Van Kaye + Ignit is the Dutch duo of Ed Van Kasteren (Van Kaye) and Ignatine Bekken (Ignit), who joined forces in the city of Arnhem during early 1980. While at university, Van Kaye was the singer of The MoNoMeN, a local new wave band. By the end of 1979 he had become more interested in the use of electronics and rhythmic industrial patterns. In April 1980 he released a demo cassette with 30 minutes of his own work titled 'A Slight Delay'. While experimenting with synthesizers and developing extreme sounds, he met Ignit, who had previously worked in the fields of art and performance. Together they recorded their first 4 songs with guest musician Williem Wisselink (Wizzkopf) in the summer of 1981, and released the 'Picassos on the Wall' 7“ later that year on their own Ding Dong label. Van Kaye + Ignit then began work on their debut 60 minute cassette album, 'A Slight Delay'. Like the 7”, all songs were recorded and mixed by Van Kaye at his home studio on a TEAC A-3440 four-track recorder. Self-released in 1981, the album pairs conceptual sophistication with disarming naïveté in a way that has been difficult to replicate since the formative years of ‘bedroom’ electronic music. Both members handle vocals (or non-vocals), and songs feature everything from new wave riffs to slowly shifting oscillator buzzes and eerie electronics over mechanical rhythms. [SOURCE: DARK ENTRIES RECORDS]
In 1982, shortly after the splitting of Glamour, Jose Luis Macías (keyboardist of the Valencian band) joined Europa -integrated by Julio 'Nexus' Pastor (synthesizers), Alfonso Aguado (voice, guitar and lyrics) and Lino Oviaño (programming and chorus). That trio had already released 100 copies in Valencia of a cassette through DAI (División Avanzada Independiente) and their own distribution, but with the arrival of Macías change their name to Última Emoción to see edited their songs in format of Mini-Lp by the Madrid label MR. The album, titled 'Dos Minutos de Odio', was released in 1983 and featured 6 cuts of pure dark synth-pop, including "Sentir Tu Cuerpo", "Otra Realidad", "Dos Minutos de Odio" or "El Misterio de los Tomates Eléctricos" (song signed by Macias as a clear allusion to a mythical and ill-bred synth-pop band of Valencia with which he had collaborated). That same year, MR publishes two compilation discs with groups of his team (V2 Berlin, Waq, Mermelada, Episodio, Los Modelos, Pistones, Farenheit 451) in which they can not miss Ultima Emoción: "Sentir Tu Cuerpo" in 'I Love MR', and "Las Reglas del Juego" in '4473910'. The musical result is at times close to the complexity (saving the distances) of Ultravox, selling quite well and allowing the band to turn around Spain including the musical temple of the time, the legendary Rock-Ola from Madrid.
In 1984, they recorded a cassette for DAI, which was distributed mainly by the city of Valencia. The songs were: "Alguien Quiere", "Máquinas Romanticas", "Detrás de tu Sonrisa", "La Última Fiesta", "Hombre Modelo", "Nadie Te Comprenderá", "Nada Cambiará" y "La Espuma de los Dias". That same year they participated in the III Student anda Radio Big Party, in a multitudinous concert in the Palace of the Sports of Madrid where 52 groups of different ages and styles participated. But shortly after, Alfonso Aguado decided to dedicate all his time to a band that had already created shortly before, Los Inhumanos. Also, Julio Pastor decided to leave the project and turned into experimentation, forming years later Megabeat, an innovative musical formation quite distanced to the pop approaches. Meanwhile, José Luis Macías, begins designing Comité Cisne along with Lino Oviaño and Carlos Goñi (formerly of Garage) embarking on a remarkable record career since 1986. The synth-pop proposal of Ultima Emocion seemed more serious and more committed than those of other Valencian groups much more commercial (Betty Troupe, Video) but finally crashed, perhaps, due to the musical dispersion of its components. Aguado's later musical adventures confirm this theory. In 2010 appears the remastering of old recordings of the group (the ones of the demo of the 84) that gather in the album 'Máquinas Románticas', a LP that sees the light through the seal Synth Pop Spain Records and including as a bonus-track a remixed version of "Sentir tu cuerpo". [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
With the exception of a handful of common threads -chief among them the plaintive vocals and haunting lyrics of frontman Mark Hollis- there is little to suggest that the five studio LPs that make up the Talk Talk oeuvre are indeed the work of the same band throughout. After beginning their career with records virtually epitomizing the new wave era that spawned them, the British group never looked back, making significant strides with each successive album on its way to discovering a wholly unique and uncategorizable sound informed by elements of jazz, classical, and ambient music; their masterful final recordings, while neglected commercially, possess a timelessness rare among music of any genre, and in retrospect they seem the clear starting point for the post-rock movement of the 1990s.
The story of Talk Talk begins with singer/songwriter Hollis, the younger brother of Ed Hollis, a disc jockey and producer who went on to manage such punk-era bands as Eddie & the Hot Rods. Mark originally planned to become a child psychologist, but in 1975, he left university to relocate to London, eventually forming a band called The Reaction; Ed Hollis called in a few favors, and in 1977, The Reaction recorded a demo tape for Island Records. Among the tracks was a Hollis original titled "Talk Talk", which later surfaced on the Beggars Banquet punk compilation 'Streets'. After just one single, 1978's "I Can't Resist", The Reaction disbanded, and through his brother, Hollis was first introduced to bassist Paul Webb, drummer Lee Harris, and keyboardist Simon Brenner, with whom he formed Talk Talk in 1981.
