UK Vangelis fan club convention
Info by Mark Griffin
UK Vangelis fan magazine Albedo is organizing the first Vangelis convention, scheduled for April 22 at 10:30 am. Location: Amadeus Center, Sherland Road, London W9. The programme includes a question & answer session, biographical and other presentations, a swap meeting and rare videos from Vangelis performances. The day will conclude with a tribute concert by Raphal Preston and band. Tickets are limited to only 150 and the price is $25 if pre-booked, otherwise $35 in the door. At location will also be electronic music companies such as Neu Harmony, Groove and Compact Disc Services. For more details, contact the organizer. [ Top ]

Early Vangelis collected
by Glenn Folkvord
Before Vangelis became a successful solo artist, he recorded with the group Forminx in Greece. Now one of the band members, Nico Mastorakis, will release a double CD with some 35 songs from this period. The set includes special live takes for radio and Christmas songs. The 2CD set is scheduled for a February 2000 release. [ Top ]

Beatservice news
by Vidar Hanssen

Beatservice is a Norwegian ambient/techno label located in the hometown of Arctic electronic music (Biosphere, etc) - Tromso, Norway.

Neolounge by Sternklang has been nominated to the Norwegian Spellemann Award (similar to the Grammy award) in the dance category for 1999. Other nominees are Mental Overdrive and Palace of Pleasure.

New Beatservice releases for 2000: Motion Control will present a new and funky style on their debut album Groove Tool (release mid February), and their 12" Real Thing will soon get a commercial release. Information also has a new album lined up for the spring, the title is Successor. After the summer we'll get the release of Mind Over Midi's third album Statement, as well as a debut album from Upper Rooms. A few 7" singles are also on their way, from Röksopp and Xploding Plastix.

This year Beatservice will expand and start up Beatserice USA and Beatservice UK. The American market will see a Sternklang vinyl EP, and in the UK a remix 12" which possibly will be a double vinyl set. [ Top ]

World Wide Kind compilation album
by Glenn Folkvord
The Intelligentsia Network, based in Japan, has compiled a CD with "music for the next Millennium", featuring artists such as Andy Pickford, Elemental, Intelligentsia, Steve Deg, Kaleid, Fluidum and Thomas Gruberski. The album is not out yet, but stay tuned here for more news on this project. 
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New Kraftwerk album out soon?
by Glenn Folkvord
Following the release of December's Expo 2000 single, it is expected that the German techno pioneers will release a brand new album during the spring of 2000. This album has been highly awaited for 13 years, although nothing is certain - a statement from the core members of the band in 1999 about "a new album in the next century" leaves room for interpretation!

However, EMI has confirmed a new album - in November the record company confirmed an album for a January release, and various other sources has stated February or March as possible release dates. EMI Norway confirmed early January a release for April 2000. But do not trust the news until you have the new CD in hand; the road has not been without bumps for Kraftwerk while trying to release a new album. According to sources close to EMI, the band prepared In Motion for a 1994 release. This was a sort of greatest hits album, and artwork was prepared, but the album was never released. In 1996 Ralf Hütter revealed to EMI Japan that the band had new material for an album, which one year later apparently got rejected by EMI. Latest news is that a new album was presented to and accepted by EMI sometime in 1999, with a release intended in the near future. [ Top ]

New Komputer album
by Glenn Folkvord
UK Kraftwerk tribute band (or rip-off band, depending on your view) Komputer will be releasing a new album on Mute soon. The album is titled Intercom, which is also the title of the new single now out from the album. The release date has not yet been set by the record company. [ Top ]

Erasure news: Box set and Vince Clarke 3D music
by Glenn Folkvord
Mute released on December 13th two Erasure box sets, compiling together Erasure's first ten singles. These box sets offer both the definitive chronicle of Erasure's early career and also a convenient and affordable opportunity for the band's fans to complete their collections. Many of the tracks have never been previously issued on CD or released outside the UK; some of the remixes and b-sides have been generally unavailable for over a decade and are much sought-after (and greatly valued) amongst Erasure aficionados.

