By annual tradition, Bimfest takes place at the end of every year, and this year will be no different. On December 19 and 20, in venue De Casino in Sint-Niklaas, the “beats” and “bleeps” will once again come flying at you from all sides. It will arrive sooner than you think so we would like to introduce the participating acts to you one by one.
Cat Rapes Dog was founded as early as 1984 in Sweden and can be regarded as an absolute pioneer in the crossover between electro and punk, and between EBM and “heavy” industrial. The band, founded by Joel Rydström and Magnus Fransson, quickly gained notoriety with self-released cassette albums filled with raw, unapologetic soundscapes.
Between 1989 and 1991, they released three studio albums on the renowned Belgian label KK Records, home to many EBM and industrial heavyweights of that era. Later, their work appeared on Swedish independent labels such as Energy Rekords and Subspace Communications.
Their music combines pounding electronic beats, abrasive synths, punk attitude, and even metal influences, all orchestrated in a chaotic yet surprisingly melodic way. After disbanding in 2009, Cat Rapes Dog returned in 2019 and has since reclaimed their place in the scene with powerful live performances and reissues celebrating their dark, more “noisy” legacy.
Cat Rapes Dog blew everyone away at BodyBeats International EBM Day 2024, and now they’re back for another party! Appearing at Bimfest for the very first time—and as the absolute closing act. Expect a sonic rollercoaster: uncompromising, provocative, and energetic!
The Cat Rapes Dog party kicks off on Saturday, December 20 at 11:00 PM and serves as the final blast of the Bimfest 2025 edition, though there will still be time afterward for an afterparty with DJ Borg!
Kurt Ingels (Dark Entries Magazine)
By annual tradition, Bimfest takes place at the end of every year, and this year will be no different. On December 19 and 20, in venue De Casino in Sint-Niklaas, the “beats” and “bleeps” will once again come flying at you from all sides. It will arrive sooner than you think so we would like to introduce the participating acts to you one by one.
Majestoluxe, the solo project of Stockholm-based artist Conny Fornbäck, is a “masterclass” in minimalist EBM and experimental industrial pop. Conny, a veteran of the Swedish EBM underground of the 1980s (bands, clubs, labels), resurfaced after decades with a sound that feels retrofuturistic, yet is equally inspired—and continues to be inspired—by early German synth, Belgian EBM, and British minimal electronics.
On their 2019 debut album Septic Shock and the subsequent EPs, Majestoluxe delivers stripped-down but intense soundscapes: pounding basslines, half-whispered vocals, sudden eruptions of raw, passionate shouts, all crafted with meticulous attention to detail that charges even the most minimalist moments. Live, you can expect an immersive experience of cold precision, strange textures, and danceable pulses simmering beneath the surface.
Majestoluxe is for those who crave darkness, nuance, and a strong analog soul in electronic music that stitches the future to the past. Majestoluxe can be seen live at Bimfest on Saturday 19/12 at 7:30 PM.fest, after Akalotz (the band introduced elsewhere on this site—just click the “Bimfest” link below, it’s that simple).
Kurt Ingels (Dark Entries Magazine)
By annual tradition, Bimfest takes place at the end of every year, and this year will be no different. On December 19 and 20, in venue De Casino in Sint-Niklaas, the “beats” and “bleeps” will once again come flying at you from all sides. It will arrive sooner than you think so we would like to introduce the participating acts to you one by one.
Project-X is one of Sweden’s most notorious electro/EBM export products, delivering a powerful mix of pounding beats, razor-sharp synths, and biting themes. The band, founded in Stockholm in 1995 (!), quickly secured a place in the Scandinavian electronic underground with their uncompromising sound and their signature blend of dark energy and ironic social commentary.
Their music is as much about intensity and rhythm as it is about attitude, giving them a unique position within the European EBM scene. With releases that have found their way onto dance floors in clubs around the world, Project-X has built a loyal following far beyond Sweden’s borders.
Their live performances are packed with pure energy, transforming the stage into a relentless, sweat-soaked dance floor where irony, provocation, and hard electronics collide—not only on stage, but in front of it as well.
Their songs, both playful and aggressive, tackle everything from subcultural clichés to the darker aspects of modern life, all wrapped in an unmistakably Scandinavian EBM sound. Today, Project-X is still celebrated as a cult favorite among EBM fans. They are known for keeping the spirit of classic electronic body music alive while simultaneously giving it their own satirical twist.
Expect a show that is loud, fast, and without pause—in other words, exactly what electronic body music was made for. Come and see (and hear) it on December 20, when these Swedes kick things off at Bimfest at 8:30 PM!