After recording a number of demos with producer Jimmy Miller, Talk Talk signed to EMI, who assigned Duran Duran producer Colin Thurston to helm their first two singles, "Mirror Man" and "Talk Talk". Clearly, EMI's intent was to mold the band in the spirit of the new romantic movement, and toward that end, they also tapped Talk Talk as the opener on Duran Duran's 1982 U.K. tour. Their debut LP, 'The Party's Over', was indeed a product of its times, defined by contemporary synth pop sensibilities but with an honesty and lyrical depth absent from most other records of the moment. In 1983, Talk Talk resurfaced with the single "My Foolish Friend", which in itself marked a major leap from the first record with its denser and more mature sound; the subsequent dismissal of Brenner made it plain that the band's days of relying on synthesizers were over for good.
The remainder of 1983 was spent writing and recording 'It's My Life', Talk Talk's breakthrough recording. The turning point was the arrival of producer and multi-instrumentalist Tim Friese-Greene, who was to remain an unofficial fourth member of the band for the remainder of its existence. In Friese-Greene, Hollis found the ideal partner to realize his ambitions; 'It's My Life' made major strides away from 'The Party's Over', rejecting the debut's new wave trappings in favor of richer, more natural textures. The gambit worked, with the title track becoming a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Released in 1986, 'The Colour of Spring' continued the trend, and on the strength of the smashes "Life's What You Make It" and "Give It Up", it became Talk Talk's best-selling album to date. A major world tour followed, with EMI allotting an enormous budget for the group's next effort.
In 1987, Talk Talk settled into an abandoned Suffolk church to begin working on their fourth LP. EMI executives eagerly awaited the finished product, and they were to continue waiting, as the group worked far past its deadline, seemingly with no end in sight. Already well over budget, Hollis refused to allow label heads any advance tapes, and informed EMI that not only would there be no singles from the record, but that the group would be unable to re-create the complex arrangements on-stage and, as a consequence, would perform no live dates in support of the disc's release. Finally, after some 14 months in the studio, 'Spirit of Eden' was issued to thunderous critical acclaim, albeit little commercial interest; an intricate, meditative work, it bore little resemblance to standard pop music, with its lengthy songs and spacious, organic arrangements perhaps closest in theme and texture to jazz.
With relations between EMI and Talk Talk at a breaking point, the label issued an edited single version of the 'Spirit of Eden' track "I Believe in You" without the band's consent. Talk Talk eventually split from EMI, but not without resistance from the label, which subsequently sued the band for making an anti-commercial album (the case was thrown out) and released a pair of compilations, 'Natural History' and 'History Revisited', without the band's involvement.
Talk Talk then signed to Polydor; Paul Webb subsequently left, and the masterful 'Laughing Stock' was recorded primarily with guest musicians. Issued in 1991, the LP marked a complete break from convention, adopting an almost free-form aesthetic; however, it was also Talk Talk's final work -in 1992, Webb and Harris reunited in 'O'Rang, while Hollis disappeared from view, finally issuing his self-titled solo debut in early 1998. A live Talk Talk release, 'London 1986', appeared in 1999. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Just a little ahead of their time, if Salem 66 were at their peak today they would be no doubt be big news. Instead, they are the influential older sisters of many current women-led rock bands and are fondly remembered by those of us living there at the time as one of the best bands of mid-'80s Boston. Judy Grunwald and Beth Kaplan (guitar and bass, respectively) were Salem 66's brain trust, and despite their off-kilter melodies and clashing, not-always-melodic singing, they created a churning, idiosyncratic pop sound that was loaded with smarts and enthusiasm, even when their technical limitations were apparent. But like other technically limited performers both male and female, that never prevented Salem 66 from stretching out and wailing full-on. After a tentative EP debut in 1984, the band hit its stride with the release of the accurately titled 'A Ripping Spin' the following year. With a popularity in the then-alternative rock press that went outside the Boston, Salem 66 were becoming one of the hippest bands on ex-Bostonian Gerard Cosloy's painfully hip indie label Homestead. But their momentum peaked quickly and soon Salem 66, not helped by increasingly patchy recorded work, were old news. Too bad, since they were a great live band, and their best recorded moments hinted at something beyond wonderful. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Rat at Rat R was a band formed in 1981 by guitarist Victor Poison-Tete. The music of Rat at Rat R can best be described as no wave guitar-oriented noise music. Originally hailing from Philadelphia, the band soon relocated to New York City's Lower East Side and became one of the highlights of the NYC noise-rock scene. With Sonic Youth, Live Skull and Swans among their contemporaries. Rat at Rat R has strong links to New York City's avant-garde composer Glenn Branca. Branca's cousin, Sonda Andersson played bass until 1988, when she left to play bass in Live Skull. Andersson was replaced by Walter Sipser. John Myers, guitarist for Rat at Rat R, is Glenn Branca's conductor. Their self-titled album was produced by Barkmarket singer/guitarist David Sardy. David Howard played drums on the 1991 release, replacing David Rat, temporarily. Their debut album was reissued on Finland´s Ektro Records in 2012. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
"In January 1980 I founded with 2 friends my first group ever. the secret name of the group was Progressive Disco, abbreviated P.D. Influences came from free music, punk, experimental and psychedelic rock as well as from new classical music, industrial and disco, which were melted into an own style, using tapes as well as conventional rock instrumentation.
