From Berlin comes a new song by the duo, NNHMN. One of the best dark electro acts, at the moment, Lee Margot and Michal Laudarg seem to have a never-ending well filled with sensual melodies and intense rhythms.
From Anna Öberg‘s forthcoming album, SIN, comes this new single. With an Eastern vibe and rhythmic samples from field recordings made in Sweden and Germany, it has all of the charm of Öberg’s solo work.
It has been twenty years since Torny Gottberg started up Progress Productions. The Swedish label has released dozens of albums over that time – from box sets of Cosmic Overdose to limited edition Portion Control CDs. Artists like Xenturion Prime, Spark!, Daily Planet, Cryo, Kite, Agent Side Grinder, Lucifer’s Aid, Nattskiftet, Mr Jones Machine, White Birches, and Henric de la Cour have graced its roster.
We spoke to Gottberg about his experience running the label and his expectations for Progress Productions in its third decade.
What was the original idea behind Progress Productions?
The idea back then – and, actually, still the idea behind the label – was to build it like a strong collective. Like a family. I was very inspired by the labels, Cold Meat Industry and Ant-Zen, and the way they built their labels. This was something I really wanted to have as a platform for Progress.
We really started from nothing – with only a handful of bands that all drove each other forward. Each success was everyone’s success. I know it really sounds weird, maybe, but this was the idea of Progress Productions.
Also, I felt that a lot of labels were just releasing “safe cards” – and this does not work if you want the scene to grow. So, we started with only new, unsigned bands and built from there. I still think this is the most fun way to run the label. When I find a new, exciting band, it still really triggers me. I know we might not have built up as fast as if we would have signed “already known acts,” but I believe the foundation is stronger if you build from scratch.
That is the short version for Progress Productions. Also, I really want to point out that there have been several important persons behind the scenes who really have helped out a lot – our webmaster, our shop manager, distributors, and others. Without them, no Progress.
Fast forwarding 20 years, where do you expect to take the label?
Seeing how much the music industry has changed over the past two decades, I’m really not sure where we are heading. I think labels are a really good filter for music. It’s just way too easy to release whatever. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, but it’s really hard to filter if you are drowned in material. At least, I find it hard.
The change to digital from physical was a big step for the industry, overall; and, of course, a challenge in many ways. I think you need to think a little deeper as a label nowadays. Anyone can press a record. It’s easy: send it to a pressing plant. Anyone can release on Spotify: just pay one of those “pay to be on Spotify”-services. Anyone can set up a bandcamp. But it’s really everything else – the promotional work, even maybe helping with management and booking shows, etc. Stuff like this is much more important in 2024 than it was in 2004.
It’s really hard to say where we end up. For me, still doing physical is really important – and I like to keep it this way. But, well, I’m also older. On the other hand, I don’t see a growth in the audience among older people. So, we in the “scene” might end up as dinosaurs in a nursing home.
A lot of competitors and collaborators have come and gone over the past two decades. What are some of the key lessons for anyone else who wants to start a record label in 2024?
Don’t do it (hahahaha… )! It’s really my best advice. Unless you are insane. Nahh – you really need to understand how much time it takes. It’s not just “running a label” – there is really so much work behind it. The first 5-6 years is just building and making sure that everything runs. After that, there are always tasks to solve.
You won’t make any real money from doing it as a scene label. You need to have the drive and passion to do it. Money has never been something that’s driven me, at all. I have a job on the side, and that pays the bills. It’s because I love doing it. I still do. Even though you hit landmines and everyone thinks you drive a Lamborghini (in reality, a really old Volvo). But, if you really set your mind to doing something; set small reachable goals; don’t expect it to be a walk in the park (since it’s not)… You have to be a little crazy to do it.
On the other hand, never see other labels as competition – see them as coworkers. I mean, I can talk to Infacted, Dependent and others from time to time. We all really want the same thing – to keep the scene growing. Some labels have lost their focus and gone towards a more metal-based repertoire, which I can understand. If you need to live from this, then there’s the money. So, best advice: see it as a hobby; do it with passion.
You have performed with several bands, including Project-X and Cryo. What is it about performance (in the studio or live) that you find most interesting?
Well, to build things, I would say, in the studio. To have a blank piece of paper and draw something new. I think that probably applies for painters, etc., as well. To make a piece of art. It’s hard to describe it, really, but it’s like you give life to ideas. When you are done, you let it fly and see where it ends.
Live, I have always enjoyed the energy doing it – the direct connection with the audience. The tension that’s there. It’s something special.
