Tag: Andy McCluskey (Page 4 of 5)

25 SONGS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SINGLES

19 February 2014 /

The concept of the single in the past has been to present an artist’s most immediate work for mass consumption and appreciation, often as a trailer for an album or compilation.
Like it or not, many acts’ best songs have been released as singles. They often reach an audience who would not normally be interested in the tribulations of a much longer journey.

Looking back throughout pop history, many pinnacles of a group’s career have been exclusively single releases; THE WALKER BROTHERS ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’, THE BEATLES ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ and THE JAM ‘Going Underground’ are a number of examples.

Today’s culture of individual track downloading now makes virtually every song in existence a single. However, a fair number of recordings which have become standards within live sets and have become a key part of a band’s history have never been accorded a single release. Such were some bands’ standings in their heyday that many were potential hits.

So here are 25 synth friendly songs which ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK felt should have been given singular status. Listing tracks not released as 45s or CD singles in the UK with a limit of one song per artist moniker, they are arranged in chronological and then alphabetical order.

GARY NUMAN Metal (1979)

With Minimoog riffage in abundance, ‘Metal’ would have made a perfect follow-up to ‘Cars’ and in hindsight, been less of a public anti-climax than the brave, but misguided release of ‘Complex’, as great a song as it is. Full of dystopian resignation with references to “liquid engineers” and chilling vox humana courtesy of the Polymoog, ‘Metal’ was Sci-Fi musicality at its best. Even NINE INCH NAILS covered it and nearly 35 years later, it is still part of the Gary Numan live set.

Available on the GARY NUMAN album ‘The Pleasure Principle’ via Beggars Banquet Records

http://www.numan.co.uk/

JOHN FOXX A New Kind Of Man (1980)

“I want to be a machine” cried JOHN FOXX as far back as 1977 on the first ‘Ultravox!’ album. Starting off side two of ‘Metamatic’, the former Dennis Leigh realised his mechanised JG Ballard inspired electro theories and went up to the next level with ‘A New Kind of Man’. Is it about genetically modified humans or homo superiors? Who knows? But the chilling Elka string machine and frightening detuned synthetics made it a distinctly new kind of song in a brave new world.

Available on the JOHN FOXX album ‘Metamatic’ via Edsel Records

http://www.metamatic.com/

JAPAN Swing (1980)

JAPAN found a refuge at Virgin Records who released their fourth album ‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’. One of its best numbers was ‘Swing’ which combined David Sylvian’s muzak travelogue with Richard Barbieri’s Oriental synth textures. It was probably one of the last times JAPAN were fully as one. Guitarist Rob Dean made a full contribution before being forced out while the rhythm section of the late Mick Karn and Steve Jansen were amazingly fluid over the drum machine bossa nova.

Available on the JAPAN album ‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’ via Virgin Records

http://www.nightporter.co.uk/

JOY DIVISION Isolation (1980)

OK, so JOY DIVISION never took singles from their albums but what if they had? This would have been a contender. Featuring an ARP Omni and an early version of the Simmons drum synthesizer, ‘Isolation’ was the most electronic track JOY DIVISION ever recorded although Hooky’s bass ensured there was a gritty punk rock edge. When NEW ORDER reformed for the first time in 1998, a drum ‘n’ bass flavoured rework of ‘Isolation’ was part of the live set.

Available on the JOY DIVISION album ‘Closer’ via WEA Records

http://joydivisionofficial.com/

THE HUMAN LEAGUE The Things That Dreams Are Made Of (1981)

Optimistic and aspirational, ‘The Things That Dreams Are Made Of’ is the key song from ‘Dare’ and was a metaphor for THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s then pop ambitions. Gloriously spacious and delightfully catchy, each synthesizer voicing has its place while Phil Oakey gives full justice to Adrian Wright’s shopping list of life’s pleasures to a perfect Linn Drum clap track. It certainly deserves to be played live more often… “New York – ice cream – TV – travel – good times”

Available on THE HUMAN LEAGUE album ‘Dare’ via Virgin Records

http://www.thehumanleague.co.uk/

KRAFTWERK Computer World (1981)

Hooky, catchy and futuristic, ‘Computer World’ with its Speak & Spell voices and infectious four note theme was an ideal KRAFTWERK single if ever there was one. However, the perky and novelty laden ‘Pocket Calculator’ was chosen to trail the parent album. It is unlikely ‘Computer World’ could have hit the top of the charts like ‘The Model’ did, but such was the song’s popularity, the native variant got released as a limited run remixed maxi-single in Germany.

Available on the KRAFTWERK album ‘Computer World’ via Mute Records

http://www.kraftwerk.com/

OMD She’s Leaving (1981)

It was a tricky call between ‘She’s Leaving’ and ‘Radio Waves’, but the North-by-North West melancholy of the former won over the upfront Germany Calling salvo of the latter. A wonderful synthetic cross between JOY DIVISION and Paul McCartney, ‘She’s Leaving’ was pencilled in as the fourth single from OMD’s huge selling ‘Architecture & Morality’ but was vetoed by the band.  However, when ‘She’s Leaving’ did come out as a single in the Benelux region, it flopped.

Available on the OMD album ‘Architecture & Morality’ via Virgin Records

http://www.omd-messages.co.uk/

SOFT CELL Secret Life (1981)

As proven by their covers of ‘Tainted Love’, ‘What?’ and later on during their 21st Century comeback ‘The Night’, SOFT CELL always had a love of the UK’s Northern Soul scene. Its influence would seep into their own compositions like ‘Secret Life’. Marc Almond’s narrative on a philanderer’s hypocrisy was an apt reflection of suburban life while Dave Ball’s solid use of keyboards provided a suitably accessible but gritty sub-Tamla soundtrack.

Available on the SOFT CELL album ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ via Universal Music

https://www.softcell.co.uk/

DURAN DURAN New Religion (1982)

The perfect balance between art and pop, ‘New Religion’ was a key highlight from DURAN DURAN’s ‘Rio’ album. “A dialogue between the ego and the alter-ego”, Simon Le Bon’s conflicting schizophrenic voices added tension in the bridges before a classic Duran chorus. With an ambient intro that JAPAN would be proud of, it then moved at breakneck speed through the quintet’s other influences like Bowie, Roxy, Moroder and Chic with speed being the operative word.

Available on the DURAN DURAN album ‘Rio’ via EMI Records

http://www.duranduran.com/

SIMPLE MINDS New Gold Dream (1982)

A huge song with two drummers drumming as well as lashings of Jupiter 8 and a marvellous bass engine, ‘New Gold Dream’ and its parent album highlighted an ambitious streak in SIMPLE MINDS akin to their Virgin label mates THE HUMAN LEAGUE when they released ‘Dare’ the year before. Already six minutes in length, an extended mix was released as a 12 inch single in Italy while as a sample on URSURA’s ‘Open Your Mind’, ‘New Gold Dream’ became a club hit in 1993.

Available on the SIMPLE MINDS album ‘New Gold Dream’ via Virgin Records

http://www.simpleminds.com/

VISAGE The Anvil (1982)

With its heavy metronomic beat sans hi-hats, ‘The Anvil’ was Steve Strange’s tale of a night out in New York’s notorious club of the same name. But that wasn’t all, Billy Currie’s screaming ARP Odyssey and Dave Formula’s brassy synth riff completed the excursion. Rusty Egan said: “For me, ‘The Anvil’ was the lead track, ‘The Anvil’ in German (‘Der Amboss’), the 12-inch remixes, all that which I did with John Luongo was for me, the single. But the record company didn’t support that!”

Available on the VISAGE album ‘The Anvil’ via Cherry Pop

http://www.visage.cc/

YAZOO Midnight (1982)

Showcasong one of the best Alison Moyet vocals, Vince Clarke’s minimal programmed backing gave her plenty of space to let rip with raw emotion on ‘Midnight’ . Back in those days, Mute Records usually only took two singles from an album so with ‘Only You’ and ‘Don’t Go’ already accorded singular status from ‘Upstairs at Eric’s’, a 45 was never likely. But it sort of belatedly became a single when it was sampled and manipulated by REX THE DOG for ‘Bubblicious’ in 2008.

