Cat Butt

Seattle's Cat Butt was known for its supergroup lineup. Its original members consisted of two parts U-Men, one part 64 Spiders, and one part Girl Trouble. They were all bands that had created a stir in the Northwest punk scene during the mid- to late '80s. With two separate lineups, Cat Butt lasted a total of two years, churning out garage rock with a hardcore attitude. During the course of their lifetime, they managed to perform shows with such groups as Rapeman, Nirvana, Killdozer, Mudhoney, Naked Raygun, Green River, and many others. They left a trail of debris stemming from their fall 1989 tour, on which their bassist vomited at GWAR's home in Richmond, VA; their singer fell in love with Superchunk bassist Laura Ballance in Chapel Hill, NC; and they discovered The Reverend Horton Heat. Ultimately, one of the incidents from the tour, which involved a van supplied by Sub Pop records, led to their release from the label. 

Originally from Houston, TX, vocalist David E. Duet was in a very early version of Cat Butt before he moved back to the Lone Star state. While he was living as a homeless punk in Austin, he met rhythm guitarist Michael Hutchins (aka John Michael America). Hutchins was a well-seasoned musician having played with a multitude of bands in Houston, such as The Burning Hearts. Duet decided to return to Seattle in 1984, where he met The U-Men's guitarist Tom Price (aka Manny El Dorado) and drummer Charlie Ryan (aka Circus). It was also upon Duet's return to Seattle that he met lead guitarist James Burdyshaw (aka Brother James) at a house party. Burdyshaw had previously been involved with mod / punk band The 64 Mob, which eventually became 64 Spiders in 1983. After realizing that they both shared common ground in their musical preferences, the two became good friends. Duet joined the group Girl Trouble in 1985 after that band's vocalist, K.P. Kendall, left. After Girl Trouble released Duet because of his live-for-the-moment lifestyle, he became the roadie for his friends in The U-Men. Following Duet's return from a tour with The U-Men in January of 1987, he told Burdyshaw of his desire to start a band modeled on the concept of Tim Kerr's Poison 13. Burdyshaw was still playing in 64 Spiders and tried persuading Duet into singing vocals for them, but it didn't work. The two worked out an agreement to start a completely new band, however, focusing on Duet's love of sleazy garage punk. As luck would have it, The U-Men had just released bassist Jim Tillman. Duet talked Price into playing bass for his new group and Ryan into playing drums. Hutchins had just moved to Seattle from Houston at that time, so Duet invited him to play rhythm guitar. The lineup was complete, but now they had to decide on a name. According to Burdyshaw, Duet came up with the moniker Cat Butt because he and his girlfriend were either stoned and became enamored by their feline's behind, or Duet thought his girlfriend's dreadlocks looked like a cat's rear end. Duet also joked that the name evolved from the secret recipe in his Grandma's meat pies. Once the name was assigned, Hutchins and Duet began writing material. Before this lineup of the group dissolved at the end of the summer of 1987, they recorded five songs. The band entered Reciprocal Recording with producer Jack Endino, who would record all of the group's output until their demise. 

Eight months after their inception, Price and Ryan left to focus their attention on The U-Men once again and working with that band's new bassist, Tony Ransom. Burdyshaw recommended bringing in a couple of friends he'd met through various female interests. Bassist Dean Gunderson (aka Fly Daddy Gundo) had spent time with a band called The Butt Pirates, while drummer Erik Peterson (aka E-Roc) had been a member of Yard Sale. Penultimate Records co-owner Volker Stewart caught wind of Cat Butt at the end of the year and worked out a verbal agreement to release a single. '64 Funny Cars / Hell's Half Acre' was released in March of 1988 and wound up being the sole 7" of Cat Butt's career. Hutchins was told to leave shortly after the release due to his ongoing drug problems. He was replaced for a short period of time by a friend of Peterson's, who ultimately grew tired of the band's party lifestyle. Duet's friend and former Phoenix, AZ-native Danny Bland joined as a full-time member in August of 1988. When Duet was on the road with The U-Men, Bland's band -the Nova Boys- were on the same bill one night, which is how the two of them became friends. Bland was also enlisted as the manager for Cat Butt, following his 1988 move to Seattle, and earned a reputation as a respected booking agent for Sub Pop, as well as other independent bands. At this same time, Stewart worked out another verbal agreement with the band to release their first full-length LP on Penultimate, however, Volker never lived up to his word. It was a well-known fact that Sub Pop records' co-owner Bruce Pavitt was a big fan of Cat Butt, and he loved the songs the lineup had recorded with The U-Men's Price and Ryan. Pavitt asked Duet about the recordings with Price and Ryan, and Duet gave Pavitt a track called "Big Cigar" for inclusion on the 'Sub Pop 200' compilation, which was released in November of 1988. 

