwork for your work since then. How does that work, such a collaboration in a couple? Does Christel work completely independently based on your music, or is there a kind of dialogue in which you give her instructions? Christel has been creating artwork for Empusae since the 2012 album ‘Symbiosis’. There is no fixed way of working. Sometimes I give her an idea of what I had thought of as a cover. Other times I give her carte blanche and she lets herself be inspired by the music. Other times she is inspired by the titles or concept of the record,such as with ‘Lueur’ or ‘Pilgrimage to Ganriki’. I am currently writing a new record based on images she made around her own concept. Her images and my music can no longer be separated. Both influence each other around the Empusae project. She visualizes what I write down in music and vice versa. She is my vision and also represents my compositions. On ‘Iter in Tenebris’ from 2019, Nesisart designed works of art that can move through augmented reality, if you view them with the right app on your smartphone. How did you come up with that idea? Do you feel like it helped sell the physical record on vinyl and CD because people were interested in the art that accompanied it? Christel is very familiar with this technology and has published several works in this style in books and at exhibitions. She of course came up with the idea of illustrating the demons and the cover of the record in augmented reality. The question remains whether it has contributed much to sales. It is mainly the label that deals with this, but I do know of many people who bought the CD and www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
EMPUSAE limited edition vinyl just for that reason.The people who saw the animation at the merch stand at performances were usually very impressed and literally and figuratively sold, as it were. (Laughs) You presented ‘Iter in tenebris’ as a sequel to ‘Lueur’. What did you mean by that? Will there be a further sequel to these two albums? ‘Lueur’ was a way to deal with a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa. ‘Iter in Tenebris’ had the same concept but expanded the pantheon of demons to include three other demons I had to contend with. Both records were therapeutic. There are no plans to make it a trilogy, because to my knowledge there are no other demons I live with anymore. But, never say never... right? I'm glad I was able to buy a CD of ‘Iter in tenebris’, because I believe the album is almost sold out. I hear that you are also having difficulty finding a label to release your music, including the release of‘Pilgrimage to Ganriki’. How do you view the decline of physical discs? I have no trouble finding a label at all. I was contacted by the label Les Nouvelles Propagandes, and by another label from the US to release ‘Pilgrimage to Ganriki’ on CD. I originally wasn't going to even release that record digitally, but I later decided to do so on Bandcamp. So, I was even less looking for a label to physically release it. But Jean-Yves was so impressed by my story in combination with the music that he really wanted to release it on his label. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 8 - You have often described Empusae as a ‘soundtrack for the imagination’. Do you feel you still fit that definition? Was that thought there from the beginning, or did it come about gradually? It is certainly the case for most records.With ‘Lueur’,‘Iter in Tenebris’and ‘Pilgrimage to Ganriki’, there is of course a more personal link. But I would still describe most music the same way. There will even be music released as a ‘real’ soundtrack for films and games in the future. So that goes a step further than the ‘imaginary’. Do you have any more plans for Empusae in the near future? There will be a lot of new work coming out this year and next year. In addition to film music and music for games, various collaborations will also be released on CD. I can’t reveal anything about that yet. Everything depends on the timelines of the labels involved. But little by little, projects will be unveiled. Xavier KRUTH https://www.empusae.com/ https://www.facebook.com/empusaemusic/ https://www.instagram.com/e_m_p_u_s_a_e/
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ELEKTRIKILL New Jersey-based electro-industrial project, Elektrikill has been quickly earning a name for themseves with the acclaimed debut album, Monsters. They've already released the follow-up album, Propaganarchy! which continues the band's quick progress. We're happy they've agreed to do this interview for us. Thanks for taking time to do this interview for us. You just released a new album,‘Propaganarchy!”. What can you tell us about this and the meaning behind the title? I wanted to go harder with this album than I did with Monsters. I had been doing film scores for a while and that influence really crept into the music on Monsters. So, this album was a conscious decision to move away from that sound to a more classic industrial sound with a modern update. I really wanted to go much heavier and more experimental. The title was inspired by the cover art. I knew I wanted to do an album cover that was an homage to the early Foetus album covers. The title, which is an amalgam of the words “propaganda” and “anarchy” is a call to fight disinformation. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 10 - The new album arrives rather quickly after the debut, “Monsters”. What do you think you attribute that to? Monsters took FOREVER to write and record. The main reason for that is more than half of the album were songs from my defunct industrial-metal band. So, I had all these songs I’d written that I was used to hearing with guitar parts that suddenly didn’t have any guitars anymore. It took me a really long time to give them an all-synth vibe that worked. With Propaganarchy!, these were all brand- new songs that could just be what they were going to be from the get-go. Once it was finished, I really just wanted to get it out there. I wasn’t going to wait until April to put it out so a full year had passed between albums. Is the new album based upon a central “story”? Or are the songs smaller stories in and of themselves? The album is more political than the last one but there are really only three songs that have any kind of a political lean to them-"Propaganarchy!","Moral Combat" and "Execration". I don’t really write personal songs so it’s rare that a song is directly about me. I like to write songs that are stories."Wrong Again" is about the victim
of a gang execution realizing that he’s not getting out of it."Hidden Drives" is about the nouveau riche. The song topics are kind of all over the place. You had a video recently that did really well within a relatively short amount of time. Did you do any sort of promotion or advertising that mayhave contributed to the result? I always blow up the Facebook industrial groups with a link to my latest video but was honestly shocked when I got 400 views overnight. Once that happened, I invested a tiny – and I mean tiny – amount of money into YouTube advertising that was supposed to guarantee me another 500-750 views. I thought that if I was lucky I’d end up with about 1,000 views on it. I couldn’t believe it went viral like it did! Did you record all of the songs that you wrote during the current session or were there any left out? That’s all of them. At first, "Mask" wasn’t really coming out the way I wanted it to so that one almost got left off. But I ended up giving it a secon chance and it’s probably my favorite track on the album. "Wrong Again" was a song that got left off of Monsters because I felt like the album already had enough songs with that vibe. I’m glad I did that because the version of "Wrong Again" on this album turned out much better. Are there any artists that you collaborate with or that you’d like to? On Monsters I sort of collaborated with Rocco Kult from Cryoflesh because he played me a song he’d done and I really loved the drums. I told him I was stealing the drum track but I would give him co-writer credit. That drum track led to "Everything Looks Better On Fire". Rocco is in the video with me. I’d love to collaborate with Ogre from Skinny Puppy but he doesn’t really collab on outside projects. I’d love to do something with Gary Numan too. What’s your feeling regarding the use of AI in videos these days. Has it already gotten out of control and maybe reduced the organic element of creating content? It’s already out of control. I think it was a fun fad for about a minute and then it started to get dangerous. AI is already eating itself too – originally it based what it was doing on things humans created. Now it’s basing what it’s doing on things humans and other AI are creating. That will hopefully be its downfall – its own nability to distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t. - 11 - William ZIMMERMAN https://elektrikill.com https://elektrikill.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/elektrikill.band Photos © Eletrikill What do you have planned for the coming months in 2024? Later in the year, I’m planning to release a compilation album of some of the music I’ve done for film and television soundtracks over the years. It’s going to be called, (Mysterious Music) (Camera Shutter Clicking). I’m also already working on the follow-up to Propaganarchy! which will be called The Scream. The title song is already written and partially recorded. I’m also going to be returning to live shows starting with Wicked World’s Fair in February. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