Project-X and Cryo are very different. And, honestly, Project-X exists more on a “retro-basis,” at the moment. But, of course, I’m proud of the history behind it. We made a lot of amazing things together, and we still perform from time-to-time. Cryo is the main project, and I really enjoy performing with Martin [Rudefelt]. We have something special when we go on stage together that I really like – some kind of spark that goes off when the
concert starts. And, I guess, it’s that spark, that feeling, that makes it special. I’m sure it’s the same for most bands – or, at least, I hope so.
Over the years, formats for recordings have changed several times. Do you find that there is pressure to stick with physical formats?
Well, like I said, for me the physical format is important. We are a record label – not a multimedia/digital platform. I see digital/physical working together as a unit; but, honestly, I think all artists want to have a physical object. Something to hold on to. Something to grab. Something real. I really dont judge anyone, and there is not a right/wrong here; but, for me personally, I think that physical is a must.
However, I will point out I’m not a superfan of the vinyl hysteria – paying 30 euro for an album, or the tape thing. But that’s just my ten cents on it. Like I said, there is no right/wrong. I guess it’s old school thinking. Who knows, maybe we all will just release music via TikTok in the future. The digital side of the industry is here to stay, and there is no idea of trying to resist it. But the combination of the two is still what i find is most interesting.
EPs appear to have grown in popularity. Is the full-length album dead?
I’m not a super fan of the EP format, myself. I can see a point of releasing music in a quicker interval, of course, to always be relevant, as albums take a longer time to produce. On the other hand, for me, an album is a whole journey through an artist’s mind and I really enjoy that. With streaming, we went from albums to songs, but I really don’t think the full-length album is dead.
This really differs from genre to genre. For “hit-list-top-20,” sure. That younger generation listens in a different way, as they have grown up with songs rather than full-length albums. But, for me, an EP is just a taste of an album. I love listening from track 1 to 10 and enjoying the whole trip rather than just going from 1 to 4 and left feeling empty. Again, there is no right or wrong. As long as people enjoy music – that’s the most important thing.
What do you look for in an act?
Quick answer: that I like it and I like the people behind the music. Those things are equally important when I decide if we should or we should not work with a band/artist. I have no time for artists with too-big egos, who think they are so much better than the rest and you simply need to feed their twisted self-image (I’m 100% done with that).
If it is going to work, you need to be on the same level – otherwise, you will fail or it will end badly (and, trust me, you will encounter this running a label). But I normally go with my gut-feeling. If the music gives me something, then it’s really worth doing. There have been times when I really loved the music but met the people behind it and thought, “Hell no – this won’t work!” In these cases, I would always rather just support the artist when, hopefully, they are released on another label.
I also value loyalty highly. There are simply too many artists who think their record label is ripping them off but always forget what it costs to make an album. Mastering, adverts, videos, etc., etc. – it adds up quickly, and it’s hard to cover the costs nowdays. But if you work hard you will reach the goals. It’s a cooperation between the label and artist – nothing else. If this doesn’t feel right, I would rather leave it. And, no, I dont care if you have 15,000 likes on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or all your friends say you are better than sliced bread. I would rather that we build that together.
Are there any bands you wish you had signed when you had a chance?
Several, of course. But, on the other hand, I have had the chance to buy their records. And, trust me, I buy a lot of records from other labels. I really spend a lot of money doing it, since I know how much others fight in the scene to make things work.
I would say that maybe the Icelandic band Legend was one of those bands I should have signed. But, hey, why cry over something that did not happen? I still listen to their album a lot and enjoy it, so it really does not matter if it was on Progress Productions or not. So, it’s hard to say the word “regret”. Who knows, maybe they made it better on another label than if they were working with us.
Of course, I maybe felt, “Damn, that one would have been a cool challenge to see if it would have worked out” – but I’m really thankful for the bands we have today and the chances I have had to work with bands we don’t have anymore. I think I have reached a certain point that I understand the industry better. You build and work your ass off; and, at a certain point, the balance between a band and label is too big. Then, you need to let go.
It has become increasingly difficult for musicians at many levels to make a living from their art. What advice do you have for artists who wish to dedicate themselves more fully to creating music and reaching fans?
Don’t give up – and listen to the people around you. Have in mind that a label can help you with a lot with things you maybe did not expect. Building stuff takes time – sometimes, a really long time – and I can understand that it can feel really frustrating at times. It will pay off in the end.
Also, have an understanding of the scene you are in. The electronic/alternative/EBM scene is not a place where we build a new Beatles, Coldplay, etc., etc. Be thankful for the opportunities you do get. Look at E-tropolis, Amphi, etc. There are only 20-35 bands in the world that get on the line-up every year. Be grateful if you reach this level. I think, in 2024, it’s really also with a big portion of luck if it’s going to work. I hate saying it, but sometimes things can trend on TikTok, etc., and it shows in your popularity. So, hang in there, don’t be an asshole, build your teams – and stay good!
