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Matrix, Bochum, Germany
29th October 2006
In Strict Confidence, Conjure One, Frozen Plasma

On Sunday, 29th October I went into the "Matrix" in Bochum to visit the 3 electro bands IN STRICT CONFIDENCE, CONJURE ONE and FROZEN PLASMA. The "Matrix" in Bochum is a very nice location - one of the biggest and most famous gothic locations in the German industrial area "Ruhrgebiet". Formerly it was a brewery and inside there are several areas. When I arrived at half past seven, the outer doors were open and a lot of people were still waiting in the foyer. Just in time at 8 o'clock the evening started with FROZEN PLASMA.


Frozen Plasma

After the split of his very successful band NamNamBulu, Vasi Vallis presents his follow-up project FROZEN PLASMA with a fantastic new singer, Felix Marc (producer / keyboarder / backing Vocals for DIORAMA). The Debut Single "Hypocrite" was released in November 2005, the first album "Artificial" followed in April 2006 and the current EP "Emphasize" was released just 2 weeks ago. Vasi Vallis is also known as a member of the live crew (keyboards) of VNV-Nation. http://www.frozenplasma.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/frozenplasma


Music
The music of FROZEN PLASMA is a beautiful sweeping and very danceable Synth pop, perfected by the impressive voice of Felix. Quickly, everybody in the house was infected by these melodies and was dancing along. The set included eight songs, mostly taken from the debut album "Artificial", completed by three new songs from the current EP "Emphasize" and finished by the hit "Irony".



Performance
In the background, Vasi was standing cool behind his keyboard. In front, Felix dominated the whole stage with his powerful and soulful performance. The vibes of the audience were much better as during the open air festivals in summer and the interaction between the band and the audience was very good. The lightshow and background-projection were formidable for a support act.



Setlist
01. Lift the Vail
02. Condense
03. Hypocrite
04. Warmongers
05. King of Pain
06. Home
07. A Generation of the Lost
08. Irony

Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Sound: 9
Light: 8
Total: 8.9




Conjure One

During the following break, most of the audience had left the area to take some drinks but after only about ten minutes the first sounds of the beginning show of CONJURE ONE attracted the audience back. CONJURE ONE is a Canadian electronic music project, headed by Rhys Fulber, better known as a member of Front Line Assembly and Delerium. CONJURE ONE celebrated their biggest success with the singer Sinead O'Connor and the title "Tears from the moon". CONJURE ONE are now giving their first live performance in Germany and many fans anticipated this debut. http://www.conjureone.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/conjureone



Music
The sound of CONJURE ONE could be described as relaxed spherical pop. The music mostly sounded like chill-out music. The character of this music was a little bit opposed to the animating and danceable rhythms of FROZEN PLASMA before. I think this was the reason for a lot of people to leave the area during the show. The set included six songs, taken from both available albums. It started with "Sleep" and finished with "Tears from the Moon" - including a part of "Here Comes the Rain Again" by THE EURYTHMICS.

Performance
Rhys Fulber had a lot of fun to present his music and he was moving behind his keyboards in a good temper all the time. The performance of the female singer was a little bit static, but the voice was nice to listen to. The soulful performance was accompanied with video projections in the background.



Setlist
01. Sleep
02. Extraordinary Way
03. Premonition
04. Forever Lost
05. Center of the Sun
06. Tears from the Moon

Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 7.2




In Strict Confidence

After the show of CONJURE ONE I came across Vasi Vallis and Felix Marc near the merchandise stand and I took the chance to talk with them something about their show so it was easy to kill the time of the break. Following IN STRICT CONFIDENCE are a famous German Dark-wave and Electro-industrial band. Formed in 1989/1990, they were previously known as Seal of Secrecy until 1992.  IN STRICT CONFIDENCE is perhaps best known for the album Love Kills. IN STRICT CONFIDENCE are Dennis Ostermann (vocals, songwriting), Jörg Schelte (songwriting, programming), Stefan Vesper (drums, songwriting) and Antje Schulz (vocals, lyrics). On stage, they were supported by Marco Weber (live keyboards, e-drums). http://www.instrictconfidence.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/instrictconfidence



Music
The show started with "Promised Land" followed by a potpourri of songs from different periods of the band history. Highlights of the show were the well-known songs like "Zauberschloss", "Kiss Your Shadow" or the dance floor hit "Engelsstaub". Dennis Ostermann and Antje Schulz alternated in singing and sometimes they sung together in two voices. At "Forbidden Fruit", Antje played bass-guitar additionally. After the main set, the crowd requested and got two encores and after the closing song "Engelsstaub" the fans went home satisfied.



Performance
The drum set and the keyboard were arranged in the background of the stage, in the foreground the guitar player and the two singers took place. They performed the songs very powerful, passionately and convincing. Sadly the lightshow was dominated by red and the rear part of stage disappeared in the fog mostly.



Setlist
01. Intro
02. Promised Land
03. Closing Eyes
04. Prediction
05. Seven Lives
06. Heal Me
07. Zauberschloss
08. Kiss Your Shadow
09. Forbidden Fruit
10. Herzattacke
11. Fading Light
--------------------------
12. Emergency
13. Hidden Thoughts
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14. Engelsstaub

Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 7.9






{jos_sb_discuss:17}  
All pictures by Carsten Leopold

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