After only one release on the US-Label BLC Productions, French madman Remzi Kellici has left this label to build up his very own Mortuary Records. So this already third full length release by OBSZÖN GESCHÖPF is from the first compositions up to the final pressed silver product done by Remzi himself. What has changed in comparison to his past works? Well, a bit, but not too much. It is still his old-school infiltrated Electro/EBM, arranged away from current overrated hypes. Globally said, we can notice a slight develop in the bass line sequences as well as on the song structures generally. Everything seems to be better produced, although you shouldn’t expect a high technical production standard by a self-released CD. Also nice to hear are some different vocal treatments which give some tracks a different mood. Remzi pushed back his known monotone and hypnotic elements to a harder analog EBM feeling generally. What hasn’t changed is the fact, that he uses uncountable trivial voice samples taken out of different action, porn or splatter movies. So everything remains dark and cold here, religion, death and demonic ingredients is the lyrical content here. This is maybe not in everyone’s taste, but his sick samples seem to be a very important stylistic art for Remzi to submit his inner feelings. I said it already on his earlier works, that he doesn’t use the freshest water – but this is his most remarkable thing in Remzi’s music. "God Dawn" or "Rapist of Remain" awake strong memories on the known LESCURE 13, a side-project of SUICIDE COOMANDO. The title track and "Hellbound" can be seen as the most outstanding pieces, also "Coffin Shop" is well done with clear but steady ripping sequences. This is a nice sole effort by this project from France from I wish that can be get some distribution help especially for North America. Stuff for the EBM/Dark Electro purists, decent enough to grab attention.

The well known US project NEGATIVE FORMAT consisting of Alex Matheu returns with a new full length CD and sets some new standards into the Techno/Trance/Electro/EBM genre. It was his classic release "Result Of A New Culture", released back in 1997 on both defunct labels Gashed (for North America) and Zoth Ommog (for Europe), as well as his own released debut CD "Pathologic Syndrome", which brought me to this project. All further releases then turned into a more Techno/Trance up to Futurepop oriented direction which I haven’t found too impressive at all. "Moving Past The Boundaries" can be seen now as a reminder of the good old days while not a stop of the latest evolution of Alex’ music. 13 new tracks are available here, most of them with a long enough playing time to produce fat and resonated filter loops in and out of the tracks – yes, that Techno/Trance element in Alex’ music is still richly present. I of course prefer the tracks which leave a bit the current NEGATIVE FORMAT mood, the tracks which can be called near and comparable to the past "Result..." influenced era. Here are the marvelous tracks like "Centralized" and "Focus" to name. Also well done and worth to mention are the female vocals by Rashree Matson thrown into 3 tracks, the slow and smooth "Sustain", the already named "Centralized" and "Heterodox", on which male and female vocals start a duel. This is a very modern sounding piece of fat and well produced electronic music, and of course way back better than his last releases. Maybe the right step to bring NEGATIVE FORMAT back to that outstanding era on which it all begun. Strange for me is the fact, that this release will distributed and marketed world-wide by Metropolis-Records and that there is no license deal to the German Out Of Line label, which was lately responsible for the last NEGATIVE FORMAT releases. Who cares finally – check this out, listen to yourself and enjoy this modern and technically rich produced album!

This is a new and until now almost undiscovered talent out of Argentina, from where we already received some nice tunes done by PUNTO OMEGA, LAMIA or ALIEN PRODUKT. While somebody should teach me a lesson how to speak out correctly their band name, I am sure that this act will also soon get that international response it deserves. Musically I would like to compare them with the old HOCICO, the mentioned PUNTO OMEGA, TAMTRUM or AMDUSCIA on the harsh and danceable tracks – so you’ll get a straight, hard-in-your-face full scale dose of harsh Electro/EBM. Tracks like "Ominous", "Looser’s Letter" or the well hidden 10th track "Punisher Kids" can easily fill the dancefloors of the dark clubs. They offer also some nice instrumental takes like "The Insanity about Flowers" or the title track on which they show a wide musically background with some piano sounds and some decent melodies. While the title names are all in English language, the lyrics and so the rough vocals are without any exception in Spanish. So I don’t know on what they refer in their lyrics here, but they included precautionary the often used "Parental Advisory – Explicit Lyrics" warning sticker on their cover art. The tracks are well done and tasty arranged – a real "rocking" alternative to the lately toothless looking HOCICO. This full length CD is completely self-released and produced – it may could need some more polishing production, but it nevertheless features a remarkable talent. I am sure that we will hear soon more from this band. Check out their website mentioned above, make your contacts and order their stuff - especially if you are familiar with the named acts here.

A Powernoise/Harsh Industrial act signed to the big Metropolis Records label is a rarity, but it shows that the huge stable of them is growing into all genres and styles. TERRORFAKT are releasing herewith their remix companion to their last year debut, so you get here 10 remix works done by more less known artists like ANGEL THEORY (created lyrics and added their vocals on their more Dark Electro inspired remix for "No Frequency" – a rarity for the Powernoise genre and I can’t find enough praising words for this almost new track...), PNEUMATIC DETACH (offer as usual an excellent remix for "Arsenal" – of course the most harshest piece here...), TOTAKEKE (a heavily Dark Ambient inspired remix for "Zero" with uncountable layers – excellent!) or the always fine RE_AGENT (defines the standard to a high quality level between Dark Electro and Powernoise on their "Arsenal" remix...). Further remix works are done by CERVELLO ELETTRONICO, DISPLACER, SYNTH-ETIK, E-CRAFT, LIFE CRIED and IMPERATIVE REACTION. There is no really bad or boring remix here – I only picked out the four mentioned outstanding works. There are also 5 new harsh tracks at the end of the CD and also here are some nice surprises worth to check out. While "An Age Of Terror", "Corrupt" and "God Of Killers" offer new food to storm the dancefloor, the slow and dark "Elimination Chamber" offers some great delay and reverb effects. But the best piece is the duel with PNEUMATIC DETACH on "Black Hoods In Brooklyn", which features the best elements of both acts. I would like to hear about a further cooperation between this both excellent acts! You’ll get with this remix companion disc a marvelous release which can impress by the good choice of different remixing acts out of different genres. You’ll get too 5 new and worth to get heard tracks by TERRORFAKT, so – what are you waiting for? Get it!

Coming from Cologne and formed by Ripley and Benway, Kitbuilders released about five 12", partecipated to several compilation (also to Ersatz Audio's "ORAL-Olio" and "Misery loves company") and they released this album I'm going to talk about, titled "Wake up". Actually the album have been already released by World Electric/Neuton and Shado Records but this new Kinetik Media version, along with the original ten tunes, contains two rare tracks ("Don't touch me" and "Girls on stage"). Musically Kitbuilders mix a lot of influences, mainly coming from the '80s but they mix different styles blending early electronic experimentalism (see Cabaret Voltaire or Chris And Cosey) with electronic new wave extravaganza (like the early Pink Industry) and modern sense of dance tunes (check "Superfast service") but all filtered with a certain punk attitude. The tracks aren't built like simple pop songs: a lot of them start with simple drum patterns and rhythmic synth sounds just to gradually acquire melodic lines. A good example of this way of composing is "Spotscar" where the only melodic part is demanded to Ripley's vocals. A lot of tracks go beyond the usual pop song lenght: see the almost eight minutes of "Dropping"(a track that starts like an ambient tune just to develop into a sort of ambient techno experimental dance track), the seven minutes of "Walls" and the seven minutes and twenty two seconds of the main track"Wake up". If you are looking for something more than easy listening electro and you don't dislike the old way of experimenting, Kitbuilders have got something for you...