DEMONWARP Demonwarp is a somewhat mysterious project that blends the styles of synthwave, darkwave, industrial and much more. Don't bypass them just for their aesthetics which bear similarities to that of synthave. They are far more diverse. We're pleased they responded to our email interview which we're excited to share with you. Check it out here! Hello and thanks for taking time out for our interview. Could you give our readers a brief background on Demonwarp and the meaning behind the name? Thank you for the opportunity. Demonwarp is a passion project that developed just a few years ago. The idea really came from a story idea. In 2666 the world is torn as portals from the rapture draw the hellish demons into a world full of AI tech. The demons merged with AI creating a power that can only be overcome by becoming the greater demon. Each song tells the story of the time before, during, or after this event. We all have Demons inside and its how we handle the demons on the inside and out. It is not just raw anger, but capturing the frustrations of corrupt power that leads to www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 12 - strife, that leads to a dystopian path and when in that future, what will we do to merge with the demons for power or succumb to their will. Extra Info - I was actually deployed in a war zone and using my spare time to work on some house music productions when the idea came to me. House was my first passion as a producer, but the house music scene had lost most of its appeal with DJs filling the booths and everyone forgot how to dance and let go over the years. So I turned back to my first love, which was metal and industrial music. I grew up in the Dallas area going to shows like Morbid Angel, Deicide, Death (greatest show ever, long live Chuck), and searching with my brother for black metal you couldn’t find anywhere. Then I discovered The Prodigy and Music for the Jilted Generation,“Their Law.” I was blown away, then I dug into KMFDM, Chemlab, Skinny Puppy and was attracted to the metal combination with electronic music. Fear Factory and Ministry really had me hooked. Your aesthetics are a little like synthwave but your music is far more diverse. What influences do you have musically and perhaps visually? Yes I dig the synthwave toms and inspiration but really pull from films and art like Hellraiser sampled in Lust, Lies in Betrayal, Event Horizon, Aliens (great samples in the battle scenes) and artists like H.R. Giger, Junji Ito, Masamune Shirow and Hiroshi Sakurazaka “All You Need is Kill.” I’m a Philosophy major so I like to read and explore different dystopian, existential work and horror art. Have you ever done or had interest in doing any video game or film scores? Favorite games are Mass Effect Trilogy, Ghost of
Tsushima, and Phantom Pain, so if Hideo Kojima is listening I’m here, lets do a new Policenauts or Snatcher sequel. I”m no Le Castle Vania but that is a dream, either one I would be game for. What do you have planned for 2024? Working on a live set with a combination of new and old material and performing. Might start out half live and half hybrid but I want to perform. I’m getting a special mask built to really bring the vibe, looking for a guitarist as well to give the audience an experience. I also did some vocals for Revizia for a new take of Lawless off his stellar album Chronicles that will be coming soon. Since I usually release singles, I’m looking to combine my new material, live developments and a few past tracks into an album for digital and physical release. What do you think is the mark of a good remix, both from the perspective of the remixer and the artist? Giving the listener a taste of the original and their new artistic presentation. I’m always looking for remixers and Paresis was the first I collaborated with, and he put together a huge drum and bass influenced remix on Lust, Lies in Betrayal. Also not every track is a masterpiece, so sometimes the remix can capture those really unique pieces and give them new life. Are there any specific themes that you like to address in your music? Like the story above, I want to have emotions connected to the narrative for each work, not just random grinds and noises. Take my latest track Possess Me, it is about a woman conjuring up a demon and the demon takes over her body, but then realizes she is a powerful witch and the witch is now in control of the demon’s powers so she can use it for the future torn world. Jenna’s voice captured the feminine beauty and power. Whether its anger, frustration, or turmoil I want the listener to feel the journey through the emotional state, never stuck always acknowledging and moving forward. Do you have to be in any kind of mood or environment for your composition process? I always start with an emotion maybe a single lyric line or feel I want to capture.This really helps me decide how hard or in your face the song will be, tempo, and beat structure. Warlock from my first album came about after watching the movie Warlock and I paused and replayed - 13 - this one line where he is talking to a Witch about power and being rewarded and she states, “service is the reward.” Then I wanted to capture this dystopian Warlock that still did it for service of evil as the only reward. Are there any sort of“rituals” that you do every time? I try to make every session productive, whether its trying something new with a machine and learning something from a video, to exploring and warping sounds, to specific mixing or song work. I always try to complete an idea before I leave the room. Sometimes that idea is rubbish but I move on to something I can be pleased with. How did you take advantage as an artist, during the covid lockdowns? So there I was,war zone during the pandemic,working on house music, and watching movies to pass the time and my brother who plays in The Black Moriah was working on his tour with Possessed. He also loaned his voice to me when I got back on a few tracks. I knew electronic music production and still listened to metal, especially Satyricon throughout my deployment, so why not give the combination a shot. I always listened to harder edge electronic like Panacea and Chris Liberator and It really turned into expressing my inner self that was buried deep for a while and needed an avenue to vent. Take us inside your studio and tell us more about the hardware and software you use to create your work. Digitakt, Virus B, also using the Osiris Virus emulations, Apollo twin, Midi fighter twister for some added automation help, Shure super 55 mic plugged into Ableton with some Vital, Avenger, and Serum on top. Big shout out to Goremall instruments and there Reaktor plugins. I’m looking to expand my hardware and setup preparing for my live set. I also like digging for samples and trying to distort my own to really give a unique horror type feel. I move about every 2 to 3 years so I keep this part mobile.This is surrounded by mymodded arcade machine, retro light guns, record and comic collection, turntables and cdjs. Still need a cover for my Amazing Fantasy #15 if you have one lying around. Appreciate your interests and look forward to seeing all the Demons in 2024. William ZIMMERMAN www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
