Dead Can Dance are pleased to share with us the details of their brand-new album Dionysus, set for release on November 2nd through [PIAS] Recordings.
ACT I : Sea Borne - Liberator of Minds - Dance of the Bacchantes
ACT II : The Mountain - The Invocation - The Forest – Psychopomp
From their inception in 1981, Australian duo Dead Can Dance have long been intrigued by European folk traditions, not solely in musical terms but also by secular, religious and spiritual practices. Taking its inspiration from this backdrop 'Dionysus' was shaped as Brendan Perry explored the long and established spring and harvested festivals that originated from religious practices, a journey that brings to the fore, the rites and rituals that are still practised to the present day.
Two years in the making, Perry has amassed an array of folk instrumentation and as often heard on previous albums takes inspiration from across the world, tracks evolve less like songs but more akin to fragments of the cohesive whole. Dionysus follows a familiar path, witness to field recordings, that includes chanting, beehives from New Zealand, bird calls from Latin America and a Swiss goatherd. The aim in Perry's mind is to not just invoke the atmosphere and symbolic reference points but to highlight that music can be found everywhere in some form or other.
The album consists of two acts across seven movements that represent the different facets of the Dionysus myth and his cult and takes the musical form of an oratorio, which has informed both spiritual and secular pieces of music as far back in history as the early 16th century. Retaining a prevalent hold on contemporary paganism in Europe, the voices used on these movements are imagined as communities celebrating, in communion with each other at times, chanting and call and response – the various voices are present to convey emotion beyond the boundaries of language itself.
Although taking its main inspiration from the Dionysus story, the album's artwork resonates with links to rituals depicting a mask made by the Huichol of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico – famed for their beadwork and yarn paintings, whilst also partaking in peyote as a sacred rite and ritual for the purposes of healing and mind expansion – this is at the heart of Dionysus, a celebration of not just humanity but humanity working hand in hand with nature with respect and appreciation.
Dead Can Dance will embark on an extensive European tour throughout May and June 2019, celebrating their life and works from 1980 to present day.
May 02: Le Liberte, Rennes, France
May 04 / 05: Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK
May 07 / 08: Cirque Royale, Brussels, Belgium
May 10 / 11: Grand Rex, Paris, France
May 13 / 14: Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands
May 16 / 17: Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
May 20 / 21: Barts, Barcelona, Spain
May 23 / 24: Aula Magna, Lisbon, Portugal
May 26 / 27: Teatro Degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
June 16: Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
June 18 / 19: Ruhrcongress, Bochum, Germany
June 21 / 22: Torwar Hall, Warsaw, Poland
June 24: Kongresove Centrum Praha, Prague, Czech Republic
June 26: Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena, Budapest, Hungary
June 28: Sava Centar, Belgrade, Serbia
June 30: Roman Theatre Of Philippopolis, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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Over the last weekend, the band released a stunning video for "Alone".
The clip was written and directed by Koen Blauwblomme and Pieter De Ridder, and produced by Dagmar Duportail and Matthias De Witte (TheBreakfastClub).
The band will be embarking on a new tour on October 10th, starting in Barcelona where they'll be joining The Soft Moon for four shows on the Iberian Peninsula before making their way to Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy and further.
You can find all dates of their busy tourschedule on the band's website.
'Image' takes a giant leap forward from Whispering Sons' previous work. Together with producer Micha Volders (Meteor Musik, El Guapo Stuntteam and overall synthesizer wizard) and engineer/co-producer Bert Vliegen (Teen Creeps, Sophia), the band used the studio as a means to broaden their sound. The ten tracks, recorded over a period of ten days at GAM Studios in Waimes (B), are meticulously crafted and evoke an atmosphere both ominous and urging, yet at the same time they capture the band's agitated live intensity. Enriched with acoustic drums and a whole range of synthesizers, their sound remains raw and honest to the core. The record was mixed by Bert Libeert (Goose, B) at Jetson Studio and mastered by Frederik Dejongh at Jerboa Mastering.
'Image' will be out October 19 through PIAS Benelux, SMILE for the rest of Europe, and Cleopatra for USA.
Today it’s been exactly 31 years since electro-industrial band The Klinik released their second full album Plague (Antler 065 - Release date: 25.09.1987). Originally released as a gatefold vinyl it was re-released again by Antler Records as a bonus CD with the release of the 1991 Time (Antler 5040) album.
Plague, with menacing sounds and engaging songs, can be seen as one of the darkest albums released by the band. Marc Verhaeghen’s uncompromising and unpredictable programming, sampling and synth manipulation revoke apocalyptic visions while the typical, sometimes hissing, sometimes shouting, vocals of Dirk Ivens complete the dark atmosphere perfectly.
Plague (Tracklist)
A1 World Domination
A2 Murder
A3 No Time To Win
A4 Outside
B1 End Of The Line
B2 Pictures
B3 Into Deep Water
B4 Plague
First new Empirion material in almost a decade - I Am Electronic / Red Noise (12'/CD)
Released on 12" vinyl (4 tracks) and CD (6 tracks), this AA sided EP is far more than a glimpse of Empirion's forthcoming album, ‘Resume'. The much admired techno-industrial hybrid act from Essex is coming back with an absolute banger of an EP containing perhaps the strongest tracks of their entire career.
'I Am Electronic' is a grinding breakbeat/trance maelstrom with an irresistible vocoder voice refrain that makes the track instantly recognizable and absolutely irresistible on the dance floor, while 'Red Noise' represents the industrial roots of the band and updates Nitzer Ebb style EBM with IDM elements and strong vocals.
The EP is available as a CD single with 6 tracks and two bonus tracks, while the 12” vinyl is a limited edition of 1000 copies (of which 300 in red vinyl) and includes two exclusive mixes of the A-Sides. Also featuring strong remixes and two exclusive tracks, this is an unmissable comeback!
Belgian and electronic einzelgänger True Zebra is releasing a compilation album featuring a selection of songs from his first three DIY underground releases.
A “best of”, “greatest hits”, “most played live”… whatever you call it, it is now available for the masses!
All tracks were written and recorded by mastermind Kevin Strauwen between 2008-2016 and all got a remastering treatment for this release.
Meanwhile Kevin states: “I am starting work on my new full-length recording - idiorrhythmic - which I hope will be finished at the beginning of 2019”
123 - Track listing
1. The Silence
2. Delirious
3. Sounds Easy
4. Under Control
5. Revelation
6. Push
7. Shame
8. Hunt
9. Happen
10. Transition
11. Everything Is Mediocre
12. Fuya
13. Ran
14. Not Like Him No
15. Bitch