Founded in Hornchurch, Silicon Teens were the first of the Essex electronic groups that found their way to Daniel Miller’s Mute imprint at the beginning of the 1980s. Organised as a quartet, Darryl, Jacki, Diane, and Paul used only their first names and played only electronic instruments.
The Teens achieved global success with their “Hooked On…”-style covers of rock classics and synthesised originals. Seymour Stein – who went on to discover Madonna – released their only album on Sire in the US. Their producer, Larry Least, went on to work with Alex Fergusson from Alternative TV and Poppy & The Jezebels.
It has been quiet from the Silicon Teens camp for some time. Apart from a contribution to the Mute compilation, STUMM433, we haven’t heard from the band. Acid house, Britpop, and Garage seem to have passed them by. Now, however, we have an album by two of the children from the band’s original members.
I Hate You, Patriarch Fuck! is the first release on the new label, Les Disques de la Pantoufle. Founded by a former member of Fad Gadget’s touring band, it comes from Jackie and Diana, who have inherited not only similar names to their famous forebears but also their teen spirit. As Intrusive Pinky, the California-based duo have created a set of electro-punk tracks that owe less to their parents’ Music for Parties than Crispy Ambulance’s cover of “Something Came Over Me.”
We asked Intrusive Pinky some questions to help readers get familiar with them.
How did Intrusive Pinky get its name?
You don’t want to know the other choices…
The album title isn’t the most Zen. Are you angry?
Of course we are angry ! Wouldn’t you be?
What gets you most worked up?
Young macho men, stupid people and GOP voters.
Will you be doing any covers of your own?
Covers? Sure.
Which tracks?
We want to cover “Blue Bayou” and “I will Survive” but will probably end up doing “Warm Leatherette” played as dark mambo.
Do you have a favourite Silicon Teens song?
“Sun Flight.”
What made you go modular?
As Daniel Miller said, playing synth is more punk than playing the guitar! There’s no need to know three chords – just press a keyboard.
With a modular, you add little bits by little bits, and you choose which sound pallet you want. It can be the trashiest sound ever or the most delicate harmony ever.
But, for now, we want TRASH!
What is next for the band?
Buying more modules and having more songs out. Possibly, an album by fall time.
Right place, right time – a satisfying explanation for the careers of many engineers and producers. In the case of Ken Thomas, things are a little more complicated. The engineer and producer worked at a number of leading studios, including Trident and Advision, that exposed him to mainstream, radio-friendly artists like Queen and Rush; but, quite quickly, he became one of the favoured studio men for the industrial and experimental scenes.
Thomas worked with some of the biggest icons of the alternative music scene, including Martin Hannett and Martin Rushent, which didn’t hurt his credibility one bit. His roster of artists includes Wire, Moby, Modern English, Bush Tetras, Yann Tiersen, Maps, Psychic TV, Sigur Rós, Cocteau Twins, and Lemon Kittens. The link is his willingness to explore sounds outside of the normal commercial range. Record companies itching for hits might have sought out other producers, but artists found their way to Thomas when they could.
Thomas died in 2021, leaving behind a legacy of recordings that few can rival.
10. Ken Thomas – Beat the Light
Thomas only released one album of his own music. This 1980 set fit neatly into the evolving post-punk sound of the time. It combines traces of funk with reverb experiments in ways reminiscent of Cabaret Voltaire, along with the kind of sonic waterboarding that wouldn’t be out of place at a Throbbing Gristle show.
10. 23 Skidoo – The Gospel Comes to New Guinea
23 Skidoo were North London creative kids who made music when they weren’t skateboarding. They explored different sounds, from gamelan to electro, but the most striking of their recordings was the collection for Fetish called Seven Songs. Wrapped in a Neville Brody sleeve, it combined grooves and exotic instrumentation with industrial music techniques.
This track, which is the stand-out song from the album, was produced by Thomas together with Cabaret Voltaire, whose Western Works studio was used for the recording. Stephen Mallinder of CV recalls:
Cabaret Voltaire played quite a few shows with Skidoo and I’d personally gotten to know them well through Neville Brody and the TG collective prior to my going into the studio with them and Ken Thomas. They were capturing that moment better than any other band, a real collision of modern and tribal that somehow worked more effectively in the pre-digital period, more organic, everything cutting and folding, made for the 12 inch format. Everyone was breaking the anchors of analogue, using instruments and studio equipment pretty loosely, but they were very focused on what elements worked and what they wanted. It was a full contingent with pretty fluid roles for everyone. Ken was perfect for getting that across with structure but without diluting that live dynamic. I just remember they were always long sessions over a few days, much fun with brief breaks for a bit of sleep and breakfasts back at my old gothic house that seemed as anarchically organised as the studio sessions.