It was also at this time when Cat Butt's relationship with Penultimate Records was severed. Pavitt, who believed the band could be the next Pussy Galore, offered better exposure and distribution with Sub Pop. Stewart was angered over the matter, but he knew that Sub Pop was the right place for the band to reside. Pavitt told Cat Butt that he would release an EP by them if they decided to go with his label. In March of 1989, Cat Butt worked out a verbal agreement with Sub Pop. The band conducted a tour of the United States that summer with supporting act L7. By that September, Sub Pop released the 'Journey to the Center of Cat Butt' EP. L7 and Cat Butt returned to the road to support the album. Bland developed a relationship with L7's Jennifer Finch on the journey, while Gunderson paired up with L7's Donita Sparks. According to Burdyshaw, they dubbed the tour "Swappin' Fluids Across the Nation" before they left Seattle, not realizing how well the title would fit. Along the way, Bland saw The Reverend Horton Heat play to no one in Dallas, but was so intrigued that he told Sub Pop to offer them a deal to record a single. When Cat Butt returned to the West Coast to play a show in Los Angeles, the band attended a party that included X's John Doe, Courtney Love, and the band Fishbone. Tensions were running high between Duet and Burdyshaw, who were the only original members of Cat Butt by that point. When they returned to Seattle, the tour van that Sub Pop had paid for was extremely damaged, which displeased Pavitt to no end and led to Cat Butt's release from the imprint. The group performed their final show that December with the Supersuckers in Bellingham, WA, to a crowd of 20 people. 

Following Cat Butt's demise, Duet moved back to Houston, where he played in the band Dashboard Mary from 1991 until 1993. He returned to Seattle in 1994 and teamed up with Ryan once again to form Bottle of Smoke. Burdyshaw spent 1990 through 1991 in the group Yummy with Peterson, until Burdyshaw formed the Sinister Six in late 1991. Peterson got involved with other Seattle groups, including Big Satan, Inc., John the Baptist, Plowed, The Purdins, and he played drums for the Sinister Six from 1994 until 1995 and helped them record their final album. Gunderson hooked up with Tim Kerr in Austin and performed with Jack O' Fire, before relocating to Los Angeles and getting a job in the film industry. Bland did time in The Dwarves and The Best Kissers in the World until he became a manager for Gerald Collier and The Supersuckers and helped broker deals for Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. As for Hutchins, he didn't have as much luck as his former bandmates. He wound up doing time in Texas for dealing drugs. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Big In Japan

In the annals of Liverpool punk, Big in Japan occupy much the same legendary status as London's The London S.S. -the major differences being that Big in Japan gigged and recorded with some success (The London S.S. never escaped the rehearsal room), and they were so furiously disliked on the local scene that the young Julian Cope circulated a petition begging them to break up. 

Big in Japan formed in late 1977 in Liverpool around guitarist Bill Drummond and several short-lived lineups that finally settled down around vocalist Jayne Casey, guitarist Ian Broudie, bassist Holly Johnson, and drummer Budgie. Violently theatrical, the band was dividing opinions almost from the moment it emerged, with Casey and Johnson particularly prone to flamboyance. Local producer Clive Langer was a firm friend and fan, however; he produced the band's first single, released by the local Eric's label in late 1977 and featuring a track by The Yachts, under their Chuddy Nuddies alias, on the B-side. 

The petition failed to break up the band, but Big in Japan were not long for the world regardless; Holly Johnson was evicted and replaced by David Balfe in early 1978 and, in August, the band broke up. Three months later, with Drummond and Balfe helming the Zoo label -which launched many of post-punk Liverpool's most storied bands, including Drummond and Balfe's Lori & the Chameleons project- an EP of four Big in Japan tracks was released as 'From Y to Z and Never Again'. Further material leaked out across various compilation albums and revealed just how far-reaching Big in Japan's musical ambitions were. 

The group's membership, too, proved astonishingly far-sighted. Casey went on to the brilliant Pink Military, Johnson formed Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Budgie became a member of Siouxsie & The Banshees. Broudie moved through a handful of acts -Original Mirrors, Ellery Bop, Care, and the long-running Lightning Seeds- and produced dozens of bands across the '80s, '90s, and 2000s, including Echo & the Bunnymen, The Fall, Alison Moyet, and The Coral. Balfe joined Zoo's The Teardrop Explodes and started Food, an EMI subsidiary that introduced Jesus Jones and Blur to the world. Drummond instigated The KLF and its many offshoots. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

The Camberwell Now

Camberwell Now were formed out of the remnants of This Heat by drummer and vocalist Charles Hayward, bassist and vocalist Trefor Goronwy, who had joined This Heat to replace Gareth Williams after the latter had quit the band, and This Heat's former sound technician Stephen Rickard, who employed field recordings and tape effects. Saxophonist Maria Lamburn joined the group in 1985.