Available on the YAZOO album ‘Upstairs At Eric’s’ via Mute Records

http://www.yazooinfo.com/

BLANCMANGE Game Above My Head (1983)

Originally the B-side to ‘Waves’, ‘Game Above My Head’ signalled the more disco based direction Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe later trod on ‘Blind Vision’ and ‘That’s Love, That It Is’ with American producer John Luongo. Merging the busy Linn Drum patterns that characterised BLANCMANGE’s debut ‘Happy Families’ with a funkier outlook, ‘Game Above My Head’ was included on their second LP ‘Mange Tout’. Today, the song remains a constant in the live set.

Available on the BLANCMANGE album ‘Mange Tout’ via Edsel Records

http://www.blancmange.co.uk/

HEAVEN 17 Five Minutes To Midnight (1984)

HEAVEN 17’s most underrated track and referencing The Doomsday Clock, ‘Five Minutes To Midnight’ followed on from ‘Let’s All Make A Bomb’ to highlight the absurdity of Mutually Assured Destruction. Using and abusing the Fairlight CMI, the ‘Protect and Survive’ styled civil defence announcements, deathly whoops and a doomy orchestral crescendo bring a frightening finality as the song suddenly stops… “Hot as a furnace – wing to wing contact! AARGH!”

Available on the HEAVEN 17 album ‘How Men Are’ via Virgin Records

http://www.heaven17.com/

HOWARD JONES Equality (1984)

‘Equality’ exploited new MIDI technology like the Prophet T8 and Yamaha DX7, combining it with a Jupiter 8 and Pro-One; “it was one of those ones that really suited my live rig” said Howard Jones With its poignant human rights message, whether ‘Equality’ would have made a better single than ‘Pearl in the Shell’ is a moot point, but the song was released as a single in South Africa as a commentary about Apartheid.

Available on the HOWARD JONES album ‘Human’s Lib’ via Cherry Red Records

http://www.howardjones.com/

ULTRAVOX White China (1984)

Despite their use of synthesizers, it was rare that ULTRAVOX went the whole sequencer route. They did so with this song about the impending 1997 handover of the British Colony of Hong Kong to Red China. The lyrics captured a sense of pessimism over a bouncy electro disco soundtrack influenced by ‘Blue Monday’. Slated for release as a single in the UK, ‘White China’ had a special extended mix prepared but Chrysalis Records preferred the more obvious ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’.

Available on the ULTRAVOX album ‘Lament’ via EMI Records

http://www.ultravox.org.uk/

A-HA Scoundrel Days (1986)

A-HA were perceived as a teenybop group in their heyday, but their Nordic melancholic depth was apparent even on their only UK No1 ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’. “Cut my wrist on a bad thought” is a superb piece of second language expression that no native speaker could have come up with. Morten Harket veers from a semi-spoken growl to a full voice salvo for the terrific chorus while Pål Waaktaar’s twanginess adds some edge to Magne Furuholmen’s glacial synthetic atmospheres.

Available on the A-HA album ‘Scoundrel Days’ via WEA Records

http://a-ha.com/

PET SHOP BOYS Tonight Is Forever (1986)

Mistakenly announced as a new single on ‘The Tube’, ‘Tonight Is Forever’ is one of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s best early compositions. From its blipping intro with an odd starting snare drum to the magnificently euphoric chorus, it captured the excitement of a fleeting romance on a night out in clubland. With its sombre synth brass riff and a wonderful middle eight, it was later covered by Liza Minelli in an orchestral arrangement for her PET SHOP BOYS produced album ‘Results’.

Available on the PET SHOP BOYS album ‘Please’ via EMI Records

http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/

NEW ORDER Mr Disco (1989)

‘Your Silent Face’ may be one of NEW ORDER’s best songs, but it was unlikely to have got radio play as a single with its “why don’t you p*ss off?” quip! Meanwhile, ‘Mr Disco’ was the club friendly Mancunians in their Italo prime, complete with holiday romance lyrics and tongue-in-cheek syndrums. Some fans were dismayed by its resemblance to PET SHOP BOYS, but Bernard Sumner went and founded ELECTRONIC, aided and abetted by Messrs Tennant and Lowe!

Available on the NEW ORDER album ‘Technique’ via WEA Records

http://www.neworder.com/

DEPECHE MODE Halo (1990)

One of DEPECHE MODE’s greatest moments, Alan Wilder said: “From memory, the drums were sampled from LED ZEPPELIN’s ‘When the Levee Breaks’ (but secondhand from a rap record)… For the end choruses, there are some string samples which I think were derived from Elgar. One of my techniques is to find sections of classical strings and transpose / stretch these, then add my own samples, in order to formulate new and unusual arrangements”.

Available on the DEPECHE MODE album ‘Violator’ via Mute Records

http://www.depechemode.com/

ELEKTRIC MUSIC Kissing The Machine (1993)

Undoubtedly, ‘Kissing The Machine’ is Andy McCluskey’s finest song without Paul Humphreys as an OMD band mate. It also featured one of Karl Bartos’ greatest melodies. Recorded for his first project after leaving KRAFTWERK, Karl Bartos said “He suggested we do something together and I was up for it… We picked some cassettes and finally I found the opening notes of ‘Kissing The Machine’. A month later he sent me a demo…He wrote the whole song and the lyric and the robo voice” 

Available on the ELEKTRIC MUSIC album ‘Esperanto’ via SPV Records

http://www.karlbartos.com/

ERASURE Because You’re So Sweet (1994)

The closing track on the ‘I Say I Say I Say’ album produced by HEAVEN 17 and BEF’s Martyn Ware, ‘Because You’re So Sweet’ was a pretty ballad representative of the maturer approach taken by Andy Bell and Vince Clarke for their seventh long player. Featuring ERASURE’s trademark sequences, there was also the self-imposed restriction of no drum machines being used, so that all the album’s percussive templates were created using synths and driven by sequencers.

Available on the ERASURE album ‘I Say I Say I Say’ via Mute Records

http://www.erasureinfo.com/

MOBY First Cool Hive (1997)

There were eight singles from 1999’s ‘Play’ but for 1995’s ‘Everything Is Wrong’, Mute Records were more restrained with just five! Surprisingly, this vivid instrumental missed out on singular distribution. One of the highlights from the genre hopping MOBY long player, the looping bass sample of ‘First Cool Hive’ was like an update of ‘Empires & Dance’ era SIMPLE MINDS while female voice samples and beautiful synth strings gave it a mysterious ENIGMA-tic touch.

Available on the MOBY album ‘Everything Is Wrong’ via Mute Records

http://www.moby.com/

LADYTRON Discotraxx (2001)

‘Mu-tron’ may have opened the LADYTRON  debut album ‘604’ but the pulsating salvo at the start of ‘Discotraxx’ signalled the album’s intent… the return of the synthesizer as an instrument of value and integrity, not as a novelty to mock the past. From the moment Mira Aroyo deadpans in Bulgarian and Helen Marnie’s sweet but resigned voice kicks in about “the boy I know”, a new dawn is heralding for electronic pop.

Available on the LADYTRON album ‘604’ via Nettwerk Records

http://www.ladytron.com/

GOLDFRAPP Lovely 2 C U (2005)

The surreal concept was Kate Bush does THE HUMAN LEAGUE on this buzzy percussive extravaganza, one of the more under rated songs in Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory’s canon. The sub-TOM TOM CLUB meets PRINCE electrofunk is aided by Charlie Jones’ treated bass runs over the zooming synth hooks and chunky riffs. Interestingly despite its immediacy or maybe because of it, ‘Lovely 2 C U’ has rarely made it into the GOLDFRAPP live set.