9. Test Dept/Brith Gof – Gododdin
There came a period in the history of Test Dept that the radical metal-bashers discovered The Spectacle. Together with the Welsh avant-garde theatre company, Brith Gof, they staged a piece in 1989 based on the destruction of a band of Celt warriors.
It was a politically-charged recording. As Test Dept explain in their own words:
Using the poem Y Gododdin as inspiration, the earliest poem in the Welsh language, it tells the fate of 300 Celtic warriors who set out to defend their homeland from 100,000 invading Angles around 600 A.D. They are only remembered through the survival of one epic poem. Defeat is never to be cherished but the glorious rendering of their account against an infinetely stronger enemy lessens the smugness of victory and lends dignity in retrospect to the vanquished. Culture then as now becomes a tool for survival. There is nothing marginal about the issues at stake. The right to self determination, the growth and celebration of native language, looking back further than ‘pop’culture; making huge visions concrete and breathing life back into characterswho, like so many were destroyed when a race first began to flex their colonial muscles. The intention of the performance was to reaffirm the energy, optimism, and dynamism of the last great flowering of Celtic Society.
8. Clock DVA – Uncertain
The first Clock DVA album, released at the opening of 1981, was a dark beast. Unlike the Futurists who were emerging at the time, they wore black leather jackets and dabbled in heroin. It took Dave Gahan (who tapped Thomas to work on his first solo album) a decade to get to the same place, but by then Clock DVA had been stripped back to Adi Newton and an alternative electro aesthetic. Thirst was made by a conventional rock band who didn’t want to make rock music. With Thomas’ help, they accomplished their goal.
7. Cocteau Twins – Aikea-Guinea
The Scottish band were looking for new directions after their self-produced album, Treasure. The Cocteaus were in great form, and almost bloody-minded in their disregard for the charts. Despite cracking the Top 40, Simon Raymonde described Treasure as the group’s “worst album by a mile.”
The band reconvened at Jacob’s Farm with Thomas on the desk. The result was an EP that represented progression while playing with song structures. It was a template that an Icelandic act were soon to show an interest in.
6. Psychic TV – Godstar
Genesis P-Orridge’s first post-Throbbing Gristle project brought him to Thomas for the recording of this signature song. Alex Fergusson from ATV wrote the instrumentation and Rose McDowall contributed, but P-Orridge’s lyrics hinting at the murder of Brian Jones were captivating.
Did the Rolling Stones spend much time worrying that Psychic TV had uncovered a grand conspiracy? We doubt it, but P-Orridge was given to fanciful tales: he claimed that ghostly traces of Jones appeared on the tapes for this track after he held a seance in the studio.
5. Sigur Rós – Hoppipolla
Thomas was introduced to Iceland’s answer to the Cocteau Twins by Thor Eldon from The Sugarcubes, whose first album he had mixed. Thomas saw the band live and pitched to work with them on their next recordings. He stayed for multiple albums – Agaetis Byrjun, (), Glósóli, and Takk – and helped them to realise their sound.
4. Malaria! – Gewissen
Founded by Gudrun Gut and Bettina Köster, Malaria! was one of a succession of M! bands that subverted expectations in German post-punk and pop. This early track was co-produced by Thomas and Mark Reeder.
3. Wire – I Should Have Known Better
There isn’t another band like Wire. There are hundreds of imitators, but the unique combination of personalities has given the band its own tension and tenacity. At the time that Thomas engineered the recording of this song, they were in their genius art-rock guise with Bruce Gilbert on guitar. It is one of the times that bassist Graham Lewis took vocal duties, in a swipe at an encounter with a narcissist. They are out there.
2. Maps – Built to Last
James Chapman’s Maps project involved Thomas as the mixing engineer, alone and with his son. This track from Vicissitude has a futuristic dynamism.
1. William Orbit and Polly Scattergood – Colours Colliding
For his comeback album, The Painter, William Orbit reached out to a number of artists to collaborate. Both Ken and Jolyon Thomas had roles on this track, which also features a production credit for Daniel Miller.
Kati Rán is back with a new song. “KÓLGA | 16” is lifted from her forthcoming album, SÁLA (out 24 May 2024). With lyrics in Norwegian and Icelandic singers, this track is cowritten with the Finnish artist, Jaani Peuhu. That’s a lot of Nordic bases covered.
