After his wife’s death and a suicide attempt, the recent widower Early Landry (John Carroll Lynch) moves from the South to Los Angeles to be closer to his family. When the mothering of his sister Laurette (Maura Tierney) becomes unbearable for him, Early moves to an apartment in some random run-down house in Hollywood.

After drowning his sorrows in alcohol one night, he gets to know his neighbour Freda (Matt Bomer), a transgender sex worker, who wants to borrow some sugar. Their friendship slowly develops into an honest romance haunted by the ghosts of their past and present.

In the run-up to its release the movie has caused a critical public debate within the trans community about whether a non-trans actor should play Freda or not. Of course, this is a matter of opinion and should surely be discussed - maybe from a less emotional and rather factual point of view. Freda is definitely more than meets the eye! Despite this discussion the actors Lynch and Bomer send out a very strong and clear message with even more dedication and passion to raise awareness for relationships like these. They promote tolerance and respect - aspects that are most relevant even today! Anything is great story about family, loss, friendship, love and the transgender movement.

US release date: 11th May, 2018

UK digital release: 6th August, 2018 via www.signature-entertainment.co.uk

Cast:

• John Carroll Lynch as Early Landry

• Matt Bomer as Freda Von Rhenburg

• Maura Tierney as Laurette Sachman

• Margot Bingham as Brianna

• Michael Boatman as Charles

• Tanner Buchanan as Jack Sachman

• Micah Hauptman as David

Producer: Mark Ruffalo

Directed and written by Timothy McNeil

On 20 July 2018 aroumd 21:50 local time, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst welcomed the legendary electronic band Kraftwerk and 7500 visitors to the Jazz Open Festival on Stuttgart's Schlossplatz – live from the International Space Station, where he will live and work until mid-December 2018. During the call with space, Kraftwerk founding member Ralf Hütter and Alexander played a special duet version of the track Spacelab, for which Alexander had a tablet computer configured with virtual synthesizers on board. (source ESA).

Relive and enjoy this groundbreaking and stunning moment with the video below!

Dependent Records is proud to announce a record that "is sure to make its mark on underground dance-floors all over the world with ease."
"Empirion's new E.P. "I Am Electronic / Red Noise" will be out on September 23rd this year in limited vinyl and CD is perhaps their strongest material as of yet. The E.P. marks the first impression into their long anticipated forthcoming album "Resume". As you can guess by the title, this is a double A-Side E.P., where each track represents one side of the influences of Jamie Smart and Oz Morsley. "I Am Electronic" is a grinding breakbeat/trance maelstrom with an irresistible vocoder voice arrangement. "Red Noise" represents the industrial roots of the band and is an update to Nitzer Ebb style EBM paired with IDM elements and strong (human) vocals. Man vs. Machine!"

The E.P. is available as CD-Single with 6 tracks and two bonus tracks, the vinyl is a limited edition of 1000 copies (with 300 in red vinyl) and two exclusive mixes of the A-Sides.

www.facebook.com/empirion.music

Today it’s exactly 30 years since Siouxsie & The Banshees released their single Peek-a-Boo. It was released on 18th July 18th 1988 as the first single from the band's ninth studio album, Peepshow. Peek-a-Boo was rated "Single of the Week" in both Sounds and NME.

The song's peculiar sound is due to its experimental recording which was based on a sample. The song was built on a loop in reverse of a brass part with drums which the group previously arranged a year before for a cover of John Cale's 'Gun'. The band selected different parts of that tape when played backwards, editing them and re-recording on top of it, adding a different melody plus accordion, a one-note bass and discordant guitar. Drummer Budgie also added another beat. Once the instrumental parts were finished, Siouxsie sang her lyrics over it. The lyric track was further manipulated by Siouxsie's use of a different microphone for each line of the song. It took the band a year to arrive at this result.

Peek-a-Boo was one of Siouxsie and the Banshees' most recognizable and popular singles; it was also the group's first to chart in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 53 in the week of 3rd December. The song was very popular on alternative rock radios and received heavy play on MTV. In September 1988, Billboard magazine premiered a new Modern Rock Tracks chart, which measured radio airplay on US modern rock stations; "Peek-a-Boo" was the chart's first No. 1 song. In the UK, "Peek-a-Boo" became their fifth Top 20 UK hit, peaking at number 16 in the Singles Chart.

The music video was chosen by The Chart Show to be their "Best Video of the Year" for 1988. On the Beavis & Butt-Head episode "Sperm Bank," Beavis noted while watching the video that "this is music for people who don't have any friends”.