Available on the GOLDFRAPP album ‘Supernature’ via Mute Records

http://goldfrapp.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
28th February 2014

On Tour with VILE ELECTRODES

27 June 2013 /

“Mein Kaninchen Ist Tot…”

When up-and-coming synth duo VILE ELECTRODES were named as OMD’s support for the German leg of the ‘English Electric’ tour, understably, their front woman Anais Neon was in total shock at the news. Prior to confirmation, she said on Facebook “we have received an email of epic proportions but cannot divulge any more information until further notice”.

Meanwhile for her partner Martin Swan, it was the fulfillment of a boyhood dream as OMD had been his first concert experience back in 1986! VILE ELECTRODES had been spotted by OMD’s Andy McCluskey while he was perusing ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK and obviously recognised a kinship via their exquisite songs such as ‘Deep Red’, ‘My Sanctuary’ and ‘The Last Time’. There was a definite magic with this duo who bring a unique twist to the sound of classic synthpop.

Much preparation took place as Team Vile, augmented by technican and roadie Simon Forsyth, tour manager/merchandiser Rob Buxton and for the first part of the trip, merchandiser Graham Caley, readied themselves for life on the road. It was all terribly exciting and there was so much to organise including buying a vehicle worthy of transporting all the equipment and getting them across Europe too! The new van was also swiftly modified so that Anais and Martin could sleep on top of their highly valuable analogue synthesizers.

Meanwhile, Simon would be following with all his wires and boxes in his faithful truck Nellie. Instruments were carefully chosen and these included Martin’s trusty Korg MS20 and Anais’ Roland RS09 String Machine. This late stage was probably not the time to be introducing a new bit of kit, but Martin being Martin (like a kid in a candy store) couldn’t resist getting his hands dirty on the appropriately named Leipzig that had arrived the day before.

The first night of any tour is daunting but in Hamburg, there was one potentially trouser soiling surprise! “So whose stupid idea was this? Oh, Karl Bartos is here!” announced Anais on Facebook.

The ex-KRAFTWERK percussionist who co-wrote ‘The Model’ and ‘Kissing The Machine’ (one of the highlights on OMD’s new album) had come to catch up with his buddies from The Wirral.

He was already at the venue when VILE ELECTRODES arrived. “He just sat in a corner” a shocked Anais recalled, “I didn’t instantly recognise him but when I did, a wave of cold terror washed over me. Not only would we be performing in front of OMD, but in front of one of the classic line-up of KRAFTWERK?! The stuff of dreams and nightmares! It just felt absurd if I’m honest”

The late sound check finished just twenty minutes before the doors opened and there was just enough time for a light snack sitting alongside Andy and Karl in the catering quarters before dashing off to the dressing room to prepare for opening night. Anais did sound a little nervous, but to the untrained ear, the nerves were undetectable. Local music fan Sony was thrilled to see VILE ELECTRODES live for the first time: “I had listened to some of their songs with much enthusiasm. The crowd greeted VILE ELECTRODES with lots of applause when they entered the large, well-lit stage. The synths were tuned up and then, there was one adventure after another. The crystal clear voice of Anais and the wonderful pure synthesizer sounds gave me goosebumps!!!”

Backstage after the show, “Karl Bartos, Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey were LOVELY” remembered Anais. “They were really happy to chat, which was lucky, as I’d had a drink and was high on adrenaline, so there was no shutting me us! We talked about my outfits and, of course, whether Andy and Paul should consider something similar for their shows! When we said our goodbyes, we expressed delight and honour at having gotten to meet the great KB. His reply? ‘No, no! We are colleagues’… COLLEAGUES OF HERR BARTOS! Amazing!”.

Meanwhile, Martin talked gear: “Paul and I had a few chats whilst I was tidying up the spaghetti of our wires after coming off stage. I said to him ‘I bet you miss this, don’t you?’… of course with OMD, he doesn’t, but he said when he’s working with Claudia Brücken, he has to do all that still! Andy mentioned that they have a Mellotron, but that it would be silly to take stuff like that out live when they can use some really great samples”

First night nerves over with, Bielefeld turned out to be another big success and a sure sign that the rest of the tour was going to go be a blinder.

With the tour moving to Berlin, Anais and Martin were taking everything in their stride and feeling quite calm about performing in front of their next big audience, having already tucked two dates successfully under their belts. After the soundcheck, it was time to everyone to chill down.

Team Vile tucked into the scrumptious delights that had been provided by a local catering company and relaxed alongside OMD’s crew members including Chicky, the chief sound engineer to watch ‘Star Wars – How It Should Have Ended…’ which brought about shrieks of laughter. In the vastness of Berlin’s Tempodrom, VILE ELECTRODES entered the stage, all colour co-ordinated in red and black, to a ripple of applause. Anais’ few words of German were very much appreciated and by the time they had played ‘Drowned Cities’, ‘Empire of Wolves’ and ‘Proximity’, they genuinely had the crowd on their side.

Sony remembered Anais’ apology between the songs: “She said ‘Sorry für mein kleines bisschen Deutsch sprachen’… it was very sweet and likeable. All the people around me were very impressed and cheered”. For a support band, they got a terrific reception from the already packed hall. German OMD enthusiast 7und70 remembered there was lots of positive responses: “people were saying things like ‘love her voice’, ‘love the outfits’ and ‘great music’ while one person remarked VILE ELECTRODES were the only OMD support band he’d really enjoyed since they started again in 2007”

After their set, a handful of the audience came to the merchandise stand to see what was on offer although very few made a purchase. However, after the OMD set, it was a very different story.

The fans returned and the EPs were soon flying off the shelf. Anais and Martin were more than happy to pose for photographs, sign postcards and more importantly, talk to their new fan base.

“There was a big rush at the merch stand where Anais and Martin greeted each new fan with a big welcome” said Sony, “They were just great and marvellous. Now I have gained some new lovely friends who point to my musical tastes perfectly. I’m looking forward to hearing their new album and seeing them soon again”

But not all the crowd had been charmed by VILE ELECTRODES, least of an OMD fan who bizarrely had a dislike of electronic bands as a puzzled 7und70 recollected: “There was this stupid woman who said: ‘I don’t like them, they’re not using real instruments’. So I said to her: ‘erm, you are here watching OMD, a synthpop band which means they make music with synths. VILE ELECTRODES are using those instruments so that’s not a good reason for saying that you don’t like them, what is the difference?’ But she replied: ‘they’re using sequencers… do you know what a sequencer is? Everything is pre-recorded, everything on stage!’”.

It was amusing to see how people could draw strange arbitrary lines to suit their purist stances; maybe she should have listened more closely to OMD songs like ‘Metroland’, ‘Sailing On The Seven Seas’, ‘Locomotion’ and ‘Messages’ in her quest for a sequencer free nirvana?

The following day was Leipzig so it was imperative that images of Martin’s Analogue Solutions Leipzig were captured in front of significant landmarks and prominent signage. Armed with the Leipzig and umbrellas, cameras were set up for the photo opportunity at the Battle of Nations Memorial despite the pouring rain.

“The Leipzig is a crazy-ass mutha of a synth” said Martin, “it’s obviously a modern synth but it’s been designed with all discreet components – no integrated circuits – so it’s more like one of the synths from the 70s than the 80s. As such, it’s not a digitally controlled analogue synth, it’s got real VCOs. Most of the time it behaves but like the synths of old, it can be very sensitive to temperature, to humidity, voltage fluctuation! It’s kind of similar to the SCI Pro-One but it’s definitely the angrier, spikier cousin! It has bass like a mountain and is LOUD! Several people commented that they’ve never heard bass like that at a gig!”

The Haus Auensee in Leipzig is a fabulous venue and has played host to many great names but specifically synth musicians ERASURE, PET SHOP BOYS and of course, the mighty KRAFTWERK. It is located in the heart of a forest, with a lake to the rear and a campsite opposite. From the front, it is a fairly nondescript building.