For your inner Viking.
The weekend forecast is for heavy-duty beats from REIN. The Swedish songstress is returning to London for her second headline show at Electrowerkz on Saturday, 6 April 2024.
REIN has toured with Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, and Front Line Assembly, winning over audiences with her fierce messages and hard-as-nails electronics. Her recent material goes to the next level with pop influences ranging from Janet Jackson to Robyn. The combination is intense.
Tickets for the show include free admission to the legendary Slimelight club night, where REIN’s co-producer, Djejotronic, will take the decks.
Facebook event: https://facebook.com/events/s/rein-live-includes-free-entry-/7165513900163294/
From Miami via Planet Earth, Nina Belief returns with another inspired track. The guiding light of Monotone Miami and one of the best-kept secrets of minimal wave, Belief takes to the water here for a fluid, engaging song.
Belief explains her thinking behind the song:
In the realm of mental health, sirens can symbolize triggers—those catalysts that evoke intense emotional responses or trigger traumatic memories. They beckon us towards turbulent waters, where the currents of our past threaten to overwhelm and consume us.
Yet, amidst the chaos of their allure, these sirens also serve as guardians of self-awareness. Their call prompts us to listen, to heed the warnings encoded within our subconscious, and to navigate the treacherous seas of our inner landscapes with vigilance and courage.
Ultimately, the sirens within our minds are not merely harbingers of doom but also catalysts for growth and introspection. By confronting them, we confront ourselves, forging a deeper understanding of our fears, desires, and the complexities of the human experience.
The amazing Waterflower returns with a new video. The Latvian forests and beaches are lovely, and they form the backdrop to Sabine Moore’s vision. The music is daring and catchy, as usual with this project.
Dave Howard used to tour Canada, dropping off cassette tapes for sale on consignment at local record shops. Then, one day, he was gone. So was his Acetone organ and Max, his trusty drum machine. Some swore that he had been kidnapped by the keyboard player from Visage. Others claimed he had been silenced by the Walker Brothers to protect their own market.
The truth lay somewhere in-between. Howard had taken his punk-inspired organ act to London, where he worked with Dave Formula. As the only singer in The Dave Howard Singers, but one of two Daves locked away in Herne Hill, Howard put together the Who Is He? EP for Hallelujah! Records. Formula roped in other musicians from Howard Devoto’s circle to produce a set of songs from one of Howard’s cassettes that introduced the Canuck crooner to the UK post-punk scene.
As a solo act, The Dave Howard Singers violated The Trade Descriptions Act, but there was no question that Howard could sing. He was capable of smooth vocals that would make Michael Bublé cry with envy. Howard toured with The Lemon Kittens, showing he was able to shout to the back of venues with an intensity matched only by his processed Acetone. This was captured by Dutch TV for his next EP, Good Night, Karl Malden. A retort to the star of The Streets of San Francisco, Good Night… displayed the controlled chaos of a DHS show with the percussive accompaniment of another Canadian ex-pat, Nick Smash.
Smash’s involvement led to a meeting with JJ Burnell of The Stranglers, who produced another EP based around the David Essex track, “Rock On.” The next release featured Jon King from Gang of Four on studio duties for a recursive song featured in a Kurt Vonnegut novel. “Yon Yonson” was an ear-worm that sold little but did more than most to put Wisconsin lumber mills on the map for mid-80s arty types.
Fast forward to 2024. Howard is back in Toronto, occasionally being coaxed out for shows but getting on with adult life. A copy of the Swedish music software, Reason, opens the door for a new album. The Acetone is on leave. Max is semi-retired. What was a solo act is stripped back even further. The Dave Howard Singularity appears with Dark and for Boating, a set of mostly-new songs made in-the-box with a more ambient style.
There is one cover on Dark and for Boating, but it is a DHS track, “The Murder of Your Smile.” Originally found on the 1987 compilation, On the Dotted Line, it is a dark lounge track reinvented with orchestration. Maybe “dark lounge” is a genre that Howard should trademark, because there is no one else making twisted material of such consummate beauty. “Swept Away” makes this point directly, but songs like “In Your Eyes” show that his voice has lost none of its polish in the decades since he crossed the Prairies armed with a bag of tapes.
Dark and for Boating isn’t The Dave Howard Singers, but it is every part a Dave Howard album. It has the subversive humour and melodic inventiveness, while touching nerves at a different pace. There is nothing else like it.
The full album is available as a digital or CD release on Bandcamp: https://thedavehowardsingularity.bandcamp.com/album/dark-and-for-boating