TVASHTAR On Saturday, March 23, there was a Dark Entries Night with the Dutch-speaking night orchestra De Delvers, and with the German post-punk group Tvashtar. The latter are probably still unknown to most of you, and so we thought it would be good to listen to singer and bassist Sabine. First of all, tell me how you came to form Tvashtar. How did you meet and how did you decide to make music together? Juliane and I have been friends for quite some time.We consider ourselves “late bloomers”, learning our instruments at a point when we already had jobs and families.We met up with Daniela Goll, our first drummer, and played cover versions of songs we liked. It was mostly art punk and indie rock like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio. We were annoyed that we couldn’t rent a rehearsal room for more than a couple of hours, so we decided to get one of our own. I think that was the point when we thought that it was about time to try and make our own music. Just like that! To our own surprise we were very soft and slow at the beginning. ‘Drop my Gaze’ was one of our first songs. We never insisted on being an all-female band. If I understand it well, Tvashtar is known as the vedic artisan god in Hinduism. Why did you choose this name for your project? Funnily enough we only learned about the origin of the name after we chose it. We were thinking of Tvashtar, the volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io.We liked the idea of a massive eruption in outer space in complete silence. That’s why our demo tape is called ‘io’, by the way. Tvashtar comes from Hamburg, the same town that saw the birth of Xmal Deutschland in the eighties, a band that is famous for its post-punk music. Is there something special about Hamburg that this form of music gets created there? Honestly I have absolutely no idea if Hamburg is a special place for post-punk. I believe that post-punk www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 14 - music in all its facets is becoming more popular at the moment.A lot of stuff sounds like the eighties, but there are also some new approaches. I personally think that there is amazing new music coming from France, Britain and yes, Belgium! Like Structures, Glitch, Ghum, Dry Cleaning and Whispering Sons. Tvashtar is an all-girls band. I once interviewed Bettina Köster from Malaria!, and she explained to me that they thought it was an important aspect, as male musicians always wanted to sound too loud during rehearsals, but also because women had another feeling for rhythm. Is it important for you to be an allgirls band, and if so, what are the reasons? Oh, we never insisted on being an all-female band! At one point we had an additional male guitarist – Marco Argento, who is also on the recording of ‘Drop my Gaze’ – and I think Juliane’s sound is way harder than his! In fact we have a male drummer since last summer: Martin Engelbach. There might be some truth in what Bettina Köster said about the different feeling for rhythm, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all women groove with each other. The Slits and The Raincoats said something similar but then The Slits also had Budgie on drums, right? The main thing is commitment I think … and lots of humour! Our songs are sad enough. You will play in the Kinky Star in Ghent on February23 with the Flemish band De Delvers. De Delvers sing in their own mother tongue Dutch. There is some discussion going on between bands who choose to sing in their mother tongue and bands who choose to sing in English. How do you look at this distinction? I would not hesitate to write a song in German if the right lyrics came to my mind. I get a lot of inspiration from books. The novels I read are mostly written in English, I play around with some expressions and
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TVASHTAR phrases and develop them further. So I am already brainstorming in that language. On the other hand when I start with a bass riff for instance and try to find a vocal line I sometimes just sing gibberish and that is – at least in my case – usually closer to English. That’s how the chant in ‘Batty’ originated for example. The first release from Tavshtar dates from 2018. It was a single song: ‘Drop My Gaze’. It is an enchanting song. Am I mistaken if I say that there was some long period of silence after that? What was the reason you only released this song in the period from 2018 until 2021? No, you are absolutely right. There was a long time of silence. An inconsistent line up and life in general prevented us from being an efficient band. Juliane gave birth to her daughter Caro, which of course is wonderful. Sabine Zöllner – the singer and guitarist of the Hamburg punk band Bullshit Boy – joined us on drums at the end of 2019. That was like a breath of fresh air and changed our sound a lot.We began to play more forcefully. You released your first ep ‘io’ in 2021, so in the middle of the pandemic with its lockdowns and limitations of concerts. Did you have the feeling that the pandemic has hindered you in your progress as a band? As I said, Sabine Zöllner joined us in December 2019 and soon after came Covid and several lockdowns as everybody knows. But we were super excited and keen on making music together and creating our sound,so we didn’t mind the restrictions at all. At times we met in sets of two in the rehearsal room and then recorded our 5 song EP all by ourselves.We only had one gig that year, which was in open air, but otherwise it was a very productive time despite the odds. 2023 saw two new releases by Tvashtar: the single digital song ‘Raw’, and the double single on vinyl ‘Dear www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 16 - Sappho/Batty’. How do you look back at these releases and the response of the public? We had some good reviews though we did not promote the releases as much as we probably should have. We are not on Spotify or any other platform apart from Bandcamp.We pressed a rather small batch of 7” singles and saw that our audience is really into physical products. Vinyl but also cassette tapes. What are your plans for the future? As we were often asked when there will be an album, I think we should start to put some money aside. But mostly we want to play live! Xavier KRUTH https://www.tvashtar.de https://tvashtar.bandcamp.com https://www.facebook.com/tvashtarmusic https://www.instagram.com/tvashtar_band
THEN COMES SILENCE -Trickery (CD) (Metropolis Records) "Trickery," slated for release on April 5,2024,byMetropolis Records, is a pinnacle of postpunk artistry within a contemporary framework. Then Comes Silence has always forged a realm and vision steeped in their distinctive style, crafted by artists with unwavering dedication. The album embodies resilience against inner turmoil—adversities that propel them forward against all odds. Beyond its musical mastery, the album resonates deeply with personal experiences, aesthetics, and the essence of musical virtuosity. It's a celebration of friendship, belonging, and the profound connections between souls—a reflection on life's essence, priorities, and conscious choices.Like opening a treasure chest, the album reveals dazzling gems that dazzle the senses alongside more intricate, understated pearls. Contributions from artists such as Dusty Gannon, Emma Nylén (Emmon), Gözde Duzer (Aux Animaux) and Jörgen Wall add layers of depth, power, and variety, enriching an already illustrious palette. It's a truly magnificent album. ... [KK] DARK MINIMAL PROJECT - Remixes (CD/Vinyl/Digital) (Infacted Recordings) The duo Dark Minimal Project can be categorized under the synthwave and darkwave drawers of the electronic side of the gothic scene. We are presented with 10 remixes by bands of various kinds. The French friends of People Theatre provide a remix of Black Light,Krieg-B (Dominique Lallemant -Kriegbereit-Cobalt 60 -K-Bereit) and Benoit Buyse (Dreadpool) provide a beautifully danceable version of Boy Girl.And then there's Codenys of Front 242 who makes a unique version of Perversion. The song exudes diversity and subtlety. Ruined Conflict then goes to work on Ordinary Man, Dominatrix throws some minimal wave over Infected By Love and the fellowcitizens XMouth Syndrome have used their creativity to provide Someone Newwith their own jacket.And then one of the songs that sticks the most.Fatherless Child (project by N.Lannoy from the French Dunkirk) does his thing with Perversion. A great version that carries both EBM and futurepop, with a pinch of modern electronic sounds as a bonus.