Eligible to halloween the current album “The Chainsaw Chronicles” (CD 2009) as well as the debut album “3D Audio Horror” (CD 2005) will be available in all well-known download stores and as a free download on a lot of platforms through afmusic.

From their journeys into the world of terror, Dead United brought a record contract, written on human skin and their current work “The Chainsaw Chronicles” a unique jewel of horror punk. “The Chainsaw Chronicles” is like brushing your teeth with maggots, is like scratching your back with a chainsaw, is like wearing a pullover made of barbwire. All in all punk rock, which makes your hair stand on end. Raw creatures – risen out of horror movies – board the stage: mummies, zombies, vampires and other worms rock, that the slime and the blood cobble to the clothes and the last freezes in the veins.

Dead United let the chainsaws roar and your teeth chatter. A monster spectacle for eyes and eears – so pick up your umbrellas and all your courage and go for it.

3D AUDIO HORROR

Tracklisting:

1. Intro: Space Rape 0:33
2. Space Rape 2:37
3. Intro: Cosmic Ball 0:14
4. Cosmic Ball 2:24
5. Intro: Vampire’s Empire 0:10
6. Vampire’s Empire 2:20
7. Zombie Girl 4:08
8. Flying Saucer 2:18
9. Call of the Dead 3:35

THE CHAINSAW CHRONICLES

Tracklisting:

1. Intro: Prologue 1:02
2. Underworld Cats 2:41
3. Curse of the Mummified 2:05
4. Tomb of Dr. Horror 3:03
5. Intro: Little Beasts 0:11
6. Bug Attack 2:13
7. We Are the Fiends 3:14
8. We Rise Tonight 1:49
9. Intro: Space Rape II: Toxic Intercourse 0:29
10. Tentacles 2:35
11. Intro: Warning 0:37
12. Zombie Radio 2:13
13. Moon 4:18
14. Intro: Beware! 0:16
15. Braineaters 1:51
16. Zombie Girl 3:43
17. Killergame 2:45
18. Rock the Brain 2:11
19. Chainsaw 2:45
20. Epilogue: Night of the Chainsaw 1:30

www.deadunited.com

Press picture by Michael McCarthy, 2011

Principe Valiente’s debut album finds the band fulfilling the promises of their achievements to date. The Stockholm based band has in a short time gained a reputation for their live shows and are the subject of an increasing interest in their material in clubs and social networks on the internet. Their sound may partly be the result of a variety of elements inspired by the minimalism of certain post punk acts and the lushness of shoegaze, but is primarily characterized by an ambition to break new sonic ground.

This combination of innovative and inspired material makes for an invigorating listen as it is difficult to pinpoint in regard to genre. As a result, their music has frequently been labelled “dark pop”, a description that sums up the sonic qualities reminiscent of bands as diverse as The Sisters of Mercy, The Sound, Interpol and Suede.

The music video for the newly released “The Night” has been rotating on german television (topped the Pop10 video chart week 47 & 49) and the band’s eponymous 2007 EP has been played on the radio and by DJs around Europe. The EP has also received good reviews on the other side of the pond. As the album has been greatly anticipated, the material has been meticulously scrutinized for the full length effort, work that has resulted in a conceptually and sonically consistent album throughout. Songs like “One More Time” and “New Life” are hypnotic, energetic and powerful and even though the songs work very well in their own right the record is structured enough to create a rewarding album context for the songs as well.

Tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. Before You Knew Me
3. One More Time
4. In My Arms
5. New Life
6. Solitary Man
7. Stay
8. Afraid
9. 150 Years
10. The Night
11. Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow

ORDER CD NOW »

www.principevaliente.com

The four songs on the “Slow 2004-2005″ compilation are taken from “Sadness Within” (2004) and the single “My Star” (2005). Emerald Park was at that time a completely different band, with different band members and a different musical preference. During the recording of “Sadness Within” the guys listened to bands such as Wilco, Jayhawks and Calexico. After the release of the record they wanted to find something else. They wanted the sounds to be lighter and more playful. More pop.

“Slow” and “Swimming in the rain” are taken from the debut album “Sadness Within”, recorded and produced by Stellan Colt. Former bass player Mikael Fredin wrote “My Star”. The song was originally more upbeat, almost punk-sounding, but when producer Carl Granberg heard the song in the studio he thought otherwise. Martina had recently found a toy, a small Casio. So the band used one of the beats from that one and it all started with the electric guitars playing against each other.

“My Star” was actually a minor hit at the student radio charts this year. Further more the band thought, that “Utopia” would sound like a rock anthem, something for the big stages. But Carl thought otherwise even in this case. He liked the original demo, recorded on an old tape recorder, and tried to keep that feeling.

The Single-EP “Slow 2004-2005″ will be released as a free download under a Creative Commons license on 10th of May on afmusic and 23 Seconds Netlabel (SE).

