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        PRESS RELEASE  & ARTIST BIO
 
        FILE UNDER: AMBIENT/TECHNO/TRANCE
 
        SOMA "Hollow Earth" (XCD-028)
 
"What if Kraftwerk had not begun in 1970, but today, with all our
current technology?  What would they sound like?  The answer to that
is SOMA!" -- Dave Thompson, ALTERNATIVE PRESS
 
SOMA is a diverse amalgamation of seemingly incompatible yet
consumer friendly techno/reggae/digital/Spaghetti Western/wimpy
ambient/industrial/new age/organic/zippy/flaky influences.
 
"Hollow Earth" has 13 tracks, is over 74 minutes in duration and
sounds savagely contemporary.
 
SOMA likes to be different.
 
SOMA is a collaboration between David Thrussell and Peiter Bourke of
Australian obscurities and international neophytes SNOG and EDEN.
 
SOMA has been described as:
 
"Engrossing, dazzling in its scope and perhaps the most fully
realized pastiche of dramatic experimental ethno-funk to come down
the pike yet.  SOMA is the ideal prescription for whiling away time
late at night during a full moon in the Interzone."
-- Darren Bergstein, I/E
 
"Like Kraftwerk before them, SOMA relentlessly experiment with
sound, but like the best of Kraftwerk (say "Man Machine" era), it is
instantly accessible.  SOMA are the electronic music of the future."
-- Dave Thompson, ALTERNATIVE PRESS
 
 
            BIO: SOMA
 
DAVID THRUSSELL
 
David Thrussell is the central member of the Melbourne-based SNOG.
SNOG have released 4 singles and 2 albums on the Berlin label
Machinery Records.  SNOG regularly top the techno charts in Germany,
France, Belgium and USA.  Their subversive blend of industrial and
techno has gathered considerable press attention around the globe.
 
About SNOG:
 
"Creates soundscapes somewhere between Metropolis and Bladerunner,"
-- ZONE magazine, Germany.
 
"... equals the best moments of Kraftwerk and Clock DVA"
-- ZILLO, Germany
 
"Mixes industrial power with fascinating quirks, that gives far
wider appeal than just plain dance fare"
-- ROCKPOOL magazine, USA.
 
SOMA has become Thrussell's "other" project, having gained
considerable attention in Australia through the release of their
self-titled mini-CD on MUMBO JUMBO.  SOMA have also been playing
live to Rave audiences.  Thrussell has lent his remixing and
producing talents to numerous projects throughout the world, notably
the "Infidel" remix EP from Muslimgauze, also on Extreme, and tracks
for Not Drowning Waving, also with Peiter Bourke.
 
PIETER BOURKE
 
Pieter Bourke is a songwriter, keyboardist and percussionist who,
until recently, was with Melbourne band EDEN.  EDEN's release,
"Gateway to the Mysteries," on Third Mind Records, captured
listeners' attention in Australia, Europe and America.  EDEN combine
the ethnic, the psychedelic and the electronic.  The end result is a
diverse and powerful range of atmospheres and textures.
 
About EDEN:
 
"EDEN display a unique ability in manipulating sounds and textures
from seemingly opposite ends of the musical spectrum" -- ALTERNATIVE
PRESS, USA
 
"EDEN are a band that have managed to create a soundscape
that completely escapes our 'modern' culture" -- MELODY MAKER, UK
 
Since leaving EDEN, Bourke has devoted his considerable talents to
SOMA, his experience with EDEN complementing the direction that SOMA
have chosen to pursue.  Playing live has also been an opportunity
for Bourke to showcase his skills as a percussionist.  He has since
joined SNOG and has been playing percussion, both in the studio and
live, for Lisa Gerrard, DEAD CAN DANCE.