Their debut release was the 'Meridian' EP, released in 1983 through Duplicate Records. This was followed by the studio album 'The Ghost Trade', released in 1986 through Recommended Records. Another EP, 'Greenfingers', was released in 1987. Camberwell Now also contributed two tracks for the Sub Rosa Record 'Myths / Instructions' album and a track for the Touch audio cassette / magazine 'Ritual: Magnetic North'. Most of this material was later reissued in CD form as 'All's Well' by RecRec Music in 1992. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

Algebra Suicide

Algebra Suicide was the married couple Lydia Tomkiw (lyrics / vocals) and Don Hedeker (guitars / keyboards). They formed in Chicago in 1982, and their first four song EP, 'True Romance At The World’s Fair', was self-released that year. It featured a 60’s Vox Guitar Organ, a precursor to the synthesizer guitar, and a Multivox Rhythm Ace drum machine. In 1984 they released a second 4 song EP, 'An Explanation For That Flock Of Crows', ditching the guitar organ but adding the Casiotone MT-40. The 'Big Skin' cassette was released in 1986 and featured 13 new compositions with more complex arrangements. A compilation album, 'The Secret Like Crazy', was released in 1988. It collected 20 tracks picked from the first two EPs and the 'Big Skin' cassette, plus unreleased songs. 

Lydia and Don call their approach “Avant Garage” citing inspiration from Patti Smith, Frank O’Hara, Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed. Don plays guitar in a hauntingly stark style like Glenn Branca, Tom Verlaine, or Vini Reilly. He then adds Casio keyboards and minimal electronic percussion, creating a moody, atmospheric backdrop for Lydia’s poems. Lydia’s words span a broad range of twisted real-life observations, and are delivered in a deadpan fashion with her distinct Midwestern accent. [SOURCE: DARK ENTRIES RECORDS] 

The 49 Americans

The 49 Americans was a British DIY post-punk / art pop supergroup, active from 1979 to 1982, and created by US expat Andrew "Giblet" Brenner in London. Brenner invited several free improvisers associated with London Musicians' Collective and local avant / experimental scene, including David Toop, Steve Beresford, Max Eastley, Lol Coxhill and Peter Cusack, as well as Nag and Bendle of The Door And The Window DIY cult band, Viv Albertine (ex-The Slits), Vivien Goldman (who released art-punk classic 'Dirty Washing' 12" on 99 Records, produced by John Lydon and Adrian Sherwood in 1981), Eddie Saunders, and other prominent musical and non-musical performers to participate in the self-described "experiment in the pursuit of happiness".

The group debuted with 'Wonder Only 85 Pennies' EP on Nag & Bendle's NB Records in 1980 -14 tracks split between U.S.A. and U.S.B. sides. A debut full-length 'E Pluribus Unum' soon followed, self-released through Brenner's Choo Choo Train Records, and featuring naiveté songwriting approach similar to Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Red Crayola and early Beat Happening.

In 1982, the band released their second album, 'We Know Nonsense'. This time The 49 Americans recorded a collection of happy-go-lucky pop songs, co-written and produced by David Toop and Steve Beresford, and covering a wide range of 'faux light music' styles, from doo-wop to disco and samba. Wire Magazine included this album in their legendary 100 Records That Set the World On Fire list in Issue #175, published in Sep 1998. 

For two decades, the short-lived 49 Americans remained mostly in the context of obscure DIY / art-punk bands, with all their 12" and LPs being out-of-print. In 2002, Seigen Ono re-released their full discography through his audiophile label Saidera Records in Japan.

On the occasion of Staubgold's 15th anniversary, the European label produced another digital reissue in 2013, followed by the download-only 'Too Young To Be Ideal' compilation. In light of these reissues, some members of The 49 Americans reunited for a few live concerts and performances. [SOURCE: DISCOGS] 

Quando Quango

Quando Quango was a British electronic music group, formed by The Haçienda DJ and Factory Records A&R man Mike Pickering, Hillegonda "Gonnie" Rietveld and Reinier Rietveld. Their unique sound influenced the underground dance music scenes in New York and Chicago in the 1980s. Their first release was the "Go Exciting" twelve-inch single on Factory Records in 1982, and their last release of new music was the 1985 full-length album 'Pigs + Battleships' (reissued on CD in 2003 and 2013). 

Quando Quango remain best known for the dance singles "Love Tempo", which reached number four on the US Billboard Dance Chart, and "Atom Rock." Their sound was the result of an eclectic mix of Latin, jazz, reggae and disco, all in a pioneering new wave context. Hillegonda Rietveld said, describing the group's music, "Fela Kuti meets Kraftwerk somewhere between Manchester and Rotterdam, part of a new wave of post-punk electronica, with a whole lot of Mike Pickering's admirably broad knowledge of soul, disco, reggae and pop to stuff the gaps". Bernard Sumner of Joy Division and New Order, who with Donald Johnson of A Certain Ratio produced early Quando Quango recordings, was a major influence on the group. 

