The fusion of Astbury’s distinct vocal style with Black’s electronic landscapes creates a sound that’s both fresh and familiar, challenging the boundaries of genre. Guitars and modular synths weave through the track, building a complex soundscape that pays homage to the roots of both artists while pushing forward into new territories. The collaboration not only showcases their individual strengths but also highlights the potential of cross-genre partnerships in creating innovative music.

Black shares a story about recording the track, highlighting the serendipity and spontaneity that often accompanies creative endeavors.

“Astbury and I agreed that it would be cool to collaborate and since I was already going to LA for a gig,” says Black. “I found a studio. I honestly didn’t know if he would show up, or if some imposter was using his account. Ian showed up. I watched on the studio security cameras as a black SUV pulled up. Ian rolled in with a bag full of notebooks, art books, pens, and stories. We talked for hours. Somehow with only 20 minutes left in our session, he went to the booth and nailed the vocal in 1 take. This was the first time I recorded with a vocalist as they were writing the vocals in my presence,”

Listen below:

Dirge Out marks the second release from the upcoming sophomore album, ‘Infinite Darkness‘, which will see its global release on May 3rd, 2024 via Artoffact Records. Black says it was Astbury who pushed him to get to it. “I was on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo when he texted me “you should call your record Infinite Darkness.” How could I refuse?” Black comments.

Produced over the span of five years, the album features incredible talent, including ACTORS, Louisahhh, Michele Lamy, Front Line Assembly, and more!

Pre-order Infinite Darkness here.

Bryan Black, also known as Black Asteroid, kick-started his music career as a sound designer and keyboard technician for Prince at Paisley Park Studios in Minneapolis. Diving into his own creative endeavours, Black produced music under the aliases Haloblack and Motor, catching the attention of Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore. This led to a collaboration that produced the top 40 hit Man Made Machine and tours with Depeche Mode. Black Asteroid emerged on the scene with the debut single Engine 1 in 2011, showcasing a distinctive industrial techno sound that gained rapid popularity and secured him spots in prestigious clubs and festivals globally.

His debut album Thrust, released in 2017, featured a mix of crossover singles with contributions from artists like Zola Jesus and Cold Cave, highlighting Black’s penchant for integrating song structures and vocals into techno. Following this, 2023 saw Black exploring experimental sounds in the EPs Acid Flesh and New Flesh.

Follow Black Asteroid:

• Website
• Soundcloud
• Instagram

The post The Cult’s Ian Astbury Collaborates with Black Asteroid on Haunting Electronic Music Track “Dirge Out” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

In addition to providing an unforgettable musical experience, Cold Waves Festival, now in its eleventh year, is committed to giving back to the community. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit Darkest Before Dawn and other mental health charities.

For more information and tickets, go here.

Meet some of the artists who played the NYC branch of Cold Waves this year at Le Poisson Rouge, located in Manhattan’s famed West Village, including some powerful moments from their performances and even a few backstage antics. Several of these acts will be making encore appearances in the Windy City this weekend, and Los Angeles the following week.

Lana Del Rabies

Lana Del Rabies, the brainchild of Phoenix electronic artist Sam An, elegantly defies easy categorization. This avant-garde creation melds the dark allure of gothic resonance and metal with whispers of trip-hop, and nods to post-punk luminaries such as Fad Gadget and John Foxx. Delia Derbyshire’s spectral BBC experiments, Stockhausen’s daring experimentalism, and Puce Mary’s auditory collages peer through the artist’s unsettling ambient wisps, transporting listeners into liminal realms, where the boundaries blur between dreams and wakefulness. This ethereal journey, layered with mysticism, promises an experience steeped in the esoteric.

Ash Code

Italian dark wave synth act Ash Code was founded by keyboard player Claudia Nottebella and twin brothers Alessandro and Adriano Belluccio. They masterfully blend influences, ranging from early Depeche Mode, The Sisters of Mercy to post-punk, Synthpop, coldwave & EBM, bringing with them a revamp of solid drum machines, haunting synths and driving bass lines. Molchat Doma, Clan Of Xymox and Minuit Machine made remixes for Ash Code songs, and Ash Code made remixes for acts like She Past Away and Agent Side Grinder.

Orphx

Toronto electronic outfit Orphx (Rich Oddie and Christina Sealey) have been creating their unique fusion of rhythm and noise for three decades, combining elements of techno with the experimental techniques and critical spirit of industrial music.  Orphx releases are often based around social, political or psychological/spiritual themes.

Sierra

Sierra, a multifaceted French musician, composer, and DJ, crafts a sonic tapestry that oscillates between EBM and darkwave. Her sound is infused with techno, synthwave, and unexpected undertones of trap. With a cinematic flair, Sierra’s compositions strike a delicate balance: they juxtapose the rawness of violence with melancholic undertones, interweaving moments of sweetness and stark brutality. This eclectic fusion establishes Sierra as a creator of her own distinct, hybrid sound.

JK Flesh

Under the moniker JK Flesh, English virtuoso Justin Broadrick manifests his electronic odysseys. Tracing its origins to his 1990s collaboration with Kevin Martin in Techno Animal, Broadrick ventured into the solo realm with a JK Flesh album in 2012. Distinct from his celebrated ventures, Godflesh and Jesu, JK Flesh eschews metal riffs for pure electronic pulses. Over time, the character of JK Flesh’s output has evolved, adopting minimalist and dub nuances, yet always rooted in industrial grit. JK Flesh’s discography boasts four albums, five EPs, a collaborative split with Prurient, and a slew of remixes.

