Behind The Scenes' 2000 release Homeless is Gothic Rock like I haven't heard in quite some time. Upon first impression you get solid rock-n-roll riffs and bass line with just enough electronic ambience to give it body but not to overrun the overall rock feel of it. Deep and dark like Sisters of Mercy with 'spidery' lead vocal somewhat reminiscent of Peter Murphy but with a smoother and more melodious style befitting of genre mainstays Clan of Xymox. With that being said - what else is there?

Crowhead's Jo-I Slangvold and Rym after a couple of years of work and after releasing some tracks on the Tatra compilation "Sex Goth & Electronics" and on their "Love Letter" demo CD, are releasing their debut album FROZEN conquering all the dark hearts with their melancholic but powerful tunes.The duo worked together also in Shadow Dancers, a goth metal band active in the '90s and the eleven tracks of this album for sure recall goth and metal atmospheres but the album remain a sort of hybrid which is capable to create something really cool. What I mean is that Crowhead took all the good and energetic aspects of their loved genres just to create a special blend really powerful and catchy. It could be enough to listen to the second album's track titled "Mad Man" to fall in love with this sound. Another thing which makes of this a special album is the use of the vocals, because the voice is melodic, clear and evocative without being pathetic. Another good thing is how they use electronic instruments: even if guitars and drums are the main thing the band's sound is focusing on, synths are used to underline melodic moments. Special guests of this album are: Rico Darum (ex-APOPTYGMA BERZERK), Ted "Superdead" Skogmann (ex-APOPTYGMA BERZERK) which helped producing the album and remixing the opening track along with Sebastian of ICON OF COIL who remixed "The Soul Is In The Dark Side".

There's an intangible quality, a certain sense of coherence,that usually accompanies a true solo album. Chiasm's debut album "Disorder" is a solo work in the strictest sense of the term, and it shows. The ghost haunting a machine vibe of this album make for a unique and darkly enjoyable experience.With vocals alternately floating, crooning or hissing alongside the distinctly mechanical mixture of electronic drums, pulsing synths and occasional dialogue sample this is one of those banshee albums that sucks you in and won't let go until it ends."Cold" adds a touch of piano to the mix and manages to stalk, entrance and sadden all in the same five minutes.The more drum intensive "Fight" takes up the bpm count a bit and the sense of urgency with it."Chiasm 5.0 " and "Isolated" both have menacing enough rhythms to appropriately augment their snarled tales of abandonment.Distance and separation, be it her trying to distance herself (I will remain alone this time/until I know for sure what's mine), or her being distanced from others (have no choice but be isolated/struggling/left alone/apart/pushed aside/made segregated/struggling/left alone/apart), is very much a reoccurring theme here.It does work very well with the disorienting nature of the music though.The album closing "Someone" stands apart from the rest and is a very effective piece in spite of itself seeing as singing over seven minutes of the same glitchy beat doesn't sound too great in theory.The bold nakedness of it all pulls it off in spades though.Ms. Rohn's top flight set of pipes doesn't exactly hurt things either, in fact a lot of this material really couldn't be pulled off by someone with a lesser vocal range.Might as well write to your strengths I suppose.Not much really to nit-pick here,it's actually kind of scary when you consider that this is self-produced and only her first,what may come with experience and more toys to play with.