The group was formed in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 1980, by the Mancunian Mike Pickering and Rotterdam-based Gonnie Rietveld, supported on drums by her brother Reinier Rietveld. In 1982 they moved to Manchester, England, where Pickering's friend Rob Gretton was setting up The Haçienda nightclub. 

In 1983, Reinier Rietveld left the group to concentrate on his band Spasmodique. Soon after, former A Certain Ratio singer / trumpeter / percussionist Simon Topping joined as percussionist. Gonnie Rietveld settled into her role programming their electronic music, and Pickering continued to write lyrics and melodies. The same year, Derek Johnson of fellow Factory act 52nd Street joined on bass, soon to be replaced by his brother Barry Johnson, formerly of Sweet Sensation, and later of Aswad. 

After releasing a few singles that were minor dance club hits, the group collaborated with Johnny Marr and Vini Reilly to create the full-length album 'Pigs + Battleships'. Andy Connell of A Certain Ratio and Beverley McDonald of 52nd Street also contributed. The group did not last long after the album's release, but before their collapse they recorded more material with prominent guests. Lisa Stansfield sang on demos of "Bad Blood" and "Vision of America" in 1986. Stephen Morris contributed percussion to "What Price Beauty", which later became the M People track "Kiss It Better".

After the group's demise, Pickering went on to form dance duo T-Coy with Topping and, later, M People. Rietveld's connection with The Haçienda continued when she researched and co-edited the book "The Haçienda Must Be Built!", edited by Jon Savage. After gaining her doctorate, Dr Rietveld wrote "This Is Our House: House Music, Cultural Spaces and Technologies", and is currently a Reader in Cultural Studies at London South Bank University, where she supervises postgraduate research projects in electronic dance music cultures. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

Zero Le Creche

An English band formed in the early eighties, Zero Le Creche were just taking off when the lead singer, Andy Nkanza, left the band and inexplicably disappeared. They quickly got a new lead singer and released one more single in 1985 before disbanding. They were categorized as goth because there was no other genre that really fit. The band was said to bridge the gap between The Psychedelic Furs and Bauhaus. A record company cobbled together enough studio recordings to release an album in 2008, which pays tribute to how much interest there still is in the band. 'Last Year’s Wife' was the first single released by the band in 1984. With soaring vocals and a catchy guitar hook, and considered one of the great goth classics of the eighties, it makes you wonder what else this short-lived band could have accomplished. The second (and last) single was 1985’s 'Falling', featuring a new lead singer sounding very much like Richard Butler. It’s another catchy tune with an irresistible chorus that matches anything put out by The Psychedelic Furs, the band which they are so often compared. [SOUNDTRACK OF THE '80S] 

Wiseblood

Wiseblood was an electronic / noise-rock band formed by Clint Ruin (a.k.a. J. G. Thirlwell) and Roli Mosimann, existing intermittently from 1985 through the early 1990s. In Ruin's words, Wiseblood was "violent macho American [music] made by non-Americans". The duo's material tended toward the realm of the darkest and most sexual Foetus songs, with Mosimann's Swans lineage showing in the slow, crushing pacing of many tracks. Thematically, Wiseblood's lyrics centered on the misanthropic exertion of power, typically via murder, sex or assault. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

Victor Dimisich Band

With a unique sound that fused an almost gothic styling with warbly desert psych à la 13th Floor Elevators, The Victor Dimisich Band created its own genre, one that still has not been been aptly codified to date. Membership included Peter Stapleton (Vacuum, Pin Group, Scorched Earth Policy), Stephen Cogle (Vacuum, Terminals), Alan Meek (Vacuum, Bilders), Tony O’Grady and Mary Heney (25 Cents, Scorched Earth Policy). [SOURCE: MIDHEAVEN] 

The Terminals

The Terminals are an alternative rock band from New Zealand. They released material on the Xpressway and Flying Nun labels. The band was formed in 1988, with several members veterans of other bands. Vocalist Stephen Cogle and drummer Peter Stapleton had both been members of The Victor Dimisich Band in the early 1980s, Stapleton also playing with The Pin Group and Scorched Earth Policy. Guitarist Ross Humphries was an ex-member of The Pin Group, and Mick Elborado played bass and keyboards with Scorched Earth Policy. Signing to Flying Nun, the band's debut release was the 'Disconnect' EP in 1988, followed by two albums for the label. Humphries was replaced by former Scorched Earth Policy guitarist Brian Crook. The band moved to the Xpressway label for their third album, 'Touch'. 'Little Things' followed in 1995. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

