Andy Cato is a British record producer and DJ, that serves as the half of the English electronic music duo Groove Armada. Active since 1995, Andy Cato, started his career in London Clubs, as well as arranging partnerships with another prominent producers and composers of the local musical scene. In 1994, Cato met Tom Findlay, which would be his future partner in Groove Armada. Subsequently, they would start together a bright and original revolution in the local electronica scene. 

Groove Armada started a brilliant career in the electronic music scene in 1996, and soon became ardently promising. Rapidly, they saw a huge fan base gathering, and their music conquered a large audience. Now, more than twenty years later, it has solidified in one of the most overwhelming electronic acts to emerge from Britain. With eight albums released – with an additionally high number of singles and compilations – Groove Armada from time to time enter into hiatus, as Andy Cato has always been involved with several parallel musical projects, alongside his career with Findlay on Groove Armada.  


Birth name: Andrew Derek Cocup
Date of birth: 7 June, 1971 (Age 46)
Birthplace: Yorkshire, England
Occupation: DJ
                Musician
                Songwriter
                Record producer
Instruments: Keyboards
                 Sampler
                 Bass
Genre: Electronica
Reason for fame: Groove Armada


Wagner


 

No Tears is a French new wave group formed in 2001 in Paris, by musician Paul Fiction. While they aren’t known beyond borders, they do enjoy a formidable degree of popularity in their home country, which can be seen by the considerable attention they had enjoyed over the years by media dedicated to cover topics related to the alternative music scene.  


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With a short discography, consisting of only three albums – the last of which was released in 2010 –, with a superior number of compilations, they succeed in leaving their mark on the genre, at least in a regional scale. With a somber style, characterized by a melancholic and pungent sonorous eloquence, No Tears has really ignited a virtuous level of relevance, in what concerns their ability of impressing a darker sound to the genre, that succeeded in capturing a pervasive, but exhilaratingly intense affinity that exhibits in an innocent harmonious grace each and every abyss resting below the corporeally hidden notes of the music.

Now reduced to a duo – Kristian Dernoncourt and Paul Fiction – the lack of releases in recent years does not mean that the band is inactive: they can be followed in social media, as sporadically they post press and music related material in their official FB page. 

No Tears is the legitimate case of a band that not only deserved to be better known to the general public inside their own home country, they also deserved to have launched internationally. And this was a serious possibility for No Tears, since they sing in english. With an interesting history, a decent degree of originality, and a gracious talent for composing good music, they deserved to have had more exposure. Being like a darker version of Simple Minds and Duran Duran, the elusive and pessimistic side of new wave emerged quite right with No Tears, that should have been one of the best representatives of the genre in their home country. Now, there is one question to be answered: they will fall into despondency, or there is the possibility of a new album in the future? 

  
Wagner

One Step Beyond – whose complete title was, in fact, Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond – was an American anthology television series, that aired on ABC from the beginning of 1959 to mid-1961. Hosted and directed by charismatic John Newland, it was similar to the subsequent, but much more successful, The Twilight Zone, scripted and presented by American screen legend Rod Serling. 



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Like the Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond had a similar premise: each episode showed a different story, that ranged mainly from somber and unexplained mysteries, to the most unknown parapsychological phenomena that could ever haunt the existence of human beings. Although a little more down to earth on the approach of its subjects – not nearly as esoteric, eccentric or imaginative as The Twilight Zone –, the show to this day has its widely appreciated circle of enthusiasts. Fascinating and incredibly lucid, One Step Beyond knew how to wisely explore the innermost psychological fears of the mind, and the susceptibility of human beings to it, as well as expose the fragile perception of humans themselves in what concerns the limitations of their own condition, and how they can be confused and trapped by it.

Like the Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond had featured over its two and a half years run a lot of legendary actors and actresses – but before they had achieved notoriety and fame –, like Elizabeth Montgomery, Suzanne Pleshette, Donald Pleasence, Robert Loggia, Christopher Lee and William Shatner (which also starred in two episodes of The Twilight Zone), amongst others, as well as an enormous cast of other incredibly talented actors, that haven’t become famous, or didn’t solidified well-established careers. 

