Blacksun Festival II: Band Information

	2006 Lineup: Android Lust (Industrial Rock - Projekt Records) Bloodwire (Dark Ambient) The Brides (Gothic - Hell's Hundred Records) Caustic (Noise - Crunch Pod) Chemlab (Industrial - Invisible Records) Claire Voyant (Ethereal - Metropolis Records) Combichrist (Harsh Electric Industrial - Metropolis Records) CTRL (Synthpop - Diffusion Records) Das Ich (Gothic - Metropolis Records) Filament 38 (Industrial - Negative Gain Productions) Informatik (Industrial - Metropolis Records) Interrogation (Gothic) Jenn Vix (Gothic) The Last Dance (Gothic Rock - Dancing Ferret Discs) Null Device (Synthpop - Nilaihah Records) PTI (Industrial - WTII Records) 51 Peg (Gothic)


	Android Lust - Industrial Rock Born in Bangladesh, Android Lust auteur Shikhee has been exploring the cutting edge of desire, rage, and panic in her songs since her first independent release in 1998. Borrowing elements from diverse musical styles, Android Lust presents a blend of electronic rock that is provocative, engaging, and fiercely emotional. Shikhee continues this trend with Devour, Rise, and Take Flight (2006 Projekt Records), her new full length release since 2003's The Dividing. Devour, Rise, and Take Flight is an unforgiving electronic rock assault carried across twelve powerful tracks. Shikhee's commanding voice takes center stage, set against her most challenging, yet accessible songwriting to date. And in true Android Lust fashion, she saves her best hooks for her most vicious sentiments, all while taking modern electronic music even further to the edge.


	Bloodwire - Dark Ambient This is a band that not many people outside of the San Francisco area will familiar with, but that will hopefully soon change! When we first got their submission to play at the Blacksun Festival, we had a ‘wow’ moment. Hard to describe — ethereal vocals backed with strong ambient music. Take a measure of Collide, add a pinch of Clan of Xymox, and throw in a good dose of electronica and you have a formula to bring you to your knees! Not an act to miss! Bloodwire is comprised of Shawn Brice (formerly of Battery) and the lovely I-Li.

	The Brides - Gothic – Hell’s Hundred Records Last winter this band played to a packed crowd in Boston, and it was an evening of great energy. Very tongue-in-cheek Goth/Psychobilly. Fun, catchy songs and in between which much amusement was to be had from the banter between band members. This is a band who knows how to put on a good show! They are often favorably compared to The Damned.

	Caustic - Noise - Static Sky Records / Crunchpod A relative newcomer, Caustic is the noise project of Madison, WI area DJ/Promoter Matt Fanale. His debut album “Unicorns, Kittens, and Shit” will be released on Static Sky Records this spring. It says a lot of good things about the band that there is already such a buzz about them! Side-Line.com says that Caustic is “the bastard child of powernoise and old-school industrial bringing raw, hard beats and minimalist melodies.” Their track “Drag Show Gone Wrong” really stood out on the Electro/r/Evolution compilation, and our dare is for anybody to stay on the dance floor and not move around to the song “Bow Chi Bow.” As Matt himself often says, Caustic is all about pure, big fun!

	Chemlab - Industrial - Invisible Records This band got a start in 1992, and helped found the legendary Industrial label Fifth Column Records. Rolling Stone Magazine says “Chemlab's recordings offer a cataclysmic din of howling vocals, industrial demolition and tyrannical dance beats.” In the last year Chemlab has played shows to packed crowds in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. Word is that these shows were wild, high energy, and a crazy amount of fun. The Blacksun Festival is honored to have this seminal Industrial act perform!

	Claire Voyant - Ethereal – Metropolis Records Claire Voyant combines powerful female vocals, hypnotic keyboards, and melodic guitar to deliver "ethereal pop" sensibility. Starvox webzine touts Claire Voyant as “the vocals that can calm a savage beast or mend a broken heart.” Their fans say that “I am very surprised that Claire Voyant isn't more well known in the alternative community. A mixture of Cocteau Twins, Siouxsie and 10,000 Maniacs.... Claire Voyant has a fantastic sound and style all it's own.” This band is a well respected name in the ethereal gothic scene, and the Blacksun Festival is pleased to bring their sweeping sounds to our stage!

	Combichrist - Harsh Electric Industrial - Metropolis Records In the last couple of years this band has come to dominate the aggressive EBM scene. They are best known for their club hits "This S*it Will Fuck You Up", "Blut Royale", and "Today I Woke to a Rain of Blood". The mastermind behind Combichrist is Andy LaPlegua, who is the also the front man for Icon of Coil and Panzer AG. Many of us saw their show in Boston last year, and it was one of the best performances of 2005 - people were dancing like mad. Combichrist will have new material released from Metropolis Records later this year, and Blacksun Festival attendees will be treated to the North American premier of an all new live set! This is another Blacksun Festival exclusive.

