''Sonic Seducer'' is a German music magazine that covers
gothic rock
Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...
,
new wave,
EBM and other kinds of electronic music and culture. The magazine is noted for organizing the annual
M'era Luna Festival
The M'era Luna is a gothic festival that encompasses a number of different styles such as metal, future pop, aggrotech, synthpop, gothic rock, dark wave, and EBM. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, ...
. Since its inception in 1994, the ''Sonic Seducer'' has become one of the major publications of the
dark culture in Germany.
Content
The magazine focuses on a variety of musical genres like
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
heavy metal,
mittelalter rock,
Neue Deutsche Härte
(; "New German Hardness", sometimes abbreviated as NDH), also known as dance-metal, is a crossover style drawing from Neue Deutsche Welle, alternative metal, groove metal, electro-industrial and techno. It developed in Germany and Austria d ...
,
electronic rock
Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...
,
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
,
futurepop
Futurepop is an electronic music genre that has been characterized as a blend of synth-pop, EBM and dance beats, based on trance and techno.Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger: ''Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon.'' Schwarzkopf und Schwarzkopf, Ber ...
,
aggrotech,
power noise,
crossover as well as
dark wave
Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...
, gothic music and
industrial. Each issue contains interviews with bands and stories about bands and projects, reviews of concerts, record releases, books and games but also schedules of upcoming band tours and a news section. Moreover, there are frequent special editions on topics like Mittelalter rock, record labels, films or studio reports.
Since 1999, each issue comes with ''Cold Hands Seduction'', a compilation CD and sometimes a DVD which contains music by artists featured in the print issue. It focuses not only on established bands but it also presents upcoming artists.
Upcoming artists contest
''Sonic Seducer'' organises an annual "Battle of the Bands", a competition for upcoming musical artists. Since year 2000, 30 new bands without a record label deal are featured on the CD of the December issue. Together with the magazine's readership a professional jury elects the best acts that will be rewarded a label contract with
Out of Line
Out of Line Music is an independent record label located in Berlin, Germany, Miami, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Out of Line is distributed by Rough Trade (Believe Digital) and exclusive partner to publishing giant BMG Rights Management, t ...
.
Festivals
''Sonic Seducer'' presents the
M'era Luna Festival
The M'era Luna is a gothic festival that encompasses a number of different styles such as metal, future pop, aggrotech, synthpop, gothic rock, dark wave, and EBM. It is held annually on the second weekend of every August, in Hildesheim, ...
, a festival of the German alternative music scene that attracts some 20,000 attendants annually.
Once a year the board of editors compiles a M'era Luna Festival CD with songs by musical acts that are present at the festival. The subsequent magazine issues feature extensive reports and a DVD documentation.
See also
*''
Zillo''
References
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
1994 establishments in Germany
German-language magazines
Music magazines published in Germany
Magazines established in 1994
Goth subculture