De/Vision holds a remix contest for their 20th anniversary

One of the most famous synthpop acts from Germany, De/Vision has certainly performed their fair share of music for their fans over the past 2 decades. Now, to celebrate the their 20th anniversary, they are reversing the roles by holding a remix contest. Anyone with a little bit of musical talent is invited to create a remix for their song “Life Is Suffering” which is from their current album Noob. De/Vision is holding the contest in cooperation with DigitalMusician.net and they are offering several prizes including music equipment like a Roland synthesizer, a digital recorder, an effects pedal, and 5 pro memberships to DigitalMusician.net. Visit this site to sign up for the contest and get access to the original song files. All entires must be made by May 31st. Good luck!

New Oomph! album this summer

On GermanMetal.com, Joki reports that Oomph! are ready to release a new album this summer. No official release date or tracklisting has been announced yet, but it shouldn’t be too long until we hear something more. The band will also play some festivals during the summer, followed by a full length tour in November and December.

Guitarist change for 4Lyn

It was announced about a week ago that 4Lyn’s guitarist and songwriter René would be leaving the band. Sometimes when a band member leaves, it’s a sign of trouble. That’s not the case here, thankfully. René’s departure was friendly and the band respects his decision to move on. The new fourth member of the band will be Dennis, who has a big job ahead of him. 4Lyn has dozens of concerts scheduled across Germany during the next few months in support of their current album Hello. You can check the dates and the band’s music on their MySpace page.

Visit the “GERMANIACdotcom Labs” page

You may have noticed the new link in the side menu inviting you to visit the “GERMANIACdotcom Labs” page. If not, go check it out. That’s where we will keep you up to date with the progress of all our projects that are currently in development and post any new ideas we think might be a good addition to the site. Naturally, you are also invited to post your opinion in a comment there or offer a new idea that might benefit the site. As you may be aware, our current big project is the forthcoming Germaniac Shop which should be opening in a few weeks.

Once upon a time, 4 guys met in Germany. There were two Stefans and the other two were named Markus and Thomas. They decided to start a synthpop band called De/Vision. The four released a single on their own and soon managed to get signed with a label. Over the next two decades, the lineup of their little band evolved and they became more and more popular within their home country, and soon in far away lands around the world. Now, the time has come for De/Vision to visit their fans in some of those foreign countries, namely the United States, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. They’ll be sure to bring their music along for a good show, too.

Listen to some of De/Vision’s songs on their MySpace page. If you like it their music, I’m sure you would love to see them live in concert. This is your chance!

De/Vision on tour in the USA
Feb 6 2008 - Shampoo in Philadelphia, PA
Feb 7 2008 - The Loop Lounge in Passiac, NJ
Feb 9 2008 - Elysium in Austin, TX
Feb 10 2008 - Asylum in Tucson, AZ
Feb 13 2008 - Safari Sam’s in Los Angeles/Hollywood, CA
Feb 14 2008 - DNA Lounge in San Francisco, CA
Feb 16 2008 - El Corazon in Seattle, WA
Feb 17 2008 - Sabala’s at Mt. Tabor in Portland, OR
Feb 19 2008 - Club Vegas in Salt Lake City, UT
Feb 21 2008 - Ground Zero in Minneapolis, MN

De/Vision on tour in South America
Feb 27 2008 - La Trastienda Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Feb 29 2008 - Blondie Discoteque in Santiago, Chile
Mar 2 2008 - Discoteca Voce in Lima, Peru

Remember the British Invasion of the mid-60s when (metric) tons of British bands gained huge popularity in the United States? Me neither because I wasn’t around back then, but I have definitely heard plenty about it. This year, it looks like the next platoon of bands to invade America will be from Germany. And the first wave has already landed, straight out of Berlin.

The electronic group Jeans Team has already started their sonic assault a few days ago in San Francisco and will be advancing towards the East coast over the next few weeks. Next to reach America will be De/Vision, one of the most famous synthpop bands around, which will start their first ever tour this side of the Atlantic on February 6th starting in Philadelphia. Shortly after, in an aggressive move, And One will infiltrate Washington D.C. and begin their tour from the nation’s capital. Finally, Canada will be the target of several German industrial and EBM acts in May during the Festival Kinetik in Montreal.

In all seriousness, the sudden influx of German bands playing concerts in the USA and Canada is purely coincidental. While there does seem to be a lot of interest in German music as the internet introduces people to obscure bands from around the world, I really don’t think this “invasion” is going to be nearly as popular as the famed British Invasion. We probably aren’t going to see a German band become as popular as The Beatles in the next few years, but it’s still definitely worth paying attention to.

