YBO² (pronounced "Ibo Ibo") was a Japanese underground rock group started in 1984 by Kitamura Masashi –former editor of Fool's Mate magazine and founder of the Transrecords and SSE Communications labels– along with Michio Kurihara and Yoshiki Uenoyama of the recently split band ONNA. The band went through a number of line-up changes, the most famous line-up being Kitamura with Kazuyuki Kishino and Tatsuya Yoshida, before splitting in 1990.
A one-off reunion of the original line-up in 2000 led to the reformation of the Kitamura, Kazuyuki, Tatsuya line-up with Masami Akita joining them for a while. However, this line-up didn't last long and soon Michio Kurihara was back in the band with Kitamura, Kishizawa Mitsumasa (the drummer from Kitamura's 90s band Differance) and Morikawa Seiichiroh (formerly with ZOA). The line-up has changed again since.
Kitamura Masashi passed away in 2006.
A veteran act on the London punk scene, 999 outlived most of their peers among the bands that rose to fame during punk's first major splash in 1977. 999 didn't often employ the speedy tempos that many groups used as their trademark; instead, they played tough, straightforward rock, while the disciplined shout of lead singer Nick Cash, an effective instrument for their confrontational lyrics, gave their music a rebellious edge that pushed the songs forward. The band's second album, 1978's 'Separates', showed off their stripped-down original sound, and 1980's 'The Biggest Prize in Sport' traded a bit of their punk snarl for catchier melodies and a more anthemic rock & roll sound. After breaking up for several years, 999 returned in the 1990s, and their reunion albums 'You Us It!' (1993) and 'Takeover' (1998) demonstrated that their take on punk rock stood the test of time.
Named for the British emergency phone number, 999 was formed by guitarist and singer Nick Cash. Under his real name, Keith Lucas, he played guitar for several years with Kilburn & the High Roads, a popular pub rock band that would produce another major figure on the U.K.'s punk/new wave scene, Ian Dury. (Dury was also Lucas' tutor while he was in art school.) After Kilburn & the High Roads broke up, Lucas started writing songs with Guy Days, a fellow guitarist who had sat in on recording sessions with the Kilburns. When punk rock started to become the next big thing, Lucas and Days thought their new songs would suit the style, and opted to form a band. Lucas adopted the stage name Nick Cash, and after placing an ad in Melody Maker magazine, Cash and Days recruited bassist Jon Watson and drummer Pablo LaBritain (the latter of whom briefly played in an early lineup of The Clash). In January 1977, the new group played their first show under the name The Dials, then settled on 999 as their permanent banner the following May. Regular gigging on the London club scene, including residencies at the Marquee Club and the Hope & Anchor, helped 999 win an audience, and by the time 1977 was out, they released a single, 'I'm Alive b/w Quite Disappointing', on their own Labritain label. The single sold over 10,000 copies, and United Artists signed 999 to a record deal.
999's self-titled first album was released in March 1978, and their second LP, 'Separates', came out the following October. While '999' fared well, 'Separates' was the bigger commercial success, and featured their first major hit single, "Homicide," which edged into the U.K. Top 40. A revised edition of 'Separates', 'High Energy Plan', would become their first American release, issued by the independent PVC label in 1979. 999 moved from United Artists to Polydor for their third album, 'The Biggest Prize in Sport', which introduced a poppier, more mainstream flavor to their music. The band toured widely in support, including a long string of dates in the United States, which helped the LP make the Top 200 albums charts in America for the first time. Some of their U.S. shows were documented on the live EP 'The Biggest Tour in Sport', also released in 1980.
The group's mainstream leanings spread further on 1981's 'Concrete', which also charted in the States but was not regarded well by fans or critics; while it was released in the United States and several other territories by Polydor, it appeared on Albion Records in the U.K. Albion also issued 1983's '13th Floor Madness', which found the group attempting to embrace the new romantic movement; it went unreleased in the United States and was poorly received in England. 999 revived their Labritain label for 1985's 'Face to Face', a creative return to form. Not long after it was released, Jon Watson left the band, and Danny Palmer took over on bass for the 1986 tour documented on the live album 'Lust Power and Money'. By the time the live LP came out in 1987, the group had broken up.
In 1993, 999 re-formed, with original members Nick Cash, Guy Days, and Pablo LaBritain joined by bassist Arturo Bassick, who also worked with The Lurkers. This edition of the band quickly went into the recording studio, with the album 'You Us It!' appearing that same year, steeped in straightforward punk rock. Live work would dominate the band's career from this point on, gigging at clubs and major punk festivals in the U.K. and Europe, as well as playing often in the United States, with the group winning a large and loyal audience in Los Angeles. They continued to record on occasion, issuing 'Takeover' in 1998, and releasing an expanded edition of 'Face to Face' in 1999 under the title 'Dancing in the Wrong Shoes'.
The gritty 'Death in Soho' broke 999's recording drought in 2007, and the band maintained their busy touring schedule, with the reunited version of the group proving to be the longest-lasting in their history, while a steady stream of live albums (both new and archival) helped fans beef up their record collections. In 2020, the first 999 studio album in 13 years arrived, 'Bish! Bash! Bosh!', a set of punky pop tunes with a political slant. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Where's Lisse were a Northampton (UK) post-punk band active from 1980 to1982. They released two vinyl on Glass Records: the 7" 'Talk Takes Too Long c/w You Stole My Gun' (1981) and the 12" 'Tutorial EP' featuring the songs "Tutorial", "I'll Think Of Something", "Red Light" and "Call It That" (1982). Main member were John Novak (bass, vocals), member also of punk rock band Isaws (1977-79 and 2002-2017), Cats Collide (1983-1985 and 2015-present), Venus Fly Trap (1986-1988), the design team primarily associated with EMI releases The Red Room (1989-1992) and E The Real K (2010-2013). Other members were Pat Egan (guitar), Ady Tilley (bass) and Mick Packwood (drums, also a member of the post punk band from Northampton The Tempest).
Primarily known as the band Joe Strummer was in before he joined The Clash, The 101'ers were part of the last wave of British pub rock bands of the mid-'70s. The group never released any recordings while they were together, yet they were among the important transitional figures in the metamorphosis of pub rock into punk rock.
Joe Strummer formed The 101'ers in May of 1974, recruiting guitarist Clive Timperley, bassist Dan Kelleher, and drummer Richard Dudanski; according to legend, the group either named themselves after the torture room in George Orwell's "1984" or the building where they lived. By the end of the summer, the group had performed their first concert, playing Brixton's Telegraph pub. For the next year and a half, The 101'ers worked the pub rock circuit. During 1975 and early 1976, the group laid down some demos. In the first half of 1976, The 101'ers had been opening for The Sex Pistols on selected dates. Inspired by the Pistols and the burgeoning punk movement, Strummer decided to quit The 101'ers in June 1976 and form The Clash. Within a month, the group's only single, 'Keys to Your Heart', was released on Chiswick Records.
Following the demise of The 101'ers, Dudanski played with The Raincoats and, later, Public Image Limited; Timperley joined The Passions; and Kelleher became a member of The Derelicts. In 1981, after The Clash had become stars, Strummer allowed a 101'ers compilation called 'Elgin Avenue Breakdown' to be released. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Vágtázó Halottkémek ("Galloping Coroners"), -also known as VHK and Rasende Leichenbeschauer- was a Hungarian rock band active from 1975–2001, and briefly reformed in 2009 and 2013. The band established a unique "shaman punk" or "psychedelic hardcore” sound, and is regarded as one of the most important alternative bands of the 1980s from the Eastern European block. Permanent restrictions by Hungarian authorities made worldwide tours difficult for the band, but its ecstatic concerts garnered surprising success across Western Europe. Though relatively obscure and commercially limited outside of Eastern Europe, Maximumrocknroll described the band as "equal in spirit and grit to faves like Sonic Youth or Big Black but with an identity all its own”. VHK has been praised as a highly important band by Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra and Einstürzende Neubauten. The band played repetitive, wild, yet melodic music, combining tribal shamanic music with rock guitars and drumming to form a uniquely pulsating and obsessive sound. Songs regularly feature ritualistic improvisation, and live shows were often accompanied by ecstatic on-stage actions.
Galloping Coroners (VHK) was formed in Budapest in 1975 by Atilla Grandpierre (singer) and his friends independently from Western world's punk movement that started 1–2 years later. Initial lineup: Atilla Grandpierre (vocal), Sándor Czakó (guitar), László Ipacs (drums), Tamás Pócs (bass guitar), Molnár György (solo guitar). More of them were graduated professionals: The group's leader and main theoretician, Atilla Grandpierre is also astrophysicist, a candidate of physical sciences, employed by the Hungarian Mathematics Institute. Guitarist Sándor Czakó is nuclear physicist, later worked on safety system of Paks Nuclear Power Plant, László Ipacs is a physicists, and Lajos Soós teacher.
In early 70's, Budapest youngsters were talking stories about a mysterious, eccentric teenage boy, Attila Grandpierre, who was doing scandalous actions with his friends e.g. creating home-made rockets etc. As a physicstudent Grandpierre gave private lessons to the 5 year younger high-school student, László Ipacs. Grandpierre and Ipacs's mates become friends, and formed a subcultural creative community mainly driven by Grandpierre's unconvenient visions of life and music. When Ipacs and his friend Sándor Czakó, the only educated musician, formed an amateur band, Grandpierre first just helped the band with musical ideas as an external consultant. Surprisingly they won army's countrywide amateur rock contest. By that time Grandpierre as a well-known personality of Budapest underground life was invited to be singer by several amateur bands. But he was only impressed enough by the Ipacs-Czakó formation, so he joined the band in 1975. The band started to use Vágtázó Halottkémek, name suggested by Grandpierre. As Grandpierre remembers, he wanted a name that express their musical and life philosophy regarding that "people should find their way to the basic, elemental natural power of the Universe and being charged with this power should live a more perfect and active life." He felt it must be a two word band name. First, 'Galloping' tag was to express the activity, energy. The second tag took longer to find out, finally they found that 'Coroners' express greatly their feeling that people on the Earth live on a very basic level, almost like 'living deads', and the band is like the Coroners who say the diagnosis of this state.
In 1975 the band recorded their first songs. They aroused their first public acclaim among Budapest teenagers when bandmates walked along Váci Street playing VHK on cassette recorder demonstratively. VHK gave the first concert at a high-school event in 1976. The concert was stopped after 20 minutes by event supervisor singing-teacher finding the band and the audience too excited and scandalous. Fans had to wait 2 years for next concert. In 1978 the concert again was stopped because the organizers were afraid about the allegedly 'violent consequences'. Next 6 concerts were also interrupted by the authorities. In Soviet-block, Goulash-communist Hungary Galloping Coroners' ecstatic music was extremely scandalous sound vs. state controlled music scene. Though VHK didn't play political songs, authorities were afraid of a band that seemed to have 'subversive effect on youths'. VHK soon became the No.1 banned rock band and had been officially banished within Hungary for 11 years. Members were harassed by the police, observed by the secret agent net and not allowed to release an LP and make concerts legally. So in the seventies VHK had only few concerts, still the band continuously found ways to play underground concerts at various scenes. Vágtázó Halottkémek was helped to the stage by the fans of other bands, or there were concert-organizers taking the risk to be kicked out because of allowing them play. They used fake names, played as guest musicians of other bands without revelealing themselves as VHK at the concert. Due to this concerts and fan-made cassette recordings VHK's fame spread rapidly among youth communities in Budapest. By the end of 70's VHK gained countrywide reputation among youths regarded as "the wildest band in Hungary". Experimental film director Gábor Bódy recognised VHK for his 1983 film “Dog's Night Song” featuring the band and lead howler Attila Grandpierre as an actor.
