INTERVIEW: Horizonte Lied releases remastered EP

For more than thirty years, Horizonte Lied have occupied a fascinating corner of Mexico’s underground electronic scene, building a sound where dark synth textures meet emotional songwriting and poetic reflection. Formed in Monterrey in 1992 by vocalist and producer Alex Ezert alongside synth player and percussionist Bernardo Garza, the group first arrived under the name Horizonte Límite, inspired by the melancholic aesthetic of Depeche Mode and Clan of Xymox. Even in those early stages, there was already something more compelling and literary sitting beneath the electronics and sonic energy.

Their first years played out deep within Mexico’s underground music network, where the band slowly developed both a following and an identity distinct from the scenes surrounding them. Theirs was never simply a recreation of European darkwave stylings, Horizonte Lied approached electronic music with a sense of emotional exposure, balancing cold machine-driven atmospheres with highly human songwriting. That context became especially significant in 1999 and while beginning work on what would become their debut album Reciclaje, the group also underwent a symbolic transformation, changing their name from Horizonte Límite to Horizonte Lied.

Borrowing from the German word “Lied,” associated with poetic musical compositions perfected by composers such as Franz Schubert, the name change nodded to a broader artistic ambition. Electronic music remained central, but now cut with ideas of timeless composition, emotional storytelling and expressive performance. Although Reciclaje itself was shelved for a later release, the period marked a creative pivot and just a few years later, Horizonte Lied experienced a breakthrough with the 2002 single “Destello Inmortal,” a release that quickly gained traction online and introduced the band to wider audiences beyond Mexico’s underground circuit.

That same year, they joined Clan of Xymox as an opening act in Guadalajara, confirming their place within the broader dark electronic movement and connecting the band directly to the artists who had once inspired their formation. Now, decades into their creative journey, Horizonte Lied are revisiting their history through the ambitious Remasters Finales project, an extensive effort dedicated to revisiting, reconstructing and reimagining material from across their catalogue.

Their latest release, the remastered version of the EP Nuevos Horizontes, captures that philosophy perfectly; recorded entirely at Studios M-13 by Alex Ezert, the project formed slowly over years of technical experimentation and delay. Across the five-track EP, older material is transformed into something more fluid, reflective and emotionally expansive. Tracks have been substantially rebuilt, becoming almost entirely new compositions while still carrying echoes of their original forms.

Opened by “El Día Después,” the EP filters in with the punch of echoing percussion as the rumble of bass sets a dark atmosphere. Flowing with moody vocal leads, metallic drum shots and enveloping arrangement, the track glides with memorable melodic threads before erupting with lively guitar leads and crashing beats, offering a gripping listening experience brimming with belted vocal performance and surging sonic energy. “Oculto En Tus Ojos” rolls with grooving bass lines, intricate percussion and airy synth leads, forming a hypnotic scene that blooms with expressive vocal leads and a contrast between low end intensity and bright synth textures.

Tu Enigma” thematically explores skepticism and the dismantling of inherited beliefs, wrapped up in an engrossing soundscape of zappy synth elements, stretched tones and twanging guitar plucks as pattering percussion drives the track forward and captivating vocals ring out above. “Punto Crucial” then examines self-deception before ultimately moving toward something more hopeful and self-aware, offering a brooding jam where murky bass textures and bubbling instrumentation are carried by the steady march of drums and impassioned vocal performance.

Closing the EP is the experimental “Romper una Era,” which operates as a meditative farewell to internal conflict, embodying the group’s belief that once the illusions of time are exposed, breaking away from the past becomes strangely liberating. Built on downtempo, trip hop-tinged rhythms and peppered with fluttering synth lines, atmospheric vocals hover above the hazy arrangement to deliver anthemic leads, resulting in a stunning and wholly absorbing finale to Horizonte Lied’s sensational new EP.

We caught up with Horizonte Lied to find out more about their musical journey so far, their new EP Nuevos Horizontes [Remastered Edition] and what they’ve got lined up for the future. Check out our interview with Horizonte Lied below.

How did you first get together to form Horizonte Lied?

We first started as a duo around 1992 (Alex and Bernardo), initially doing some depeche mode covers and original music as well, it’s been a long time hehe.

Which artists do you draw most inspiration from?

Several artists have influenced us over the years, but mostly Depeche Mode, Recoil(Alan Wilder), Nine Inch Nails, Soda Stereo, Pink Floyd, Rush, Clan of Xymox, Caude and Effect, BT, La Ley, Billy Idol to name a few, but in general it depends of the times, more recently we’ve been inspired by Gunship and The Midnight for example, or there have been times that Stone Temple Pilots or Alice in Chains have been if not direct music influence at least heavy inspiration.