These first few months of 2008 present American fans of German music with a unique opportunity to see some of our favorite bands. Take advantage of this opportunity. Even if you don’t know who these bands are, I would still urge you to support them for taking the (very expensive) risk of coming over here to America. If they are received with large, enthusiastic crowds, it will send the message to other bands and their labels that touring in America could be a good idea for them, too.

First up, tour dates for Jeans Team. I will post the dates for De/Vision and And One in the next few days.

Jan 04 - San Francisco, California at Loaded
Jan 05 - Los Angeles, California at The COG
Jan 10 - New York, New York at The Grasslands Gallery
Jan 11 - Montreal, Canada at Zoo Bizarre
Jan 13 - Toronto, Canada at Drake Hotel
Jan 15 - Detroit, Michigan at Scrummage
Jan 16 - Chicago, Illinois at Empty Bottle
Jan 18 - New York, New York at Ruff Club

Listen to Jeans Team
You can visit the Jeans Team MySpace page to listen to some of their older, more experimental music, but I would recommend downloading the special interview that Radio Goethe just did with the band a few days ago. Not only will you learn a lot about the band and their history, but this interview is also filled with lots of their more current electronica music. You can download this interview here.

The German Invasion has begun. Prepare yourselves.

Updates
And One tourdates have been updated here

There are lots of German bands touring North America in 2008. Most of them are just coming to the United States, but a few are heading further North to Canada as well.

We made this page so it’s easy for you to find all the bands, their dates and venues in one place. The list is in chronological order according to the band’s first concert date. It’s easier to see them this way than in a normal calendar or alphabetical order.

Jeans Team

Read the article here for details and links

January 04 - San Francisco, CA - Loaded
January 05 - Los Angeles, CA - The COG
January 10 - New York, NY - Grasslands
January 11 - Montreal, QBC - Zoo Bizarre
January 13 - Toronto, ONT - Drake Hotel
January 15 - Detroit, MI - Scrummage
January 16 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
January 18 - New York, NY - Ruff Club

De/Vision

Read the article here for details and links

February 06 - Philadelphia, PA - Shampoo
February 07 - Passiac, NJ - The Loop Lounge
February 09 - Austin, TX - Elysium
February 10 - Tucson, AZ - Asylum
February 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Safari Sam’s
February 14 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
February 16 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
February 17 - Portland, OR - Sabala’s at Mt. Tabor
February 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club Vegas
February 21 - Minneapolis, MN - Ground Zero

And One

Read the article here for details and links
Read our concert review here

February 14 - Washington, DC - Club Five
February 16 - Philadelphia, PA - Shampoo (Dracula’s Ball)
February 17 - New York, NY - The Madison
February 19 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
February 21 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
February 24 - Los Angeles, CA - Crash Mansion
February 26 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theatre
February 28 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit

Seabound - Alliance Tour

Read the article here for details and links

March 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Shampoo
March 13 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
March 14 - New Haven, CT - Blacksun Festival
March 15 - New York, NY - The Madison
March 16 - Rochester, NY - Water Street
March 18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Pegasus
March 19 - Detroit, MI - Lune
March 20 - Chicago, IL - Darkroom
March 22 - Austin, TX - Elysium
March 24 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada
March 26 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
March 27 - Portland, OR - Mt. Tabor
March 29 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
March 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Safari Sam’s

Doro Pesch

Read the article here for details and links

March 21 - West Springfield, VA - Jaxx
March 22 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
March 23 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
March 25 - Toronto, ON - The Funhaus
March 26 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody’s
March 28 - Detroit, MI - I-Rock
March 29 - Mokena, IL - The Pearl Room
March 30 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
April 01 - Milwaukee, WI - Vnuk’s Lounge
April 04 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
April 05 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
April 07 - San Marcos, CA - Jumping Turtle
April 08 - West Hollywood, CA - Whisky a Go-Go
April 09 - Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
April 11 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
April 12 - Ft. Worth, TX - Ridglea Theater
April 13 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
April 15 - St. Petersburg, FL - The State Theater
April 16 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
April 18 - Nashville, TN - The Muse

Accessory - More Than Machinery US Tour

Read the article here for details and links

March 26 - Philadelphia, PA - Shampoo
March 27 - Washington, DC - Chief Ikes
March 29 - Newark, NJ - QXTs
March 30 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
April 02 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
April 03 - Chicago, IL - The Kinetic Playground
April 04 - Phoenix, AZ - Jug Heads
(see below for Accessory’s West Coast tour in June/July)

Kraftwerk

Read the article here for details and links
Here’s an older article about the Coachella Festival