P.D. suffered from permanent personnel changes. At the end of 1980 it was clear that I was the only member who was to stay continuously. So I decided to change the name of the group in a way that showed continuation as well as discontinuity. Therefore the name was "doubled" by adding the number of the letters (P being the 16th, D the fourth letter of the alphabet).
One of the members that time was Achim Szepanski, who left after a few months because he had to follow his studies. Meanwhile he has founded the succesful technolabel Mille Plateaux." (Ralf Wehowsky)
At the last performance by P.D. in December 1980, they split into two groups: PD and PiDi. Those playing as PD continued on as P16.D4, the other group became Permutative Distorsion. Ralf Wehowsky played in both groups. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
Servando Carballar, alma mater by Aviador Dro, set up a parallel group in December 1980 that he called Los Iniciados, of variable formation with hidden identities, giving a clear nod to foreign bands like The Residents. The base of the group revolved around Marta Cervera "Arco Iris" ("Rainbow"). Next to it, and under a scrupulous oath of anonymity were "Componente Norte" ("North Component"), "Estrato Cúmulo" ("Stratum Cumulus") and "Precipitación Atmosférica" ("Atmospheric Precipitation"), all of them alias closely linked to meteorology, as you can see. However, it is assumed that two components of Alphaville were in Los Iniciados: Juan Antonio Nieto and José Carlos Sánchez. The couple began to rehearse at their home in Zabaleta and in just three months they are already played live on the mythical 1st. Tecno Symposium, held in Marquee Hall, in March 1981. This was not their only performance, as they also shared stage with Agrimensor K and Todo Todo, a synth-pop group from Alicante.
In 1982 'El Cantor De Jazz' appeared, a 4 songs EP edited by DRO. That same year, 'La Marca de Anubis', their first album, was released, with the contribution of José Luis Garrido (percussion) and TNTJesús Arias (guitar). The group appears in the TV show "Caja de Ritmos" of Carlos Tena playing two songs, one of them was "Atlas". In 1983, DRO issued 'Todo Ubú', soundtrack of the theatre play of the same title of Francisco Nieva, which was recorded in the studies Colores and interpreted by Los Iniciados in Madrid. Some copies are even accompanied by the libretto of the work, which is mainly the text of Alfred Jarry's book "Ubú Rey". [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Back in the ’80s and ’90s, you couldn’t turn on a radio in Boston without hearing one of O Positive’s songs. The quintet’s angular melodies, emotional vocals, shimmering guitars, and glossy production struck a positive chord among local rock fans. O Positive formed in 1983 in the metro-west suburbs, and their intense live shows made them a popular live act. After placing in the Rumble, the band’s EPs 'Only Breathing' (Throbbing Lobster, 1985) and 'Cloud Factory' (Link, 1987) became top sellers at Newbury Comics. Their video for the radio hit “With You” got some airplay on MTV. Thanks to college radio, the band had a national reputation as a band to watch, but their maiden major label voyage, 'toyboatToyBoatTOYBOAT' (Epic, 1990) got caught up in the wake of label politics before it had the chance to sink or swim. The confrontational and cathartic 'Home Sweet Head' (Smashing, 1993) became their swan song, and O Positive disbanded in early 1995. Singer Dave Herlihy, drummer Ken Hickey, and bassist Dave Ingham have played around town as a trio variously named Hurl, Toyboat, and Hey Dave in the intervening years, and O Positive has reunited sporadically for benefit concerts. Additionally, Herlihy practices entertainment law and teaches at Northeastern University. Ingham operates the Shuz recording studio in Newton, and soundman-cum-rhythm guitarist Dave Martin has released a series of heartfelt solo albums. O Positive’s place in the Boston rock firmament is still so prominent that they were one of the last bands played on WFNX before it went off the air on July 20, 2012. [SOURCE: THE MUSIC MUSEUM OF NEW ENGLAND]
Belgian post-punk band The Names formed in late 1977 as The Passengers, with drummer Mike S. Christophe den Tandt, guitarists Marc Deprez and Robert Franckson, vocalist Isabelle Hanrez, and bassist Michel Sordinia as the lineup. Franckson and Hanrez left by the beginning of 1978, and Sordinia subsequently took over on vocals.
After several gigs supporting the like-minded Magazine and Simple Minds, the Belgian wing of WEA became interested in the band and released the band's first single, 1979's 'Spectators of Life', as a one-off. In a seemingly backward maneuver, The Names shopped their major-label single to a couple of their favorite independents with the hope of gaining a deal with either Factory or Fiction. Before they heard back from Fiction, the band struck a deal with Factory, home of Joy Division and Durutti Column.
Released in 1981, the excellent 'Night Shift' single, produced by Martin Hannett, led to the band's association with the Factory-related Crepuscule, an independent based in Belgium. However, the one single with Factory proper had both good and bad effects -good because the label affiliation drew immediate attention, and bad because they were unfairly compared to Joy Division.
