We Have a Technical www.idieyoudie.com

FLA mastermind, studio wizard, and all around industrial legend Rhys Fulber joins the Senior Staff this week for an illuminating conversation. Rhys discusses the process behind the new Front Line Assembly record, Mechanical Soul, the freedom afforded to him by his solo work, and having his passion for EBM come full circle in German clubs. This is a wide-ranging interview with one of the landmark figures in Our Thing, and we're very pleased to be able to bring it to you this week. We're also talking about forthcoming records by Cevin Key and Gary Numan!

We're starting the year off with our classic two records format for the podcast. First up its the sui generis 2012 12" from Aussie act Forces, which brought together classic body music and techno sounds in a way that's perhaps never been matched since, yet has definitely paved the way for many current acts. Next, we're examining the sober and somewhat dour approach to synthpop and futurepop taken by Namnambulu on their 2003 LP Distances. We also have thoughts on recent KLF news, plus the ongoing strife south of the border in the latest episode of We Have A Technical.

It's the annual off topic podcast! Recorded weeks ago in a haze of pre-holiday cheer, we honestly have no idea what we spoke about on this cast. Probably a lot of tired banter about our usual off-topic obsessions, pro-wrestling, Iron Maiden, comics and science fiction, whatever really. If that doesn't sound at all appealing to you than no worries, we'll be back next week with an on-topic 'cast. Until then, you're stuck with this mess.

The written coverage on the site might be taking a holiday hiatus, but the podcasting doesn't stop. As a coda to our Year End coverage, the Senior Staff are each picking five fave tracks of the year which didn't figure into our Top 25 list, and which they maybe wish they'd been able to spin IRL.

The last commentary podcast of 2020 has the Senior Staff discussing the deep songwriting and production charms of Neuroticfish's Gelb. The emotional and psychological complexity of the 2005 record, not to mention its knack for working in just the right amount of contemporary synthpop sounds, didn't just make it a high point in Sascha Klein's discography, but also arguably the last great record of the futurepop wave of the early aughts.

With the Top 25 releases of the year written up and posted, Bruce and Alex are looking back at the year that was, not just in the form of those specific records, but also honorable mentions, stats regarding regular Year End contenders, and larger musical trends we noticed over the course of a year unlike any other.