… [JB] WHISPERING SONS -The Great Calm (CD/Vinyl/Digital) (PIAS) A rough, deeply threatening bass line welcomes you to this album, which opens with Standstill.The guitars become a silent companion,drowned out by the ever-deep voice of frontwoman Fenne Kuppens. Hope grows. So do the expectations, for the explosion that would open the song. After more than 2 minutes, the song gets the typical post-punk sound that characterizes the band… “The Great Calm” is a different album than all the previous ones. The raw energy and emotion that are part of their own sound are less present than on the previous albums. Where after “Several Others” I already felt that it was becoming much tamer, on “The Great Calm” it is all even more flattened out.As if the rebellious teenager who just did what he wanted, suddenly sees the light and starts coloring inside the lines as a good citizen. Okay: it is a different path that is being taken. It is not the path that still appeals to me. So, I hope that the band will look back one day and think: maybe, just maybe,we should go back to the early days. [JB] YOUR ENEMY - Broken Toys (CD/Digital) (Progress Productions) Did anyone say dark EBM/Industrial can't be sexy and fierce!? Well, Your Enemy is living proof that the combination works. From the very first notes, it is undeniably clear: this duo was born for the genre. EBM all the way in opener Breathe. Aggressively stomping beats, an endlessly repeating bassline and Viva's sexy vocals.Not oldschool per se,but haunting, solid, challenging, sharp, and dark beats that any self-respecting EBM fan will get off on.Your Enemy doesn't stay on the straight and narrow path of EBM. In 'I Am The Surprise', there is a layer of techno and uptempo beats over the EBM framework that sounds more dance-like.An undercurrent of dance sounds, and yet. It reminds me of what Stoppenberg does, but with vocals. What other gems does this Broken Toys contain? Well, several... 'It's Gone' is an EBM track dressed in a sexy negligee. Here too, a solid EBM sound with a touch of sexyness… Conclusion: a strong, entertaining, enjoyable and especially varied album from a band that I feel will make a big splash in the electro/EBM circuit.They have my blessing.Amen. [JB] Read the full reviews on http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/reviews/ - 17 - www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
GOETHES ERBEN Canwe talka little about the beginnings ofGoethes Erben? You started as a duowith Peter Seipt in 1989. Howdid you decide to make music? Goethes Erben has been very creative in recent years, but that is now coming to an end.The story has been told, says mastermind Oswald Henke. It sometimes seemed that the attention for their work in Belgium had faded away. The band’s successful performance in Waregem in February 2024 made it clear that the group has not yet been forgotten.We had a chatwithOswald Henke, and discussed the entire career of Goethes Erben, from the early days in the emerging German Gothic movement, to his announcement of the end of the group. You already had success in Belgium in the nineties. In a way, I always thought the success of Goethes Erben in Belgium was something strange, because you made very experimental music, with long, complex lyrics in German. Howdo you explain that that was possible? I believe that not every word is important for the audience. They will rather look to what emotion comes from the stage. That is the great strength of Goethes Erben, and it also worked in non-German-speaking countries. We played in Mexico City, and the people were completely euphoric, although I highly doubt they understood every word. And I think it has been similar in Belgium. As an audience, you do not understand every word, but you do have an impression of the feelings that are unleashed on the audience from the stage. I believe that's the secret. I agree. I was there in the nineties, and you sold out large halls like theVooruit.Those are great memories for me and my friends. On February15 you played inWaregem. I don't know if you are aware that Waregem played an important role in the Belgian gothic scene. Do you have special memories ofWaregem? We have played there many times in the past. I think there was a series of shows at The Steeple. Could that be? We played there several times, but also at many festivals. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 18 - Peter was a colleague of mine. I then worked in the hospital and trained as a nurse, just like him.We were both interested inmusic.We startedmaking a very strange formofmusic,with German spoken words and structures that were not exactly made in the usual schemes of verse, chorus,verse,bridge and chorus.The music was really incorporated into the text.There was also the dramaturgy of the music. It was already clear then that the German language was the focus. I am a German. German is mymother tongue. I feel and think in German.That is why I have always only written texts in German. From the start,we were… I wanted to make something dark, because I experienced the world as I show it in Goethes Erben…as not very hopeful. Not completely without hope, but the hope is often well hidden, and it is very dark. In the trilogy I wanted to highlight the borderlands of life: death, the psyche, dreams, nightmares... Hence ‘Das Sterben ist ästhetisch bunt’ (Dying is aesthetically colorful),‘Der Traum an die Erinnerung’ (The dream about thememory) and‘ToteAugen sehen Leben’ (Dead eyes see life).Those were the three border areas. The musicwas verydark.Youwere part of the gothic scene, but you made something different than The Sisters Of Mercy or... well, one can still argue about Nick Cave. It was something completely different from what existed before. That's my view anyway. Yes, we simply created our new thing. We didn't align ourselves with other bands. We just wanted to make very dark music. That is why I have chosen the most different means of expression. We hadn't decided at all whether we wanted to make electronic music, or something with electric guitars, or with violins and cellos. We allowed everything that expressed the mood we wanted to express. In 1992 your debut album‘Das Sterben ist ästhetisch bunt’ was released, and it was…Well, I don't know, I wasn't there at the time, but I think it was a success from the start, wasn't it? Yes, we were lucky that we struck the chord of the zeitgeist from the beginning,in the then young goth scene.It should not be underestimated that the wall had fallen in Germany. That meant that Germany almost doubled in volume, and in fact there was an enormous hunger for music and new impressions in the new ‘Bundesländer’. Before that, it was very regulated. Due to the SED dictatorship (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschland, the communist party that ruled in East Germany, xk), people had no chance to listen to ‘dissenting’ or ‘critical’ music, or to visit concerts. As a result, we have experienced a huge surge overnight, because the audience has suddenly Photo © Luc Luyten / Who Cares
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GOETHES ERBEN doubled.This new formofmusicwas absorbed like in a sponge. As a result, groups such as Goethes Erben, but also Das Ich or Lacrimosa, had a very appreciative audience. I can certainly believe that. Another element is Bayreuth. That's where you come from. You had the club Die Etage in Bayreuth. Can you tell me more about that? You were a DJ there, and that's where you recorded your first albums. We recorded the first albums in the Etage Studios. We recorded the very first one directly in the Etage, and the others in the Etage Studios of Jochen Schoberth (the man behind Artwork, who also played on the first records of Goethes Erben, xk).The discotheque belonged to him then. I was a DJ there on Saturday nights, and Mindy was at the box office. (Mindy Kumbalek was a member of Goethes Erben from 1992 to 2014, xk.) Is this howyou met each other? That's how I met Mindy. I was a DJ and she was a visitor. She then lived near Würzburg, in Kitzingen. Her parents were Americans who had arrived here in the flow of American soldiers. They had nothing to do with the army, but those large military bases were a bit of a city in themselves. Her parents were in there. She was actually fromWisconsin. She was completely gothic at the time, and came to the Etage. That's how we got to know each other. I had turned away from Peter at that time, because Peter didn’t like this music too... Actually, the music wasn't the problem, it was the people that