With almost one hundred episodes that ran for three seasons, unfortunately One Step Beyond failed to meet the success or to achieve the audience of its most well-known seemingly related show, The Twilight Zone. But this doesn’t mean One Step Beyond was inferior or mediocre: the quality of the stories, as well as the acting and directing speaks for itself in each episode of the series. Despite the striking similarities, the two shows also had profound differences, since One Step Beyond usually dealt with far more real possibilities, departing from lucid premises, while Rod Serling – who scripted most of the episodes of The Twilight Zone – usually explored more implausible and hermetic, but nevertheless fascinating, scenarios.    

These two shows are part of the American television folklore. If you like a classic tale of mystery, or a deranged and deviating story of hallucination and desperation, I highly recommend you to watch One Step Beyond.       


Wagner

Mister Cruel (commonly abbreviated to “Mr Cruel”) was the alias given to an unidentified assailant, who raped three children, and was suspected of murdering another, in Melbourne, Australia, between 1987 and 1991. He was never positively identified, and had an unusual method of coercion while interacting with his victims. 

Apparently, Mr Cruel was a very diligent, intelligent, calculate and meticulous individual. He was calm, clever and never left any traces of his attacks whatsoever, which turned subsequent police investigations a very difficult task. He conducted his crimes in order to abduct children for sexual assault, and after hours of molestation, he would release his victim in a random place. He usually assaulted a home in the dead of night, and then proceed to act vary calmly, without any hurry, and threatened his victims with a knife or a pistol if he was disobeyed. Evidence suggests that Mr Cruel would select the places upon which he selected his attacks for weeks in advance, meticulously planning and watching the home places of his prospective victims, with an M.O. probably similar to the viciously brutal and aggressive Original Night Stalker – who terrorized California from 1979 to 1986 – which can be concluded from his positive sense of security, revealed by his method of interaction with his victims, while displaying a vigorous sense of safety and complete control, since he felt no need to act in a hurry. 

In 13 April 1991, a thirteen year old girl named Karmein Chan was abducted from her home. She was found dead approximately a year later. Although Mr Cruel was considered the primary responsible for the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of this girl, several police investigators expressed doubt whether Mr Cruel could be considered a suspect in the case, as there were differences in what concerns the general M.O. provided by the few evidences left at the scene, and given the fact that Mr Cruel normally would not kill his victims, just use them for sexual gratification, to free them after he had finished. Mr Cruel had very peculiar mannerisms concerning his abductees; he even bathed them after the attacks, as a possible means to wash away any trace of physical evidence he may have left. Police has never positively confirmed nor denied that Karmein Chan was a victim of Mr Cruel, given the fact that she was murdered, and this was unusual, considering his methods, although the possibility cannot be ruled out.  

The Australian investigative team responsible for his capture has ignited the case in recent years, that may have grown cold to the public, but in fact it was never forgotten or neglected by the police. Developing a psychological profile of the perpetrator, and composing a sketch made after a description made by two of his victims, the police have interviewed suspects in excess of thousands, as well as searched literally thousands of homes, especially in places near the local airport, since one of his victims had said she could hear the sound of airplanes while in captivity.  

A little more than one year ago, the Australian police undisclosed to a notorious newspaper a secret document made two decades ago containing information regarding the investigation on Mr Cruel never released to the public before. On it, it was revealed that the FBI had joined the investigation, and that they had information of seven suspects, and a principal one. Although the investigations recently experienced a solid advance, there are still serious doubts whether Mr Cruel would ever be caught, or positively identified. Currently, there is a reward in excess of $ 1,200,000 to information leading to his arrest.         


Wagner

 

Evelyn Hartley was a young fifteen year old teenage girl from La Crosse County, Wisconsin, that mysteriously disappeared in October 24, 1953, never to be seen again. 