Their debut LP, 'Swimming', was produced by Hannett and released in 1982 through Crepuscule. Finished within a week, the album fell through the cracks both critically and commercially. New drummer Luc Capelle sustained a major injury on his motorcycle soon after its release. Temporarily replaced by Michel Silverstein, the band limped through the recording of a final single. The band called it quits before it was released.
Four members of the band reunited with a new member in 1994; they recorded a full album as Jazz for the Pazz label. 'Swimming', as well as the 'Spectators of Life' compilation, were issued on compact disc. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
M.A.L. is Belgian guitarist and experimental composer Daniel Malempre. During the 1980's he released a few cassette tapes. Some of those tracks were later re-pressed on CD as the 'Eighties' compilation, along with a couple of compilation-only tracks and one unreleased piece. The new millennium also saw the release of 'The Song of the Stars' that contained archived pieces recorded in the early 1970's. Daniel Malempre is strongly in the Manuel Goettsching school of thought most of the time, pioneering echoing cosmic guitar style along with Goettsching / Ashra, Günter Schickert and Achim Reichel. [SOURCE: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC]
The Last are a pop-rock band from Los Angeles, CA, led by singer/guitarist/songwriter Joe Nolte. Joe and his brother, Mike (keyboards, vocals, & occasional songwriting), have been the only constant members of the band since its formation in the mid 1970s. The band spawned from the same scene the launched such bands as Black Flag, Redd Kross, the Descendents, and the Circle Jerks. The early line-ups also included another Nolte brother, David, on bass and Vitus Mataré on keyboards and flute. In 1979, this line-up (including drummer Jack Reynolds), recorded their first album, 'L.A. Explosion!', now considered a classic amongst the band's fans. In 1980, the band, with new drummer John Frank, recorded a follow up titled 'Look Again' which has never been officially released. The following years were spent dealing with various line-up changes. In 1983, 'Painting Smiles On A Dead Man', a collection of demos, was released. In 1985, following more line up changes, the band split.
In 1987, Joe and Mike resurrected the band with a new line up that included Luke Lohnes (guitar), Larry Manke (bass), and Dave Nazworthy (drums) and signed a deal with SST Records. In 1988 'Confession' appeared, followed in 1989 by 'Awakening'. Unfortunately for the band, neither album sold very well and 'Awakening' cost so much to produce that it allegedly caused severe repercussions for the label. Despite this, SST was willing to do another album with the band, but Joe Nolte was so disillusioned by the group's 1989 tour that it took some time to get motivated for a new record. The band began recording a follow-up in 1991 but, due to scheduling issues, the record was not completed until 1994. After that, the band got caught up in a contract renegotiation with SST that delayed the release even further and the final product, entitled 'Gin & Innuendoes' did not appear until 1996.
Since then, the band has continued to exist, playing shows occasionally. Most recently, the rhythm section duties have been handled by Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson (both of the Descendents and ALL). [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
Heir to the existential angst of such late-'70s luminaries as John Lydon and Tom Verlaine, England's Ian Lowery (whose first recorded musical strivings were with a late-'70s punk band, The Wall) talk-sings in that wonderfully curdled sneer we've heard a million times before. But few do it as well.
Lowery has had his current moves down pat since the days he fronted the Folk Devils. 'Goodnight Irony' reeks with attitude; the band rocks hard and sullen as Lowery grunts, gasps and snarls. Tracks like "Evil Eye", "English Disease" and "Beautiful Monster" would all seem dumb without his theatrical flair.
Going out on his own under the King Blank moniker, Lowery continued his wicked ways on the three-track 'Mouth Off', featuring the input of Screaming Blue Messiahs honcho Bill Carter, who produced and played on one song and co-wrote two. With the Messiahs backing him on the title track, Lowery seems newly dangerous, even throwing in a good imitation of a shivering fit.
Lowery then assembled some sympathetic sidemen and turned King Blank into a real band. Mimicking Dylan's 'Bringing It All Back Home' on the cover of 'The Real Dirt', Lowery broadened his range without any reduction in arrogance. Thanks to his versatile sidemen, he's able to touch on rockabilly, woozy ballads, vicious boogie, a chugging throwback to The Velvet Underground ("Uptight"), even bogus country music ("Bulletproof t", as in crucifix). Nasty and delectable.
Renaming King Blank (with only a drummer change) to give himself star billing, The Ian Lowery Group made its debut with an outstanding album. 'King Blank To' features harsh, clanging guitars, unpleasantly throbbing beats and an avalanche of knotty, clenched-fist lyrics from the uptight Mr. L. High points: the ominous "A Kind of Loathing" ("The only help that I'd give you is to hand you your pills/And close your eyes when you're gone"), the rollicking "Never Trust Me" ("Crack that bottle Jack and we'll kill this rage in our souls") and other sagas of revenge and regret. [SOURCE: TROUSER PRESS]
Some have described Jandek as the sort of musician who was destined to be a cult phenomenon, though it's quite remarkable that he's managed to attract any following at all. Jandek isn't an artist who has covered his tracks so much as he's struggled to avoid leaving any -he releases his own albums, he only sells them by mail order, he doesn't talk to the press, he doesn't sit for photographs, and the rare few who've communicated with him can't even get him to admit he is Jandek (he prefers to identity himself as "a representative of Corwood Industries," the name of his self-run record label). This tends to fit the nature of his body of work, which is curious at best, frequently off-putting, and obsessively personal -Jandek's recordings are dominated by spare, atonal guitar figures, mumbled vocals sometimes punctuated by fevered howls, self-abasing lyrics, minimal chord structures, and chaotic accompaniment (when there is any). However, while Jandek isn't interested in developing a warm relationship with his audience, his commitment to his muse is impressive -Jandek released more than 45 albums between 1978 and 2006, with no signs that he intends to stop any time in the immediate future.