VHK had no LP and forbidden to concert within Hungary, but by the 80's the band's fame reached Western Europe, first Germany through personal channels. In Gábor Bódy movie "Nachtlied des Hundes" (1983) the West-Berlin artist, author and philosopher Wolfgang Müller from the cult-band Die Tödliche Doris discover the band and invited them to West-Berlin, where they were totally unknown. The band played 1984 in Berlin-Kreuzberg Frontkino, which was already a famous underground space. Now they started to build a growing fan-base in Germany. In 1981 the first VHK song was published on a German Ata Tak's 'Fix Planet' compilation LP. From 1984 VHK played regularly in Western-Europe, despite Hungarian authorities tried to obstruct administratively, not giving passport to VHK's members to get concerts in Western-Europe. In 1986 VHK was invited to Amsterdam, that was "Cultural Capital of Europe" in that year. Dutch Queen, Beatrix should have personally pressure Hungarian authorities to give passports and allow band's performance. In 1987 Austrian chancellor, Fred Sinowatz also had to make diplomatic steps toward the Hungarian Ministry of Culture to leave VHK play in Austria. In 1982 Kristen Dehlholm, avantgarde theatre director and VHK-related artists, founded VHK's Ritual Theatre, accompanying concerts with movement and sound theatre elements. Thanks to this 1988 VHK played in the "Mythen, Monstren and Mutationen" festival in Berlin. In 1988 Einstürzende Neubauten, Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra and Iggy Pop met VHK and all of them were impressed by VHK's obsessive performance. In the last years before the collapse of Hungarian communist soft regime, VHK played with Rollins Band in Hungary. Rollins Band invited VHK for a tour in England in 1989. In 1992 they released their 3'rd LP 'Hammering on the Gates of Nothingness' both in Europe and the US. LP's title song reached 2nd position on the top-list of a Belgian music radio station, and VHK were played in numerous US college radios.
First international manager of the band was Dietmar Lupfer. VHK released with him their first 3 records, 'Teach Death a Lesson' (1988), 'Jump Out the World-Instinct' (1990), 'Hammering on the Gates of Nothingness' (1992) at Sonic Boom Records for Europe, while this LP's were released by Alternative Tentacles in the US. Despite Jello Biafra's offer to manage the band in the US, the band decided to leave Alternative Tentacles and produce next LP in USA themselves, but VHK's self-promotion failed. Between 2001-2009 VHK didn't give concerts. From 2005 band leader Atilla Grandpierre continued VHK's musical concept in neotraditional Vágtázó Csodaszarvas ("Galloping Wonder Stag"), changing electronic instruments into traditional Hungarian acoustic folk instruments, developed a clear, modern still ancient style.
In 2009 Grandpierre renewed VHK, releasing 'Forgószél!' ('Tornado!') LP, under "Galloping Life Power" band name. The "Coroners" tag was changed to "Life Power" to express more directly Grandpierre's fully positive life attitude, as he said. Later they started to use Galloping Coroners band name again and released 'Bite the Stars!' LP in 2012.
[SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Formed in the early '80s, the hardcore punk band 7 Seconds has been among the longest lived of any group from the first wave of Cali punk (forming in Reno, NV, and eventually relocating to Sacramento), though frontman Kevin Seconds has proved to be the only consistent member; changes during the mid-'80s moved guitarist Bobby Adams, drummer Troy Mowat, and bassist Steve Youth (Seconds' brother) into the lineup. The group released several 7" singles just after forming, and Seconds signed the band to the Better Youth Organization label by 1982. The three LPs released on BYO culminated in 7 Seconds' most authoritative album, 'Walk Together, Rock Together'. Signed to Restless in the late '80s, 7 Seconds delivered 'Soulforce Revolution' and 'Ourselves' before moving again, to Headhunter. The band released three albums for Headhunter, but signed with their first major label, Epic, in 1995. 'The Music, the Message' was 7 Seconds' first Epic LP, released in 1995. By 1999's 'Good to Go', however, the band was back on the indie front, now releasing material through the Side 1 label. In mid-2000, they released 'Scream Real Loud', followed five years later by their 13th LP, 'Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over!' Throughout the group's career, Seconds has maintained several side projects, including Drop Acid, Five Feet Ten Inches, and Mustard. He also released several solo efforts starting in the '90s, including a 2002 split acoustic album on Asian Man alongside Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Karl Blake (born 1956 in Reading, Berkshire, England) is a vocalist, bassist, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Most of his own music can be described as progressive-experimental and sometimes psychedelic.
Blake is most noted, in addition to his solo work, for his work with Lemon Kittens, Danielle Dax, Shock Headed Peters, Sol Invictus, Current 93, Left Hand Right Hand, Seven Pines and Gaë Bolg and the Church of Fand. Other past projects include Alternative TV, The Underneath, Evil Twin, British Racing Green and various other solo and session work.
He began playing and self-recording in 1973/4, and his first band to have a commercially released record, Lemon Kittens, was formed by Blake and Gary Thatcher on 5 April 1978. It went through numerous line-up changes before it again became a two-piece group consisting of Blake and Danielle Dax, with the addition of others for live performance (the group only played around 22 concerts during their entire existence). Between 1979 and 1981, Lemon Kittens released two albums as well as two EPs. Cassette-only Lemon Kittens recordings were made under the name Gland Shrouds in 1980.
Blake also released solo cassettes, including 'Tank Death' and 'The New Pollution'. In 1982 he formed Shock Headed Peters with Ashley Wales, eventually adding Dave Knight, then Mark Rowlatt and Clive Glover. In 1986 he started The Underneath, a solo project, releasing an EP and an album featuring various guests. Shock Headed Peters disbanded in October 1987 before reforming in 1990, again with founder-members Blake and Knight. In 1987, weeks after Shock Headed Peters' first disbanding, Evil Twin and British Racing Green were formed. Evil Twin was Karl Blake and David Mellor, with the addition of guest vocalist Amy Rodenberg. They recorded one album, 'The Black Spot', between 1987 and 1991. Both groups are dormant since the early 1990s.
Blake toured extensively and recorded with Left Hand Right Hand from 1988 through until 2004. In 2005 Blake split ways with Sol Invictus, the group he had long been associated with through studio recordings and live appearances, and denounced both the group and the neofolk genre for, in his view, right wing leanings. At present, Blake plays (live only) for Gaë Bolg and the Church of Fand and also for Seven Pines. The instrumental track "Zoé" on the Seven Pines CD 'Le Cri' (2006) was in fact written and performed by Blake on the spot and, unknown to him, orchestrated and released by the leader of Gaë Bolg, Eric Roger. It is one of the last recorded pieces by Blake to be released to date. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
After Suspect from Amsterdam split, Peter Prima (drums), Berni von Braun (guitar) and Gila Gröger (a.k.a. Gila Moussou a.k.a. Gila Du Juice) went on to form Schlaflose Nächte.
Dutch artist Rob Scholte (The Young Lions, Suspect), appears on their first record only because it was recorded while they were still Suspect.
Schaflose Nächte also supported acts such as Pigbag, Einstürzende Neubauten and Captain Beefheart.
While their biggest international exposure was a cameo in the Tarantino flick "Kill Bill",5.6.7.8's are much more than one-hit wonders, bearing the proud distinction of being the prime and longest-enduring Japanese garage rock girl band. Featuring a revolving cast of musicians (only one of them ever being a boy) and possessing small but loyal fanbases in countries from China to the U.S., 5.6.7.8's is the brainchild of the sisters Ronnie "Yoshiko" Fujiyama and Fujii Sachiko, and it reflects their love for music of the '50s to the '80s, bluntly alluded to in the group's name.
The band was formed in 1986, at the height of the garage rock hype that seized Tokyo at the time. The first lineup included Fujiyama, who handled the vocals, and Sachiko (the drummer), supported by guitarist Rico and bassist Yoshie, who was replaced by Mikako in time for the band's debut demo 'Golden Hits of the 5.6.7.8's' (1988). It was followed by the band's first EP 'Mondo Girls A-Go-Go' (1989). In 1990 Rico and Mikako defected to start Sleaze Sisters, and were replaced by bassist Akiko Omo and guitarist Eddie Legend, the sole male member of the group, who used to don a wig to blend in better when they played live, but still lasted only a year before departing to start MAD 3. After that, Fujiyama picked up the guitar herself, although 5.6.7.8's still performed as a quartet, with support member Gaku on the saxophone. The band's first full-length album, 'The 5.6.7.8's Can't Help It!', was recorded in 1991, out not only in Japan, but in Australia and the U.S. as well (the American release came in 1992). That began a period of the band's active overseas expansion: they toured Australia and America and released the single 'The Spell Stroll' on the French label Wee Records. Japan remained their main playground -they had several releases there in the '90s, namely EPs 'I Was a Teenage Cave Woman' (1992) and 'Pin Heel Stomp' (1997), as well as the second full-length 'The 5.6.7.8's' (1994)-, but they also had six singles and the EP 'Bomb the Twist' (1995) out in the U.S. The lineup continued to shift, with guitarist Aya joining the band for several months in 1995, and Omo leaving before their first big Japanese tour in 1996, replaced by Yamaguchi Yoshiko. In 1997, Fujiyama took a short break from the band, releasing the solo single 'Coney Island'.
The years between 1998 and 2002 saw no releases, but some heavy touring in Japan, America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. In 2002, Quentin Tarantino heard their CD in a clothing shop in Tokyo, and soon invited them to star as themselves in a "Kill Bill" scene (they contributed the song "Woo Hoo" for the movie soundtrack). 2002 also saw 5.6.7.8's releasing the album 'Teenage Mojo Workout' and the EP 'Pretty Little Lilly Can Dance No More', and their compilation 'Best Hits of the 5.6.7.8's' came out in America and Japan in 2003 (it was released in Europe the next year). In 2004, 'Teenage Mojo Workout' was released in Britain, and the single 'Woo Hoo' reached number 24 on the local charts, but long-term British success eluded them. The same year Yoshiko gave up her post for Omo, who returned to being 5.6.7.8's bassist after an eight-year hiatus. The band has kept quiet since 2004, releasing no new material but playing the occasional live show. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Admittedly, Indianapolis has never really been known for producing much in the way of bands, whether punk or pop or otherwise. But in the late '70s/early '80s, the Midwestern city produced a band whose short-lived first phase (more on that later) produced one of the more memorable full-length hardcore albums of all time. The band, dubbed the Zero Boys, was formed in the spring of 1979 when singer Paul Mahern "discovered" The Sex Pistols in Creem magazine and roped in guitarist Terry Hollywood, bassist John Mitchell, and drummer Mark Cutsinger. Within three weeks of their first practice -in the grand tradition of most great hardcore bands- the band was playing its first show, and six months later the bandmembers found themselves recording their first EP. That debut, 'Livin' in the '80s' (released in 1980), was influenced by the more well-known groups of the time, such as The Sex Pistols, Ramones, and Dictators, who were on major labels and actually got some face time in the mainstream rock press.
