Press Info:
XTR HUMAN, the iconic artist born amidst the fiery underground of Berlin’s batcaves and warehouse raves, is set to release his latest single, “I WANT MORE,” accompanied by a gripping music video on September 22.
“I WANT MORE” is a nihilistic anthem that delves into the unrelenting desire to consume, urging listeners to embrace the pursuit until the very end. The accompanying music video directed by German video producer Matthias Landenberger (mlandenberger.de) showcases a powerful narrative that follows the protagonist through the bustling city streets, confronting the pervasive influence of capitalism and the omnipresence of brands in urban life. Through fast-paced intercuts and slow-shutter visuals, the video effectively captures the hectic nature of modern society, accentuating the manipulative force of neo-liberal culture.
The single “I WANT MORE” is a preview of XTR HUMAN’s upcoming album, scheduled to be released in 2024 on the esteemed label WIE EIN GOTT Records.
Press Info (English):
An empty club. Shrill beats echo through the deserted darkroom, rich synths waft across the space. Suddenly, a sad trumpet sound fills the dancefloor like a ghost: welcome to the world of DIE SELEKTION.
With thirteen years of shared history under their belt, the bandmembers Luca Gillian, Hannes Rief, Samuel Savenberg and Max Rieger turned DIE SELEKTION into an influential band that manages to bring both goth kids and techno fans onto the dancefloor – at the same time. With ZEUGE AUS LICHT (Eng.: Witness of Light), the quartet (which however performs as a duo live) releases their third studio record into the wild and throws a rave on the ruins of the present, somewhere between the apocalypse and the rampant insanity of our times.
DIE SELEKTION always knows how to balance the fine line between seriousness and self-irony with confident swagger. We see that in the charming call-and-response of DREI GESICHTER (Eng.: Three Faces), which, delighting in its provocation, mixes manspreading rock’n’roll poses from the last century with a Mardi Gras-esque trumpet. We also hear it in the euphoria of ASCHEREGEN (Eng.: Ashfall) and DER ROTE FADEN (Eng.: The Red Thread). And we experience it in the cold precision of the title track ZEUGE AUS LICHT, of course, which beautifully weaves together all the threads from which the principle of DIE SELEKTION is spun: pop harmonies, ice cold drum elements, hopeful synths, a radiant trumpet and lyrics that could deal with contemporary horrors like the imminent climate catastrophe as well as with failed relationships or an accidental fall into a K-Hole.
On ZEUGE AUS LICHT we hear the band coming into its own as a collective eschewing traditional hierarchies. From DER GRUNDSTEIN (Eng.: The Cornerstone) to MEIN FUNDAMENT (UNS GEHÖRT DIE WELT) (Eng.: My Foundation (the World is Ours)), it’s the shared vision of Gillian, Rief, Savenberg and Rieger that creates this sonic edifice full of sonic glitter and darkness we’re only too happy to queue up for. The admission fee is nothing but our sanity.
ZEUGE AUS LICHT will be released on September 29th, 2023.
Text by Aida Baghernejad.
Press Info (German):
Ein leerer Club. Klirrende Beats aus dem Drumcomputer hallen durch den verwaisten Darkroom, satte Synthesizerflächen wabern durch den ausgestorbenen Raum. Plötzlich ertönt von irgendwoher eine traurige Trompete gespenstergleich über den Dancefloor: willkommen in der Welt von DIE SELEKTION.
Über die letzten dreizehn Jahre Bandgeschichte entwickelte sich das Projekt von Luca Gillian, Hannes Rief, Samuel Savenberg und Max Rieger zu einer stilbildenden Band, die die Gothkids und Technojünger*innen auf einen Dancefloor zu vereinen weiß. Mit ZEUGE AUS LICHT veröffentlicht das Quartett (das mittlerweile allerdings Liveauftritte als Duo absolviert) sein drittes Album – und lädt ein zum Rave auf den Ruinen unserer Gegenwart zwischen Apokalypse und Wahnsinn.