Peek-a-Boo (CDS/7”)
a. Peek-a-Boo
b. False Face

Peek-a-Boo (CD Maxi-single)
1. Peek-A-Boo
2. Catwalk
3. Peek-A-Boo (Big Spender Mix)
4. False Face
5. Peek-A-Boo (Silver Dollar Mix)

Peek-a-Boo (Lyrics)

Creeping up the backstairs
Slinking into dark stalls
Shapeless and slumped in bath chairs
Furtive eyes peep out of holes
She has many guises
She'll do what you want her to
Playing dead and sweet submission
Cracks the whip deadpan on cue

Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo

Reeking like a pigsty
Peeling back and gagging free
Flaccid ego in your hand
Chokes on dry tears, can you understand?
She's jeering at the shadows
Sneering behind a smile
Lunge and thrust to pout and pucker
Into the face of the beguiled

Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo (Golly jeepers)
Peek-a-boo (Where'd you get those peepers?)
Peek-a-boo (Peepshow, creepshow)
Peek-a-boo (Where did you get those eyes?)

Strobe lights pump and flicker
Dry lips crack out for more
"Come bite on this rag doll, baby!
That's right now hit the floor"
They're sneaking out the back door
She gets up from all fours
Rhinestone fools and silver dollars
Curdle into bitter tears

Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo (Golly jeepers)
Peek-a-boo (Where'd you get those peepers?)
Peek-a-boo (Peepshow, creepshow)
Peek-a-boo (Where did you get those eyes?)
Peek-a-boo (Golly jeepers)
Peek-a-boo (Where'd you get those peepers?)
Peek-a-boo (Peepshow, creepshow)
Peek-a-boo (Where did you get those eyes?)
Peek-a-boo (Golly jeepers)
Peek-a-boo (Where'd you get those peepers?)
Peek-a-boo (Peepshow, creepshow)
Peek-a-boo (Where did you get those eyes?)

Where did you get those eyes?
Where did you get those eyes?

(Songwriters: N Sioux / Steven Severin / Johnny Mercer / N Budgie / Harry Warren)

Today, exactly 38 years ago, Joy Division released their second and final studio album, Closer. It was released on 18 July 1980 on the renowned UK label Factory Records exactly two months after the tragic suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis (18 May 1980). Today, Closer is still considered as one of the major releases of the New-Wave and Post-Punk era.

The songs on Closer were drawn from two distinct periods. The earlier guitar-driven compositions like Atrocity Exhibition, A Means to an End, Colony, Passover and 24 Hours were written during the latter half of 1979. The other songs like Isolation, Decades, The Eternal and Heart and Soul were written in early 1980 and included more prominent use of electronics and synthesizers.

Regarding the album's lyrical content, Bernard Sumner recollected: "We'd go to rehearsals and sit around and talk about really banal things. We'd do that until we couldn't talk about banal things any more, then we'd pick up our instruments and record into a little cassette player. We didn't talk about the music or the lyrics very much. We never analyzed it”. Bernard also remembers Ian Curtis saying he was feeling strange because “he felt like all his words were writing themselves. He also said that he had this terrible claustrophobic feeling that he was in a whirlpool and being pulled down, drowning."

Closer was recorded between 18–30 March 1980 at Britannia Row Studios in London. It was produced by Martin Hannett. His production has been highly praised by the music press. However, as with their debut album, both Hook and Sumner were unhappy with Hannett's work. Peter Hook later complained that the track "Atrocity Exhibition" was mixed on one of his days off and when he heard the final product was disappointed that the abrasiveness of his guitar part had been laden with effects and toned down. He wrote; "I was like, head in hands, oh fucking hell, it's happening again. Unknown Pleasures number two... Martin [Hannett] had melted the guitar with his Marshall Time Waster. Made it sound like somebody strangling a cat, and to my mind, absolutely killed the song. I was so annoyed with him and went in and gave him a piece of my mind but he just turned around and told me to fuck off."

The album cover was designed by Martyn Atkins and Peter Saville, with a photograph of a Italian tomb on the sleeve. Designer Peter Saville commented that he, upon learning of singer Ian Curtis's suicide, expressed immediate concern over the album's design as it depicted a funeral theme, remarking "we've got a tomb on the cover of the album!"

Closer as a 12” vinyl album reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart. The Album was also chosen as Album of The Year by NME and is still placed highly in various top 10 lists like Best Album of the 80s (Slant Magazine, Pitchfork Magazine, Q magazine, …) and number two on Sonic Seducers “10 key Goth albums”. It got 10/10 review scores by Akk Music, NME, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone album guide, Select, Spin Alternative Record Guide, Uncut and the Encyclopedia of Popular Music

By 1982, the album had sold over 250,000 copies worldwide.

Shortly after this release the remaining members chose New Order as their new and future band name.

Closer
Side A

1. Atrocity Exhibition
2. Isolation
3. Passover
4. Colony
5. A Means to an End

Side B
6. Heart and Soul
7. Twenty Four Hours
8. The Eternal
9. Decades

All songs written by Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner.