F.S.K. (Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, German meaning "voluntary self control") is a German band that formed in Munich in 1980 by Wilfred Petzi, Thomas Meinecke, Justin Hoffman and
Michaela Melian, contributors to the underground magazine "Mode &
Verzweiflung" (Fashion & Despair). The band name is a reference to
the German motion picture rating organisation Freiwillige
Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft, which uses the same acronym. The band has been associated with avant-garde fringes of Neue Deutsche Welle (German New Wave) of the early 1980s and with techno and house music since the mid 1990s.
From 1985 the band was championed by British disc jockey John Peel, recording six sessions for his BBC radio show, and were themselves strongly influenced by the independent British music scene of the time, such as by the unusual interpretation of country music by The Mekons. F.S.K. records were released on Zickzack, a record label owned by German music journalist and punk rock advocate Alfred Hilsberg. F.S.K. frequently played with David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker and recorded in his studio in Richmond, Virginia. In the mid-1990s the band recorded Techno and House music, recording in Uphon Studios in Weilheim, Bavaria. On their album 'First Take Then Shake' they worked with Detroit producer Anthony Shake Shakir.
The band members are active in the arts, Thomas Meinecke as a successful novelist, Michaela Melián as a professor at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg, Justin Hoffmann as director of the Wolfsburg Art Society and Wilfried Petzi as a photographer. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
When Elvis Costello first burst onto the music scene in 1977, he was seen as an angry young firebrand and one of the sharpest voices in the new wave / punk revolution. Few would have guessed that more than 40 years later, Costello would be one of the most celebrated and genre-spanning songwriters of his generation, an artist comfortable collaborating with the likes of Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Allen Toussaint, and Tony Bennett while still maintaining his edgy rock credibility. Costello initially impressed critics and fans with a volley of four albums that were striking and immediate, while each boasted a distinct sound: enlightened pub rock (1977's 'My Aim Is True'), a lean, venomous punk-infused attack (1978's 'This Year's Model'), polished but acid-tongued pop (1979's 'Armed Forces'), and soul-rooted minimalism (1980's 'Get Happy!!'). Eclecticism would become a dominant theme in his career, as his catalog included detours into country (1981's 'Almost Blue'), Baroque pop (1982's 'Imperial Bedroom'), Americana (1986's 'King of America'), classical (1993's 'The Juliet Letters'), Brill Building pop (1998's 'Painted from Memory'), bluegrass-influenced acoustic music (2010's 'National Ransom'), and adventurous R&B (2013's 'Wise Up Ghost and Other Songs'). Regardless of his musical surroundings, his constant strength was always the excellence of his songwriting, his pithy, literate lyrics full of clever word play and double meanings blending with the well-crafted melodies that were always his secret weapon. A savvy student of music of all stripes, Costello was also a fine judge of talent, and his primary backing bands, The Attractions and The Imposters, showed he knew how to present his music with both passion and precision, and possessed a commitment to craft that set him apart from many of his peers. And his productivity and creative restlessness helped him maintain a relevance that has kept him sounding contemporary more than four decades after his debut, with no sign of stopping.
The son of British bandleader Ross McManus, Costello (born Declan McManus) worked as a computer programmer during the early '70s, performing under the name D.P. Costello in various folk clubs. In 1976, he became the leader of country-rock group Flip City. During this time, he recorded several demo tapes of his original material with the intention of landing a record contract. A copy of these tapes made its way to Jake Riviera, one of the heads of the fledgling independent record label Stiff. Riviera signed Costello to Stiff as a solo artist in 1977; the singer/songwriter adopted the name Elvis Costello at this time, taking his first name from Elvis Presley and his last name from his mother's maiden name.
With former Brinsley Schwarz bassist Nick Lowe producing, Costello began recording his debut album with the American band Clover providing support. "Less Than Zero," the first single released from these sessions, appeared in April of 1977. The single failed to chart, as did its follow-up, "Alison," which was released the following month. By the summer of 1977, Costello's permanent backing band had been assembled. Featuring bassist Bruce Thomas, keyboardist Steve Nieve, and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation to Bruce), the group was named The Attractions; they made their live debut in July of 1977.