Seppuku

Seppuku was a Swedish New Wave band which was formed by friends Rasmus, Ronny and Fredric in 1984. The trio started to experiment with music, which was the result of their common interest in spy flicks, electronic music, Asian culture and space-age futurism. 'Under Your Control / A New Illusion' was released in 1984 which brought some line up changes and a tour in Swedish metropolises as Varnamo, Norrkoping, Ljungby and Oskarshamn, through Germany and the BeNeLux countries and ends up in Le Havre, France. Back home again, the latter city is sung about in one of the new songs; “Assignment France”, which is part of another successful recording session. After these few releases the band disappeared into the blue. Three of the members are still in the music business while the other two became professional football players. Two of their songs appeared on the compilation 'Reminiscent' which was released in 2004. [SOURCE: BURNING FLAME] 

Rema-Rema

Rema-Rema was a short-lived English music group, consisting of Gary Asquith (guitar / vocals), Marco Pirroni (guitar), Mick Allen (bass/vocals), Mark Cox (keyboards) and Dorothy Max Prior (drums, generally known only as "Max"). Asquith and Allen went to the same school. After his departure from punk band The Models, Allen asked Asquith to join in a new project, called Rema-Rema. However, the band dissolved when Marco Pirroni joined Adam and the Ants. Pirroni had been an original member of Siouxsie and the Banshees, and was a short-time integrant of Cowboys International, but shortly afterwards went on to fame as a member of Adam and the Ants. Asquith, Allen, and Cox went on to form another short-lived band Mass, which then split up to form Renegade Soundwave (Asquith) and The Wolfgang Press (Allen and Cox). Max later joined Psychic TV, and also recorded a single "I Confess" under the name Dorothy, cowritten with Alex Fergusson, released on Industrial Records in 1980. Their sole four-track EP, 'Wheel In The Roses' (released 1980 on 4AD), featured one side of studio recordings and another of live material. Their songs "Fond Affections" and "Rema-Rema" were later covered by This Mortal Coil and Big Black respectively. Two live tracks from the Acklam Hall gig of April 1979, "Why Ask Why?" and "Christopher" appeared on the tape only release, 'The Men With the Deadly Dreams', on White Stains in 1981. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

The Passage

An underexposed post-punk band from Manchester, England, The Passage were distinguished by the poetic, probing intellectualism of leader Richard "Dick" Witts, and a preference for assaultive keyboards and synthesizers in place of guitars. When the band took shape in 1978, it was a secondary concern for both Merseyside Arts Association officer and Granada TV presenter Witts as well as The Fall bassist Tony Friel, who were joined by keyboardist Lorraine Hilton. Near the end of the year, after a handful of gigs -including one for which the trio headlined over Joy Division- they made their recorded debut, as simply Passage, with 'New Love Songs', released on hometown label Object Music. After that four-song EP and the like-sized 'About Time', a 1979 follow-up produced by The Flying Lizards' David Cunningham, the lineup gradually dwindled to Witts, who added a definitive article to the band's name and further explored his experimentalist streak on first full-length 'Pindrop'. The album went to number ten on the U.K. indie chart in 1980. 

Drummer Joe McKechnie, guitarist Andrew Wilson, and second vocalist Lizzy Johnson subsequently joined Witts for performances and studio work. This lineup recorded the 1981 single "Devils and Angels", the first release on the band's Virgin-distributed Night & Day label. As a trio without the departed Johnson, The Passage shortly thereafter issued another single, as well as the album 'For All & None'. McKechnie split, but Witts and Wilson carried on, signed to Cherry Red, and made "Taboos", their 7" debut for that label, by the end of 1981. Third album 'Degenerates' followed in 1982 with Paul Mahoney on drums and "XOYO" as a preceding lead single -one of the band's most pop-oriented moments, somewhere between contemporaneous Soft Cell and 'Travelogue'-era Human League. Extensive touring abroad and within the U.K. was broken up later in 1982 with the 'Wave' single. Mahoney departed and was replaced with McKechnie. 'Enflame' arrived in 1983 as the band's fourth and final album and became their third Top Ten indie entry. A BBC session for Janice Long -which followed three earlier ones for John Peel- was their last time in a studio together. 