Jandek is believed to be the alias of one Sterling Smith, a resident of Houston, TX, though even this much has never been confirmed by the man from Corwood himself. Jandek's recording career began in 1978 with the release of an album called 'Ready for the House' credited to The Units, though when it was learned there was already an active group called Units, the billing was changed to Jandek. The front cover featured an enigmatic photo of a sparsely decorated living room and the back featured only basic information (artist, title, songs, Corwood's P.O. box in Houston) in black type on a white background. In 1981, a second Jandek album appeared, 'Six and Six', and the cover followed the same format as the first album except that the front cover featured a grainy snapshot of a blank-faced young man. From this point on, Jandek would release at least one album a year (if not more), each following a similar visual template (with the blank young man often appearing in a variety of guises, leading many to believe it was Jandek himself) and offering more difficult, introspective sounds. While Corwood made no headway into record store distribution, the label would sometimes mail boxes of LPs free of charge to interested parties, and college radio stations and independent music zines were regularly serviced with Jandek's latest releases, leading to a mild but persistent buzz about the nearly invisible Texan.
Over the years, interest in Jandek grew to the point that some listeners wanted to know just who this man really was, through the artist wasn't giving any clues; in 1999, Texas Monthly reporter Katy Vine spoke with a man from Houston she believed to be Jandek, though he refused to identify himself as such and didn't wish to discuss Jandek's music, though he was clearly familiar with it. In 2003, filmmaker Chad Freidrichs released a documentary about the musician, "Jandek on Corwood", but while a "representative of Corwood Industries" cooperated with the production, there were no interviews with Jandek or onscreen signs of his active participation.
On October 17, 2004, at Glasgow, Scotland's Instal Festival (an annual event celebrating experimental music), a tall, slender man in a dark grey shirt, black slacks, and a fedora walked onto the stage and began performing with bassist Richard Youngs and drummerAlex Neilson. While the artist was not announced and he was not identified in the program, word quickly spread that Jandek had made his first documented live appearance at the event, which was later confirmed by fellow Instal participants. Corwood later released a live recording of the show, entitled 'Glasgow Sunday', and since then Jandek has made a handful of live appearances (most of which were announced in advance) in the United States and Europe, suggesting the most enigmatic figure in American music is has developed a new willingness to ever-so-slightly reveal himself to his audience. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
In 1983, the so-called "spanish sinister wave" (inspired by British goth-rock) dominated the independent pop scene. Groups such the first Gabinete Caligari, Parálisis Permanente and Décima Víctima had already been the leaders of the genre in Spain during the previous year (remember also Derribos Arias and El Último Sueño), influenced all to a greater or lesser extent by the English post-punk practiced by bands like Bauhaus, Joy Division or Killing Joke, among others.
And that year, the first recordings of the new sinister bands (La Fundación, Monaguillosh...) further entrenched the Spanish dark-wave. Of all of them, La Fundación stood out for the radical nature of their musical "darkness", which assimilated without any filters or complex the teachings of the British bands mentioned above and those of other artists like Nick Cave or The Fall.
As already mentioned, La Fundación appeared in the musical scene of Madrid in 1983, through a single edited by Fernando Urrutia in his independent label Tres Cipreses. That single was produced by Lars Mertanen (guitarist for Décima Víctima) and contained the songs "Repetición" and "Todo Pensado (Para No Durar)". After a minimal repercussion of the single, the band dissolved by 1984.
La Fundación were: Alejandro (drums), César (guitar, percussion), Juan M. (voices), Julián (bass) and Luis (guitar). Like the Spanish bands mentioned above, this Madrid quintet showed its admiration for the German cinematic aesthetics of the interwar, as well as the artistic avant-gardes of that historical period. [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Ideal was one of the more successful German Neue Deutsche Welle music groups. It is best known for the songs "Blaue Augen" ("Blue Eyes"), "Berlin", and "Monotonie" ("Monotony"). In 1980, Annette Humpe, Ernst Ulrich Deuker, Frank Jürgen "Eff Jott" Krüger and Hans-Joachim "Hansi" Behrendt formed the band Ideal. Annette Humpe had played previously in the band Neonbabies alongside her sister Inga Humpe, before forming Ideal. Eff Jott Krüger previously played for the X-Pectors. In May 1980, Ideal released their first single on Eitel-Imperial -their own record label- entitled 'Wir stehn auf Berlin / Männer gibt's wie Sand am Meer', which soon sold out. The British rock band Barclay James Harvest -who were particularly successful in Germany- performed a free open-air concert on August 30, 1980 in front of the Reichstag building. The 150,000 visitors also saw Ideal, as they were booked as an opening act; this was a large step toward mainstream popularity. In November, Ideal released their a self-titled LP on the Innovative Communication label. The album reached number three on the German charts. Oddly enough for an LP, it was supposed to be played at 45 rpm, the speed intended for singles and which results in improved sound quality. This was not done with subsequent releases. This was followed by concerts in Switzerland and Austria. In August 1981, Ideal played in front of 22,000 fans at the Waldbühne Berlin. This was broadcast nationwide by SFB as part of Rocknacht. Following this, the band began recording a second album. Together with the help of producer Conny Plank and engineer Dave Hutchins, they produced 'Der Ernst des Lebens', which was released in October 1981. At the same time, Ideal's debut album went gold, and marked the first time an album released on an independent record label went gold.