Tracklisting:

1. Slow [04:11]
2. Swimming in the Rain [04:33]
3. My Star [02:28]
4. Utopia [03:29]

“Slow” and “Swimming in the rain”: recorded and produced by Stellan Colt
“My Star” and “Utopia”: recorded and produced by Carl Granberg

www.myspace.com/emeraldpark
www.af-music.de
www.23seconds.org

(Photo credits: Peter Erdelyi)

In the middle of april 2011 Cabo de Gata & Sven Rebentisch will release their recorded short story “Die letzten 7 Tage der Depression” (“The last 7 days of depression”) officialy on afmusic. The radio play was written, spoken and lived by people, who experienced depressions by theirselves. Because of that this short story set to music is a authentic reference of the morbiddespair due to depressions.

www.rebentisch.de

Leading UK Gothic Rock band Rhombus announce the release of “The Anywhere EP”. The Four track EP features the song “Anywhere” taken from the band’s acclaimed 2010 album “Open the Sky”. Completing the track list are a 12″ Remix of Anywhere produced by Stephen Carey (Eden House/Adoration/This Burning Effigy) and two brand new songs; “Timeless and Elegant” and “Nowhere”.

The EP is available now as a strictly Limited Edition CD direct from the band’s web site www.rhombus.org.uk and will be available from 11th of January 2011 onwards as a download released by afmusic and available from all major suppliers.

Says lead singer Ed “We wanted to put out something a bit special, so rather than simply release a single with a B-side we made a real effort on the new songs to try and match the quality of the album and then we gave Stephen Carey free reign to come up with an extended remix.” Indeed, a pre-release review for Dominion suggests that the track “Timeless & Elegant”, could easily have been a single in its own right.

Building on their storming performance at October 2009′s Whitby Gothic Weekend, 2010 has been a huge year for Rhombus, seeing their status rise from respected scene band to that of one of the leading lights of the so called “New wave of British Gothic Rock”. With a steady stream of international album sales and radio play, the band are busy planning for an equally active 2011 with further releases and their first European mainland tour.

Tracklisting:

1. Anywhere [03:42]
2. Timeless And Elegant [05:08]
3. Nowhere [04:20]
4. Anywhere (Cinzano Mix) [04:54]

http://www.rhombus.org.uk/

What have BMWs, forgotten radio hits, the color of gasoline on asphalt, auto-reverse walkmen, yellow lights, neon discotic advertising signs, the night, women, the ends of highways, the music department at the pawnbroker and the wait for the end of world in common?

These are all things that are liked by the french Waveband ACCIDENT and processed in their texts.

ACCIDENT are Maudoux Laurent and Jeremy Monteiro, cousins from Roanne – in the center of France, which early discovered their common love for music. Was it initially techno dance music, their passion for bands like the PIXIES or SONIC YOUTH soon began to grow. 1998 – the world was still in a trance fever – they founded their first band in Lyon. When the quartet then began to work with electronic instruments, the way to an Electro-Rock band with influences of the 80′s wasn’t that far away.

1997 Laurent and Jeremy left both Lyon and the band, but with an idea of a separate music project already in mind, and finally settled down in Marseilles. Influenced by the New Wave sound of bands like OMD, Tears For Fears or Visage, they began to realize their own idea of modern rock music.

Jeremy: “We wanted to do something exciting, something genuinely pop in fact. The goal wasn’t to launch a revival, but rather to use the sound machines of the 1980s in order to create something new and personal.”

Laurent: “It’s also a question of “hybrid” music, alternating between synthesizers, drum machines and more rock-noise instruments such as the guitar and the bass. We like to put the rhythms out in front on certain titles to produce a percussive, dance effect; I’m referring to “Human league” and “Adam and the Ants”. Dancing to texts that can provoke thought. Simple texts, word sounds, play of words…”

The result is this 10-song, self-titled debut album which will be digitally released worldwide on 30/08/2010 via afmusic. At the same time the six-song EP “Vert Bleu Noir” will be released as free-download.

Tracklisting:

1. Vert Bleu Noir
2. Marjoram
3. Sur Tes Lèvres
4. Voyage Au Bout De L’Enfer
5. Crazy Bodies
6. Idole Particulier
7. Cry And Sight
8. Pas Vraiment
9. Amnésie Infantile
10. 3ème Ballade Mondiale

www.myspace.com/accident7 | www.facebook.com/accident7

(Photo Credit: Amalia Germain / Artwork: Accident)

From today the first CD compilation of the Gothic web radio Schwarze Welle is available in stores. Besides many well known scene bands there are with (((S))) and aeon sable two afmusic acts on it. Among many other stores the CD can be ordered at Amazon.