Witts, who had also been involved with the BBC as presenter of Oxford Road Show and reported for BBC Radio 3, became a professional musicologist. He has authored the books "Nico: The Life and Lies of an Icon" and "The Velvet Underground", and has lectured at several universities. Friel, McKechnie, Wilson, and Mahoney have been involved with a variety of separate musical pursuits. All four Passage albums were expanded and reissued by the LTM label in 2003. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Oppenheimer Analysis

Oppenheimer Analysis is Andy Oppenheimer and Martin Lloyd. They first met at the 1979 World Science Fiction Convention in Brighton, England. They quickly became good friends, sharing an interest in the work of David Bowie, electronic music and early synthesizer bands such as The Human League and Soft Cell. They also shared a love of old science fiction movies, 1950s graphics and comic book imagery and a fascination with post-World War II propaganda, the politics and aesthetics of the Cold War, and the social impact of the atomic bomb. 

Over the next few years Andy and Martin frequented the growing club scene, including Studio 21 in Oxford Street, and became involved in the developing Futurist and New Romantic style sub-cultures. During this period Martin recorded as Analysis, both alone and with David Rome of Drinking Electricity. They released their first single, 'Surface Tension / Connections' on David’s Survival label in 1981. Meanwhile Andy held his own occasional club nights and continued to work as a science writer and editor, later becoming a nuclear expert. 

In 1982 Andy and Martin began writing and recording together at Feedback Studio in Battersea, and performed several times as Oppenheimer Analysis at The Bell, Islington, the 1983 World David Bowie Convention in Hammersmith, the Starzone Birthday Party at Camden Palace, the 1984 European Science Fiction Convention in Brighton and other live venues. Their first demo tape and the later twelve-track 'New Mexico' cassette were sold at gigs and by mail-order, and were reviewed in Melody Maker, Sounds and Soundmaker. Oppenheimer Analysis later became recognized among electro-music aficionados as a pioneering combo which has influenced other bands during the club and home-recording phase in the early 1980s. 

In 2005 they re-formed and a twelve-inch four-track EP of early material, including “Cold War” and “The Devil’s Dancers”, was the first release on the New York-based Minimal Wave label. In 2006 a CD-R EP of new songs, 'Der Wissenschaftler', was home-released. Their songs are still played at clubs, on the internet and on the radio. A 7” EP of Martin’s early solo recordings are available from Minimal Wave. 

On Friday March 24th, 2006 Andy and Martin performed live as Oppenheimer Analysis for the first time in 22 years at Zwischenfall, Bochum in Germany. More gigs followed in Germany, Belgium, London, Newcastle and Brighton. Their last live gig together was at Brave Exhibitions in London in 2011. Martin Lloyd died suddenly on 30 April 2013. All further releases are testament to his memory and to his great work with Oppenheimer Analysis, as a pioneer producer in early electronic pop music and to his long association and friendship with Andy Oppenheimer. Andy has since dedicated songs and radio interviews to his memory. Andy Oppenheimer is now singing, composing, recording and playing live as Oppenheimer MKII and Touching The Void. [SOURCE: MINIMAL WAVE RECORDS] 

Niew Hip Stilen

Niew Hip Stilen came from Rotterdam and played an amazing style of electronic synth wave jazz with some hints towards the urban music culture of early eighties New York City (remember New Order going there which led to the "Blue Monday" period). Nevertheless their sound is also very Dutch and akin to the other great electro jazz group from Rotterdam called Kiem. Niew Hip Stilen consisted of Maarten van Gent -bass, drums, guitar, percussion & vocals; Jan Willem van Mook -bass, sax, keyboards, percussion & computer; and Rutger van Otterloo -sax, drums & percussion. They had one self-released single in 1981, which came out on the label of the Quarantaineweg, the legendary artist squats of Rotterdam. On the back of the single a plan of the squats can be noticed. Other bands connected to the squats were a.o. The Black Sheep and Dull Schicksal. Niew Hip Stilen made one album on Eksakt records called 'Heartsounds and Murmers' that still stands as one of the most inventive and interesting Dutch albums from the eighties. [SOURCE: ARCHAIC INVENTIONS] 

Mark Shreeve

Mark Shreeve is a British electronic music composer. After initially releasing his early work on cassette through the Mirage label he went on to sign for the newly formed Jive Electro in the early eighties and released the albums 'Assassin', 'Legion' and 'Crash Head'. His last solo album to date, 'Nocturne', was released in 1995 though a live CD, 'Collide', was released in 1996 featuring Mark's live performance at EMMA in 1994. Mark has also composed the score for several feature films, recorded a number of library music CDs and achieved success as a songwriter most notably for Samantha Fox during the eighties. Mark has also worked with Chris Franke of Tangerine Dream and has had some technical association with world-class producer and modular synthesiser enthusiast/expert Ed Buller. In 1996 Mark formed the group Redshift with his brother Julian Shreeve, James Goddard and Rob Jenkins. The group have recorded several albums to date and played live in the UK and Europe including a concert at Jodrell Bank Observatory. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