DIE SELEKTION weiß immer stilsicher den schmalen Grat zwischen Ernst und Selbstironie zu balancieren. Das zeigt sich etwa im Call-and-Response von DREI GESICHTER, das mit Lust an der Provokation breitbeinige Rock’n’Roll-Posen aus dem letzten Jahrhundert mit Mardi-Gras-esker Trompete kreuzt. Oder in der Euphorie von ASCHEREGEN und DER ROTE FADEN. Und vor allem natürlich in der kalten Präzision des Titeltracks ZEUGE AUS LICHT, das alle Fäden, aus denen das Prinzip DIE SELEKTION gesponnen ist, aufs Schönste vereint: Popharmonien, klinisch-klare Drumelemente, hoffnungsfrohe Synths, eine strahlende Trompete und Lyrics, die sich mit Gegenwartshorror wie Klimakollaps genauso auseinandersetzen könnten wie mit gescheiterten Beziehungen oder einem unfreiwilligen Fall in’s K-Hole.
ZEUGE AUS LICHT ist das Resultat eines Zu-sich-Findens der Band als hierarchiefreies Kollektiv. Von DER GRUNDSTEIN bis hin zu MEIN FUNDAMENT (UNS GEHÖRT DIE WELT), es ist die gemeinsame Vision von Gillian, Rief, Savenberg und Rieger, die dieses strahlend-düstere Klanggebäude erbaut hat, vor dem wir nur allzu gerne Schlange stehen. Eintritt kostet nur den Verstand.
Press Info:
“Ich Bin Wach” is the brand new release by Schwefelgelb loaded with 4 raw, hard stomping Techno bangers. This sharp and defined production perfectly balances familiar classic tones (909 and the like), heavy percussion and unexpected sonic experiences. Club suited arrangements range from 136 to 140 bpm in a highly effective sound, which wraps references from Industrial to Deep Techno in a unique garment. NPLX005 comes on 140 g colored vinyl including a download code and will be released 6th of October. The digital version contains a bonus remix by Tunegirl.
Tracklist: 01. Throbbing Gristle Distant Dreams, Pt. 2
02. Mary Möör Pretty Day
03. Sad Lovers & Giants Things We Never Did
04. Malcolm McLaren Madam Butterfly (Un Bel Di Vedremo)
05. Big Audio Dynamite The Big V
06. Cabaret Voltaire Blue Heat (12″ Mix)
07. Nitzer Ebb Hearts And Minds (Mix Hypersonic)
08. Clan Of Xymox Obsession
09. In Sotto Voce In Sotto Voce
10. Psyche Prisoner To Desire (Single Mix)
11. Propaganda The Murder Of Love
12. DAF Brothers (Gabi Mix)
13. Vicious Pink Cccan’t You See
14. Book Of Love Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes) (I Dream Of Jeanne Mix)
15. Absolute Body Control Total Control
16. Boytronic Voloczny
17. The KVB Still Warm (2023 Version)
18. Cardinal & Nun Freak And Weak
19. Jennifer Touch Altars
20. Matrixxman Assembly Line
21. Years Of Denial It Sucks
22. Silver Tears Always Shine (Wait For The Rain)
23. Essaie Pas Retox
24. Aili x Transistorcake Dansu
25. Dina Summer Darkness
26. Patriarchy Suffer
27. Maelstrom & Louisahhh Hate Machine
28. Dame Area Buon Cittadino
29. Kris Baha Into The Dark
30. Desire Love Races On
31. Blind Delon Flashback [feat. I Hate Models]
32. Poison Point Altered Beats
33. Roe Deers Muscles
34. Boy Harsher Machina [feat. Mariana Saldaña)
(Dark Remix)
35. Silent Servant Non Fiction
36. J.W.B. Hits The Beat Body On Body (Curses Revamp)
37. Hungry Boys Toi
38. Autumns Repeat Prescription
39. Nuovo Testamento Heartbeat (Curses Remix – Edit)
40. Buzz Kull A Place (That’s Meant To Be)
41. Soft Crash Dolce Morte
42. Dame Bonnet & Mufti Pleasure Dreams
43. Ultra Sunn Night Is Mine
44. Neu-Romancer Burning Eyes
45. EVA Industrial Hope
46. Andi vs Randolph & Mortimer Formidable Truths
47. Zanias Tryptamine Palace
48. The Hacker Monopoly
49. Paradox Obscur Evo-Devo
Press Info:
Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX is the second compilation for Eskimo Recordings compiled and curated by Berlin-based Musician and DJ Luca Venezia, aka Curses, to explore the darker side of club music. Spread across 3CDs and three 2LPs Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX features a mammoth 49 tracks that join the dots between early industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle, EBM legends like Nitzer Ebb and the post-punk experiments of people like Malcolm McLaren and Big Audio Dynamite with some of the most exciting artists around today, such as Boy Harsher, Nuovo Testamento and Years of Denial.
