Akonoid: from Tech House to Alternative Rock - 15 years of musical evolution

Akanoid has been around  for 15 years. 

Unfortunately ,only recently, this band has come unto my attention. AKANOID, founded in the end of the 90s by Hilton Theissen and Uwe Lübbers took its first steps within the fields of Tech House, Electro and Psy Trance. 

That's probably one of the reasons why I hadn't hear from Akanoid before. Luckily their syle of music has changed alot during the years. 

Anno 2014 Akonoid sounds more like an alternative rock band, than the techno project on which they once started off their musical existence.

http://www.reverbnation.com/akanoid

http://www.facebook.com/AKANOID

After several live gigs and releasing three albums and a few singles, Akanoid decided to develop a more mature sound by adding more vocal appearance and structure to their songs, finally leading to a the album called "COCKTAIL POP"and 2 single releases "On Air Again" and "Usual Freak"

Following a new concept which included hiring two new additional band members for guitar and backing vocals, they went on tour with DE/VISION (2007).

In july 2008 Akonoid toured with the Crüxshadows and around the same time they released the EP "100 Burning Guitars". 

After ome personal changes, occasional live gigs  the album "CIVIL DEMON" was released in May 2009. Civil Demon made a quite more rocklike appearance than all albums before. Remixes and edits followed. Akonoid als appearded on festivals such as POPKOMM and WGT (Wave Gotik Treffen)

In 2012 the band changed back into their founding constellation and released the EP „You Never“. Apparently Akonoid would currently be working on new material in their "ELEKTROFISH STUDIO" and fresh output will follow.

Alpine Decline - Personal History (Plaisir de France remix)

French author/DJ/composer/producer Julien Barthe reinvents himself as a "quality sound dresser" under the name of Plaisir de France, remixing a song from an arty LA rock band, called Alpine Decline that moved to Bejing, China. It all sounds a bit weirdn but it seems to work. 

Alpine Decline - Personal History (Plaisir de France remix) is taken from the first official Plaisir de France album 'Etat des lieux'

www.plaisirdefrance.net

www.facebook.com/plaisirdefrance

www.alpinedecline.com

www.facebook.com/alpinedecline

Alpine Decline albums are the kind you listen to compulsively, perhaps even excessively. With blasting guitars and drums, surrounded by drones and a spiderweb of noise, Alpine Decline manage to use shoegaze bliss, pure noise, or straight up rock and roll ornamentally, as a compliment to their songwriting explorations and not as an end in of itself.

The Knife - Without You My Life Would Be Boring (J.Phlip Remix)

The Knife - Without You My Life Would Be Boring (Shaken-Up Version)

On June 20, The Knife are digitally releasing Shaken-Up Versions a mini album of classic tracks reworked especially for the band's recent North American leg of their Shaking The Habitual Tour.

To preview the new versions, the Shaken-Up version of 'Without You My Life Would Be Boring' is being released today, accompanied by a video directed by Bitte Andersson.

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http://www.theknife.net

The Knife is a Swedish electronic music duo from Stockholm, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. The group gained a large international following in response to their 2003 album Deep Cuts. The group and this specific album later received further attention when a cover of their song "Heartbeats", rearranged for acoustic guitar by José González, appeared in a Sony commercial. Subsequent songs have appeared on a number of television shows.

The duo's first tour took place in 2006, along with the release of their critically acclaimed album Silent Shout. They have won a number of Swedish Grammis, but refuse to attend awards ceremonies. They have appeared in public wearing Venetian masks. Andersson released a solo album under the name Fever Ray in 2009, while Olof Dreijer released several EPs as Oni Ayhun in late 2009 and early 2010.

Cut_ : dreamy electronic pop from the Netherlands

CUT_ (pronounced: cut underscore) is an Amsterdam based indie-pop duo consisting of producer Sebastiaan Dutilh and vocalist Belle Doron.

Their music is a response to the English Trip-hop and Dub sound of the past decade where they add a modern twist. Acts like Burial, Mount Kimbie, Massive Attack and James Blake are great sources of inspiration.

Their musical output is based around the concept of improvisation, both in the studio as live on stage. Live they add pre written songs to the improvised set as well as interactive visuals performed by Hidde de Jong. This fusion of live performance and electronics on both a visual and a musical level makes every show a unique experience.

Cut_ is most known for its cover of the Stromae song 'Papaoutai'  . Cut_ , however is definitely more than just  another poppy cover band.

And they are definitely more than a studio band, as proven here by the videos from the 3voor12 sessions live for the 3fm radiostation in the Netherlands.

http://www.facebook.com/cutimprov

http://www.cutunderscore.com

In case you have never heard of the worldfamous Stromae song Papaoutai, enjoy the original video

Torul releases video for Try (2014 remastered version!)

Torul released a video for the single "Try",  from the second TORUL album "In Whole".