Lewis

Randall A. Wulff, better known by his stage name Lewis, and also known as Lewis Baloue and Randy Duke, is a Canadian singer and musician. He released a number of albums in the 1980s, but did not become widely known until they were re-released in 2014. Lewis recorded two albums in 1983 and 1985 ('L'Amour' and 'Romantic Times') that were mostly forgotten until a record collector discovered 'L'Amour' in an Edmonton flea market. They were both re-released by Seattle-based record label Light in the Attic in 2014. 'L'Amour' was recorded in Los Angeles in 1983. 'Romantic Times' was originally released in 1985 under the Lewis Baloue pseudonym. An original copy of the album sold on eBay in 2014 for $2,000. Two further albums -'Love Ain't No Mystery' (recorded under the Randy Duke pseudonym) and 'Hawaiian Breeze'- were also released by different record labels in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Under a different pseudonym, Lewis is also believed to have recorded a number of "very soft, religious music" albums in Vancouver in the mid-2000s which were never released. In 2014 Lewis stated that he was continuing to perform music, but that he was not interested in his earlier releases. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA] 

In The Nursery

Formed in Sheffield, England by brothers Klive and Nigel Humberstone in 1981, In the Nursery explored a strange fusion of industrialized military rhythms and classical and film soundtrack music. Devoted more to the former in their early years, the band debuted in 1983 with the mini-album 'When Cherished Dreams Come True', also contributing to several compilations over the next two years. After the 1985 'Temper' EP, the group's initial lineup had evaporated, leaving only the Humberstone brothers to record their first full-length effort, 1986's 'Twins', which began to explore classical influences in greater depth. Percussionist Q and French bilingual vocalist Dolores Marguerite C were added for 1987's 'Stormhorse', which was intended to resemble the soundtrack to an imaginary film. 1988's 'Koda' continued in this vein; in 1989, Wax Trax! released a compilation of the band's early work entitled 'Counterpoint'. In 1990, In the Nursery altered its approach somewhat for the more graceful, refined 'L'Esprit', on which C's vocals played a prominent role for the first time. 'Sense' (1991) and 'Duality' (1992) were the group's most film soundtrack-like albums yet, and that direction finally culminated in an official soundtrack, 1993's 'An Ambush of Ghosts'. The 1994 concept album 'Anatomy of a Poet' followed, along with several collaborative projects under the alias Les Jumeaux. 'Scatter', an extensive retrospective, was released on the band's own ITN Corporation label in 1995; meanwhile, the track "White Robe" was licensed by Warner Bros. for "Interview with the Vampire", and the single "Hallucinations?" appeared in several different films. From 1996-1997, the group's soundtrack work has expanded, with contributions to the television series "La Femme Nikita" and a new score for the silent film 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'; there have also been several more releases under the Les Jumeaux moniker. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Glamour

If Kaka de Luxe were in Madrid the flagship band that started the so-called "Movida Madrileña", in Valencia Glamour was the prologue of what was coming in this city. They were standards of synth-pop music and, without hesitation, the band who took the first step to the movements and groups of New Romantics that would come next in the city. 

A demo from La Banda de Gaal (that's how they were named before) came to Esteban Leivas, a well-known Uruguayan producer who had just arrived from Madrid, and that very soon realized that this band had a promising future. They played a music according to what came from England, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Ultravox, Visage, Japan, Soft Cell..., technified sounds disguised as romanticism and extravagant costumes, so perhaps they were ipso facto qualified as New Romantics. Before Esteban Leivas got Polydor to release a first single, it was decided to change the name of the band, with Glamour finally appointed. Moreover, this name was much more accommodating to the image of the band, rather more glamorous. The group was formed by Luis Badenes (vocals), Adolfo Barberá (guitars), Remy Carreres (bass), José Luís Macías (synthesizers and all kinds of programmed rhythms) and José Payá (drums). 

At the end of 1981, their first single, 'Imágenes', came out, an overflowing song full of rhythm and a delirious intro, which undoubtedly became an anthem in Valencia at that time. Almost entering the new year, a second and magnificent single hit the streets, consecrating "almost" definitely to the band: 'En Soledad'. By the year 1982 the first Glamour LP was released, recorded in the Doublewtronics studios of Madrid and titled as its star song, 'Imágenes'.

Given the great success ith their first work, a second album was released in mid-1983, this time recorded in August at the studios Audiofilm de Madrid and entitled 'Guarda Tus Lágrimas'. As first single appeared "Intento Olvidar", the best song in this second work. A second and last single did not take long to appear,  'Guarda Tus Lágrimas', entitled as the LP. 