However, the inside has a very different feel. The upstairs was already overwhelming with its semi-circular stone steps that overlooked the stage and its imposing ornate oval aperture that stood between the bar and viewing area. Due to renovation, only the ground floor was to open to the public so VILE ELECTRODES and OMD wouldn’t be playing to the full 3,500 capacity.

With the merchandise stand set up inside the main hall, Team Vile were very much visible throughout OMD’s performance and could be seen singing and dancing very energetically, particularly to the encore of ‘Electricity’.

After a comfortable night and a decent breakfast, they set off for the very long journey to Cologne with the prospect of a relaxing night off before the final gig of the tour. It rained, then rained some more and just when they thought they could give the wipers a rest, the rain started again.

Stopping off at a little service station, Simon Forsyth’s trusty truck Nellie was topped up too with some transmission fluid. As they rolled out of the car park, Simon made a critical observation: “We don’t appear to have a reverse gear”!

They crawled up the road far enough to establish that the situation was actually a lot worse. The Chevy was not changing gear. Nellie was poorly and needed immediate assistance.

About an hour later they were rescued and found themselves at a dealership in Kassel. Essential equipment was quickly transferred from one wagon to another so that Anais and Martin could continue their journey while Simon would stay with his van until it was repaired. The team was now separated and the rest of Team Vile were left to their own devices to get to Cologne.

Everyone arrived at the venue in plenty of time but there was no sign of Simon. Team Vile were clearly disappointed but the show had to go on and it just meant a re-configuration of duties. With the added news that the venue was going to take a commission on merchandise sales, everyone were all wondering if the last night might have a bit of grey cloud hanging over it.

But during a soundcheck break, Paul Humphreys stopped by to talk to Andy McCluskey so Team Vile took the opportunity offer them both a Vile MS20 T-shirt which had been designed by Rob.

These had been spotted by OMD in Oxford when they both claimed “we want one of those”! Their wish was now granted and Mr McCluskey was later seen performing on German TV with his VILE ELECTRODES T-shirt on! 😉

With Anais now clad in black trousers, under bust corset, sparkly bra and a vivid blue bolero styled jacket (all in latex of course), and Martin dressed as dapper as ever in matching colours, VILE ELECTRODES took to the stage, sounding awesome and delivering every song with total confidence.

Martin was visibly relaxed and in control, even caught on camera singing his heart out with passion. They were on fire and once again the crowd responded favourably.

Anais even threw caution to the wind and spoke again in German: “I studied German at GCSE but can remember very little – one thing happens to be ‘Mein Kaninchen ist tot’… I genuinely did have a rabbit at GCSE time called Creampuff who had died! I mentioned the rabbit thing, and all throughout the tour, Team Vile were encouraging me to say it on stage. The German audiences were wonderful, friendly and enthusiastic, but I really thought that ‘Mein Kaninchen ist tot’ would result in a tumbleweed moment, so I kept deciding not to say it. Basically what made it happen was that Nellie, Simon’s tour bus, broke down on the way to Cologne. It meant he missed our last show so he made me promise to say it, as a tribute to him and Nellie. I plucked up the courage – and it elicited laughter and applause aplenty!! It’s all part of the ‘silly’ human element of our band. We’re (definitely!) not too cool for school. We just try to be just ourselves!”

As it was the final night of the tour, VILE ELECTRODES were granted an additional ten minutes so they could play ‘Deep Red’, the most epically OMD sounding track in their catalogue. Andy McCluskey was watching in the wings and said “It’s great to hear that played live” but after finishing the number, Anais apologised to the crowd as it seemed like her and Martin were at times playing two different songs.

No matter, Cologne was another huge success. Crowds flocked to the merchandise stand again and Anais was even spotted singing ‘Happy Birthday’ into a video camera at one point. It was a moment she seemed to revel in, but not as much joy as when she spotted Simon in among the masses of new fans. “You made it” she shrieked, giving him a huge hug. Simon had unfortunately missed most of the concert but nevertheless his presence was most welcome. Team Vile were back together again.


Cologne and indeed the tour had been a total triumph. Whilst OMD’s crew dismantled the set and packed up for their onward journey, Andy, Paul, drummer Malcolm Holmes and keyboardist Martin Cooper along with VILE ELECTRODES mingled among friends and some special guests. They just happened to be Wolfgang Flür, ex-KRAFTWERK and Ralf Dörper from PROPAGANDA.

“After each of our shows, we helped man our merch stand… a bizarre experience for a small band, having a queue of folk wanting you to sign merch!” Anais recalled, “but it meant we didn’t get to chat to Wolfgang Flür at length, as he was being pulled from pillar to post backstage, plus he was getting ready to leave by the time we made it backstage. He was saying how much he was looking forward to coming to London for Playground Festival (which didn’t happen in the end sadly). So two KW members down and two to go! KRAFTWERK BINGO!”

With a prestigious TV slot on ‘Later With Jools Holland’ performing ‘Dresden’, ‘Enola Gay’ and ‘Kissing The Machine’ to do the following day, the OMD frontmen had to leave the aftershow. “You’ve got my email address now so keep in touch” Andy remarked. “I’ll definitely come and see you when you play London” said Paul.

When the guests had drifted away, only a handful remained with Malcolm and Anais plus the two Martins, Cooper and Swan, congregating in what was Andy McCluskey’s dressing room. The conversation was easy, with the other boys from OMD showing a great deal of interest in how Anais and Martin came to be together to form the band. All too soon, security were ushering everyone out. They stuffed the last of their belongings into holdalls and Team Vile slowly and somewhat reluctantly made their way to the doors.

It was time for one last photo opportunity in the rear car park of E-Werk. Huddled in a circle, Team Vile bowed their heads downwards and with big cheesy grins snapped one last image. Germany was done. It had been a totally and utterly awesome experience for each and every one of them, but especially for Martin and Anais.

Anais summarised it all beautifully. “If I never play another live gig again, I’ll still be a very happy bunny”

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to VILE ELECTRODES, OMD and all their crews

VILE ELECTRODES’ three-track CD EPs ‘Play With Fire’‘The Last Time’ and ‘Re-Emerge’ are available now via their online store at http://vileelectrodes.bigcartel.com/ along with T-shirts etc

The new album ‘The Future Through A Lens’ will be released on digipak CD, limited edition hand-finished mirror steel sleeve CD and download sometime in June 2013 and can be pre-ordered at the store. Please note the nine tracks from the EP Trilogy are exclusive to those releases and will NOT be appearing on the album

http://www.vileelectrodes.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/vileelectrodes

http://vileelectrodes.blogspot.com/

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2013/05/20/tech-diary-on-the-road-with-vile-electrodes/

https://www.facebook.com/KarenABuxtonBoudoirPhotography

Text by Karen Buxton
Interviews and Additional Material by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Karen Buxton and Rob Buxton
27th June 2013

OMD Interview

21 April 2013 /

Photo by Tom Oxley

‘English Electric’ is genuinely a stunning return to form.

Utilising their KRAFTWERK, NEU! and ENO influenced avant pop template, the original creative nucleus of Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey have married their classic sound to glitch techniques, modern computer voice generators and sympathetic contemporary production for a wonderfully cohesive work.

The long standing influence of Düsseldorf’s Fab Four – Ralf, Florian, Wolfgang and Karl – is more apparent on ‘English Electric’ than on any other previous OMD album. From first single ‘Metroland’ to ‘Kissing The Machine’, a sonic collaboration with Herr Bartos which also features PROPAGANDA’s Claudia Brücken, OMD’s Germanic circle is now complete.

Interestingly, some OMD fans weaned on ‘If You Leave’ and ‘Sailing On The Seven Seas’ appear to have been confused about OMD recording an electronic album with references to KRAFTWERK. But right from the off with ‘Electricity’ (which was effectively the song ‘Radio-Activity’ speeded up), Kling Klang has been the seed of OMD’s genesis. McCluskey recently included ‘Radio-Activity’ AND ‘Trans Europe Express’ among his baker’s dozen of favourite albums for The Quietus so this should not have come as any great surprise!