Ideal performed 27 sold-out concerts during their 1981/1982 tour through German-speaking countries. By their final concert on the tour, they had received another gold record, this time for 'Der Ernst des Lebens'. In the fall of 1982, Ideal produced their third album, 'Bi Nuu', under the direction of Micki Meuser. It entered the chart in December 1982, but only peaked at 20th place; these sales did not meet the expectations of the record label and a planned tour was cancelled. On March 31, 1983, Ideal sent an announcement to the media via Telex: "The group Ideal is dissolving. From the beginning, Ideal was planned as a project, a corporation, which was intended to exist as long as the differences between the individual members made the work enjoyable and creative. Our music was always a result of the clashing of four different personalities, not of compromise, but of creating songs that all enjoyed. In three terrific years, we have gotten the best out of this constellation." June 1983 saw the release of 'Zugabe' (Encore), a live album of "remembrance, farewells, and gratitude for all the fans". Some of the members of the band (Ernst Ulrich Deuker, Frank Jürgen "Eff Jott" Krüger and Hans-Joachim "Hansi" Behrendt) helped fellow German band Alphaville record their 1989 album, 'The Breathtaking Blue'. They contributed to five of the songs from that album. On April 26, 2007, Frank Jürgen Krüger died at 58 following a long fight with cancer. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The Japanese unit Hanatarash were notorious for abrasive, weird music and violently industrial concerts. Prior to founding the Boredoms, Yamatsuka Eye indulged his abrasive, experimental side with this noise troupe. The venture was based in extremism, and tracks were often produced using such noisemakers as power tools, heavy construction equipment, turntable deconstruction, and tape manipulation. The song titles were often explicitly sexual or scatological. The project also resulted in live albums that are rife with machine-shop discord and shattering glass. The group's concerts have become clouded in legend due to Yamatsuka's exploits; in fact, he once sustained a serious leg injury from some equipment used in an on-stage set up. There is also photographic evidence of a legendary show in which Yamatsuka drove a small bulldozer into the performance space and proceeding to wreak havoc on the place, fortunately with audience members appearing to keep their distance. The group debuted with the album 'Hanatarashi' in 1985, following it with '2' (in 1987) and '3' (in 1989). A couple of live albums (which are confusing, one-dimensional documents of the intense, warlike atmosphere that must have culminated on-stage) came out in the '90s. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Gay Cat Park was the Italian duo of Graziano G. Ravizza and Davide Gatti. Their best known tune, "I’m A Vocoder", was recorded when they were just 14, and became a huge club hit when released on Discotto Records in 1982 (it was also reissued recently by Clone Classic Cuts). Following the success of "I’m A Vocoder", Ravizza and Gatti became involved in various other projects, most of them more obviously pop-oriented, and no further Gay Cat Park material saw the light of day.
However, that isn’t to say that further Gay Cat Park material wasn’t recorded. In fact, the pair recorded a number of other tracks in 1982-1984 in this style, at home on standard UCXS Sony tapes and TEAC Tascam four-tracks, and though never released, they have been carefully stored to this day. Eight of these recordings, including "I’m A Vocoder", were hand-picked by Medical Records for the compilation 'Synthetic Woman'. [SOURCE: FACT MAGAZINE]
Post-punk band Factrix formed in 1978 and featured Joseph T. Jacobs (bass, vocals), Bond Bergland (guitars, vocals), and Cole Palme (electronics, vocals), the latter two of whom had performed with Patrick Miller's Minimal Man. Like their European industrial brethren (Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, Einstürzende Neubauten), Factrix augmented a typical rock band's instrumentation with found percussion and tape manipulation. Their unrelentingly bleak, experimental sound would have been at home on like-minded labels like Mute and 4AD but, being from San Francisco, their resources were relatively restricted and had less reach. During their five years together, they managed to record a single ('Empire of Passion b/w Splice of Life') and a pair of albums, 1981's 'Scheintot' and 1982's 'California Babylon' (the latter recorded with Monte Cazazza). Obscure enough to lack coverage in the '70s/'80s underground bible Trouser Press, the band's highest profile admirer is probably Julian Cope. Most of their studio recordings, along with some previously unavailable live recordings, were compiled for CD on 'Artifact', a 2003 release from Germany's Storm label. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Though he formed The Saints with Chris Bailey in 1975, Ed Kuepper left the band before its biggest popular success (though after its best recordings). The Saints were one of Australia's premier punk bands, and Ed Kuepper played on two albums before leaving in 1979 to form the Laughing Clowns, a band whose sound was jazzier and quite a bit more experimental than his former group. The Laughing Clowns released three EPs during the early '80s before their debut self-titled album appeared in 1982. Ed Kuepper led the band through four additional albums, but became a solo act beginning with the surprisingly pop-oriented 'Electrical Storm' in 1986. After another pop album, 'Rooms of the Magnificent', Capitol took a chance on Ed Kuepper and signed him; his response was 'Everybody's Got To', his third great pop album in a row. Nevertheless, it failed to click with radio programmers or the public. Capitol later dropped Ed Kuepper and he responded in 1990 with the acoustic, stripped-back 'Today Wonder'. One year later, he formed The Aints -a jab at Chris Bailey, who continued to use The Saints name during the '80s and '90s- to release 'Ascension'. He returned to solo status in 1992, and began a string of seven studio LPs over the next four years, plus two mail-order-only albums and a best-of entitled 'Sings His Greatest Hits for You'. Next came 'This Is the Magic Mile', which was released in 2006 on Hot Records. Despite his very appreciative cult of fans and torrid release schedule, Ed Kuepper has not managed a breakthrough to wide popular acclaim. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