This last album closes the short but brilliant career of Glamour; internal problems and other expectations in mind make the adventure come to an end. Remy Carreres and José Luís Macías, along with Lino Oviaño and Carlos Goñi, joined in Comité Cisne (before this Remy was part of the Margaret Seidler combo, Manía, and at the same time José Luís Macías also collaborated with Última Emoción). Adolfo Barberá, in addition to making his first steps as a producer, would lead the first stage of Ceremonia with José Godofredo and Javier Morant, formed Los Cangrejos at the end of the 1980s, and he even enrolled as member of Los Seres Vacios. José Payá was also member of Ceremonia and Manía, and later he would join Io and Video.

Over time, Glamour became one of the most unfairly forgotten bands on the national scene, but despite this, the quintet marked a very important musical moment in Valencia, rubbing elbows with other Spanish New Romantics of the moment (Azul y Negro, Video, Casal...). Glamour were pioneers of tecno-glam in Valencia and the first line of the New Romantic image in Spain, and they served as a mirror for other groups in Valencia. [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80] 

Esplendor Geométrico

Esplendor Geométrico are a long-running Spanish industrial group founded in 1980 by Arturo Lanz, Gabriel Riaza, and Juan Carlos Sastre, all former members of synth pop pioneers Aviador Dro. Inspired by Italian futurism as well as British industrial bands like Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire, Esplendor Geométrico quickly established their own unique sound, pairing heavily distorted, hypnotic machine rhythms with robotic Spanish vocals. Eventually losing Riaza and Sastre and gaining Saverio Evangelista, who joined in 1990, Esplendor Geométrico's sound continued to evolve, gradually losing some of the harshness of their earlier work and incorporating Arabic influences, recalling the work of Muslimgauze. Relentlessly experimental and never coming close to the accessibility of any act signed to Wax Trax!, the band has been a significant influence on numerous rhythmic noise, IDM, and minimal synth artists. 

After forming in Madrid at the turn of the '80s, Esplendor Geométrico debuted in 1981 with the 7" 'Necrosis en la Poya' and cassette 'EG-1'. Debut LP 'El Acero del Partido / Héroe del Trabajo' arrived in 1982. Three years later, the group established their own Discos Esplendor Geométrico and released 'Comisario de la Luz / Blanco de Fuerza'. The label also released albums by Asmus Tietchens, Conrad Schnitzler, De Fabriek, and others. Esplendor Geométrico also established EGK, a short-lived sister label that reissued some of their earlier material and released two of their own live recordings and cassettes by other artists, including an early work by Francisco López. The LPs 'Kosmos Kino' and 'Mekano-Turbo' appeared by the end of the decade, and the concert recordings 'Madrid Mayo '89' and 'Live in Utrecht' were released in 1990.

 

The band moved to Daft Records for 1991's Arabic-inspired 'Sheikh Aljama', and started a new label called Geometrik, debuting with the experimental compilation 'Audioscope' and 'Control Remoto 1.0', a split CD with Evangelista's project Most Significant Beat. These were followed by 1993's 'Arispejal Astisaró' on Linea Alternativa. Dutch label Staalplaat issued the double-CD compilation '1980-1982'. In 1994, the studio album 'Veritatis Splendor' and compilation '1983-1987' appeared on Geometrik. 'Nador', an album of unreleased tracks recorded during the late '80s, was issued by Daft in 1995. Another compilation, '80s Tracks', appeared on Apocalyptic Vision in 1996, while live album 'Tokyo Sin Fin' was issued by Gift and the studio album 'Balearic Rhythms' came out on Geometrik. More '80s recordings were collected on the double CD 'Tarikat' (Daft), while the new album 'Polyglophone' appeared on Geometrik. 'EN-CO-D-eSPLENDOR', featuring remixes by Coil and Chris & Cosey, was issued by Gift in 1998. 

Esplendor Geométrico began reissuing their back catalog on Geometrik, and after a few years without new material, 'Compuesto de Hierro' appeared in 2002. Numerous remixes of the group's minimal wave classic "Moscú Está Helado" were released in 2004. A more comprehensive compilation titled 'Anthology 1981-2003' appeared in 2005. An untitled box set of early recordings was issued by Vinyl-on-Demand in 2006, and the group began releasing a series of live CD-Rs that year. The CD/DVD '8 Traks & Live' was released in 2007, and Vinyl-on-Demand released another box of tracks from early cassettes, '1980-1989 | First Decade'. The studio album 'Pulsión' appeared in 2009; by the time of the album's release, Lanz was based in Beijing and Evangelista lived in Rome, but they were still actively performing and recording together. The studio albums 'Desarrollos Geométricos' (2011) and 'Ultraphoon' (2013) followed, with the compilation 'Selected Tracks, Vol. 1 1992-1998' and 'E.G. Kaidan', a collaboration with Japanese noise veterans Hijokaidan recorded live in Tokyo in 2013, appearing soon after. The double-LP compilation 'Fungus Cerebri' and studio album 'Fluida Mekaniko' both appeared near the end of 2016. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]