scared him. He had nothing to do with the goth scene at all, and then suddenly he only saw black. And the goths were dressed and painted much more strikingly at the time. He didn’t know how to handle that. That wasn't really his world. He then went his own musical way. He has made more commercial things. We didn't break up because of an argument, but just because he wanted to. He didn’t know how to handle that. Then there was no point in continuing. Then I, Mindy, and Conny R. re-founded Goethes Erben as a live band.We started performing in that line-up, and we also performed together in Belgium. That was in 1992, if I'm not mistaken... Indeed,and because we couldn't afford a lighting technician, we brought two hundred candles on candle stands, and that gave a very special flair to the concerts.We destroyed every stage with candle wax. (Laughs) Das Ich and their keyboardist Bruno Kramm were also present in Bayreuth. He helped you with the first recordings.What was his role? I played keyboards in another band at the time: Le Coup www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 20 - Sauvage. They were under contract with Bruno Kramm. They wrote ‘Nightmare Home’ and recorded it at his studio. I first gave the demo recordings of‘Der Spiegel’to StefanAckermann from Das Ich. It was something going against the grain, in which language was the central focus, and they absolutely loved that. They then played ‘Gottes Tod’. They had already written that back then. Then Bruno Kramm asked if I would like to release a cassette on his Danse Macabre label, and we did so. Peter and I went there to record ‘Das Ende’, ‘Stumme Zeugen’, ‘Der Weg’ and ‘Der Spiegel’, and that's how it happened. For ‘Leben im Niemandsland’, you collaborated with Vladimir Ivanoff, who also played a role on the later ‘Blue Album’. How did you decide to work with him, and how did the work go? We then played at Popkomm in Cologne. That was the international marketplace for the music business in Germany at the time. We played there together with Das Ich and another band.Vladimir Ivanoff was there. He then had great success with Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares. He was nominated for a Grammy. He saw us there by chance and thought that what we were doing there was fantastic. He asked us if we didn’t want to work together. At first he wanted to do this story of ‘Leben im Niemandsland’, practically based on the pieces from the trilogy.He helped us to arrange the pieces, for example with the violins. After this live CD, we told him that we would like to make a studio album together, and then we made something completely different, namely the ‘Blue album’. That was the complete opposite of‘Leben imNiemandsland’.There was no warmth, no feelings, everything came from computers, was ice cold, the voices… The highlight was then that we could invite Gitane Demone as a guest singer. She sung the voice of the mother for us. The interesting thing was that Gitane Demone didn’t understand German, and I had to keep explaining to her what these words meant. She tried to put her feelings into these words, but she didn’t quite know which word meant what.That has given this album a very special charm. On the record, you can't really hear that she barely understood German. I listen to it regularly. But it was an important record for you. You were a bit frustrated that it didn't have the success you hoped for. People were of course fixated on the way Goethes Erben should sound because of the first albums – the trilogy, and then the EP‘Die Brut’– and the ‘Blue Album’ was something completely different. There were only three pieces on the entire record: ‘Pascal’, ‘Blau’ and ‘Rebell’, and moreover ‘Blau’ was twenty minutes long, it was an epic. It was extremely cold, and dark and distant in a completely different way. It
was probably ahead of its time, but people simply did not understand it, also because the language had changed. It wasn't that direct anymore. Then came ‘Schach ist nicht das Leben’, which featured more instruments. You had FM Einheit from Einstürzende Neubauten acting as producer. I assume the Neubauten were an important influence for you, right? Let's put it this way: we don't sound like Einstürzende Neubauten, but the Neubauten were one of the Germanspeaking bands that I really liked at the time.‘Haus der Lüge’ is one of my favorite albums. I liked FM Einheit because he was the drummer at the time. He had already left the band by then, but I wanted to strengthen the rhythm section.That was not something we had considered particularly important in the previous years. FM Einheit was actually interested in working with us because of the ‘Blue Album’. I believe that ‘Schach ist nicht das Leben’sold well, but you were still disappointed with the sales figures. You then stated that this was due to illegal copying of CDs. It went completely wild at that time. People copied the CD. Although the popularity of Goethe's Erben increased during that time,although there were more spectators, sales figures continued to decline.That’s a difficult situation.We had put a lot of money into it.‘Schach’was a very expensive record. FM Einheit did cost us some money as a producer,and the studio was expensive. It is of course a problem if the recordings become more and more expensive, and ultimately fewer people buy the product as a physical sound carrier. You have always had the ambition tomakemusical theater. This was fully achieved for the first time with ‘Kondition: Macht!’ from 1998. - 21 - We have also succeeded in this to a certain extent with ‘Schach ist nicht das Leben’, but not as consistently as with ‘Kondition: Macht!’. ‘Kondition: Macht!’ was really written strictly as musical theater, with a different role for the text, and also a role for dance and dramaturgy.The musicians also had roles. We performed it for the first time for three evenings in a row in Berlin. That was a huge task. We rehearsed and prepared for one year for something that was then performed during three evenings. I also remember the concert of‘Schach ist nicht das Leben’ in Belgium. That was in Mechelen, and it was very theatrical.You gave jam to the people, therewas the crown and the throne. So that was already staged as a musical theater? Absolutely. That was not a normal concert.And our concerts today are still not normal. When we made this ‘dystopian time journey’ in Waregem, through the history of Goethes Erben, there was also a certain dramaturgy in the way we presented it all. There was a ‘chest of memories’ on stage from which I practically retrieved these memories. You have played a lot of‘Nichts bleibt wie es war’. I believe that was also your biggest commercial success. Did ‘Nichts bleibt wie es war’also have a dominant theme? With ‘Nichts bleibt wie es war’, Mindy and I decided to include our side projects Still Silent and Erblast in the record. The song ‘Nichts bleibt wie es war’ actually comes from Still Silent. It was originally called ‘Shockwaved’. We made a German version of that. ‘Was war bleibt’ was originally a piece by Erblast,but we nowwanted to play it with the band. We simply wanted to put that together. ‘Nichts bleibt wie es war’ was much more widely perceived at the time through the collaboration with Peter Heppner on www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be Photo © Luc Luyten / Who Cares