The EP got some very minor attention, given that there were only 500 copies pressed, but forces both external and internal to the Zero Boys were to lay the groundwork for their follow-up, which was to be the acclaimed mark they had wished to leave. Internally, the band had a roster change in the form of bassist David "Tufty" Clough replacing John Mitchell. Clough was a faster, more frenetic player, taking the Zero Boys' sound to blazing new places. Externally, by the turn of the decade the West Coast hardcore scene had begun to fully develop, influencing new scenes in Minneapolis, Detroit, and -more specifically- Indianapolis. The speed and polemics of bands such as Black Flag and The Circle Jerks were backed up by an indie label and word of mouth network with zines like Flipside and Maximum Rock and Roll that would allow bands like the Zero Boys to play places as far as Los Angeles, New York, and Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Zero Boys began rehearsing in the garage for recording sessions that were to begin in summer of 1981. Two days of recording and 16 songs later, the band's landmark full-length, 'Vicious Circle', was completed and released on minor-league label Nimrod Records in 1982. Even though the record was to garner critical acclaim and turn the band into one of the legends of early-'80s hardcore, the band was to fold a year later, citing being "landlocked" in Indianapolis in comparison to the larger national scene. Bassist Clough was to join up with Toxic Reasons, and Mahern formed two short-lived bands, Dandelion Abortion and Datura Seeds, before focusing his time as a producer and engineer. The band found new life after the positive reception the reissue of 'Vicious Circle' (with bonus tracks) received upon its release in 1988 on the Toxic Shock label. Three-quarters of the band got back together (with guitarist Hollywood replaced by Vess Ruthenberg), and toured and released two further albums, 1991's 'Make It Stop' and 1993's 'The Heimlich Maneuver' (released on Bitzcore and Skyclad, respectively). The band would fade out, and by the turn of the 21st century had re-formed to tour in support of the release for 'History Of'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
One of Japan's more eccentric and intriguing extreme music exports of the late '80s and '90s, self-professed "progressive hardcore trio" Zeni Geva (their name derives from an ancient Japanese word for "money" and a corruption of the German "gewalt," or violence) forcibly fused elements of heavy metal, hardcore, industrial music, noise rock, and the avant-garde, gaining no small underground recognition in the process.
Having already made a name for himself via several experimental outfits (Absolut Null Punkt, YBO2) and collaborations with Merzbow earlier in the decade, vocalist, guitarist, and programmer K.K. Null (real name Kazuyuki Kishino) founded Zeni Geva in 1987, calling on guitarist Fumiyoshi Suzuki and drummer Ikuo Taketani to join him on debut album 'How to Kill', released on Null's own NUX Organization label. Said album also featured a short-lived vocalist named Elle who was replaced by bassist Bunsho Nishikawa come 1988's amusingly named 'Vast Impotenz' cassette EP, but he too would be gone by the release of 1990's watershed 'Maximum Money Monster' LP, which brought industrial discipline to Zeni Geva's savage sonic outbursts while introducing new guitarist Mitsuru Tabata (ex-Boredoms) and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, briefly borrowed from Ruins. Finally, Zeni Geva found stability with the recruitment of drummer Eito Noro, and with it came greater international touring and success, beginning with Steve Albini-produced albums like 'Total Castration' (1991), 'Live in Amerika' (1992), 'Desire for Agony' (1993), 'Freedom Bondage' (1995), and others. These efforts reined in some of the band's former flair for chaos with a heavier focus on noise rock, and the final pair was released by Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label, while 1993's 'All Right, You Little Bastards!' constituted a proper Albini/Zeni Geva collaboration.
When Noro decided to leave the band in 1996, Zeni Geva carried on touring irregularly (with American percussionist Blake Fleming stepping into the breach), but recording activities came to a standstill as Null increasingly immersed himself in a string of solo and collaborative releases. The next Zeni Geva album, '10,000 Light Years' (featuring Null, Tabata, and drummer Masataka Fujikake), did not emerge until 2001 through Neurot Recordings, and its highly experimental nature clearly reflected Null's recent avant sound exploits. The album also proved to be a one-off, as Null resumed his prolific solo endeavors shortly thereafter and Tabata also remained busy, primarily with Acid Mothers Temple. The Zeni Geva engine was not refueled again until 2009, when onetime drummer Yoshida rejoined Null and Tabata for a spate of touring that yielded 2010's 'Alive and Rising', but it remains to be seen whether there will be more band activity in the future. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Ledernacken is a German band (actually Ledernacken is the stage name of Folke Jensen) that had several successes mainly in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the American "underground" club scene. The musical style during of their first years was a mix of electronic, hard rock and dance floor, accompanied by ethno-African rhythms, sung in German and English. Due to the lyrics, which were perceived as sexist and violent, they were hardly played on the radio. Their biggest success was the single 'Amok!' which was played in the club scene of the 1980s. The musicians are and were also involved in numerous other projects, e.g., Folke Jensen with The Tilman Rossmy Quartet and Saal 2, and Hayo Panarinfo with Beats 4 U, Boytronic, Extravaganza, F.r.e.u.d., Matiz, AC 16, Polyphonic, Soulife, Triggertrax or U96. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Diseño Corbusier were an experimental industrial/minimal wave group from Spain who were active during the 1980s. Utilizing primitive drum machines and keyboards and employing Burroughs-inspired cut-up vocals, their Dadaist recordings fell somewhere in between Esplendor Geométrico and Cabaret Voltaire at their earliest and strangest. Javier García Marín and Rafael Flores formed the group in Granada in late 1981, and Ani Zinc (also known as Neo Zelanda) joined soon afterwards. Flores left, but Zinc and Marín created the label Auxilio De Cientos, and their work as Diseño Corbusier started to receive notice from the underground music world. After their 'Stadia' cassette was released in 1983, they appeared on numerous compilations along with artists like Muslimgauze and Maurizio Bianchi. They released two vinyl LPs -'Pérfido Encanto' (1985) and 'El Alma de la Estrella' (1986)- before disbanding. In 2012, both LPs were reissued by Vinilisssimo, and 'Stadia' was released on vinyl by Dark Entries in 2016. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Over the course of his career, director John Carpenter earned as much acclaim for his music as for his filmmaking. At first, he composed the scores for his films out of necessity, crafting a distinctive sound dominated by pulsing, arpeggiated synthesizers and atmospheric washes that echoed his stark visual style. The minimalist approach he took on 1976's 'Assault on Precinct 13' influenced generations of electronic and hip-hop artists to come, while the score for 1978's 'Halloween' -and its main theme in particular- became iconic for its icy piano and synths. Later, Carpenter adopted a fuller, more complex approach on the music for 1981's 'Escape from New York' and more guitar-driven scores including 1998's Saturn Award-winning 'Vampires' and 2001's 'Ghosts of Mars'. During the 2000s and 2010s, the influence of Carpenter's style grew rapidly, with artists such as Umberto, Zombi, Majeure, and Portishead's Geoff Barrow, and the synthwave genre drawing inspiration from his work. The director's first album of music not associated with a film, 2015's 'Lost Themes', was every bit as evocative as his scores and marked the beginning of a creative renaissance. By the time of 2021's 'Lost Themes III: Alive After Death' and his work with the legendary horror franchise on that year's "Halloween Kills" score and 2022's "Halloween Ends", Carpenter's status as an electronic music innovator was undeniable.
Born in Carthage, New York, in 1948, Carpenter and his family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1953. His father was a music professor at Western Kentucky University, and it was his work that first sparked Carpenter's interest in music. His passion for film was just as great, and his fascination with '50s science fiction, horror, and Westerns led him to shoot his own 8-mm films in his spare time, starting at age nine. After attending Western Kentucky University for a couple of years, he transferred to the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in 1968, where he wrote and directed the short film "Captain Voyeur" in 1969. Carpenter composed the music for his next film, 1970's "The Resurrection of Broncho Billy", in addition to directing and editing it; it won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
Realizing that keyboards allowed him to create big-sounding music affordably, Carpenter first used a synthesizer -an EMS VCS3- to compose the score to 1974's sci-fi comedy "Dark Star" (the movie's music was finally released in 1980, and reissued in an expanded limited-edition in 2016). For his next film, the Howard Hawks-inspired thriller 1976's "Assault on Precinct 13", he recorded the music in three days, a feat that was all the more impressive considering that the synth banks he used had to be painstakingly reset to create each new tone in the music. The score's droning, pulsing sound established Carpenter's signature sound, and though it proved influential on generations of artists to come, it didn't see an official release until the French label Record Makers issued it in 2003.
In 1978, Carpenter delivered two well-received films: the thriller "Eyes of Laura Mars" and "Halloween", which pioneered the slasher genre and for many years held the record for the biggest box-office gross for an independently released film. Once again, Carpenter created the film's music, and its theme song became popular in its own right. After directing the television movie "Elvis" -which marked one of the few times he didn't compose the music for one of his projects, as well as his first collaboration with Kurt Russell- he returned to the big screen with 1980's "The Fog", a supernatural horror film with a score that added piano to his electronic textures. Carpenter reunited with Russell for 1981's "Escape from New York", which became one of the director's best-loved films and also began his partnership with sound designer Alan Howarth. With Howarth handling the mechanics of recording, Carpenter could focus on composing, and the score's blend of electronics, electric guitar, and acoustic instrumentation took inspiration from Tangerine Dream and The Police. Though Carpenter didn't direct "Halloween II", he and Howarth composed and performed its score, which replaced the original piano-based music with a synth organ for an even darker feel.
Carpenter's next film, 1982's "The Thing", boasted a score by Ennio Morricone. Carpenter and Howarth teamed up again for that year's music to "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" and the 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's "Christine", while the music for 1984's "Starman" was written by Jack Nitzsche and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. The director returned to composing with 1986's "Big Trouble in Little China". Eschewing stereotypically Asian sounds for his signature blend of rock and electronics, the music also included Carpenter's band The Coupe De Villes performing the film's theme song. Though its mix of martial arts, comedy, and fantasy failed to match the director's previous box office successes, "Big Trouble in Little China" became a cult classic, as did 1987's "Prince of Darkness" and the following year's "They Live".