LUL was a major underground band in late 80's and early 90's, playing some of the weirdest arty music to be made in the Netherlands to date. The band split in the 90's, but some of its members reunited in Solbakken which released several cd's and an "In The Fishtank" session in cooperation with The Black Heart Procession. "Lul" is the Dutch word for dick. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
Artificers of an original dirty, primitive and crude sound, Desechables refused to be labeled as a punk band despite their multiple connotations with that vital and musical revulsive. Their provocative singer, Tere Desechable, managed to raise the libidinous temperature of the trio's shows through a morbid attitude that was overcome by lyrics plagued by references to sadomasochism, Satanism and terror. In addition, among many other particularities, the group highlighted the absence of the figure of a bass player, like the The Cramps, one of their great musical references.
Desechables were originally a quintet from Vallirana (Barcelona), formed in early 1981 by five young worshipers of Iggy Pop's pre-punk works: Jordi Solá 'Dei Pei', Miguel González 'No', Tere González, Siscu and Jaime. At that time, Jordi was responsible for pounding a drumset, while Miguel ripped up confused chords of a battered electric guitar, being the three remaining members the vocalists of the combo. Very soon afterwards, the initial nucleus would be reduced to three components, being then Tere Desechable -with only 14 years old- the only vocalist and main figure of the trio; somewhat certainly helped was the tremendous energy and overflowing sex appeal the singer had. Thus, with a musical baggage that was reduced to their condition of spectators in the Ramones and Iggy Pop shows celebrated some months before in Barcelona, in addition to having spent whole days assimilating the recordings of The Stooges, the trio from Vallirana was launched to a maelstrom of rehearsals that were filled with first-time revisions of The Cramps.
Desechables debuted live in his town in early 1982, and after recording their first demos and performing some concerts in Barcelona, managed to capture the attention of the new independent label Flor y Nata, who immediately negotiated with the trio to record a first album. But it was finally the independent punk label Anarchi Records that would publish the debut of Desechables: a cassette with nine incendiary songs and of carefree execution that managed to raise passions in the emergent punk scene. The label released a limited edition to 500 copies that was quickly sold out; the tape also arrived in Madrid, arousing the interest of the announcers of Radio 3 and Esteban Torralva, one of the responsibles for the independent label Tres Cipreses, who enthusiastic with the wild sound of the band proposed the recording of a single. Thus, in the summer of 1983 a single would be released with the songs "La Oración", "Destruye y Mata" and "El Peor Dios", three cuts of infernal rock'n'roll produced by the Rock Espezial magazine critic Jaime Gonzalo with some help from Sabino Méndez, guitarist of the Barcelona group Loquillo y Los Trogloditas.
At the end of September Desechables played in Lyon (France) as a Spanish representation within the II International Rock Contest, sharing stage with mythical bands like Killing Joke. His good role onstage, boosted by the shocking sexual performances of Tere, ensured them some shows in Paris and Rennes. In addition, during those prolific weeks the band managed the recording of a live LP in the Madrid Rock Ola, the same place where at that time Desechables participated in the Radio 3 "Diario Pop" party with Ilegales and Alphaville under the heading "Grupos para el Futuro" ("Groups for the Future"); but, unfortunately, his streak of good luck came to an end in a truly unhappy way; on December 23, 1983 the guitarist died (according to official sources) when trying to dock a jewelry of Villafranca of the Penedés (Barcelona) with a blasting gun, before the jeweler shot him from the back room with a real weapon and Miguel died almost on the spot. Desechables would drag like a load during all their trajectory the loss of their guitarist. Of course, the recording of the Rock Ola LP was postponed sine die, although, taking advantage of the recorded sessions of the shows in France and the aforementioned Radio 3 party, the band itself released a posthumous album six months later (already in 1984): 'Golpe Tras Golpe'.
Later, a year after the death of their guitarist, Desechables returned with renewed energy and to paid outstanding bills with the Madrid audience. By then, Marcelo 'El Enano' occupied the place of guitar player; in addition, the band had been extended to quartet with the incorporation of Carlos. The new Desechables were presented on December 29, 1984 in the Rock Ola, and eight songs of that show were issued the following year in the form of mini-elepé by the label Tres Cipreses under the generic title of 'Buen Ser-Vicio'. Although this work was produced by Esteban Torralva and the group itself, a nefarious press of the vinyl made impossible to reflect the real crudeness of his live performances, although pieces such as "En El Infierno", "Baile de la Muerte", their particular version of Elvis Presley's "Fever" ("Fiebre") and other groundbreaking songs like "La Planta" quickly became cult objects. Also, the erotic cover of the new album, which literally oozed hard sexuality, did not go unnoticed and in 1985 the first and only print of that work quickly sold out.