GOETHES ERBEN ‘Glasgarten’. But in the end we also came to the constatation that the mainstream didn't want us.We were invited to ‘Top Of The Pops’ at the time, because ‘Glasgarten’was rising as a German-language single in Germany at the time. We were invited, but two days later it was canceled again, on the grounds that we might polarize and people might leave. That is very unfortunate. That really annoyed me, and from then on the mainstream press didn’t matter to me anymore. I can believe that.This was followed by the next work, even though there were still a few years in between: ‘Schattendenken’. That was a musical theater piece again. That was very clearly a musical theater piece. ‘Schattendenken’ was also not released as such. The piece was over two hours long.We released ‘Dazwischen’ based on some of the pieces, but also on other pieces from this era. That was the last collaboration with Mindy, because we were frustrated after that and stopped. (Laughs) Because of the disappointing reactions, or what? Yes, that was it.We were disappointed that what we wanted to create was not perceived or valued as we would have liked. Then we said there was no point in continuing to create that. If the interest of the audience is too small, one should stop. What did Mindy say when you first played pieces by Goethes Erben with Henke, and then later performed ‘Henke spielt Goether Erben’, and finally when you started again with Goethes Erben? She had no problem with Henke at all. I also had contact with her when we played ‘Henke spielt Goethes Erben’. We both wanted to make a break then. I then asked Mindy when this breakwould end.I had been offered to play‘Rückkehr ins Niemandsland’ in Leipzig for the twenty-fifth anniversary, with a very large budget, with two cellos, two violins, two voices, two grand pianos, with orchestral percussion... I told her that.Mindy didn’t want to participate at the time. I said I wanted to do that. Then we agreed that if I did that, Mindy wouldn't come back. That was my decision then. I said I wanted to do that. I told her that if she didn't want to participate, I didn’t believe she would come back two years later.The idea then was to do a one-off anniversary concert, and then nothing more. But I had so much fun with those people at the time, and I also wanted to make ‘Menschenstille’, a large musical theater piece with a lot of people and a large budget. Then came the single with Sara Noxx. That was the first publication ofGoethes Erben after the re-establishment, in 2015 I believe.Why did you want to make that single with Sara Noxx? She asked us that. She had requested a remix of Goethes Erben for an earlier single,‘Weg zurück’.Tobi (Tobias Schäfer, keyboardist of Henke and later Goethes Erben, xk) and I made that.Then came the idea of this split single and a joint tour. ‘Am Abgrund’ from 2018 contained a few pieces from the musical theater piece, I believe. ‘AmAbgrund’was meant to be dramaturgical.At the time,like with ‘X’,we played everything live in one piece, from the first song to the last.There we worked with video projections for the first time.There were three projectors with three screen walls, which showed different images. It was a very distant performance.There was no form of communication with the audience during these performances. It was really encapsulated, as if the audience were not there, which is otherwise not the case with Goethes Erben.And then came the pandemic… …… (Read more on wwww.peek-a-boomagazine.be) Xavier KRUTH www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be Photo © Luc Luyten / Who Cares
XTORT - Zwart (CD/ Vinyl / Digital) (DA records) Also known as the 'dark Michel Jarre', Xtort has been making his musical mark on the dark scene for years.A true lover of a wide range of electronic music and a worshipper of synths, his repertoire ranges from house and techno to industrial,minimal and Italo disco. Xtort's love of analogue instruments is immediately evident in the first song, When The Night Calls.Minimal synths to lick your fingers off. Not too artificial, not too complicated, but straight on. And that is also the power of this song that warns about the dangers of the night. One of the singles and the title track of this album,'Zwart', is cut from the same cloth. The analogue machinery is supported by an acoustic guitar. 'There I stand, everything is gone, no more friends, everyone is gone...Only you, you are still there. But you too know that I am poison to you... and everything turns black (...)' Call it a ballad if you like. It spits black ink like an octopus that feels cornered. No Way Out has a bit more tempo,but still bathes in the humus ofminimal…Xtort's third album, third time a bullseye.Nothing more needs to be said about that. [JB] PROJECT PITCHFORK - Elysium (CD/ Vinyl / Digital) (Trisol) Founded in 1989 by Peter Spilles and Dirk Scheuber, Project Pitchfork, a stalwart of the dark electronic scene, emerges from the shadows with their latest studio album, "Elysium." While the band's signature sound of dark, electronic compositions remains, there's a subtle evolution on "Elysium." Spilles' recognizable vocals are still a guiding force... Catchy pop sensibilities shine through tracks like "Melancholia," "Learning To Live," and "Memories," reminiscent of Project Pitchfork's 2013 hit "Rain" from "Black." However, the band hasn't abandoned their club-friendly roots entirely.."Elysium" serves as the final chapter in a trilogy that began with "Akkretion" and continued with "Fragment." It's a cosmic electro symphony that translates the music of the stars into a colossal,dark electronic cathedral.As a longtime fan, I can confidently say that "Elysium" is another triumph for Project Pitchfork. Whether you call it dark (electro) pop or electronic darkwave, this album is a masterfully crafted journey through sound, brimming with bravado and finesse.Highly recommended! [KI] HYBRIDS - Mythopia, The Sequel (CD/ Digital) In 2022, Hybryds released the beautiful 'Mythopia'. While Hybryds has always been experimental, this was a fairly innovative album, exploring more dreamy sounds and (3rioart) atmospheres that took on almost fairy-tale dimensions with the vocals of two nymphs – long-time singer Madeline Arndt, joined by the newer but equally remarkable Katharina.Then in January 2024, the next album came out: 'Mythopia, the sequel'.A first observation is that 'the sequel' does not consist at all of remixes of the original 'Mythopia', but of new material. Perhaps Magthea wanted to continue working under this title because it so well reflects the atmosphere in which he is currently working with Hybryds.A second observation is that 'the sequel'contains fairly hard drum sounds, so more emphasis on the rhythms, than its predecessor.Let that be a return to the ritual and tribal aspect that has characterised Hybryds'music for forty years now. Let me not beat around the bush…Overall,'Mythopia, the sequel' is a worthy successor to the first album, and a must-have for fans of Hybryds [XK] ATTRITION -The Black Maria (CD/Digital) Active since 1980 and still going strong,this Attrition is not one to wear out,despite the name. Attrition is the electro/industrial and much more project of and around the Brit Martin Bowes who releases a new album on his own Two Gods label. I've lost count,but there have been quite a few.On this "The BlackMaria"Martin Bowes is assisted bymany guests who contribute vocally and instrumentally. Female voices (Emke van Black Nail Cabaret, Elisa Day van Hetaira Decrépita and Yvette from the band Vaselyne, but also the original Attrition singer Julia (who is back after 20 years) give this album a more mystical,somewhat neo-classical and devotional touch. Attrition is still doing it in 2024 with a sound that is as unique and characteristic as it is different."The Black Maria" has certainly won my attention and knows how to keep it. [KI] Read full reviews on http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/reviews/ - 23 - www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be (Two Gods)
FADGADGET / FRANKTOVEY (°8 September 1956 – † 3 April 2002) This April it’s been already 22 years since Frank Tovey, also known as Fad Gadget, passed away at the age of 45 (°8 September 1956 – † 3 April 2002). He was a pioneer of both (electronic) New-wave and Industrial music. As no other, and we even dare to say upon today, he succeeded in fusing together darkish electro-pop with industrial and noisy experiments. ”Back to Nature" the second release on Mute Records. The single was recorded on a 8-track recorder and released in 1979. After this successful single release, the follow-up single Ricky’s Hand record was recorded and released. Tovey also began recording a full album, his iconic debut album Fireside Favorites which was released by Mute in November 1980. His sarcastic and darkly humorous view on life reflected his lyrics that were mostly filled with biting social commentary towards subjects such as machinery, industrialization, consumerism, human sexuality, mass media, religion, domestic violence and dehumanization. In 1978 Frank Tovey sent a demo tape of Back to Nature to Daniel Miller, who had just released his own, and thus first Mute label single, as The Normal. Tovey signed as Fad Gadget to Daniel Miller's Mute Records made him the first artist to sign to Mute and www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 24 - In 1981 Tovey released another single “Make Room", featuring the "Lady Shave" on the b-side, the latter went on to become one of his most known and played tracks. For Tovey the ideas and concepts behind his live performances were just as important as his music. His live appearances quickly became known for his confrontational stage antics. In total Frank Tovey recorded four albums under the moniker Fad Gadget, four as Frank Tovey and two as Frank Tovey & The Pyros. After the release and tour from Frank Tovey & The Pyros album Worried Men In