Tracklisting:

1. Letzte Instanz Feat. Aylin Asl – Der Garten
2. Megaherz – Ebenbild (Die Krupps Remix)
3. Das Ich – Zuckerbrot & Peitsche
4. Zeromancer – It Sounds Like Live (But It Looks Like Sex)
5. Jabberwock – Fake
6. Fgfc820 – Society
7. (((S))) – Addicted To My Dreams
8. Veljanov – Königin Aus Eis
9. Parralox – Isn’t It Strange
10. Eisbrecher – Schwarze Witwe
11. The Pussybats Feat. Meli – A Wish
12. Aeon Sable – Agnosia
13. Punto Omega – Fabricantes De Miedo
14. Dual Density – Undress
15. Die Perlen – Mein Stern
16. Mundtot – Haltet Die Welt An
17. Mind.Area – Being Suffering (HUMAN DECAY rmx)
18. Leichenwetter – O Schweig
19. Area24 – Flowers

http://www.myspace.com/schwarze_welle

http://blog.jamendo.com/2009/01/21/afmusic-letting-your-inner-goth-out/

The whole interview:

-So you started afmusic in 2006; where are you based? And did you work in music before starting it, perhaps in the conventional music industry?

afmusic started as A&F Music Management in the late 2003 beside my own webradio (www.darkerradio.de). The intention was to help and promote well unknown bands to get more professional. I figured out the music business has changed in the end of the 90s. But my point of view wasn’t influenced of the so called ‘music business’, because I’m a technical and computer freak. Until the start of this two projects I was more a fan than someones who’s in the music business. I just had some expierences in distributing music with a small mailorder in the mid of the 90s.

-How do you find and choose the bands you release? What kind of contract, if any, do you have with them?

At the beginning we only worked together with bands we knew from the radio or personally. all:my:faults, for example, was the second band in our roster and Steve is a good friend of mine. Their release „Secrets“ in early 2006 was a proof of our concept to test, if we can reach more listeners with just free music. Most of my german bands I found trough the work for darkerradio. A first step to contact more and international bands for further work was my own radio show „Free Music Charts“ which was a big step in 2007. There were more than 300 artists I have listened to and spreading their music in my own private blog. I think that’s also much different to the classical business, that we are looking and searching active for good, new – and in our opinion – great music. I also read a lot of music blogs all over the world and get some hints from there. Meanwhile some bands contact us trough our own website/MySpace, and some of our bands even spread the idea and contact of afmusic.

Our Contract? Well, it’s mostly just a handshake. I think it’s much more important to trust than writing down some §§§ on paper. And our artists get the big part of all incomings we get from selling their music.

-How are the albums released? Do you post them on many sites, do you sell the music at all?

Yes, we do sell the music too. We like to spread the music for free on platforms like Jamendo, dogmazic, last.fm and many others. We are also using archive.org for saving the releases. But why shouldn’t have a fan the chance to donate some money for music they like? Creative Commons gives us this flexibility and it seems that many people download their music on iTunes, emusic and other digital download stores just because they think it’s easier and ‘legal’. But for sure, some of the releases are also available on the classical way – on CD. We have a great partnership with Danse Macabre, one of the most important german labels for the gothic scene. The label group helps us to distribute the CDs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

-How did you hear about Jamendo and since when do you use it as an outlet for your music?

Jamendo was a tip of a good friend of mine. It was in 2005 he recommended me that platform. That was even the time we thought about releasing of all:my:faults’ „Secrets“, and this was the start for me to engage in free culture, Creative Commons and free music. In the early 2006 we finally started spreading music there.

-How many artists do you have on your roster, and how many albums have you produced?

After the great start of afmusic as an official Indie-/Netlabel this year, we have now 22 bands and artists in the roster. We’ve got the 28th release by now and 4 more will follow this year.

-So you say afmusic is now an ‘official label’? What has changed?

Changing the name (jokingly)…The important change for myself is to work now just for the label, it’s my job since march of 2008. We’ve grown up the roster quickly and now looking forward with some new ideas to spread good dark music.

- Is your audience already large, would you like to increase it? What means do you have to reach to more people?

Hmm, what is large…we had more than 150.000 free downloads with our releases in the first 6 month, getting some attention of music mags, radios and listeners and we worked hard to reach the people in a directly way. I think for me it’s just important to create an image for the label, that people can trust us, that we search and find music they could like. And it’s also important to know that our work is the same work a classical record label has to do. The only difference is that we (mostly) don’t press the music on plastic…

-What kind of people enjoy your productions, do you have an idea of the type of audience you have? I imagine you specialized in darkwave, gothic & industrial because of your personal tastes?

Oh yes, the label is an image of my personal taste. And no, I don’t have any idea which people like what we’re doing. We’ve specialized ourselfes in dark guitar music, industrial rock and indie, so I guess people who like that kind of music even could like afmusic. My point of view is more that we can help bands and artists to spread their music trough afmusic. We have the expierience to do that and I think with the help of some platforms we can reach many people as well.

We re-released now the the netsingle “Days” by Curious, which was published in cooperation with Sonorium on 10/28/08, under a Creative Commons by-nc-sa license. Now therefore are both songs “Days” and “J.Mary” totally free of charge and legally downloadable worldwide in the net.

Tracklist:

1. Days (Single Version)
2. J.Mary

Download: http://www.af-music.de/releases/curious-days/

The single is licensed to the public under a Creative Commons by-nc-sa license.

“For Tomorrow” ist “Album der Woche” beim Campusradio Jena. Steffen sprach über diese Veröffentlichung und spielte einige Songs in seiner Show.

www.campusradio-jena.de