A year later, in 1986, Desechables recorded their first proper studio album: 'Nada Que Entender'; a particularly brilliant work produced by Angel Altolaguirre that would take a year to be published under the label of Radio Nacional de España (RNE). Thus, in 1987 a single would be extracted from the album with the song "Abreme", although the small distribution made impossible the definitive takeoff of the band's career.
1988 was a great change in the philosophy of Desechables. The band grew with the incorporation for the first time in its trajectory of a bass player, Jack; besides, Angel Altolaguirre and Charly entered as members. In this way Desechables registered for the Grabaciones Interferencias label from Zaragoza the 'Amor Pirata' LP, undoubtedly, a more professional and elaborate work than the previous ones. On this album highlighted songs such the cover of Otis Blackwell "Labios Ardientes", their classic "Vampiro" or the furious "Fuera de la Ley", and a single extracted with the songs "Es Peligroso" and "Amor Pirata". In addition, the group counted with the collaboration of two first line rockers like Jaime Stinus and Javier Castro. For the first time Desechable were in a list of the commercial radio formula, even if it was only for a week. Shortly afterwards Altolaguirre would leave the band to dedicate exclusively to his own project, Angel y Las Güays, being finally replaced by Raúl.
With the consolidation of the professionalism began to decline the spirit of the band, that soon found their members disaggregated between Barcelona (in the case of Tere, Jack and Marcelo) and Zaragoza (Pei, Charly and Raúl) meeting only to rehearse on very specific occasions. In addition, her singer began to develop a career as an advertising model and actress, at that time filming "Un Negro con un Saxo" by Francesc Bellmunt. Marcelo formed his own band, Marcelo y Las Locas. In this way, before the end of the 80's, Desechables ended up disappearing before the new vital and professional projects of their components. Some time later Tere Desechable returned to the stage and embarked as the head of Raiser, a hard rock band made up of former members of punk bands such as Wom! A2, Última Primavera and GRB. [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Formed in 1980, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic play a unique mix of rock, punk, classical, minimalism, and free-form music, with occasional forays into even more unexpected directions, including spoken word performance and African-American spirituals. The group's diverse instrumentation has included piano, synthesizers, guitar, saxophones, flutes, and electronic and acoustic percussion. Birdsongs of the Mesozoic began as a side project by Roger Miller and Martin Swope, who were members of the Boston band Mission of Burma. They were joined by Rick Scott and Erik Lindgren for their debut recording, a self-titled EP, in 1983. With Mission of Burma dissolving at about this time, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic became a full-time band. The group released the LP 'Magnetic Flip' in 1985 and an EP, 'Beat of the Mesozoic', in 1986. Miller left the group in 1988 and was briefly replaced by saxophonist Steve Adams, who had scarcely joined the fold before being invited to join the Rova Saxophone Quartet; Adams was then replaced by Ken Field. The new lineup released 1989's 'Faultline' (which also featured Adams prior to his departure) and 1992's 'Pyroclastics' for the Cuneiform label. Swope left the group and was replaced by guitarist Michael Bierylo, and this lineup continued recording for Cuneiform, which released the 'Dancing on A'A' CD in 1995. Previously unreleased music by the band's original formation was also featured on 'The Fossil Record 1980-1987' collection, issued in 1993. This CD includes music the band composed for "To a Random", a film by Boston filmmaker Michael Burlingame.
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic have also collaborated with New York City's "Wooster Group" and composed music for two PBS series, "Nova" and "Sesame Street". In 1994, members of the group were invited to be Artists-in-Residence at Dartmouth College, Massachusetts College of Art, and Emory University. During 1998, the group collaborated with NPR commentator David Greenberger to present the spoken word/music performance "1001 Real Apes" for a five-city tour. The work was expanded into a new Greenberger/Birdsongs album, ultimately released in 2006 on Pel Pel Recordings. In 2000, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic -with a stable lineup now consisting of Lindgren, Bierylo, Field, and Scott- celebrated the group's 20th anniversary with a new release on Cuneiform entitled 'Petrophonics'. The quartet opened the NEARfest progressive rock festival the following year; the performance was released on CD by NEARfest Records as '2001 Live Birds'. Two years later, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic were back with 'The Iridium Controversy', another studio recording on Cuneiform, featuring the core quartet as well as appearances by founding member Roger Miller and four percussionists. Proving themselves always capable of surprising their listeners, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic collaborated with bass-baritone vocalist Oral Moses on the group's 13th album, 'Extreme Spirituals', released by Cuneiform in 2006. As its title suggests, the album features the group's interpretations of traditional African-American spirituals, with a track listing including such favorites as "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "A Little More Faith in Jesus," and "Wayfaring Stranger," uncannily retaining the Birdsongs of the Mesozoic avant-gardist sound in an utterly new context that in no way diminishes the gospel spirit of the original material (thanks also to the synergies with Moses' powerful singing). [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