Kurt Ingels (Dark Entries Magazine)
Today, 54 years ago (17.12.1971) the late David Bowie released his first masterwork, Hunky Dory.
“Look out, you rock & rollers."
Following on from the garage-rock of “The Man Who Sold The World” the formula was now in place for Bowie to push the boundaries that bit further and make the world sit up and take notice, his travels to America had inspired the writing of his first masterpiece, the culture and the music soaked into his songs, from the Velvet Underground to Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol, all would play a role in the dynamic of David Bowie’s creativity.
From the infectious opener “Changes”, an instant pop-classic with the catchy chorus which would foretell Bowie’s career, the path he would take and the warning to the music world of his arrival.
“Oh! You Pretty Things”, this was “Starman” part-one, the full lineup of the Spiders coming into their own for the first time with the aid of Rick Wakeman on piano.
As “Life On Mars?” became the pivotal Bowie track of the day, the transcendent chorus, the uplifting piano working in partnership with the guitar solos, images of America and childhood dreams:
“It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again”.
On “Quicksand” he went shoulder to shoulder with the songwriting greats of the day in this tale which dealt with the occult, the Second World War and most surprisingly Aleister Crowley and The Golden Dawn. Bowie was at his darkest, pulling images and characters from the abyss and casting them in his latest play;
“I'm the twisted name on Garbo's eyes,Living proof of Churchill's lies, I'm destiny. I'm torn between the light and dark, Where others see their targets, divine symmetry”
The driving acoustic guitar of “Andy Warhol”, a psychedelic-ballad, an ode to art and it’s creator, though being able to sum up Bob Dylan in one line is an accomplishment all of its own, in his tribute to the folk-troubadour Bowie nailed it perfectly on “Song For Dylan”;
“With a voice like sand and glue”
“Queen Bitch”, was the template for the following albums, Bowie on acoustic guitar, Ronson tearing up a riff similar to The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane”, the melodic bass-run by Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey hammering out the drums, Bowie went at a sonic pace into area of a Glam-Rock.
The sinister folk of “The Bewlay Brothers”, a nightmare which would have fit in on the “The Man Who Sold The World”, the schizophrenic lyrics are terrifying, closing the album in a weirdness, to leave fans and critics warped;
“With our backs on the arch
And if the Devil may be here
But he can't sing about that
Oh, and we were gone”.
The songs were refined so well the album only took two-weeks to record at Trident Studios, he always worked at a frantic speed, creating the cabaret melodrama set the course for his career, his partnership with The Spiders and a world ready for the name Bowie.
A year later the glamrock-alien Ziggy Stardust would land to earth, taking the guitar driven elements of ‘Hunky Dory’ and releasing an album which would change music forever.
Hunkt Dory (1972 LP Tracklist)
01 “Changes”
02 “Oh! You Pretty Things”
03 “Eight Line Poem”
04 “Life on Mars?”
05 “Kooks”
06 “Quicksand”
07 “Fill Your Heart”
08 “Andy Warhol”
09 “Song for Bob Dylan”
10 “Queen Bitch”
11 “The Bewlay Brothers”
DISCOGS
[KB]
By annual tradition, Bimfest takes place at the end of every year, and this year will be no different. On December 19 and 20, in venue De Casino in Sint-Niklaas, the “beats” and “bleeps” will once again come flying at you from all sides. It will arrive sooner than you think so we would like to introduce the participating acts to you one by one.
They Feel Nothing is het soloproject van Bruggenaar Kevin Van Volcem (ook bekend van We Are Ooh People), waarmee hij de duistere kanten van analoge synthwave, ebm en darkwave verkent. Dat heeft natuurlijk meteen mijn en ik hoop ook jouw interesse. Bezwerende vocalen, vervormd en etherisch, sfeervolle, retro aandoende synths, 'beats' die zowel duwen als trekken. Nummers als "Not In A Million Years", "Going Down" , "Skin Crawl", "Inferior Race" en "Blood On Your Knife" tonen zijn bereik en kunnen. Van broeierig en melancholisch tot scherp, confronterend en dansbaar. They Feel Nothing werd door het publiek van Dark Demo(n)s in 2025 uitgeroepen tot een van de beste liveacts en zet de toon voor een emotionele reis tot diep in jouw onderbuik. Verwacht een optreden dat broeierig, pulserend en intens is. They Feel Nothing is live te zien op zaterdag 20 december om 16u30, na de landgenoten van Euforic Existence. Kom op tijd!
Kurt Ingels (Dark Entries Magazine)