Costello's debut album, 'My Aim Is True', was released in the summer of 1977 to positive reviews; it climbed to number 14 on the British charts but it wasn't released on his American label, Columbia, until later in the year. Along with Nick Lowe, Ian Dury, and Wreckless Eric, Costello participated in the Stiff label's Live package tour in the fall. At the end of the year, Jake Riviera split from Stiff to form Radar Records, taking Costello and Lowe with him. Costello's last single for Stiff, the reggae-inflected "Watching the Detectives," became his first hit, climbing to number 15 at the end of the year.
'This Year's Model', Costello's first album recorded with The Attractions, was released in the spring of 1978. A rawer, harder-rocking record than 'My Aim Is True', 'This Year's Model' was also a bigger hit, reaching number four in Britain and number 30 in America. Released the following year, 'Armed Forces' was a more ambitious and musically diverse album than either of his previous records. It was another hit, reaching number two in the U.K. and cracking the Top Ten in the U.S. "Oliver's Army," the first single from the album, also peaked at number two in Britain; none of the singles from 'Armed Forces' charted in America. In the summer of 1979, he produced the self-titled debut album by The Specials, the leaders of the ska revival movement.
In February of 1980, the soul-influenced 'Get Happy!!' was released; it was the first record on Riviera's new record label, F-Beat. 'Get Happy!!' was another hit, peaking at number two in Britain and number 11 in America. Later that year, a collection of B-sides, singles, and outtakes called 'Taking Liberties' was released in America; in Britain, a similar album called 'Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers' appeared as a cassette-only release, complete with different tracks than the American version.
Costello and The Attractions released 'Trust' in early 1981; it was Costello's fifth album in a row produced by Nick Lowe. 'Trust' debuted at number nine in the British charts and worked its way into the Top 30 in the U.S. During the spring of 1981, Costello and The Attractions began recording an album of country covers with famed Nashville producer Billy Sherrill, who recorded hit records for George Jones and Charlie Rich, among others. The resulting album, 'Almost Blue', was released at the end of the year to mixed reviews, although the single "A Good Year for the Roses" was a British Top Ten hit.
Costello's next album, 'Imperial Bedroom' (1982), was an ambitious set of lushly arranged pop produced by Geoff Emerick, who engineered several of The Beatles' most acclaimed albums. 'Imperial Bedroom' received some of his best reviews, yet it failed to yield a Top 40 hit in either England or America; the album did debut at number six in the U.K. For 1983's 'Punch the Clock', Costello worked with Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who were responsible for several of the biggest British hits in the early '80s. The collaboration proved commercially successful, as the album peaked at number three in the U.K. (number 24 in the U.S.) and the single "Everyday I Write the Book" cracked the Top 40 in both Britain and America. Costello tried to replicate the success of 'Punch the Clock' with his next record, 1984's 'Goodbye Cruel World', but the album was a commercial and critical failure.
After the release of 'Goodbye Cruel World', Costello embarked on his first solo tour in the summer of 1984. He was relatively inactive in 1985, releasing only one new single ("The People's Limousine," a collaboration with singer/songwriter T-Bone Burnett released under the name The Coward Brothers) and producing 'Rum Sodomy and the Lash', the second album by the punk-folk band The Pogues. Both projects were indications that he was moving toward a stripped-down, folky approach, and 1986's 'King of America' confirmed that suspicion. Recorded without The Attractions and released under the name The Costello Show, 'King of America' was essentially a country-folk album and it received the best reviews of any album he had recorded since 'Imperial Bedroom'. It was followed at the end of the year by the edgy 'Blood and Chocolate', a reunion with The Attractions and producer Nick Lowe. Costello would not record another album with The Attractions until 1994.
During 1987, Costello negotiated a new worldwide record contract with Warner Bros. and began a songwriting collaboration with Paul McCartney. Two years later, he released 'Spike', the most musically diverse collection he had ever recorded. 'Spike' featured the first appearance of songs written by Costello and McCartney, including the single "Veronica." "Veronica" became his biggest American hit, peaking at number 19. Two years later, he released 'Mighty Like a Rose', which echoed 'Spike' in its diversity, yet it was a darker, more challenging record. In 1993, Costello collaborated with The Brodsky Quartet on 'The Juliet Letters', a song cycle that was the songwriter's first attempt at classical music; he also wrote an entire album for former Transvision Vamp singer Wendy James called 'Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears'. That same year, Costello licensed the rights to his pre-1987 catalog ('My Aim Is True' to 'Blood and Chocolate') to Rykodisc in America.
Costello reunited with The Attractions to record the majority of 1994's 'Brutal Youth', the most straightforward and pop-oriented album he had recorded since 'Goodbye Cruel World'. The Attractions backed Costello on a worldwide tour in 1994 and played concerts with him throughout 1995. In 1995, he released his long-shelved collection of covers, 'Kojak Variety'. In the spring of 1996, Costello released 'All This Useless Beauty', which featured a number of original songs he had given to other artists but never recorded himself. 'Painted from Memory', a collaboration with the legendary Burt Bacharach, followed in 1998. The album was a success critically, but it only succeeded in foreign markets, outside of its home countries of the United States and Britain. A jazz version of the record made with Bill Frisell was put on hold when Costello's label began to freeze up due to political maneuvering. Undaunted, Costello and Bacharach hit the road and performed in the States and Europe. Then, after Bacharach left, Costello added Steve Nieve to the tour and traveled around the world on what they dubbed the Lonely World Tour. This took them into 1999, when both "Notting Hill" and "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" featured significant contributions from Costello. In fact, he appeared with Bacharach in the latter as one of a pair of Carnaby Street musicians, albeit street musicians with a gorgeous grand piano at their disposal.
Continuing his tour with Nieve, he began singing the last song without a microphone, forcing the audience to sit in complete silence as he usually performed "Couldn't Call It Unexpected, No. 4" with nothing but his dulcet baritone filling the auditorium. After the record company's various mergers ended, Costello found himself on Universal and tested their promotional abilities with a second greatest-hits record ('The Very Best of Elvis Costello'). The label promoted the album strongly, making it a hit in his native Britain. Unfortunately, they also made it clear that they had no intention of giving a new album the same promotional push, leaving him to venture into other fields as he awaited the end of his record contract. His first project was a collection of pop standards performed with Anne Sofie Von Otter, which included a few songs originally written by Costello. The album was released in March 2001 on the Deutsche Grammophon label, neatly coinciding with the extensive re-release of his entire catalog up to 1996 under Rhino Records. Each disc included an extra CD of rare material and liner notes written by Costello himself, making them incredible treats for fans.
In 2001, he found himself with a residency at UCLA, where he performed several concerts and was instrumental in teaching music during the year. He also began work on a self-produced album that featured Pete Thomas and Nieve -now billed as a band called The Imposters- entitled 'When I Was Cruel', and the album finally found release via Island Records in the spring of 2002; at the end of the year, he released a collection of B-sides and leftovers from the album's sessions entitled 'Cruel Smile'.
'When I Was Cruel' kicked off another productive era for the ever-prolific Costello. In 2003, he returned with 'North', a collection of classically styled pop songs pitched halfway between Gershwin and Sondheim. The next year, he collaborated with his new wife, Diana Krall, on her first collection of original material, 'The Girl in the Other Room'. That fall, Costello released two albums of his own original material: a classical work entitled 'Il Sogno' and the concept album 'The Delivery Man', a rock & roll record cut with The Imposters. Issued in 2006, 'My Flame Burns Blue' was a live album with Costello fronting the 52-piece jazz orchestra The Metropole Orkest; the release featured classic Costello songs (with new orchestral arrangements) alongside new compositions and a performance of 'Il Sogno' in its entirety.
'The River in Reverse', a collaboration with R&B legend Allen Toussaint, arrived in 2006, followed by 'Momofuku', another effort credited to Elvis Costello & the Imposters, in 2008. That same year, Costello teamed up with veteran producer T-Bone Burnett for a series of recording sessions, the results of which were compiled into 'Secret, Profane & Sugar Cane' and readied for release in early 2009. The pair also recorded a second album, 'National Ransom', which appeared the following year. In 2011, Costello & the Imposters released 'The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook!!!', which was recorded live over a two-day stint at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. The next year or so was relatively quiet, but at the end of 2012 he released a new compilation called 'In Motion Pictures', which rounded up songs he contributed to films.
Costello devoted himself to working with hip-hop band The Roots in 2013. Originally planned as a reinterpretation of songs from his vast catalog, the album 'Wise Up Ghost' turned into a full-fledged collaboration and was greeted by positive reviews upon its September 2013 release on Blue Note. In 2015, Costello announced that he was completing work on his memoirs, and that the book, titled "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink", was scheduled for publication in October 2015. Costello also compiled a companion album, 'Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album', which featured a career-spanning selection of songs from his catalog, as well as two previously unreleased selections.
In July 2018, Costello revealed that he was recovering from a "small but very aggressive cancer." By the time he delivered the news, he was not only on the mend but had a new album with The Imposters in the can. 'Look Now', the group's first record together in a decade, appeared in October 2018; it won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album the following year. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Fueled by "rejection, food, coffee, girls, fishing and food," The Descendents sprang up during the halcyon days of the Los Angeles punk scene; fusing the blind rage of hardcore with an unexpectedly wry, self-deprecating wit and a strong melodic sensibility that set them distinctly apart from their West Coast brethren, they gradually emerged as one of the most enduring and adored bands of their time. Formed in 1979, The Descendents' first lineup consisted of vocalist/guitarist Frank Navetta, vocalist/bassist Tony Lombardo, and drummer Bill Stevenson; initially sporting an edgy power pop sound inspired by the Buzzcocks, the group issued a debut single, "Ride the Wild," and then promptly vanished from sight.
When The Descendents resurfaced in 1981, they were a four-piece fronted by vocalist Milo Auckerman, a beloved figure within the hardcore community who infused the group's identity with both unmitigated teen angst and a healthy dose of goofball humor. Amid a relentless, caffeine-powered touring schedule, The Descendents found time to record the 1981 EP 'Fat', a collection spotlighting both Auckerman's affection for fast food ("Weinerschnitzel," "I Like Food") and distaste for parental guidance ("My Dad Sucks"). A year later, the group issued its debut LP, 'Milo Goes to College'; despite the considerable levity of tracks like "Bikeage" and "Suburban Home," the title was no joke -Auckerman was indeed headed off to study biochemistry, and when Stevenson joined the ranks of Black Flag, The Descendents went on sabbatical.
In 1985, the group re-formed, with SWA alum Ray Cooper replacing Navetta on guitar; after the release of the more pop-flavored album 'I Don't Want to Grow Up', ex-Anti bassist Doug Carrion assumed Lombardo's duties. A sunnier perspective informed 1986's 'Enjoy!', as evidenced by the inclusion of a cover of The Beach Boys' "Wendy," but after 1987's 'All', the group split again; after Stevenson formed a new group, also dubbed All, the only Descendents products to appear for a number of years were a pair of live releases, 1987's 'Liveage!' and 1989's 'Hallraker'. Somewhat surprisingly, Auckerman and Stevenson re-formed The Descendents in 1996 with All bassist Karl Alvarez and guitarist Stephen Egerton; in addition to mounting a tour, the group recorded a new album, 'Everything Sucks'. Following the tour, Auckerman once again returned to his life in the chem lab until 2004 when the guys were back with two new releases, both issued on Fat Wreck -February brought the EP 'Merican', and the full-length 'Cool to Be You' followed a month later.
For the following decade, they would remain relatively quiet, save for a few significant events. In 2008, founding guitarist Frank Navetta unexpectedly passed away. The band also reunited for a few gigs in 2010, but it wasn't permanent. The Descendents returned in 2016 with 'Hypercaffium Spazzinate', their first new studio material in 12 years. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Some bands take a while to get to where they're going, while others find it and then spend time perfecting it, not giving a care if the world notices. Circle X falls into the latter category, originally consisting of singer Tony Pinotti, singer/guitarist Bruce Witsiepe, guitarist Rik Letendre, and his brother Dave on drums. Forming in the late '70s in Louisville, KY, the quartet then relocated to New York and fell in with the no-wave crowd (Mars, DNA, and the like). The result was a constant expansion of their sound and style, incorporating everything from performance art to synths and keyboards (with Pinotti in particular anchoring the latter) in the service of their edgy, often quite listener-unfriendly material. An album, 'Prehistory', crept out in 1983 on Enigma, but aside from random performance recordings, singles, and other projects (even a book), Circle X remained strictly out of sight, out of mind even for most extreme music fans until the early '90s. At that time, following a variety of side projects and some lineup shuffling, drummer Martin Kob replaced Dave Letendre, while Rik was firmly settled on bass. This lineup released a series of singles, collected and boxed as 'The Ivory Tower' in 1993, leading to only the second full album in the group's history, 'Celestial', appearing on Matador in 1994. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Gyorgy Bp. Szabo (born September 30, 1953 in Budapest) is a designer and musician. In 1982 he received his MFA from the Moholy-Nagy University Of Art And Design Budapest. He then got his Masters in Typography. His Professors included Sandor Ernyei, Janos Kass, Peter Viragvolgyi and the legendary Erno Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik's Cube. As a graphic designer he designed posters, mostly representing alternative bands. In 1992, he became the co-owner of A.R.C. Studio, and in 1994 started his own graphic design company called Bp. Studio. In 1996 he moved to Los Angeles to work for the well- known animation company Klasky Csupo where he became an art director. In 2004 he worked for Crew Creative, and finally landed the position of Creative Director at Cleopatra Records. His art reflects the way music and art collide. From 1983, his band Bp. Service has reflected the sound of accidental noise discoveries, machines, and the sound of the city along with self-made generators, resulting in uniquely innovative music. His Art reflecting to the pulse of city life; an expression of the rhythms of post modern recycled urban street art, balancing atmospheric dreams and ambient reality. These creations reflect an Eco friendly way to recreate disposed objects into art pieces that are, in essence, a collection of junk. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Kraut was a New York City punk rock / hardcore punk band formed in 1981. The original members were Davy Gunner (vocals), Doug Holland (guitar/vocals) Don Cowan (bass/vocals), and Johnny Feedback (drums/vocals).
Kraut's first performance was opening for The Clash at Bonds International Casino in New York on June 11, 1981.
Their debut single, 'Kill for Cash', and second single, 'Unemployed', were both released in 1981 on the band's own Cabbage Records label.
While recording their debut album, 'An Adjustment to Society' (produced by Ryk Oakley), they opened for The Professionals at The Channel in Boston. Former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones became friends with Kraut and recorded extra guitar tracks for three tracks on the album: "Kill for Cash", "Sell Out" and "Onward". The album was again self-released, distributed by Faulty Products. A video clip for "All Twisted" appeared in rotation on MTV, making Kraut the first independent band to be played on the station.
The band released a mini-album, 'Whetting the Scythe', in 1984, and toured the U.S.
By the mid-1980s, Kraut had added second guitarist Christopher Smith from Battalion of Saints, and developed a more hard rock/metal sound.
Guitarist Holland went on to play for New York hardcore band The Cro-Mags.
A Kraut reunion show with all four original members took place in 2002 at CBGB during the New York Thrash reunion, yielding the 'Live at CBGB's' album. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
More an amalgamation of various NYC No-wave scenesters in the early 1980s, Aural Exciters were an interesting side note to that chapter in music history. Bob Blank is a producer / engineer who released one of the first disco 12" (Jimmy Sabater, "To Be With You") back in 1975. He owned a studio in Manhattan, Blank Tapes Studios, that produced a lot of hit records in the late 70's and early 1980's. He worked on records by tons of artists (including Talking Heads, Kid Creole & the Coconuts, Lydia Lunch, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, and more -not to exclude Donna Summer, Sting, and Patti Smith). Some of the scenes in the movie "Downtown 81" (2000) were filmed at this studio.