During the '90s, Carpenter continued to focus on smaller projects over which he could maintain greater control. These included 1993's "Body Bags", a television horror anthology film that found the director working with composer Jim Lang and 1995's "In the Mouth of Madness", another cult favorite that featured a collaborative score by Lang and Carpenter. Also in 1995, the director worked with The Kinks' Dave Davies on the music for his remake of the classic 1960 British film. For the score to 1996's "Escape from New York" sequel "Escape from L.A.", Carpenter teamed with composer Shirley Walker (who wrote the music for 1992's "Memoirs of an Invisible Man"). He widened his team of musical collaborators on 1998's "Vampires", recruiting guitarist Steve Cropper as part of his band The Texas Toad Lickers and bringing on his son Cody and godson Daniel Davies on keyboards and guitar, respectively. The film won Best Music at that year's Saturn Awards. A video game fan, Carpenter also composed the music for the PC/PlayStation title "Sentinel Returns" in 1998.
The director's first project of the 2000s was 2001's "Ghosts of Mars". Though the film received mostly negative reviews, it earned praise for its soundtrack, which featured Anthrax as well as guitarists including Steve Vai and Buckethead. The disappointing reaction to "Ghosts of Mars" led Carpenter to leave Hollywood. Later in the decade, he directed episodes for Showtime's "Masters of Horror" television series and participated in a number of documentaries about horror films and Hollywood history. He returned to filmmaking with 2010's "The Ward", which featured a score by composer Mark Kilian. During this time, Carpenter's legacy as a pioneering electronic composer grew, in part because the U.K. label Death Waltz Originals reissued many of his early scores.
In the early 2010s, Carpenter concentrated on making music with Cody (who makes his own music as Ludrium) and Davies. The trio's improvisation-based songs became 'Lost Themes', which Sacred Bones released in February 2015; a remix EP appeared later in the year. In April 2016, 'Lost Themes II', which found the trio recording together instead of collaborating long distance, arrived. Following Carpenter's first-ever concert tours, he re-recorded a selection of his most well-known themes. Sacred Bones issued 'Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998' in October 2017. The following year, Carpenter returned to the Halloween franchise for the first time since 1982. Along with serving as executive producer, he, Davies, and Cody Carpenter composed the music for a new installment in the series that featured an updated version of the film's classic theme. "Halloween" and its soundtrack appeared in October 2018, and the film became the highest-grossing installment in the series to date. In 2019, Carpenter was presented with the Carrosse d'Or Award at that year's Cannes Film Festival and narrated the synthwave documentary "The Rise of the Synths". The next year saw the limited-edition release of 'Lost Cues: The Thing', which collected the additional music Carpenter composed to supplement Morricone's score after editing the film. After contributing to Davies' 2020 album 'Signals', Carpenter reconvened with his son and godson for February 2021's 'Lost Themes III: Alive After Death', another collection of instrumentals in the tradition of his scores. That October, the trio collaborated on "Halloween Kills", which updated the legendary horror franchise's iconic music with an expanded sonic palette. The three musicians also composed the scores for the 2022 remake of "Firestarter" and "Halloween Ends". [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Secession was a Scottish synthpop band that was active between 1983 and 1987. The original incarnation comprised Peter Thomson (guitar, keyboards, synthesizer and vocals) Jack Ross (guitar, synthesizer and vocals) Jim Ross (bass guitar) and Carole L. Branston (keyboards and vocals).
Prior to being renamed Secession, the band played at least one gig as The Gift. After a performance at Buster Brown’s nightclub in Edinburgh, the band were introduced to Hamish Brown, a local entrepreneur, who offered to manage them. This was followed by the addition of a fifth member, Alistair MacLeod (percussion and vocals) a friend of the original members, who had also provided the photograph for the sleeve of the band's independently released debut single, 'Betrayal'.
Shortly after recording demo material at Palladium Studios in Edinburgh, Jack Ross, disillusioned with the direction the music was taking, left the band. MacLeod was then asked to divide his contribution between percussion and synthesizer/sequencing, and the band continued in this form for a short period of time until Jim Ross left, cutting the line-up to a threesome. This was the unit which produced the original demo of "Fire Island" (based around two sequences programmed on a Yamaha DX7) at Planet Studios in Edinburgh, which subsequently came to the attention of the Beggars Banquet Records A&R department.
After being signed by Beggars Banquet, the trio re-recorded "Fire Island," at REL Studios in Edinburgh, later remixed by the production team associated with Freeez and John Rocca. Prior to its release, MacLeod left the band to concentrate on photography, and was replaced by Charlie D. Kelly.
The final incarnation of Secession, associated with almost the entire released catalogue, consisted of Thomson, Branston, Kelly, and J.L. Seenan. The band was mainly on two different record labels during their short career, Beggars Banquet and Siren Records. They released a number of singles starting in 1983, until they released their only album 'A Dark Enchantment' in late 1987.
After Secession split, Kelly and Seenan went on to join The Vaselines with Charlie's brother, Eugene, and Frances McKee.
Their singer, Thomson, who penned their most commercially successful song, "Touch (Part 3)," died in 2001.
Hard Corps were a 1980s synthpop band from Brixton, London. Hugh Ashton, Robert Doran and Clive Pierce were introduced to chanteuse Regine Fetet, who, having never sung before had an enigmatic, fragile human voice which mated perfectly with the sound the three British sound engineers were creating. They pioneered electronic music in the 1980s and released their first single in 1984 ('Dirty / Respirer') on Survival Records, with "Respirer" also being released that year on 'The Art of Survival' compilation EP along with bands such as Tik and Tok, Eddie and Sunshine and Richard Bone. A later re-recording in 1985 of "Respirer" was produced by Mute Records founder and electronic music production supremo Daniel Miller.