‘English Electric’ could well be the best OMD album since 1983’s ‘Dazzle Ships’. The sparkling but bittersweet synthpop of ‘Helen Of Troy’, the Edward Hopper referencing realism of ‘Night Café and the lovely Paul Humphreys vocalled ‘Stay With Me’ are all prime jewels in the OMD crown.

Meanwhile THE TORNADOS meet LA DÜSSELDORF blitz of ‘Dresden’ will have live audiences up on their feet despite its macabre lyrical context. Although closely related, ‘Dresden’ is however not actually about the bombing in the Second World War in the same way ‘Enola Gay’ was about Hiroshima. Instead, it uses the city as an unsubtle metaphor about relationship breakdown, an emotive topic that connects with the album’s theme of unfulfilled utopian dreams.

Photo by Ed Fielding

There are also unconventional chorus-less songs like the magnificent ‘Our System’ which sees drummer Mal Holmes turn into Phil Collns for the song’s explosive climax.

But the biggest surprise is ‘The Future Will Be Silent’, a squelch laden commentary about audio pollution… despite its dubstep drops, the end result remains somehow distinctly OMD!

OMD also embark on an extensive world tour and the various support acts in each territory showcase the best of established and new talent in a thoroughly reinvigorated electronic music scene.

Special guests in the UK are JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS who need no introduction; the former ULTRAVOX front man’s partnership with vintage synth collector extraordinaire Benge also features on stage, the multi-talented Hannah Peel whose ‘Organ Song’ was sampled for the OMD track ‘Bondage Of Fate’ from the previous OMD album ‘History Of Modern’. She also covered ‘Electricity’ for her debut EP ‘Rebox’.

Meanwhile, the Belgian and Dutch dates will be supported by METROLAND, a duo with Kling Klang burned into their circuitry and whose debut album ‘Mind The Gap’ is an affectionate technological journey inspired by the London Underground network; their electronic restyling of IGGY POP’s ‘The Passenger’ has to be heard to be believed while their appropriate remix of ‘Metroland’ is a big favourite of Rusty Egan.

The striking VILE ELECTRODES will be the opening act for the German tour and ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK is particularly proud as they first  featured on the site in 2010. They were also chosen by Andy McCluskey as a direct result of him perusing this very site. Andy McCluskey spoke about OMD’s new opus…

What inspired you to make ‘English Electric’ more conceptual?

It was the logical step forward. ‘History Of Modern’ was a collection of songs in various OMD styles. But we got loads of sh*t for just making a good album with ‘History Of Modern’. If U2 or SIMPLE MINDS just make an album that sounds like them, everyone will applaud them for getting back to basics. *laughs*

I don’t think people who crave songs are going to be disappointed. Having said that, ‘Our System’ is probably more akin to things like ‘Stanlow’ and ‘The Romance Of The Telescope’.

You’re making a statement of intent by launching the album with one of the experimental tracks ‘Decimal’ AND releasing ‘Metroland’, the longest track on the album as a single?

‘Metroland’ is a beautiful song with a simple but beautiful lyric, even if I say so myself… we’re very happy with it. So the beginning of this campaign is yes, making a statement of intent and flagging that we believe in what we’ve done on this album. The people who will buy the album will buy it hopefully because they’ve heard ‘History Of Modern’ and hopefully because they are OMD fans; they will buy it in the first two weeks. Then, hopefully, the people who liked ‘Sister Marie Says’ and bought ‘History Of Modern’ because they heard it on Radio2 will then go and buy the album when they hear the next two singles… this is the theory! *laughs*

Photo by Tom Oxley

‘Dazzle Ships’ was made in a period of adversity and insecurity… with ‘English Electric’ we are sort of in that situation with the economic uncertainty and the spectre of terrorism. What similarities can you identify spiritually with the two albums?

That’s an interesting thought isn’t it… does it find itself in similar economic and political landscape? In some respects, yes it does. But I don’t think that bad as the economies are, I don’t think most people in the Western democracies probably feel quite as fearful as they did in the early 80s of atomic destruction.

So the landscape isn’t exactly the same… y’know you’ve asked me a question I don’t know the answer to, well done! There are similarities and there may be similarities in the way it is being conceived because of the environment, but I would have to admit they are unconscious. I do want to stress we have not tried to recreate ‘Dazzle Ships’! It was a little frustrating for people to be talking about ‘Decimal’ being just ‘Time Zones’ for 2013… no it’s not! It’s completely different. It’s like saying because it’s got a speaking voice in it, it sounds like ‘Time Zones’… that’s like saying THE CLASH were like THE BEATLES! It just doesn’t hold water!

What techniques have you used to conceive these shorter, collage pieces?

For ‘Atomic Ranch’, Paul turned me on to these Vox Machina plug-ins. It’s quite nice to hear the three voices offset against each other… and one of them which most people seem to think of as the wife, is she going off-message or is she going on-message at the end? I don’t know… she changes. ‘Please Remain Seated’ is a combination, there’s a second half with a programmed voice and my words but the first half is an airport recording in Chinese. When you hear them in the context of the album, the linking pieces actually set up the next piece of music very beautifully.

Is the internet today’s short wave radio?

In practical terms, the internet has influenced ‘English Electric’ because it’s a source of information in the same way that German imports were when we were teenagers and the short wave radio was; when you’re interested and alert, you soak up anything you can get. I discovered the sound of Voyager going through the magnetosphere of Jupiter on YouTube and I downloaded vocal machine programmes and samples from the internet. I used to have ring binder folders to do my homework in because OMD, we are geeks and we research our songs. My laptop became my ring binder with a load of stuff that we downloaded from the internet; information that we didn’t even get round to using like The Doomsday Clock… watch out for that one!!

Photo by Tom Oxley

Your 1993 co-write with Karl Bartos ‘Kissing The Machine’ has been reworked by Paul Humphreys for inclusion on ‘English Electric’ and Claudia Brücken is featuring too?

The original version was wonderful although not as many people have ever heard it as it was merited as I was very proud of it and I think Karl as well. I did want more people to hear ‘Kissing The Machine’ but the sound of it and lyrically concept of it fitted with the kind of dystopian vibe of the whole ‘English Electric’ album.

Paul has completely thrown everything else away and reworked the track from scratch. And yes, it sounds quite like KRAFTWERK! When Paul gets the bit between his teeth and he has a really great direction, he fires some wonderful stuff up! It’s interesting because Paul had the idea of asking Claudia to do the vocal in the middle eight and I said “let’s do that”. So we did it in the middle but I suggested we start it with the “I want you to want me – I need you to need me…” bit through a vocoder and went “y’know, could you ask Claudia to do it in German as well?” Oh! German in the middle, it’s so good on the music, it just sounds fantastic! It’s very exciting to be able to have Claudia Brücken on an OMD tune!

How did the collaboration with MARSHEAUX producers FOTONOVELA, ‘Helen Of Troy’ come about? Most people in the UK and US won’t have heard of them…

George Geranios and Nick Bitzenis of FOTONOVELA were our label bosses in Greece via their Undo Records and they sent me this track… the demo had Nick going “Helen Of Troy – Helen Of Troy” so I took his vocal off as you do [*laughs*], chopped it all up and rearranged it… it’s gorgeous! I have used some of Nick’s backing vocals. It was the third one completed on the album, I love it to bits! And ‘Helen Of Troy’ is much more of a metaphor than either of the ‘Joan Of Arcs’ were.

Several of OMD’s best songs have been inspired by the ethics of conflict and war… ‘Enola Gay’, ‘Bunker Soldiers’, ‘Silent Running’; does ‘Dresden’ fall in that category?