Where the first Next Wave Acid Punx compilation was a personal journey for Luca, a lockdown inspired exploration of his record collection to find the thread that ran through the music that had soundtracked much of his life, DEUX is a celebration of that music let loose on the world, the thrill of music performed live, the smoke and strobe filled clubs you’ll hear it in and the artists you’ll find on those stages.
“After our enforced break, getting back out there and playing live again really brought home to me so much of what I love about the scene I’m in but also just how important live music has been and is to club culture over the years,” Luca explains. “Too often we think of club nights and live gigs as these separate things, but throughout the years it’s where the two meet, the friction that can cause, that you’ll find the most vibrant scenes.”
“There’s an energy, an atmosphere that you get with live music, an unpredictability where at any moment something can go wrong or even better right in a way you never expect. I think about a live set we played at a Lebanese festival where our MPC drum machine froze up because of all the dust and sand trapped in the pads. We had to improvise half our set, jamming bass and guitar and pedal FX and vocals, embracing this surreal environment and experience, something that could only happen in the moment.”
“With Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX I wanted to celebrate those bands and artists, past and present who, to me, represent that spirit. Both full live bands and makeshift electronic duos alike, the kind of acts that you might have found wedged between DJs back in the day at The Hacienda in the 80s, Trash in the 00s or today at nights like Berlin’s MILK ME, EXBTN in Paris, Night Terrors + SC&P in London, New York City’s Synthicide or Ukraine’s Worn Pop.
So I’ve put this compilation together much like my favourite kind of night, going out to see some bands play, hitting up a club where live music and DJs blur together, before the serious business of the after party. On Chapter 1 you’ll find bands like Vicious Pink, DAF and Cabaret Voltaire, some of these acts are more obscure than others, some flirted with pop and even the charts but they were all embracing new ways of working in the late 70s and 80s that both set them apart and set the scene for much of what we think of as club music.
Chapter 2 moves the night on, and this is the sound of the clubs I love to both play and just hang out in these days, clubs where the people involved put a lot more time into digging through the crates than working on their Instagram Reels. These are places where you’re as likely to find a band on stage as you are a DJ, where 80’s German electro pop by a band like Boytronic seamlessly flows into tracks like Silent Servant’s Non Fiction. Timeless music that can be romantic, dreamlike and ethereal one moment, then veer into dark, industrial sounds the next.
Then finally we get to that part of the night where you probably should go home but if it’s too late for good decisions there’s still time for good music. Things are a bit wilder here, the drums a bit harder, the synths are more aggressive, tracks like The Hacker’s Monopoly, Zanias’ Tryptamine Palace or EVA’s Industrial Hope that don’t let up, don’t let you go, just subjugate you to the beat and keep you there till you stumble out blinking into a new day.”