In the night Evelyn vanished without a trace, she had compromised to babysit the daughter of a teacher from a local college, a twenty month baby. All had been arranged by Evelyn’s father, Richard, and professor Rasmussen, the father of the child.

Then night turned into nightmare, after her father phoned her several times, but Evelyn never answered. Worried, Richard decided to drive to the Rasmussen residence, to check on his daughter. When he arrived, he found the place severely disrupted: furniture had been moved, and his daughter’s belongings, along with another objects, were scattered all over the place. Her shoes were found in different rooms throughout the house, and her glasses had been broken. After searching for his daughter in every room of the house – that were all inexplicably locked, except for one –, Richard undisclosed evidence of a possible home invasion, since he eventually found an opened window without the screen. After looking by the window, he saw a stepladder – that apparently belonged to the owner of the house –, outside the residence, placed right under the window, revealing that this was probably the place by which a possible intruder had entered the house. But for his desperation, Evelyn was nowhere to be found. Blood stains were found in and outside the house.  

Immediately thereafter, Richard alerted the police, that started an investigative searching operation. Police initially used dogs to pick up her trail, that abruptly ended after two streets, leading police to believe that she was probably forced to enter into an automobile. After questioning residents in the neighborhood, police discovered that a vehicle had rounded up the location several times before, in a very suspect behavior. One local individual testified to the police two days after the abduction that while he was driving his car, he was almost hit by a Buick over the speed limit. He said that a man was driving the vehicle, while another one was in the backseat with a girl, but he didn’t think anything suspicious was going on. A few days later, bloody clothes were found, that were probably Evelyn’s outfit. 

Soon after her disappearance, a massive task force was launched to search for Evelyn. One thousand men, that ranged from volunteers to members of the national guard, aided by a pronounced contingent of the United States Air Force, had engaged in a committed effort to find the missing teenager, but unfortunately, without any solid results. A meticulous search had been made in literally every car in the county, with police particularly highlighting the need to verify blood stains in the seats of every vehicle. Graves recently sealed in cemeteries were opened, to disclose the possibility of her body being concealed in someone else’s coffin, to no avail. In the end of the first semester of the next year, police conducted hundreds of polygraph tests in college students, to possibly find a suspect, but the experience was deeply negative. 

Notorious American murderer Ed Gein has been considered a suspect in the case, as he was nearby the location at the time. Nevertheless, he was cleared of all charges, as he had been a primary suspect in another disappearance, upon which emerged evidence that clearly proved he was not involved.  

Evelyn Hartley has never been forgotten, but as time went by, the case grew cold. She has never been seen again, and investigation concerning her possible fate or whereabouts proved to be fruitless. Evelyn Hartley is officially missing for sixty three years. Both her parents are now deceased.        


Wagner 

By now, plenty of readers and facebook friends will already have noticed that I'm working on a book, named 'Cecilia's World'. For those who don't know: 'Cecilia's World' is a novel about a girl who discovers the world of alternative music. She moved into a big city and gets acquainted with the buzzing underground scene.

The book contains heaps of bands and a wide array of musical styles. So, since I have been working on this novel all day yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to preview some of the acts in this upcoming book. Here are ten acts Cecilia has discovered, music she loves to listen to at night when she is alone in her bedroom.

Official Cecilia's World facebook page

Cecilia's second concert. Her first was Black Sabbath, or technically their support act, Rival Sons.

The second band on the same night. Not a bad start, if you ask me.

When her mom takes Cecilia out shopping, the girl wanders into a record store.

Her music theory teacher, Johan, tells Cecilia where her name comes from.

What is the best way to get into underground music? Volunteer at a concert venue.

Suddenly, Cecilia realizes how important music really is.

Jealousy is a silent rage...

When dad takes her record shopping on her birthday, Cecilia discovers the classics...

...and the absolute classics

If in forty years someone asks me "so what was 'Cecilia's World' really about?", I'll answer "love".

So there you go. Ten songs from my book. Ten of the slowest and most emotional of them all. Keep an eye on this website. We will reveal more details soon.


​Serge