The Aural Exciters was a sort of after hours project that he started around 1980. After the sessions finished Bob used to ask many of his clients if they would play on some of his own recordings. He used a variety of these brilliant artists and musicians, earmarking anyone he could get to play. August Darnel and Andy "Coati Mundi" Hernandez from Kid Creole & the Coconuts wrote almost all the songs, helped with Adriana Kaegi from The Coconuts." The title cut "Spooks In Space" was written by Ronnie Rogers, a regular at Blank Tapes Studios. Rogers later wrote "Deputy Of Love" for Fonda Rae. Some notable musicians are James Chance from The Contortions on sax, Pat Place on guitar, Fonda Rae, Ronnie Rogers on piano, drums, vocals, and many others. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
Finnish surf-revivalists Laika and the Cosmonauts reunited guitarist Mikko Lankinen and drummer Janne Haavisto, who previously teamed in the like-minded Pluto & the Astronauts. Adding guitarist/keyboardist Matti Pitsinki and bassist Tom Nyman, the group issued its debut album 'C'Mon Do the Laika!' in 1988; 'Surfs You Right!' followed two years later, and in 1993 Laika and the Cosmonauts resurfaced with 'Instruments of Terror'. Subsequent efforts include 1995's 'Amazing Colossal Band' and 1997's 'Absurdistan'. 'Laike Sex Machine' followed in early 2001. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Kirsty MacColl, daughter of folk singer / songwriter Ewan MacColl, began her own musical career while still in her teens, singing in a band called The Addix, and eventually signed to the legendary Stiff Records. Her first single, the modern girl group gem, 'They Don't Know', was released in 1979. Though it failed in the charts, it was later a major hit for Tracey Ullman. Kirsty MacColl switched to Polydor in the '80s and landed a U.K. Top 40 hit with the novelty song "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop (Swears He's Elvis)." She followed the single with her first LP, 'Desperate Character', in 1981. In 1984, she married producer Steve Lillywhite and put her solo career on hold, raising their two children and working as a backup singer. MacColl returned in 1989 with a more mature effort, 'Kite', which reached the U.K. Top 40. Two more albums, 'Electric Landlady' (1991) and 'Titanic Days' (1993), displayed great talent and diversity and, above all, good pop sensibilities. On December 18, 2000, MacColl was killed by a speedboat while swimming off of the coast of Mexico. Less than six months later, her final album, 'Tropical Brainstorm', was released on Instinct. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Kim Salmon and the Surrealists are an Australian indie rock band formed by Kim Salmon in 1987 when he was living in Perth between the final two tours by The Scientists. When The Scientists stopped, Salmon continued The Surrealists as his main band while playing in Beasts of Bourbon.
Salmon formed the first lineup of The Surrealists with Brian Henry Hooper on bass and Tony Pola on drums. He formed the band to record the album 'Hit Me with the Surreal Feel', using minimalist lo-fi approaches to recording a basic trio: recording the band live with microphones around the studio capturing the entire sound rather than one instrument per track. The band also played live around Perth in mid-1987. The album was released in October 1988.
The Surrealists did a few songs by The Scientists (particularly "Shine" from 'The Human Jukebox') and had a similar sound in that Salmon remained the leader and primary songwriter, but the feel of the music was notably different, far less tense and confrontational.
The second album 'Just Because You Can't See It ... Doesn't Mean It Isn't There' was recorded more conventionally in 1989 and released in early 1990. Comparing this album with 'The Human Jukebox', there is a similarity in songwriting but a difference in feel is readily apparent. The band's third album 'Essence' was released in 1991, followed by 'Sin Factory' in 1993, which arguably gained the most attention for the band. The sound by now was strong rock riffery, also blending their take on Blaxploitation music.
When The Beasts of Bourbon reformed in early 1988, Salmon started touring with that band too. When James Baker and Boris Sujdovic left The Beasts of Bourbon to go full-time with The Dubrovniks, Hooper and Pola joined to replace them.
Salmon fired Tony Pola from The Surrealists in 1993, replacing him with Greg Bainbridge. Brian Hooper later left after the 'Kim Salmon and the Surrealists' album and was replaced by Stu Thomas in 1995. This new trio put out 'Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Thing' in 1997, touring Australia, Europe, and the U.S. A horn section was added to the band that included trumpet player Leon de Bruin and saxophonist Michael Redman.
In 1999, Salmon renamed the band Kim Salmon and the Business, and released one album -'Record'- in 1999. Stu Thomas remained on bass and Phil Collings was recruited on drums in 2000.
In September 2006, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists 'reformed' for a show in Spain at Azkena Rock Festival. This line-up of Kim Salmon (guitar/vocal), Stu Thomas (bass) and Phil Collings (drums) also played later in Australia.
2010 marked the release of the album 'Grand Unifying Theory', the first Kim Salmon and The Surrealists record for 13 years. Line-up featured Kim Salmon (guitar/vocal/sampler), Stu Thomas (bass) and Phil Collings (drums). The band was recorded live during rehearsals. The results were sifted through by Salmon and co-producer Mike Stranges, spliced together in some cases (ala Miles Davis' 'Bitches Brew'), and made into songs. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
All female Christchurch band 25 Cents were part of a vibrant, early 1980s Gladstone Tavern scene that also included The Pin Group, The Newtones, The Playthings and The Androidss.