In 1985, the band supported The Cure in the UK and Europe and in 1988 supported Depeche Mode in the UK. By the time the band released their first album in 1990 (produced by Martin Rushent), they had already split up. Doran went on to write music for TV, radio, commercials and video with the singer from Perfect Strangers, Rod Syers. Ashton carried on with Regine for a while doing PAs and using the Hard Corps' name before becoming The Sun Kings with former Naked Lunch member Paul ‘Driver’ Davies. Clive Pierce continued writing and producing electronic music.
The band is noteworthy for Regine's provocative performances, which often involved her removing her top on stage; an apocryphal story suggests that this may have been the reason for the band not supporting Depeche Mode in the USA. Regine Fetet died of cancer in 2003. A number of previously unreleased tracks have been made available on LPs compiled by Minimal Wave Records. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Miranda Stanton, best known for her recordings as Stanton Miranda, Miranda Dali and Thick Pigeon, is a 1980s Factory Records artist from New York City. She achieved some notice for her single "Wheels Over Indian Trails" (produced by Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert from New Order) and her later cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division. She also guested on recordings by The Durutti Column. Her first band was CKM in New York with Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, where she played drums.
She had a brief acting career, appearing in the Jonathan Demme films, "Something Wild", "Married to the Mob" and "Silence of the Lambs". She also played the lead role in the little known art-house film "Souvenir" (1996), which was directed by Michael H. Shamberg. She continues to work on small scale musical projects. Working as blythe dahl she has released instrumental tracks online which are available for license through Pump Audio/Getty Images. She also participated in the web collaboration "Empty Rooms with Casual Sounds". [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Portion Control are a British electronic and industrial band from South London, formed in 1979 with a line-up of Dean Piavani, Ian Sharp and John Whybrew. The band pioneered the use of sampling and were acclaimed for their use of the Apple II computer based Greengate DS3 sampling and sequencing system. They have been cited as an influence on Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy, Orbital and Nine Inch Nails. Portion Control's early sound blends innocuously
with the moodier moments of Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle", and
at times demonstrated a gift for gritty, teethgrinding distortion, not
unlike Esplendor Geometrico". The band described their early
approach to music as "electropunk".
The trio's first release, the cassette-only 'A Fair Portion' (including Andy Wilson of The Passage on bass), was issued in 1980 by Ladelled Music, followed by three further cassettes on In Phaze Records, 'Gaining Momentum' and 'Private Illusions No 1' (both 1981) and 'With Mixed Emotion' (1982).
Their first full-length vinyl release, 'I Staggered Mentally', was released 22 November 1982 by In Phaze. The album marked the beginning of the band's underground recognition and was noted for its use of the distinctive Roland TB-303 many years before the sound became popularized by acid house and techno music. With the release in 1983 of 'Step Forward', the band branched into a more melodic sound, earning them a supporting role in Depeche Mode's 1984 tour. In January 1984, Portion Control recorded a Peel Session. In 1987, the band ended.
All three founding members reorganized in 1990 as Solar Enemy. The band released two albums on Third Mind Records and T.E.Q. Music respectively, with some songs that did some reasonable business in the clubscene at the time. Solar Enemy ceased activity in 1993. Piavanni and Whybrew reformed Portion Control in 2002, and self-released their first reunion album, 'Wellcome', in 2004. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
In 1979 mime artists extraordinaire Tim Dry and Barbie Wilde united with disco champion dancers Robert Pereno, LA Richards and Karen Sparks to produce Shock: a rock / mime / burlesque / music troupe. In April 1980, they recruited another mime Sean Crawford, who had a unique robotic act called Plastic Joe. The line-up changed with the departure of Karen and the quick introduction and departure of Penny Dunlop who was finally replaced with long legged Carole Caplin.
Shock performed in clubs like The Hacienda (Manchester) The Warehouse (Leeds) and The Blitz and The Venue (London). With costumes from designers Kahn and Bell they found themselves in the vanguard of the New Romantic cult of the early '80's, alongside Boy George, Duran Duran, Adam Ant and Spandau Ballet.
Their first record 'Angel Face', with production by Rusty Egan (Visage) and Richard Burgess (Landscape) was a modest dance floor hit. In 1981, Shock costarred with Ultravox at the legendary "People's Palace Valentine's Ball" at the Rainbow Theatre. This was the moment when the New Romantic scene exploded and went from being an obscure cult to a global trend.
Shock then took New York City by storm in March 1981 when they performed at The Ritz in downtown Manhattan. The list of who they have worked with goes on but Shock did catch the eye of one superstar which led onto their biggest live concert in April 1981 with Gary Numan at Wembley Arena.
Shock did numerous tours of Europe and the Far East as well as countless television shows in the UK. They eventually broke up and reformed as a foursome with Barbie, Tim, Sean and Carole and released the single, 'Dynamo Beat', on RCA Records. However, soon Tim and Sean as Tik & Tok broke away to form their own successful double act. Barbie went back to her first loves of acting and TV presenting. Carole went on to become a lifestyle advisor to Cherie Blair. [SOURCE: BARBIEWILDE.COM]
Soft Drinks was a Minimal Synth unit formed by members of Rudimentary Peni (Jon Greville, drums, also in The Snake Corps) and Sad Lovers And Giants (Cliff Silver, vocals, also in Gambit Of Shame) with Lee Greville (keyboards), coming together for an angsty early electro punk mod minimal wave project. They only released the 'Popstars In Their Pyjamas' 7" Single on Outer Himalayan Records in 1982.