‘Dresden’ is a whopping great, unsubtle metaphor… it was interesting that we found ourselves in Dresden, it was quite incredible but the song had already been written before I went. It’s not about the bombing of Dresden in the same way as ‘Enola Gay’ was about the aeroplane that dropped the atom bomb.

‘Idea 3’ has been turned into ‘Stay With Me’, is there’s an ‘Idea4’?

We’ve always got bits and pieces left over. I think they will get used. ‘Ideas 1-3’ were all melodies written by Paul, it was just a question as to whether they would get turned into songs. ‘Idea 1’ became a B-side. ‘Idea 2’ became ‘History Of Modern (Part II)’ and ‘Idea 3′ has finally became ‘Stay With Me’ and that’s another great melody.

What are the bonuses that come with the various formats of the album?

The B-side of ‘Metroland’ is ‘The Great White Silence’. In the collector’s tin, there is a 7 inch vinyl; one side has got ‘Our System’ which by general consensus is everyone’s favourite song on the album while on the back of it is a song called ‘Frontline’ which is only available on that 7 inch vinyl.’Frontline’ was influenced and inspired by The Arab Spring and the vast majority of the drum track is entirely made out of machine gun, cannon and artillery fire. The song’s working title was ‘Artillery’.

There’s one more track called ‘No Man’s Land’ on iTunes and there’s also a couple of totally instrumental abstract pieces that don’t even have actual titles that may be further B-sides down the line.

You just signed a worldwide deal with BMG…

We’ve signed to BMG for publishing and global rights on this album only. It’s a new model, they’re a rights company, not a record company. They don’t have a great big building with 500 staff that is a massive overhead, they have a small office with a handful of people. Each deal they do is a bespoke deal for each artist in each territory, employing freelance people to work the project for its lifespan; that’s all it costs them. This is one of the new models in the music industry to see if there is a functioning new model! *laughs*

How does ‘English Electric’ compare with ‘History Of Modern’?

‘History Of Modern’ is what it was because of the circumstances it found itself in. There’s a feeling abroad that ‘English Electric’ is quite powerful and well conceived. That’s nice. There will be people who will have a whinge about it, but I don’t think the people who like songs will be in any way disappointed.

‘English Electric’ has been a hard album to make… really hard! Much harder than ‘History Of Modern’, it’s been torn out in several different ways for several different reasons.

By the time it was completed, both of us were emotionally and physically exhausted. We’re starting to get our energy back and we are getting feedback which is incredibly positive. Many people who have heard the album are very excited about it. It’s been an interesting journey these last couple of years writing this album. It’s been very exciting.

Where do you stand on modern vocal processing technology? I find it surprising some people who adore Kraftwerkian vocoders go “UGH! Autotune!”?

People draw lines in sound in weird and arbitrary places don’t they? *laughs*

I would say anything is fine. I’m a little bit bored of pop vocals with Autotune as an effect but modern production is so clean that you can hear all the separation between the instruments and the voices so clearly that unless you are the most incredible singer, actually most people are Autotuned! It’s just a case of how much they’re Autotuned… have you just pulled it into tune or is it patently obvious and sliding? I have no problem with anything being used, all I’m interested in is does it work for me, what do I get out of it? If I get something out of it, then everything is fine!

How are you finding new electronic acts these days?

I enjoy your website and I’ve discovered some very interesting bands actually…

Oh, who have you found recently?

I can’t say… cos one of them is going to support us in Germany!

Is it CHVRCHES?

No! But a young British electronic band is supporting us in Germany. Obviously JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS are supporting us in the UK and how could we say no to John Foxx! *laughs*

How did JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS supporting in the UK come about?

We were just asking around as to who might be available that would be complimentary and somebody said John Foxx and we were like “NO WAY? Would he tour with us?”; he said “yes” and we said “yes please”! *laughs*

Well, you get to see Hannah Peel again!!

EXACTLY!! I emailed her as soon as I found out and said “Hello, are you on the tour?” and she said “Too right!”… so yeah! *laughs*

I’m looking forward to hearing who the young British electronic act is!

Yes, and we have a Belgian two-piece supporting us in Brussels and Utrecht…

…oh! METROLAND???

Yes, METROLAND are supporting us!

Have you checked out ANALOG ANGEL? Their track ‘We Won’t Walk Away’ sounds just like OMD!

I’ll have to check ANALOG ANGEL out, the last few weeks have just been f**king mental!

They’re a trio of weegies, I said your dad played for Celtic and it turned out they were Rangers fans! *laughs*

Ha! Ha! Y’know, it turns out I don’t think my dad played for Celtic! I think he was pulling a Walter Mitty on me! He played football and he was something to do with Celtic because he knew people at the ground when I was a kid and he used to take me up there. I’ve walked on the pitch and been in the trophy room… turns out he never played for the first team as far as I could find out!! Funny old world eh?

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to Andy McCluskey

Special thanks to Toby Harris at 100%

‘English Electric’ is released by BMG in CD, deluxe CD+DVD, download, vinyl and tin box set formats

OMD’s 2013 UK tour with special guests JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS includes:
Margate Winter Gardens (28th April), Birmingham Symphony Hall (29th April), Nottingham Royal Centre (1st May), Ipswich Regent Theatre (2nd May), London Roundhouse (3rd May), Bristol Colston Hall (5th May), Oxford New Theatre (6th May), Sheffield City Hall (8th May), Leeds Academy (9th May), Manchester Academy (10th May), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (12th May), Gateshead Sage (13th May), Liverpool Empire (14th May)

The Benelux shows featuring special guests METROLAND include:
Utrecht Tivoli (Friday 17th May) and Brussels Ancienne Belgique (Monday 20th May)

The German tour with special guests VILE ELECTRODES includes:
Hamburg Docks (21st May), Bielefeld Ringlokschuppen (22nd May), Berlin Tempodrom (24th May), Leipzig Haus Auensee (25th May), Köln E-Werk (27th May)

Please visit the official OMD website www.omd.uk.com for further details on all shows on the ‘English Electric’ tour including the rest of Europe and North America

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
21st April 2013

A Short Conversation with KARL BARTOS

12 February 2013 /

Photo by Katja Ruge

Karl Bartos first came to the music world’s attention as a member of KRAFTWERK.

Along with Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider and Wolfgang Flür, he became part of what is acknowledged as the classic line-up of the pioneering Düsseldorf quartet. Recruited in 1975 to augment the live shows following the international success of ‘Autobahn’, Bartos was studying to be a symphony orchestra percussionist at the time and had to occasionally commute across the Atlantic to complete his exams while on tour in the US.

A now iconic appearance on ‘Tomorrow’s World’ showcased the future of music when the foursome demonstrated their customised instrumentation while smartly attired in suits. Using synthetic drum consoles triggered by metal rods, Bartos and Flür punctuated KRAFTWERK’s pioneering technology enhanced sound with a distinct uncluttered percussive snap. They continued their thematic fascination with science and technology, making major artistic leaps with the ‘Radio-Activity’ and ‘Trans-Europe Express’ albums.

Two of their fans were David Bowie and Brian Eno whose work on ‘Low’ and ‘Heroes’ in 1977 helped raise KRAFTWERK’s profile in the UK and led to a spate of new acts that were to become part of the Synth Britannia cultural revolution. But following the simultaneous high profile success of the Giorgio Moroder produced ‘I Feel Love’ for Donna Summer and his own ‘From Here to Eternity’, KRAFTWERK became fascinated by the throbbing sequenced electronic disco template and incorporated it into the album that many consider to be their crowning achievement, ‘The Man-Machine’.

By this time, Bartos had graduated to become Hütter’s main writing collaborator at Kling Klang with his first contribution being ‘Metropolis’. On tracks such as ‘The Robots’, ‘Neon Lights’ and ‘The Model’, Bartos added a funky groove that hadn’t been apparent in KRAFTWERK’s previous work.