The theme of the tragic fate of Yugoslavia is like a red line crossing the creative work of the trio D’Divaz founded in 1998. The trio participants Milica Paranosic, Danijela Popovic and Aleksandra Vojcic are all Yugoslavian but the girls have been living apart from their native land for about ten years now. The Julliard School graduates reside in New York without ignoring their roots, though. They support their people not only throughout their work but also via charity concerts. D’Divaz is a unique band, because their activities cannot be filed under academic electronic music, nor can they be labeled as ?downtown music’ or the so-called club music. Their music has grown with the integration of both, evolving into a unique genre. This genre could be personified by the image of a crystal palace on the basement made of firm material tested by time. Their first and by far only album was released in 2000. The debut, nevertheless, doesn’t let to file the girls as ?novices’. They started their musical education already in Yugoslavia, continuing to study after moving to New York. At the moment Aleksandra and Milica work as teachers in Julliard School while Danijela is a pianist of the Girls Choir of Harlem. The creative energy of Milica who is the leader and inspiration for the group feeds the collective but the band’s integrity is the result of equal partnership between three outstanding individuals. There are at least a few elements that make the trio so unforgettable: their connection with the folk roots of their country, the free and harmonic expression of three female individuals, the harmonic mix between classical music, academic electronica and progressive avant-garde stylings and the last, but not least, the constant presence of strong civil position and humanistic roots. The album of D’Divaz wasn’t self-titled by chance, because it fully reflects the inner worlds of the participants as well as their emotional experiences. Even without any video image, the listener’s imagination will switch on the associations connected with the situation in Yugoslavia. One cannot exclude the political aspect when getting into D’Divaz’ creative work, because it works like a carcass that holds the artistic tissue of compositions. The album lasts a bit less than an hour, consisting of rather short compositions, none of them sounding the same. The mutated world of D’Divaz seems logical and structured in comparison with the objective reality. It’s filled with natural human drama. All music is intended to be performed on two pianos and is enriched by synthesized lines, and, in some compositions, percussion, drums and electric guitar, plus the obligatory injections of the superb free-floating primordial vocals in it’s electronic and instrumental flow. Despite the diversity found on this album, the tone is already set by the first composition «Crne Oci». It’s beginning sends the listener straight back to folky cries - the lengthy female singing is the prelude and the background for this composition. The stiff metallic strings with their thunderous sound announce the beginning of the generous summer rain - the insinuating piano lines, assisted by electronic noises. The beginning of the second composition «Go / Kolo» is quite insinuating as well, but you shouldn’t relax yet, the tension builds as we progress and when it reaches the apogee, it will evolve into a wonderful and completely scintillating dynamic melody. The next five tracks make up the series called «Nobody’s» which is shifting between polar moods - from quiet sadness to furious protest, from total numbness to sparkling inspiration. Everything is stirred as one single cocktail of tears, optimism and the intuitive hope. The longest composition on the CD called «Panasonic» is also the most colourful one as well as the most diverse. It’s something that could be called miniature instrumental electronic symphony. According to this definition «Panasonic» can be divided into parts. The first part is intriguing and exciting, taking on a «talk» between two pianos growing into real argument on top of synth washes and noises. Upon reaching a point where all discrete impressions and recollections flow into one single consciousness flux the music segues into the second part which is very lyrical and sad, where troubles of the past are revived and the bleeding wounds of the present open up for you to see. The third part denies desperation, though. It’s the impersonation of the inner force and of longing for life. The expression and unbelievable eloquence of the composition is reached by means of its dissonant scale. The next composition «S’X» develops in a slow and intriguing way. A half perceivable piano theme is joined by the mournful synthesizer drone, reminding of whales crying or the distant boat whistle, like a dam holding in the emotional waves. Gently flowing, thin musical lines slowly become twisted. A brief heady dance with its passion and significance reminds of Argentinian tango. It’s the culmination of this gem, the denouement being the same weightless melody that was featured in the beginning of the track. A generally the same scenario is used for the 11th and 12th compositions, only this time with greater sharpness. They’re called «Boo-bah / go» and «Saran» and essentially they are one single piece, because no intermission and no pause can be found in between. The main nerve of the music remains the piano, whose quietness is interrupted by the crazy drum rhythm that instigates explosive reactions. The composition is untwined like a shiny merry-go-round and the offensive movement never ceases until the very end. During the finale, the sparse and uneasy atmosphere takes on a quirky and clear stance, constructed from private experience and the rich cultural heritage of the people. The name of the final track, «D’Divaz», is self-describing. The composition resumes the album while stating the artistic credo of musicians. The coziness of the forest during daylight, the proximity of the all-understanding ground, the caressing of the wind and the fragrance of wild flowers are felt in this composition. The wisdom and beauty of nature are the basis for this music. Bird’s chirping is a guide of faith, the symbol of unity for everything that exists, the gentle voicing of the peace, concealing the hysteria of war - every kind of war, be it near or far, political or individual - it’s always totally senseless and unnatural. The atmosphere of the primeval purity absorbs all the troubles and pain of human existence. The ringing laugh of the performers as well as their native speech are the link between dream and reality. That’s what the final chord of this talented and diverse work is like. The unlucky fate of the D’Divaz’ native land are the leit-motif of all their creative work, but it’s inspired by the light and the warmth of ancient traditions. When listening to the disc one cannot help but feel the complicity with the once flourished nation. The pathos of D’Divaz is that of the burning national self-consciousness, never fading away even when being so far away from native land. Their music is full of reflection of general human character that touch every thinking person irrespective of his place of living.