Second-Hand Suits (1992) he withdrew from the music scene for almost a decade. In 2001 he started performing again as Fad Gadget supporting label mates Depeche Mode on their world tour. Fad Gadet was invited by Depeche Mode themselves as they once supported Fad Gadget on tour in 1980. On April 3rd 2002, only a few days after he had returned home from a Fad Gadget come-back tour through Europe, Frank Tovey died due to a heart failure. Apparently he was aware of the risks of a heart failure that were already diagnosed when he was a chid. This could explain why he called one of the track on his Fireside Favorite debut album the Arch Of The Aorta. FLASHBACKCONCERTREVIEW***FLASHBACKCONCERTREVIEW***FLASHBACKCONCERTREVIEW Fad Gadget’s First comeback live show since 1988! Elektrofest 15/04/2001, Mean Fiddler, London When I heard the first rumors about a possible comeback by this pioneer of New-Wave in its purest form, which flourished in the early eighties, I raised my eyebrows for a moment. It was the same disbelief that overwhelmed me about a year ago, when there was a lot of speculation about a real Skinny Puppy reunion. Although I must say that the disbelief immediately gave way to a feeling of euphoria. How many times had we already whined at some bar about the ideal comeback from the whole wave thing of the past twenty years? Each time, Frank Tovey's alter ego Fad Gadget emerged as the most wanted come-back artist. How did that proverb go again; a drunken mouth speaks the truth? Little did we know! So, we didn't hesitate and immediately ordered a ticket via the information highway. The concert was announced as a comeback performance by this artist, whose name was at the top of an otherwise mundane list. A poster that I will not elaborate on because 'it can also be seen at the local tripe fair', except perhaps an honorable mention for the industrial/technoterrorists of Greenhaus who actually managed to create and rape “Transmission” (Joy Division) with their Underworld-is, without causing too much pain (on the contrary: it was very pleasing). But now on to what should be the event of 2001, at least for the first generation New-wavers. A first glance at the stage made clear driving force Frank Tovey had not come alone.An electronic drum kit was set up in the centre, flanked by a minimal keyboard installation, while a guitar and bass guitar were positioned to the left and right of the stage respectively (perhaps let's clarify for the electro-heads: it looks like a phallic symbol with a few strings attached) were waiting for their manipulators. Fad Gadget live as a real band? Something that could turn out to be either good or bad, I thought. Because about eighteen years ago - long before the days of minidiscs and DAT players - this man himself was often seen alone on stage, flanked by a cassette recorder (remember those?). To what extent would these “new” musicians be able to express this gentleman's classics? Or would they mainly play new material? Has the man become an old bald fart who can no longer pull a hair from his head, let alone his scrotum? We would soon find out... The lights went out, while the stage was filled with - 25 - www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
FAGGADGET ***FLASHBACKCONCERTREVIEW*** smoke … The tension was palpable! The venue was well filled, although I had imagined it to be a bit more crowded. Many “snoths” apparently did not feel the need to fill the gap in their cultural background and had already left the venue early, which of course resulted in more breathing space and the second row for the older “black coats” among us.As the musicians took their positions, we stared at the microphone stand as if some kind of angel was about to descend from heaven. Amplifiers and synthesizer hum swelled; the drummer joined in... Immediately we knew this was “State of the Nation” as the opening song; a good harbinger, in my opinion. Neatly timed, Frank Tovey stepped out of the wings to his microphone and let his magical voice echo through the hall. Frank's appearance and voice made is seem if time had stood still all those years and had withstood the test of time formidably. Dressed in a white doctor's coat and latex gloves, he wriggled around his microphone stand a bit awkwardly at first, but that would only last a while. He had also taken the trouble to adapt his haircut to the occasion: close-shaven and with a fringe around his scalp, it looked as if he had undergone brain surgery. The warm welcome and loud applause that arose from the hall after their first song gave Mr. Fad Gadget probably immediately that little bit of selfconfidence that he seemed to lack during the first minutes. We had not yet recovered from the wonderful feeling of euphoria when we recognized the first notes of “Ricky's hand”! This was going to be a downright “best of” performance, that much was clear. Fad Gadget knew exactly what we came for... AMBIANCE!!! In the distant past, this would have been the time to hand in false teeth, glasses, and other orthopaedic accessories at the cloakroom, so one didn’t have to inspect the floor in vain after the concert. Tonight, however, I think everyone was watching this by everyone proclaimed long dead act too fascinated.So, for most of us our physical exertion was limited to the typical Mr. Oiso's Flat Eric (you probably know it from “Flat beat”)-rhythmic head shaking movement. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 26 - Fad Gadget himself, on the other hand, had taken Professor Barnabas time machine (Ref. Suske & Wiske)) and flashed himself back almost two decades. Armed with a cordless drill machine, he stepped forward and drilled through his left hand (glove), causing 'blood' to flow and spill freely over his clean white doctor's coat. He laconically announced for the gullible among us: 'Sorry folks, tonight you're getting the fake shit 'cause I spilled enough real blood in the past for you motherfuckers!'. And we could live with that, just like the fact that 'the fake shit' was spilled all over us in the front rows while he emptied the glove filled with red gunk above our heads, spinning around on the drill. It really couldn't go wrong anymore. Certainly not when songs like “Collapsing new people” and “Luxury” (The latter was the only post-Gadget Frank Tovey song) followed and blasted from the speakers. Both songs with which Fad Gadget and later Frank Tovey scored high in both domestic and foreign music charts. The man is also no stranger to irony, as it turned out when he started playing “Fireside favorites” when he said: “I know that you goths are not into this stuff but I’m fucking gonna play it anyway!”.We had a good laugh of course, others who felt more addressed immediately forgave Frank after this “swinging song”, when his group flattened the audience with the dance floor hit “Love parasite”. This would be the only song from the album “Under the flag” they would perform tonight. In the meantime, Frank Tovey was warmed-up, and so he was ready for the next classic featuring his bare torso. No drill in his hand now, but a spray can of shaving foam... Indeed, “Lady Shave” was up!! Between the vocal parts, he slowly covered his entire upper body and face with this white sticky substance, and now the front rows participated in the Fad Gadget feast. I guess this is what happens when you really want to be in the front row. Slowly it became clear with this song that Frank was increasingly reverting to his old Fad Gadget image and habits: tufts of armpit and pubic hair, his own that is, were torn out and eaten. Fad Gadget is back!!
- 27 - www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be SHAVE IT! SHAVE IT! SHAVE IT!