Front Line Assembly

The Cold Waves festival continues this weekend in Chicago. On Friday night fans were treated to performances from a vast array of talents, including IAMX, Twin Tribes, Nuovo Testamento, Harsh Symmetry, and many more. But the fun is just getting started.

Front Line Assembly and A Split-Second will headline Saturday, 23 September at Metro. Additional acts include:

• 16 Volt
• Kanga
• Acumen Nation
• MVTANT

DJ sets will be happening at Smart Bar from:

• JK Flesh
• Zoltar
• Enduser
• Flesh_Bot

On Sunday, at Metro, Godflesh and Lead Into Gold headline, flanked by:

• Sierra
• Rabbit Junk
• Lana Del Rabies
• Cel Genesis

DJ sets will also be held at Oman.

All photos by Alice Teeple.

Cold Waves Festival returns to Los Angeles on September 28th.

The post Cold Waves Festival NYC Highlights — Plus Festival Continues This Weekend in Chicago appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

The mastermind of Black Asteroid, 90s industrial pioneer Bryan Black (Haloblack), decided to return to his roots with this EP, eschewing the usual 4/4 techno and embracing live bass. He recruited Bill Leeb from Front Line Assembly to provide vocals for “Methane Rain”, bringing a sinister edge to a track that is a return to the creative nexus that gave birth to Black Asteroid.

“In a moment when techno has left the underground and become an EDM parody of itself, I instead decided to experiment with live instruments, vocals, and slower BPMs,” Black explains.

Methane Rain blends the raw earmarks of Cabaret Voltaire, and Human League –  at times sounding like a Ministry interpretation of Seconds; it has a hypnotic beat and sludgy baselines, with 80s voice distortion and pounding drums keeping time. A solid collaboration between two industrial stalwarts.

Listen below:

• Instagram 
• Soundcloud

The post Black Asteroid Debuts New Single “Methane Rain” Featuring Front Line Assembly appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

The video for the mesmerizing “Synthetica”, remixed by the stylish electronic music project BLACK ASTEROID, has a nightmarish quality, embodying those entities that appear in the astral plane, with muted faces and stilted movements. Director Edoardo Bocchihe intercuts the ghostly figure with symbolic imagery; a simple platform for a remix that cuts deep into the soul; a message from the other side.

Watch below:

The video for “Feels Eternal”, remixed by masked Industrial Techno EBM auteur KONTRAVOID, also directed by Edoardo Bocchi, has a much different flavour. In this video we witness another journey of solitude, this time a gorgeous monochromatic dreamscape intercut with someone wearing virtual reality mask – is this reality? Is this imagination? Is it a hybrid of both? We constantly find means of escape through electronic stimulus or meditation. Are we in control of our reality or programmed as actors?

Watch below:

Fallshock, founded by ghost producer, drummer, and singer Francesco Kay in 2018, is an electronic music project treading the razor-sharp line between darkwave and synth-pop with the talents of death metal guitarist Markus O. Together they create highly danceable music channeled through a strong production ethos, ultimately creating an urgent sound that aurally captivates the listener with its use of flickering synths, mesmerizing guitars, crushing drums, and distressed vocals whose torment evokes the kind of haunted visions and diffuse atmospheres that are the perfect soundtrack for a shadowy club night catharsis.

Fall Shock’s debut album “Interior” is out via  Manic Depression Records. You can stream it here:

Order the limited edition extended version of the album here.

Follow Fall Shock:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Youtube
• Bandcamp

The post Italian Darkwave Act Fall Shock Teams up With Kontravoid and Black Asteroid for Two Remix Videos appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

Despite the obvious visual references to the Japanese Horror classic, Castel  has elaborated on the general theme of death in the video in a press statement:

“Exhumed was personally conceived of and created whilst processing death – of family members and of relationships – and much like Okovi’s core themes, it is a reflection on loss, heritage, and the often painful personal growth we must harness in the face of life’s constant evolution. Shot intimately in one day, in the exhausting heat within the woods surrounding Nika’s Wisconsin home, we sought to capture personal apocalypse, utilizing experimental shooting techniques to further our emotional goals. Practically and metaphorically, we fought to find the light in the darkest of forests.”

Additionally, on September 8th Stridulum, a new release collecting Zola Jesus’ pair of 2010 EPs, Stridulum and Valusia will be released.

Plus, Check out Black Asteroid track Howl, featuring Zola Jesus, remixed by Time Traveler 

kovi Tracklist:
01. Doma
02. Exhumed
03. Soak
04. Ash to Bone
05. Witness
06. Siphon
07. Veka
08. Wiseblood
09. NMO
10. Remains
11. Half Life

In support of the new album, Zola will tour North America beginning in September.

Zola Jesus 2017 Tour Dates:
09/16 – Hudson, NY @ Basilica Soundscape
09/21 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
09/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
09/23 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
09/25 – Dallas, TX @ Kessler Theater
09/26 – Austin, TX @ North Door
09/27 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
09/28 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
09/29 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
09/30 – Washington, DC @ U Street
10/01 – Boston, MA @ ICA Boston
10/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
10/04 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
10/06 – Toronto, ON @ Longboat Hall
10/07 – Detroit, MI @ Assemble Sound Church
10/08 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
10/09 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
10/10 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
10/11 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
10/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
10/16 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club
10/17 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent
10/19 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
10/20 – Portland, OR @ The Old Church
10/21 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue
11/07 – London, UK @ Village Underground

The post Zola Jesus pays homage to Japanese Horror classic ‘The Ring’ in the video for ‘Exhumed’ appeared first on Post-Punk.com.