TORUL is an alternative electro-pop band from Slovenia, founded and led by Torulsson, who is the songwriter and the producer of the band. The other two members are guitarist and live synth player Borut and singer Jan. Torulsson has had a lot of club music releasesin the past on the labels such as Low Spirit – Berlin, Force Inc – Frankfurt, Thule Musik – Reykjavik and many other labels, but parallelly also explored vocal music, inspired not just by electronic music, but also dark rock, indie and other genres.

Constantly exploring and merging influences and own development in production, TORUL have quite a unique sound with a variety of different approaches. Instead of strictly following one style of music, TORUL are interested in production with a broader approach to music.

http://www.torul-recordings.net

http://www.facebook.com/torul

Laibach releases video Eurovision

Laibach releases video for the single Eurovision. The video is directed by Rátneek. It was filmed in the industrial area of Trbovlje (Slovenia), the home town of Laibach and nearby the Kum mountain. Parts of the video were also shot during the last winter ice cataclysm, when half of Slovenia was in a deep freeze for two weeks.  

The single Eurovision is included the new Laibach album SPECTRE.

Buy now: http://spectre.laibach.org/order-spectre

Deluxe CD: http://smarturl.it/SpectreDeluxeCD

CD: http://smarturl.it/spectreCD

LP: http://smarturl.it/spectreLP

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/spectreiTunes

Laibach (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈlaɪbax]) is a Slovenian and former Yugoslav avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach was formed in 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia, at the time SFR Yugoslavia. The band represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984. The name "Laibach" is the German name for Slovenia's capital city, Ljubljana. (source: Wikipedia)

http://www.laibach.org

Experience Laibach live
http://www.laibach.org/future-events

presenting French electro-pop: Daprinski - George Michael

Media Marketing Me offers you a fine track, called George Michael (You don't have the face of George Michael) by Daprinksi in the original version and in the remix by Plaisir de France.

George Michael

http://facebook.com/plaisirdefrance

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daprinski

French electro-pop duo KAST release their brand new video "Like a Ghost"

French electro-pop duo KAST release their brand new video "Like a Ghost"

Official video directed by Jeremy Pradier

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1h8ncWx

http://www.facebook.com/Kastmusic2

http://www.facebook.com/AlterKmusic

In Strict Confidence releases "Lifelines vol.2 1998-2004"

In Strict Confidence is a German electro-industrial band founded in 1990, steared by musical mastermind Dennis Ostermann . The current members are Dennis Ostermann, Joerg Schelte, Stefan Vesper, HayDee Sparks and Nina de Lianin.

Their musical style incorporates elements from electro-industrial, futurepop, synthpop, darkwave and ambient electro, with voices provided by both male and female vocalists.  

Since the 90’s, they have released extensively via a number of reknown industrial record labels such as Zoth Omog, Metropolis and Bloodline Records  and through their own label, Minuswelt Musikfabrik.

Where Lifelines vol. 1 (1991-1998) was a retrospective of the early years in the musical career of the then rather unknown electro band In Strict Confidence. Lifelines vol. 2 (1998-2004) can be described as a true "best of" CD for that era.  The clubhit Zauberschloss launched In Strict Confidence in the upper regions of the German Schwarze Szene, the subculture music scene of goth, dark electro, darkwave, EBM and underground techno which has a larg presence in Germany.

http://www.instrictconfidence.com

Just like Lifelines Vol.1. , all tracks on Lifelines vol. 2 are released in an extended version, to guarantee that your dancing and freaking out to these excellent tracks will last even longer.

Tracklisting:

01. Zauberschloss (2000) - 7.29

02. Seven Lives (2004) - 7.20

03. Engelsstaub (2002) - 6.22

04. Kiss Your Shadow (2000) - 5.57

05. Hidden Thoughts (1998) - 7.20

06. Babylon (2004) - 6.52

07. Another Night (2004) - 7.29

08. Closing Eyes (2004) - 7.54

09. Herzattacke (2002) - 8.36

10. The Truth Inside Of Me (2000) - 8.36

Hopefully Lifelines vol. 3  will be released soon, because In Strict Confidence gets better with the years, creating such gems as My Despair, Silver Bullets and Morpheus. Thill then enjoy the In Strict Confidence club hits of the 1998-2004 era.

Punk rock-'n-roll icon Frank Dubbe stars in video of local electro band Diskonnekted

Belgian punk and Rock-'n-roll icon Frank Dubbe, lead man of Revenge 88 (a band formerly known as Stagebeast and Moonlight Crow) has been making a name for himself in the Belgian music scene since the late seventies. Any kind of association with electronic dance music is realy the last thing you would expect from this old-school punk and rock-'n-roll musician from Oostende. However, the much appraised amateur photographer Romuald "Ishoothorizon" Swieconek has made a music video for the alternative electro band Diskonnekted featuring the senior citizen of Punkville, Frank Dubbe.

For who doesn't know Frank Dubbe. He's the charismatic man with his inseparable cowboy hat.