FAGGADGET ***FLASHBACKCONCERTREVIEW*** Then a song, that appeared to have been heavily reworked by the band: cult hit “Coitus interruptus”, which, if even possible, has been made even more danceable than the original version. Stirred up by the horny groans of this mildly self-inflictor, the entire room was immediately in motion. But then suddenly silence fell, the spotlights went out and Fad Gadget disappeared from the stage like a thief in the night. We were momentarily torn from our dream, but it goes without saying that those present had no intention of returning home without any bis songs. 'We want more!!!' it sounds in English, something we had almost forgotten after hearing 'Zugabe' shouted unsolicited into my ears hundreds of thousands of times while attending concerts and festivals in Germany.And of course,after a fewmoments they stepped back onto the stage. Apparently, a real victory 'hug' had taken place behind the scenes, because now all the other group members showed traces of shaving foam and blood on their bodies. Then Fad Gadget asked which song we would like to hear, a persistent fan from the front row immediately got it his way with “Insecticide”. Frank wanted to try it but asked us not to be too critical, as they had not really rehearsed this song. As if we would ever dare to criticize the great Fad Gadget, especially after being so spoiled for the past hour. Even more, the version they performed of “Insecticide” sounded so great everybody was dancing again. I saw several people jumping around with bloody red faces and foam on the lips, I started to wonder if maybe it had something to do with the then prevailing foot and www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 28 - mouth disease epidemic in Great Britain. Ultimately, Fad Gadget commanded us to live a little closer to nature again and reminded us once again where we, homo-sapiens, are coming from, by climbing like a chimpanzee into the PA speakers to the right of the stage and dangling several meters above our heads, only to make some more of his craziest faces. Unfortunately, “Back to Nature” seemed to be the last song on their set list that evening, but most of us were so satisfied that we gave the man a well-deserved rest and decided to return to our hotel, tired but oh so satisfied. As we were leaving the venue we noticed some familiar faces, including Mute Records label boss Danïel Miller (who, by the way, was co-musician/composer of the early Fad Gadget singles) and Depeche Mode synth freak Andy Fletcher, which indicated this reunion not only made our hearts beat faster, but also the hearts of professional musicians and heroes. Later on, in the London tube (metro) to our hotel, we met some fellow countrymen who were also covered in shaving foam and fake blood,which provoked some strange looks from fellow passengers. But it didn't bother us at all, because we had a broad grin on our faces as our brains were still filled with adrenaline and endorphins from this great night. Peter Mastbooms All Photos © Peter Mastbooms This review was originally published in
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peek aboo calendar music &moviemagazine 05.04 ELEKTROANSCHLAG 2024 @ Tenne / Brewery Altenburg, Altenburg [DE] Stasis Device Vs. Oko Jose Macabra Thorofon Fargo Monya Look Mum No Computer Heimstatt Yipotash Dj Music: Thedi Vs. Paradroid 06.04 ELEKTROANSCHLAG 2024 @ Tenne / Brewery Altenburg, Altenburg [DE] Sans-fin Pale Frett Hartbrand Axiome Meta Meat Sutcliffe No More Hypnoskull Dj Music: Thedi Vs. Paradroid 12.04 SUICIDE COMMANDO + THE JUGGERNAUTS + DREADFOOL @Magasin 4, 1070 Anderlecht [BE] 19.04 PSYCHE + NO MORE + DARK MINIMAL PROJECT @ Studio D'enregistrement Canal 10, Hautrage [BE] 20.04 DARKEST NIGHT 2024 @ Gc Den Dries, Retie [BE] Akalotz, Nordarr, Container 90, Pantserfabriek En Diagnostic Error. The 10th Anniversary Of Dark Balloon With Our Darkest Night 2024. 20.04 D:ZINE & DER KLINKE @ Owla, 8000 Brugge [BE] Afterparty Met Dj Fapnoir Doors 19.30 26.04 BUNKERLEUTE - DARK UNDERGROUND PARTY @Musicafé, Leuven [BE] Dj's The Darker Angel & Catacombkitten 27.04 BELGIAN BEATS WITH A SPLIT-SECOND, THE JUGGERNAUTS, STIN SCATZOR & PORNO KARAOKE @ The Black Lab, Wasquehal [FR] Warm-up, Interlude & Closing Party With Dj Saïz (Belgian Ebm/new Beat Related Vinyls) 27.04 DONKERE TIJDEN ! @ Dvg Club, Kortrijk [BE] Causenation , Black Snow In Summer , Enzo Kreft , Onrust 02.05 OUT OF LINE WEEKENDER 2024 - DAY 1 @Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin [DE] Oomph! Suicide Commando Welle:erdball Ost+front Absolute Body Control Minuit Machine Erdling Rave The Reqviem Rue Oberkampf Rabia Sorda Amduscia Hand Of Juno 03.05 OUT OF LINE WEEKENDER 2024 - DAY 2 @Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin [DE] 04.05 OUT OF LINE WEEKENDER 2024 - DAY 3 @Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin [DE] 04.05 NEW-WAVE-CLASSIX PARTY @ Vooruit (404), Gent [BE] Belgiums Finest Black Celebration With Djs Filip Delie. 10.05 TOPOGRAPHIES (US) @ Djingel Djangel, 2000 Antwerp [BE] American Postpunk Band With Gray Tolhurst 11.05 PORNO KARAOKE + NEWWAVE & EBM PARTY @ La Boule Du Centre, Gaurain-ramecroix [BE] 24.05 BODIES & BEATS XV FEAT. LESCURE 13, 31ST TILE & PORNO KARAOKE @ Fetish Café, 2000 Antwerp [BE] Borg's B-day Feast Age Is Irrelevant Resistance Is Futile Featuring: Lescure 13 (ebm Side Project Of Johan Van Roy (suicide Commando) And Stefan Bens (stin Scatzor)). + 31th Tile (the Electronic Answer To Human Discomfort And Silliness) + Porno Karaoke (weird & Slick Pop-wave-noise-industrial Tribute Band). 25.05 MORTICIA GOTHIC PARTY @ Cerberus, Hengelo (ov.) [NL] Dj's Burb & Sl!m 08.06 DARKMAS FEST @ Haus Witten Germany, Witten [DE] Then Comes Silence, The Foreign Resort, Raskolnikov 08.06 XXX PARTY @ The Social Club, Leuven [BE] The Return Of The Xxx Parties Dark Wave - Electro - Techno - Industrial Dj The Black Widow Guest Dj: The Darker Angel (bunkerleute) 08.06 ENZO KREFT LIVE OUTDOOR AND NEWWAVE NIGHT WITH FAPNOIR @ Het Nieuw Verleden, Beernem [BE] 15.06 SHADOWPLAY - ALTERNATIVE 80'S PARTY @Walhalla, Deventer [NL] Alternative 80's / New Wave With Dj Sl!m 21.06 LIVE AM SEE @ Hennesee Meschede, Meschede [DE] D.A.F. Charles De Goal, No More, Lowersynthdept., Dear Wolf, Venin Carmin, Naked Lunch. Iris Paralysis, Saigon Blue Rain, Viperes Sucrees Salees. 29.06 PEKKERSFEESTEN @ De Leest, 8870 Izegem [BE] She Past Away , Agent Side Grinder , Velvet Mist , Erato , Dageist , The Cult By Pure Kult , Afterparty Fapnoir & The Master 27.07 AMPHI FESTIVAL XVIII - DAY 1 @ Tanzbrunnen, Köln [DE] Agent Side Grinder * Alienare *AProjection Blackbook * Bloody DeadAnd Sexy * Diary Of Dreams Die Selektion * Eisbrecher * Front LineAssembly Hocico KÆlan Mikla * Manntra * Minuit Machine * Neuroticfish * Ost+front Principe Valiente * Project Pitchfork * Schattenmann * Then Comes Silence * T.o.y. 28.07 AMPHI FESTIVAL XVIII - DAY 2 @ Tanzbrunnen, Köln [DE] And One Auger * Blutengel Dark * Deus Ex Lumina * Es23 * Faderhead * Girls Under Glass * Goethes Erben * Heldmaschine * Henric De La Cour * Heppners Tanzzwang * Kirlian Camera * Merciful Nuns * Ruined Conflict * Solar Fake * Soulbound * The Beauty Of Gemina * The Other * Ultra Sunn 04.08 THE SISTERS OF MERCY + FRONT 242 + LAMUERTE + VIVE LA FETE @ LOKERSE FEESTEN, Lokeren [BE] 08.08 CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE + ULTRA SUNN + FRAGMENT + N.W. PARTY @ Fonnefeesten, 9160 Lokeren [BE] 09.08 CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE + THE JUGGERNAUTS @ La Ruche Verrière, Lodelinsart [BE] 09.08 CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE + THE JUGGERNAUTS @ Blue Shell, Köln [DE] 19.10 D:ZINE & LAVI EBBEL @ Harmonie, 9700 Oudenaarde [BE] Afterparty Met Dj Fapnoir ( Black Planet ) 26.10 BODIES & BEATS XVI FEAT LEAETHER STRIP (DIRTY SLEAZY SET) @ Fetish Cafe, 2000 Antwerp [BE] Leaether Strip Special Dirty, Kinky & Sleazy Set With Tracks Taken From His Entire Back-catalogue. + Dj Borg 27.10 BODIES & BEATS XVII FEAT. LEAETHER STRIP ( VINTAGE ZOTH OMMOG SET) @ Fetish Cafe, Antwerp [BE] Leaether Strip Will Play A Very Special & Vintage Set With Tracks Taken From his The Legendary Zoth Ommog Years. 01.11 ALTERFEST @ La Ruche Verrière, Lodelinsart [BE] Clan Of Xymox, Kas Product, Reload, The Breath Of Life, Ductape, Suir, Dear Deer, Kezdown, Dresscode, Awid Enid 16.11 BELGIAN ELECTROWAVE IS NOT DEAD III - 30 YEARS OF IC 434 @Wommel, Wommelgem [BE] 30 Years Of Ic 434 With Deleritas, Herrnia, Ic 434 And Aftershow By Euforic Existence And Dj Peter Melis & Dj Pk. 07.12 NEETWAVE 2024 @ Gc Den Dries, Retie [BE] Line-up TBC 20.12 BIMFEST - Day 1 @ De Casino, St-Niklaas [BE]- Line-up TBC 21.12 BIMFEST - Day 2 @ De Casino, St-Niklaas [BE]- Line-up TBC 22.04 INTERNATIONAL EBM DAY @ De Casino St-Niklaas, [BE] - Line-up TBC >>>> IF YOUR EVENT IS NOT LISTED HERE YOU FAILED TO ADD IT (FOR FREE) TOO OUR ONLINE CALENDAR!<<<< - 31 - www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
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