In 1981, KRAFTWERK predicted the world we now live in with ‘Computer World’, a conceptual work that looked at police surveillance, portable office technology, computer dating and home entertainment. A much more tightly programmed work but with that all important vulnerable sense of humanity, the album was rhythmically strong thanks to Bartos’ contributions and tracks like ‘Numbers’ heavily influenced musicians in America who later went on to develop genres such as electro, hip-hop, house and techno.

However in 1983, with KRAFTWERK about to capitalise on the recognition they had been accorded by the success of synthpop throughout the world with the single ‘Tour De France’ and its accompanying album ‘Technopop’, Ralf Hütter had a near fatal cycling accident. While making his recovery, the release of ‘Technopop’ was postponed and the tracks reworked using more new digital sampling technology.

A rethink had manifested itself as computer based instruments such as the Fairlight and Synclavier were becoming increasingly prevalent in modern pop. KRAFTWERK purchased the latter and the delayed result was eventually released as the disappointing ‘Electric Cafe’ album in 1986 which interestingly saw Bartos’ debut as a vocalist on one of the album’s highlights, ‘The Telephone Call’.

KRAFTWERK had clearly lost their way at this point and Flür was the first to leave in 1987. Bartos soldiered on and worked with Hütter, Schneider and new recruit Fritz Hilbert on a remix album entitled ‘The Mix’. Bartos played his last concert with the band in 1990 and left not long after. But despite having already put several years into the project, his name was missing in the credits… keen observers will have also noticed that within the artwork of ‘The Mix’, Fritz Hilpert’s robot image was duplicated in Die Quartett shot to give the impression of a new fourth member!

Photo by Katja Ruge

Wasting no time following his departure, Bartos formed ELEKTRIC MUSIC with Lothar Manteuffel from RHEINGOLD and released the album ‘Esperanto’ which at the time, was enthusiastically welcomed by fans desperate for the void in new KRAFTWERK material to be filled. “Kraftwerk were like a wonderful Jumbo Jet that almost never took off” he wryly said to Future Music in 1993, “Now I’d rather have my own little Messerschmitt… and make my own pirouettes”!

One of the erstwhile collaborators on ‘Esperanto’ was longtime KRAFTWERK fan Andy McCluskey from OMD who sang on ‘Kissing The Machine’, quite possibly the best song that both parties was involved with during the anti-synth backlash that was to eventually became Britpop.The guitar dominated environment led to rather strange happenings with both musicians.

In McCluskey’s case, it was forming ATOMIC KITTEN. Legend says it was Bartos who suggested that it was the vehicle McCluskey was using that was outdated rather than his songs, hence this new messenger! He said: “Andy, if you just write songs, you’ll be a whore and your publishers will control you. You really need to create a vehicle for your own songs… create a three-piece girl group”! To think that ATOMIC KITTEN are part of Kling Klang’s lineage is quite amusing in hindsight!

Meanwhile, Bartos went to Manchester to work with Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr on ELECTRONIC’s ‘Raise The Pressure’ album and returned to Germany with a Rickenbacker strapped to his back! Ironically, the resultant 1998 album was titled ‘Electric Music’ which Bartos himself described as “guitar pop out of the computer”. Although a song originally written for KRAFTWERK entitled ‘The Young Urban Professional’ was the first single, the album was not particularly well received by fans!

In 2003, Bartos made a triumphant comeback with his first proper solo album ‘Communication’. This saw a return to his electronic roots with lead track ‘The Camera’ in particular successfully updating the Kling Klang template of ‘The Robots’ for the new Millennium.

The album was far more of an artistic success than ‘Tour De France Soundtracks’ which had just been released by his former colleagues after a lengthy absence. Bartos’ own live show was a huge success too, mixing his new material with updated versions of his classic KRAFTWERK compositions in a striking but intimate audio/visual extravaganza.

Although having been comparatively silent for the last few years musically, Bartos has been working as a visiting Professor at the Berlin University of the Arts having founded its Master of Arts course in ‘Sound Studies – Acoustic Communication’. But now comes the release of ‘Off The Record’, the first album from Karl Bartos in ten years.

It sees lost material being reconceived and recontextualised within a 21st Century setting. The story behind the album’s concept is that during his time with KRAFTWERK, Bartos wrote – off the record – a secret acoustic diary.

Based on his rhythmical and melodic sketches, he has come up with twelve songs that could be perceived as KRAFTWERK compositions in all but name. Indeed ‘Nachtfahrt’ has its origins in the late 70s while the new single ‘Atomium’ re-explores themes first touched on with the ‘Radio-Activity’ album. Using the giant model of an iron crystal erected for the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels as symbolism for the rise and fall of atomic power in Europe, its mantra is “what does iron crystal music sound like?”

For those who missed out on seeing KRAFTWERK’s art space album retrospectives, Karl Bartos will be touring in 2013. “Forget about technical nostalgia in 3D” says his press release, “instead tune into LiveCinema: 90 minutes of music and film – rhythmical, modern, intelligent”. So with the imminent release of ‘Off The Record’ on the prestigious German label Bureau B, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK is proud to be able to bring you a short conversation with one of the Godfathers of modern electronic music…

In KRAFTWERK from ‘The Man-Machine’ onwards, you were credited with co-writing. When did this shift come about and what sort of parts were you contributing?

I played electronic drums on ‘Radio-Activity’ and ‘Trans Europe Express’. I got my first contribution as a composer for the album ‘The Man-Machine’. On this recording and all subsequent recordings my input included all parts of the musical content ie drums, bass, sequencer, chords, melody, voice, lyrics.

You left KRAFTWERK in 1990 but you got to work straight away as ELEKTRIC MUSIC releasing the ‘Esperanto’ album in 1993. You wrote ‘Kissing The Machine’ with OMD’s Andy McCluskey. How do you feel about him reviving it for the new OMD album ‘English Electric’?

Sometimes we all love nostalgia because it’s safe. One interesting point; the process of listening to music incorporates what we have learned before, all our lives, what we know. If you listen to a track in a club, or at home, or a concert, it doesn’t matter where, always what our brain does is we remember what we have learned about music, then we have this very second, this very moment, and our expectations about how the music will evolve in the future. Listening to music incorporates all three times.

Back to Andy, when I left KRAFTWERK in the early 90s, I got a call, “Hi I’m Andy, I’d like to visit you”. I showed him part of my archive. He suggested we do something together and I was up for it, so we went through this archive [which became ‘Off The Record’]. We picked some cassettes and finally I found *sings the opening notes of ‘Kissing The Machine’*.

I’m always after melodies, and so is he. He heard this, and then we had a really good time in Düsseldorf, we had dinner with Wolfgang in his flat, and a month later he sent me a demo, “Hey Karl, what so you think of this?”

He wrote the whole song and the lyric and the robo voice and I produced it for my first album. And now, we are always in touch, and when he plays Hamburg, he invites me. Last time he asked me if I had the old vocal recording which is 20 years old. I found this, because at the time I was really well organised. I sent him the vocal track but I haven’t heard the production. Maybe the link is in my inbox. I’m looking forward to hearing it.

Photo by Katja Ruge

In 1995, you worked with Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr on ELECTRONIC’s ‘Raise The Pressure’ album but it was reported at the time you were getting disillusioned with music technology. What had happened to make you feel like this?

It was this idea of techno music with people making a track every day, another tune, releasing a record every other week, just fours-to-the-floor with no melody or structure, with no thought going into it really. I found it boring and depressing and it was the technology that was allowing it to happen. But then I worked with Johnny and Bernard who were able to use synthesisers and machines but were bringing so much melody and feeling into it as well. That really helped to make me feel positive again, it was such a great experience.

Did you have any dilemmas about how many KRAFTWERK songs to include when you first went out with your live show in 2003 in support of the ‘Communication’ album, especially as your former colleagues were returning with ‘Tour de France Soundtracks’?

Well, since I have co-written many of the hits, I always had too many of them for just one concert. The real problem was to sort out the redundant tracks.