Their sole release in 1982 was one of the early Flying Nun singles (FN009) and just 305 copies were pressed. Complete with violin, the A-side "Don’t Deceive Me" was a rare original for a band that specialised more in 60s and 70s garage and punk covers ranging from The Velvet Underground to Pere Ubu. But it’s their helter skelter version of The Sonics’ garage classic "The Witch" on the flip side that has been anthologised over the years. "Don’t Deceive Me" was finally reissued on Flying Nun’s 'Time to Go' compilation in 2011.
Lead vocalist and drummer Mary Heney went on to The Pin Group, Scorched Earth Policy and The Terminals while her sister Susan (bass) later played in The Terminals and The McGoohans. Guitarist Sandra Smith (now Cindy Roberts), the author of "Don’t Deceive Me", has recorded as Ex 25 Cents (for a 2008 EP also featuring Susan Heney) and Angel Rock. [SOURCE: AUDIOCULTURE]
The New Blockaders may sound like a hip Indie Rock band, and they may want you to believe such a thing to lure unsuspecting listeners. As merchants of 'anti-music,' they embrace Luigi Russolo's 1913 Art of Noise manifesto and although Russolo is widely credited as being the first major noise theorist and there was plenty of noisy music in the various Avant Gardes of the '60s and '70s, TNB brought noise to the fore like no other previously and were the first to progress from the use of noise as assault on tonality to the development of a rich, complex language capable of subtleties of shade and nuance without sacrificing any of its feral power or ability to unlock repressed personae in the listener.
Ron Lessard, head of legendary US Noise label RRRecords, cites TNB's debut 'Changez Les Blockeurs' (1982) as, 'The first true Noise record of the modern era.' Their manifesto, which accompanies their debut, proclaims, 'Blockade is resistance. It is our duty to blockade and induce others to blockade: Anti-music, anti-art, anti-books, anti-films, anti-communications. We will make anti-statements about anything and everything. We will make a point of being pointless.' Everything about TNB entails refusal. The title of their collection 'Gesamtnichtswerk' is important here. It reminds of Wagner's dream of the total art work -the Gesamtkunstwerk-, but the art is replaced by nothing.
Lazier souls would place TNB within the pantheon-lineage of UK Industrial, although they are seem as a free-standing unit with more in common with the Futurists and (maybe) Einsturzende Neubauten (without the 'songs'): Electrical tools, metal, ear-shredding static noise -the very definition of nihilism through sound. Superficial similarities exist to forebearers like AMM's free form music aesthetic, Throbbing Gristle's 'Second Annual Report' and Lou Reed's one-off decadent, noise-loop experimentation 'Metal Machine Music'. TNB differ in that they have never burdened themselves with writing excessive, sleazy Rock Pop put on, prone to current Pop culture sampling obsessions or attempts at confining unruly, nihilistic sounds. They create a true musical sound cluster of destruction to such an extent that their so-called 'anti-music' transcends nihilism into positivism/optimism suggesting new music.
TNB always suggested more than a band or musical project. They are bent almost as much on philosophy and literary ambitions, issuing manifestos and texts and referencing the likes of Debussy and Nietzsche. TNB never set out to be part of a self-glorifying youth movement where pompous, romanticized bullshit dies hard in an endless, capitalistic magic show. Instead, they depict the emotional tonalities of an ambivalent, ambiguous new century with no form or direction. Their musical legacy offers respite from the fraudulent herd of co-opted streamlined sounds, which masquerade as experimental.