April 19 - Minneapolis, MN - Myth
April 20 - Milwaukee, WI - The Eagles Ballroom
April 23 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
April 26 - Indio, CA - Coachella Festival

Ellen Allien - Boogy Bytes Tour

May 01 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
May 02 - San Francisco, CA - Mighty
May 03 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
May 04 - Portland, OR - Holocene
May 05 - Toronto, ONT - The Social
May 08 - Montreal, QBC - Parking
May 09 - Quebec, QBC - Le Cercle
May 10 - New York, NY - Studio B

Feindflug, Funker Vogt, Kiew, Noisuf-X, Xotox

Read the article here for details and links

May 15-17 - Montreal, QBC - Festival Kinetik

Destroid

Read the article here for details and links

May 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
May 23 - Austin, TX - Elysium
May 25 - Columbus, OH - Hi-5
May 28 - New York, NY - Sapony
May 29 - Washington, DC - Liv
May 30 - West Palm Beach, FL - Respectable Street
May 31 - Orlando, FL - AKA Lounge
June 03 - San Francisco, CA - Fat City
June 05 - Portland, OR - Mt. Tabor Legacy
June 06 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
June 07 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon - Daniel Myer DJ set only
June 08 - Portland, OR - The Fez Ballroom - Daniel Myer DJ set only
June 09 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
June 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory - Daniel Myer DJ set only
June 14 - Phonix, AZ - Sadisco

King’s Tonic

Read the article here for details and links

May 23 - Los Angeles, CA - Doll Hut
May 24 - Anaheim, CA - Ceros
May 28 - Los Angeles, CA - Di Piazzas
May 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Fullerton Back Alley
June 06 - Las Vegas, NV - Double Down Saloon

Accessory - More Than Machinery US Tour - West Coast

Read the article here for details and links

June 22 - San Francisco, CA - Fat City
June 23 - Portland, OR - The Fez Ballroom
June 24 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
June 26 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club Vegas
June 28 - Las Vegas, NV - Vector
June 30 - Tucson, AZ - I.C.E.
July 04 - Los Angeles, CA - Das Bunker

The Scorpions

August 01 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Harbor
August 02 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheater
August 03 - Costa Mesa, CA - Pacific Amphitheater
August 05 - Tucson, AZ - AVA Amphitheater
August 08 - Minneapolis, MN - Myth
August 09 - Sparta, WI - Fort McCoy Army Base

Soman

Read the article here for details and links

August 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Das Bunker
August 23 - Madison, WI - Reverence Festival

[:SITD:]

Read the article here for details and links

September 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Das Bunker

De/Vision released their best music last year on The Best of De/Vision, and this year they’re releasing their worst songs on Da*Mals. A logical explanation for the name could be that the CD contains all of their oldest music from 1988 to 1992, and typically as a band develops, they grow away from their old sound to like their newest music best. But I’m sure it’s really just a joke. Much of the material on Da*Mals has not been released to date, and there are some early demos and seldom-heard remixes of old De/Vision songs as well. You even get a bonus disc with the limited edition which has never before heard music by ex-band member Stefan Blender.

Da*Mals will be released in exactly one week from today on October 19th. American synthpop fans can rejoice in knowing that Isotank.com has the CD ready to pre-order. If you’re not quite ready to get the CD yet, you can always listen to some of De/Vision’s music on their MySpace page, although it does contain mostly music from their new album Noob.

De/Vision - Da*Mals tracklist:
01. Try to forget (demo try)
02. Ignore me
03. You want to kill me
04. Skin mix
05. Boy on the Street (Hello-high-mix)
06. The Scenery Deludes (tranquilizer-mix)
07. Plight (SOS-mix)
08. What we have to learn (faster-mix)
09. Boy on the Street (Disjointed-mix)
10. Your hands on my skin (ur-version)
11. Always proved

Synthpop wizards De/Vision are preparing to release their latest masterpiece, an album called Noob. It will be released on August 24th and has already proven to be one of the most anticipated releases this year among synth and electro fans. American fans will have the opportunity to buy the album from the band’s US distributor, Dancing Ferret.

For this new album, De/Vision has taken on a bit of a retro sound, hinting at their past work. The band may have been inspired to do this after releasing their best-of compilation last year. There are 5 lengthy samples available on their MySpace page, so go have a listen.

Noob
01. What You Deserve
02. Obsolete
03. Nine Lives
04. Life Is Suffering
05. Death Of Me
06. Flavour Of The Week
07. Deep Blue
08. Love Will Find A Way (Noob-Version)
09. See What I See
10. Living Fast, Dying Young
11. The Far Side Of The Moon
12. What It Feels Like
13. The Enemy Inside