How else do you find inspiration for your music?

From everywhere tbh, movies, other music, life in itself, trips, comics, documentaries, it depends on the mood we are and the creative space we find us in.

What do you love about the Monterrey music scene?

Well for an industrial electronic band like ourselves there is not so much a “scene”, the problem with Monterrey is that for underground bands like us is difficult to get promoted, there aren’t many spaces, in general, venues favour cover bands and tributes, but we do get opportunities from cool people from time to time like our recent gigs at Festival Medieval or Cafe Vintage.

What would you say is the perfect setting for listeners to enjoy your sound?

Anywhere lol, really, we know our music is somewhat dark but we think is not THAT dark, yo can enjoy in the bed, in the car, in the gym, in the park, we believe it can appeal to anyone anywhere, or at least that’s our wishful thinking haha.

How has your own style and sound evolved since you started out?

A lot but we always had a very specific sound and production foundation, what has changed more with the years are the instruments and tools we use. In the beginning we had very simple synths and recorded to a stereo, then we had a 4-track and introduced more guitars and organic sounds, then we evolved to impulse tracker in the PC, that was a major sound production change in 1999, then all types of DAWs, plugins, synths, mpc, you name it.

Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?

We had the opportunity to open for our favourite band at the time Clan of Xymox in 2002, that was a really imorportant milestone for us, besides them, obviously DM would be great, BT is someone we respect a lot too, any artist from our influence list and teenage years would be great to collaborate with honestly.

How did you find making your new EP ‘Nuevos Horizontes’?

It took longer than expected, even when there are only 5 songs, but the mixing was complex to decide, especially for “Romper Una Era”, that was a song we unearthed fro a long time ago, originally made in Impulse tracker format, that one took several passes to layout, but it was a really fun experience to update the songs, reinvent them in some ways and finally release them with a proper marketing campaign.

What message did you want to get across with this release?

It is basically the final release of our major project “Final Remasters”, (technically is not the last one but the next is a maxi-single) so it’s important in that regard, it also means that we leave behind our past in some way, is a concept that we alway liked “New Horizons”, like looking elsewhere for new hopes, new beginnings, new frame of mind, etc, so that’s the driver for us, the songs are dark in general but hopeful they convey a message that is challenging and encouraging if digging deeper in their meanings, co-relating perfectly with the “nuevos horizontes” concept.

What artist have you been listening to most recently?

Well there are a lot to be honest, I (Alex Ezert) happen to manage a website for promoting bands and manage playlists (synthpop your world), i receive several new music to listen to and that keeps me fresh listening to new artists almost all the time, recently I started diving more into synthwave, letfield, chillwave, but to name an artist in particular is difficult, i can say Trevor Something, LIGHTS, Gunship, N3B, White Waits, Mesh, and several others. We combine that with classic artists as i said before less electronic oriented like STP, Alice in Chains, Rush and others.

What’s the main thing you want people to get out of listening to your music?

Enjoyment, simple, nothing too sophisticated, maybe just so they listen to it and identify with whatever they find enjoyable, lyrics, tones, atmosphere, certain sounds, a feeling, that’s the best thing with people, when they connect with your music in some way, shape or form, we are not fixated in what WE would like people to get out listening to our music, overall, we hope we connect in any way, the people will decide with what aspect of our music/identity.

What’s been your favourite live performance so far?

Recently at the Festival Medieval last year in November, but our all time favorite to this day, was opening for Clan of Xymox at the Hard Rock Cafe in 2002 (thanks to Oscar Murguia from Purzynth Rekords, for that opportunity), best experience ever in our career, and we got to hang with them after the concert, really cool guys especially Ronny Moorings.

Who would be 3 artists to headline your dream festival? And where would it be?

Nine Inch Nails, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode probably in Coachella.

Do you have any advice for a new artist wanting to follow your footsteps?

Be patient, practice a lot, new artists in these times have a lot of tools and advantages but at the same time there is a lot more competition, you have to grind a lot, this is not an easy space to be, so prepare mentally and give it your all in all aspects.

Finally, what do you have lined up next?

We we’ll release another promotional single called “Tu Enigma” soon, then the maxi-single to conclude our “Final Remasters” project, then we are in talks for some vents in October/November later this year, maybe another single also later this year, and a new album for sure next year, so there is a lot music coming, so please stay connected via our social channels and music profiles (Spotify, Bandcamp, Youtube Vevo, etc), thanks for the interview!

Listen to Nuevos Horizontes [Remastered Edition] below