TNB served as a major influence on legendary Noise pioneers such as Merzbow and made a lot of the ‘90s 'Noise-boom' artists look like charlatans. Their influence on the current crop of popular crossover Noise artists such as Prurient and Wolf Eyes is immeasurable. Collaborations in recent years with artists such as Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore have brought their anti-sound to a younger and diverse audience. The metal-bashing of K2, the awkwardness of Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock, the density of Macronympha and the abrasiveness of Merzbow all owe something to the anti-music of TNB. They, more than any other, define the essence of true Noise music both in art and in act. [SOURCE: THE NEW BLOCKADERS]
Philip Best (born June 15, 1968) is an English pioneer of power electronics, who formed the band Consumer Electronics in 1982 at the age of 14. He joined the group Whitehouse, led by William Bennett, in 1983. After a nine-year hiatus starting in 1984, Best rejoined and remained with the group until departing again in 2008. In the early 1980s, Best also ran his own DIY label Iphar, releasing compilations of power electronics. Through the circulation of these controversial cassettes he succeeded in promoting the burgeoning extreme noise genre. Among these cassette releases were 'On to 83', with Gary Mundy, 'Torture Music' by Iphar Clinic, a solo project, and 'White Power', a fake neo-nazi various artists compilation with artists such as Maurizio Bianchi, Sutcliffe Jugend, and Best's other project with Mundy, Consumer Electronics.
Best has been a frequent collaborator with Gary Mundy on projects such as Ramleh (c. 1987–1997).
In 1995, under the Consumer Electronics moniker, Best joined forces with Japanese noise musician Masami Akita –along with several Ramleh cohorts– to release 'Horn of the Goat'. In 1998, Best published his doctoral thesis at Durham University entitled "Apocalypticism in the Fiction of William S. Burroughs, J.G. Ballard and Thomas Pynchon", and later received a doctorate in English literature.
In 2010, a collection of Best's artwork entitled "American Campgrounds" was published by Creation Books, with a foreword written by Peter Sotos. In December 2016, Infinity Land Press published "Alien Existence", a book of over 200 colour reproductions of original artwork by Best, as well as 40 pages of his creative writings, and an extensive interview conducted by Martin Bladh.
Best continues to tour and release music as Consumer Electronics. The current line up includes Best, Russell Haswell and Best's wife Sarah Froelich. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Toll was Gary Mundy's short lived mid-eighties project following the cessation of activities from his power electronics outfit Ramleh in 1984 believing they had achieved all that they could. Toll featured Gary Mundy, Matthew Frith, Tim Soar with guest contributions from around the globe including Tim Gane (Un-kommuniti, who'd later gain acclaim as part of Stereolab), Controlled Bleeding and Pacific 231. Toll represented a strong move away from the power electronics of Ramleh, replaced by a loosely structured song based material to free-flowing noisescapes.
There's a harshness and spontaneous feel which at times throws up the dense, sludginess of sound that would be elaborated upon by the reactivated Ramleh and in Mundy's work with Skullflower. In hindsight Toll is something of the missing link between the two very different manifestations of Ramleh. It surely must have raised some eyebrows when originally in 1986. It's a less easily identifiable sound broaching harsh soundscapes, the sludge-rock type of things- with electronics! It's certainly deserving of wider exposure, especially amongst industrial archivists. [SOURCE: COMPULSIONONLINE]
FâLX çèrêbRi started of as an industrial / experimental project with the release of a limited C10 tape (with real blood sample and packaged in a plastic back with real sheep's brain) and later a C60 tape ('Rite 64') and developed into a more ambient / ritual project with live performances in Berlin, Budapest and Bordeaux. The later sounds were only published on a few cassette only compilations. A second release, on vinyl, was planned but really never happened. The continuation on a more "conceptual" level appeared on limited 7" format FâLX çèrêbRi featuring Graf Haufen on Artcore Editions and several compilations.
The project was re-ignited for occasional new compositions from old materials in December 2017. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
Sutcliffe Jügend was an English power electronics band as the main project of Kevin Tomkins, formerly of Whitehouse, and instantly gained notoriety as one of the harshest groups of the original power electronics scene.
The band formed in 1982 but soon took a hiatus in the mid-1980s which lasted until 1995, at which point the band restarted full-time. The first live appearance by Sutcliffe Jügend was at the Red Rose, London, on 27 August 2005. The show was filmed for Redemption TV in the UK. A CD of the performance entitled 'Live Assault 01' is available on RRRecords.
The band released a boxed set of ten cassettes titled 'We Spit on Their Graves' in 1982 on Come Organisation, which was then bootlegged into a ten-vinyl LP boxed set later on, both of which now change hands for large sums.
Sutcliffe Jugend have played live all over the world, including Singapore, Bankok, Japan, Germany, Holland, Italy, France, Poland, USA.
The band released songs which refer to serial killers and extreme sexual violence, self disgust and reflection. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