I guess I was sleeping, but an explosion of techno-house releasing spree seems to have taken place pretty much overnight, and as small new dance record labels run by young Djs and club-goers and big fake-indie major-label subdivisions and sub-labels and sub-branches pop up like mushrooms trying to grab the coolest hit for their catalogues, at every release my concern about commercial and non-commercial stepping on each other, blending and becoming unclearly separated grows... In this case the line is pretty thin too, which, I have to honest does not make me very comfortable... Of course I understand that sampling Jon Bon Jovi riffs and making people bounce can be fun, but I also come from a place where quality has been totally forgotten and techno music is being made for money and for drunk assholes to dance on acid until 7 o'clock in the morning and then die in a car crash while trying to drive home. I recall a certain point in time where a desperate semantic attempt of classification was being made by calling the good stuff "techno" and the bad shit "tekkno", but now I don't know anymore, the line is fuzzy, maybe it is "teckno", maybe "tekhno"... I am all about mixing genres and crossing over, don't get me wrong, I am just afraid about where it is gonna lead us musically and qualitatively (and that's all I am dealing with, 'cause I'm not even going into politics). But and if there really is such a thing as "teckno" or "tekhno" then internationally acclaimed West Coast Dj Dan and his newest double CD "Roundtrip" is a good example of that. Former Olympia, WA, native design student, Dj Dan hooked up with DJ Ron D Core (with whom he opened the No-Doz club), the Bay Area DJ collective Funky Techno Tribe, Jim Hopkins of the Electroliners (with whom he co-wrote the classic "Loose Caboose"), DJ Carl Cox and XL Records, Angel Alanis and Brandon Riley (with whom he founded the Musique Multimedia Group and his own vinyl imprint In-Stereo Records) and many others and is now one of the most traveled DJ's around, counting residencies in the most prestigious clubs all over the world, stages shared with Bowie, Fat Boy Slim, Digweed, Moby, Rhymes, awards as Los Angeles' #1 DJ (LA Times), #7 out of 50 of America's Favourite DJ's (BPM), one of the world's top 100 DJ's (DJ Magazine) and of course remixes for Groove Armada, Filter, A Tribe Called Quest, Olive and Orgy (where he even went platinum with their cover of New Order's "Blue Monday"). Even though on the first disc he spins west-coast style party-house pitching in hip-hop and dance/pop, in the second disc fortunately he goes back into a more serious frame of mind with darker and funkier beats and possibly even more of his CDJ 1000 sounds throughout the record (which by the way is a continuous live take straight from vinyl). Some of those sounds, field recordings from street noise and various ground and air transportation means also make up the intro and outro of his 2CD, which is justly entitled "Rountrip" and came out October 8th on young NYC outlet Kinetic records. Music doesn't make people smarter (arguably) but I sure hope a powerful and influencing DJ like DJ Dan will not contribute making them dumber either, by keeping that thin line a there as an actual line!