	CTRL - Synthpop – Diffusion Records Four full-length releases into their career, CTRL continues to present A unique take on electronic music. Combining club-ready rhythms with 4AD-esque guitars, their new release "Loaded Weapons and Darkened Days" is a tour-de-force of brilliantly melancholy songs. Adding power to the mix is their electric live show, and over the years they have played with many seminal acts in the electronic scene -- Wolfsheim, Covenant, Stromkern, the Cruxshadows, and many more. Transcending the boundaries of most "dark" music, CTRL remains a powerful voice in the music scene.

	Das Ich established itself with a fixed position in the scene and became the very epitome of experimental and electronic music. They are celebrated as the starting spark of a new genre of post wave, post Kraftwerk, post Neubauten era, and successfully led the way in the charts of the independent scene. Tours all over Europe strengthened the position of Das Ich, who quickly got a reputation for being "apocalyptic eccentrics", since their concerts appear to be evil and bone-jarring spectacles. Das Ich had been scheduled to be one of the headliners for the Blacksun Festival in 2005. The night before they were to get on the plane the lead singer Stefan Ackermann was involved in an automobile accident and was unable to do the show. This year when And One was cancelled for their performance at the Blacksun Festival, Das Ich stepped forward to fill their shoes. The band is excited about being given the opportunity to make up the performance from last year, and promise to make it an incredible spectacle!

	Filament 38 - Industrial – Negative Gain Productions With their debut album "Fractured", Ohio's Filament 38 gained attention within the electronic scene and made fans of melodic, dark and adrenaline driven soundscapes smile heavily. Currently the second full-length adventure "Unstable", has been unleashed to dance patrons with pounding fanfare. Filament 38 once more deliver an infectious menu with exciting ingredients. Live, Filament 38 continues to attack with raw energy that keeps audience’s attention.

	Informatik - Industrial - Metropolis Records This band is one of the greats in the American EBM scene. Formed in Boston in 1995 and now based in San Francisco, this band has produced many great club hits. When I look at the top 25 play list on my iTunes player, Informatik is the most played. Some great songs of theirs to check out are “Retrogradation (On the Verge),” “A Matter of Time,” “Oblivion (v2)” and “Revolutions.” Informatik members include din_fiv’s Da5id and Battery Cage’s Tyler Newman. Their Blacksun performance will be their first east coast show in 10 years!

	Interrogation - Gothic Interrogation are driven by a compulsion to play songs that cause audiences to slam into each other violently and scream a great deal. Frontman James Oylen was blessed with a gift for creating beautiful, complex arrangements to soothe the furrowed brows of a troubled mankind like a balm for the soul, yet he has chosen instead to make some of the most ass-kicking industrial rock music you're likely to hear at the Festival. The lovely balls-to-the-wall guitarist Yveline and mildly demented bassist twig (v.) have no qualms about further exacerbating this wanton excess of adrenaline- pumped rock and rage. A good time is guaranteed for all. Hailing originally from the sunny suburbs of our nation's beautiful capital, Interrogation completed the debut album "Queen of Thorns," then moved to New Haven, CT to begin work on new material.

	Jenn Vix - Gothic Representing a more mellow side of Goth, Rhode Island based Jenn Vix crafts finely tailored and nuanced songs. Gothic Beauty Magazine says, “Thick, strong and moody, Jenn Vix is sure to be blazing trails unseen since Delirium broke on the scene.” We are very keen to see her performance!

	The Last Dance - Gothic Rock – Dancing Ferret Discs Featuring a high-energy performance and a great stage presence, a show from these long-time troopers of the Goth Rock scene is always fun. Starvox webzine says that �The band throws themselves into their performance as if they�re the last rockers in town.� Best known for their club hits �Do You Believe In Angels� and �Nightmares� it�s no wonder why this band has so many fans around the world!

	Null Device - Synthpop – Nilaihah Records Null Device has been experimenting with various styles of music since the current lineup's inception in 1997. With influences ranging from breakbeat to bhangra, electronica to middle-eastern folk music, from modern rock to 80's pop, Null Device is a unique voice on the independent electronica landscape.

	PTI - Industrial – WTII Records This is harsh EBM/Electro at its best. Reminiscent of Front 242 and Covenant, this sonic duo hails from Chicago. In the autumn of 2005 they opened for Stromkern on their US tour, and gained wide acclaim. Gothic Beauty says of PTI �Here is some really good Electro-Industrial � I�m half surprised these guys haven�t taken over the play list at more clubs.�

	51 Peg - Gothic Hailing from Baltimore, this band sits musically somewhere between Gothic Rock and old school Industrial. However you choose to define them, one category the music should be placed in is entertaining!