The box sets include Oh L'Amour, Erasure's first (and only!) major hit in France; the breakthrough hit Sometimes; the classic Ship Of Fools; and Chains Of Love and A Little Respect, both major chart successes in the USA. The sleek, metallic boxes, the stylish new CD artwork, and the digitally remastered sound quality demonstrate the high level of care lavished on this quality release, destined to become a treasured part of any Erasure collection.

Composed and recorded by Vince Clarke (Erasure) and Martyn Ware (Heaven 17), Pretentious is the first-ever album to realise the potential of 3D soundscapes. It combines over 70 minutes of cinematic music and the latest in surround sound technology to create a dramatic and memorable listening experience. The first track on the album, Music For Multiple Dimensions, was the first piece of music commissioned by and composed for the National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield, UK, and is performed there several times daily in the Soundscapes 3D auditorium.

The album was created using Animix 3D visualisation software and a Lake Huron 3D audio processor, Animix being specifically written to help create pieces of music for the auditorium.

The CD comes complete with a unique 3D foldout inlay with digital imagery by Martyn Ware. Pretentious is a daring, innovative experiment and is an essential release for anyone interested in exploring the ultimate in audio-sensory adventures. The commercial release was on November 27. 
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Craig Padilla in concert february 2000
by Glenn Folkvord
US synthesist Craig Padilla has confirmed a concert as an inaugural event at the State Theatre in Red Bluff, California. The old movie theatre is being restored and turned into a performing arts centre. The concert will be held on February 19th on 333 Oak Street, Red Bluff and the tickets are $10. [ Top ]

New Jarre album in January
By Glenn Folkvord
Sony Music has scheduled the new Jean-Michel Jarre album Metamorphoses for a January 31 release. The album is made up of 12 tracks, and promises to be the most radical change Jarre has ever made. The album has been recorded with the help of several female singers, as well as new production techniques developed by Jarre and co-producer Joachim Garraud.

For the first time, vocals, lyrics and dance beats will be an essential part of a Jarre studio album. But contrary to what many fans fear, Jarre has not become a pop artist, and the vocal performances are mostly computer processed or chanting and there is a whole new range of sounds to enjoy. Lyrics are written by Jean-Michel Jarre and performed by Laurie Anderson, Natacha Atlas, Lisa Jacobs, Veronique Bossa, The Weather Girls and Deirdre Dubois. Violonist Sharon Corr from The Corrs is also performing on her instrument.

Fans must expect to be very surprised. Metamorphoses is Jarre like you never heard him before! The album premiered at the Millennium concert given by Jarre in Egypt on December 31. [ Top ]

Future releases from Tangerine Dream
by Glenn Folkvord (info also by Paul Fellows)
There is already a heap of releases to collect from this productive German band, and the near future seem not to offer any rest.

Already scheduled for release in 2000 is no less than five Tangerine Dream albums, of which three are studio albums. The first release is the self-titled soundtrack to the documentary The Great Wall of China (see picture to the right). Planned release date is February. Musicians are Edgar Froese and son Jerome, who recorded the music in 1999. The other forthcoming studio-recorded album for 2000 with this dynamic duo is Star Trooper, an album featuring versions of music by classical composers such as Albinoni, Bach, Mozart, Haydn and Skrjabin. Then there will be two albums containing old, unreleased material. Antique Dreams collects rare and unreleased tracks from the period 1970-1982, while Twilight Folder is a collection of the same type of tracks from the years 1983-1997. Finally there will be a live album called Soundmill Navigator, a recording from the Berlin Philharmonic Hall in 1976, with Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann and Chris Franke as musicians. All releases will be made on the TDI label. [ Top ]

New Enigma album out soon
by Glenn Folkvord
The successfull German ethno-techno act Enigma (real name: Michael Cretu, producer of Sandra) released on January 17 a new album called The screen behind the mirror. [ top ]