It’s been 10 years since ‘Communication’. During that time, there has been the move to download culture and smart technology. How have these advances shaped ‘Off The Record’, bearing in mind its background?

The change in music culture had no influence in the making of this album. It is true: the music industry has lost its business model but that did not change the power of music.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to Karl Bartos

Special thanks to Bettina Michael

‘Off The Record’ is released on 18th March 2013 by Bureau B

http://www.karlbartos.com/

http://www.bureau-b.com/karlbartos.php

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
12th February 2013

OMD Synthetic Engineering

16 March 2012 /

OMD’s existing performance set-up with two Roland Fantom X8 workstations actually has its roots in the 1983 ‘Dazzle Ships’ Live Presentation.

Some of the more purist observers complain about the lack of analogue instruments in the current live shows but Andy McCluskey said recently: “Who says that digital can’t be a beautiful as analogue?”

Even in the pioneering days, OMD were thinking carefully about how best technologically to present themselves in a live context to an audience that was still growing accustomed to electronic based music. It is well documented that the success of ‘Architecture & Morality’ tour had taken its toll on the band emotionally and functionally. Extended touring had robbed the band of time in their studio The Gramophone Suite to compose new material.

As Andy once remarked: “you can’t sit up the back of a tour bus and strum your synthesizer…”. But there was also their reliance on the equipment they took out on the road. Paul Humphreys had his ever faithful Korg Micro-Preset but also the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 first used on the single version of ‘Messages’ and the subsequent ‘Organisation’ campaign.

In addition, there was the hefty sky blue Elgam Symphony dual action organ and the huge, even more cumbersome Novatron which was an updated version of the Streetly Mellotron M400 that had been during the recording of the album. “We used a Mellotron Mk1 on ‘Architecture & Morality’ but were advised that if we were going on the road to get a Novatron.” said Andy, “The Mk1 had a very bad whine created by the power supply. Streetly told us it was a design fault.”

The Mellotron aka Novatron was an electro-mechanical keyboard that played tape loops of sounds such as choirs, strings and brass. The name Novatron was adopted for instruments produced after 1976 due to a legal blunder which meant the name Mellotron could not be used. It was the dominant texture of ‘Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)’ as well as several other tracks on ‘Architecture & Morality’ so was considered a necessity on tour sonically. But it was extremely heavy, weighing in at 55 kg and due to its delicate systems, was vulnerable to malfunction under the heat of stage lights.

But there were also power supply issues as Andy recalled from a gig in Italy: “All the power was from a small generator and every time the lights got really bright on stage, the power supply to equipment reduced making the Novatron flywheel slow down so the notes went very flat. Once our lighting guy realised the problem, we did the rest of the show with reduced lights to keep the Novatron in tune.”

Meanwhile, the Prophet 5 had been a godsend as one of the first programmable polyphonic synths and used integrated circuits to make it more compact and versatile compared with say, a Polymoog or Yamaha CS50. It played an important role in the pioneering OMD sound as much as the Mellotron, with tracks such as ‘Romance Of The Telescope’. “’Romance…’ is actually a Prophet 5 factory preset for the out of tune brass sound but the choir is Mellotron” remembered Andy.

Previously, cheaper synths either had presets like Paul’s little Korg which restricted the number of sounds they could make, or they would have no memory like their Korg MS20. Synths like the latter were largely impractical for live use as a keyboard although Mal Holmes had the MS20 to generate fixed sounds for percussive effects triggered by his drum pads. But now with a programmable synth and patch memories at their disposal, a sound could be created or found, stored and then recalled for its corresponding song at a touch of a button.

However, it was still early days for developments in chip based technology and while the Prophet 5 was invaluable for studio work, the oscillators which generated the sound source would destabilise over the time it was switched on, thus causing tuning difficulties. Also the precious memories could be scrambled due to voltage spikes. To add an extra headache, the Prophet 5 had a reputation for reliability issues which necessitated two examples being taken out on the road.

Martin Cooper’s set-up included Roland SH09 and SH2 monosynths for basslines and melodies plus a Vox Jaguar organ for chords. While this organ had been an essential part of the early OMD sound, especially on the first album, it was of 1960s vintage, large and of transistor construction. So again, it was extremely delicate and not suited for the perils of a world tour.

Mal Holmes’ percussion complex consisted of a big Tama bass drum, large Pearl snares and conventional Paiste hi-hat alongside an array of electronic percussion pads triggering the aforementioned Korg MS20 and a pair of Pearl Syncussion units which controlled two percussive timbres each. With minimised microphone spill allowing very loud acoustic drums to combine with the raw electronic noise, these helped give OMD a uniquely crunchy live sound.

But this system was also very fragile due to the exposed ceramic piezoelectric sensors on the pads. Ceramics are not a naturally malleable material so therefore prone to breakage when hit hard. Famously, a home made electronic kit designed by Paul Humphreys and Paul Collister fell to pieces while being used by Mal during OMD’s first show as a live quartet. “I hit the crystal microphone inside the pad and smashed it to bits!” remembered Mal.

The practicalities of a one and a half hour show had shown various shortcomings and provided unnecessarily stress for a group of young musicians still fighting with a music press and audience that didn’t consider synthpop real music and thought synth bands couldn’t play live! So with the future in mind, OMD looked for an instrumental set-up that was more streamlined and practical for live work.

They found it with the E-mu Systems Emulator. Founded in 1971 by Scott Wedge and Dave Rossum, E-mu began making modular synthesizers whose users included jazz virtuoso Herbie Hancock. At a convention, Wedge and Rossum saw the Fairlight CMI, the world’s first computerised digital sampling synthesizer and set about making a less expensive sampler.

The Emulator was released in 1981 at a price of £5000, considerably less than the £20,000 Fairlight. It was a floppy disk-based keyboard workstation which enabled the recording of any sound to non-volatile media and allowed these samples to be played back as musical notes. As an instrument, the Emulator had no sound of its own.

Each aural palette had to be loaded into its memory separately, whether it was from a factory disk of sounds produced by E-mu themselves like the symphonic strings used on ‘Silent Running’, the sound of OMD’s own synths such as the Prophet 5, the voice of Andy McCluskey crooning “blue” on ‘Dazzle Ships’ or the bugle from the BBC Sound Effects record used on ‘This Is Helena’. But by wanting to make life easier for themselves on the road, OMD also entered the brave new world of sampling and were now able to realise some of their more musique concrete ambitions as was apparent on the ‘Dazzle Ships’ album.

But with regards touring, the Mellotron, Elgam, Vox Jaguar and the Prophet 5 could now be retired and replaced by two of these wonder machines on stage. However, the samples were low resolution and grainy at only 8 bits. While these sounds were suitable for chords and effects, the live punch required from the rhythm section meant that Martin’s Roland SH2 was retained as its phat twin oscillator bass sound was formidable in a live context.

Also kept was the similar looking but single oscillator SH09 which was OMD’s preferred synth bass in the studio. Meanwhile, Paul’s Korg Micro-Preset also remained. This was an important artistic gesture as when layered with suitable effects, it provided a cutting melodic bite that was in keeping with OMD’s original garage band ethos. In that spirit, a reel-to-reel tape machine containing things such as the sequence of ‘Messages’ and the Speak & Spell Machine on ‘Genetic Engineering’ was still very much part of the line-up although this was upgraded to a new Tascam from the older Revox.

With Andy, there was no equipment change at all with his trusty Fender Jazz bass guitar. Martin however had his own Fender Jaguar bass for use on ‘Julia’s Song’ as Andy’s was strung in an unconventional manner with the lowest string ‘E’ at the bottom due to first learning to play on a left handed Wilson Rapier bass turned upside down!

For Mal, his new toy came with three Simmons SDS-V drum synths. Co-designed by LANDSCAPE’s Richard James Burgess, these replaced two of the pads hooked to one of the Pearl Syncussion units. The Simmons was very sturdy, having already been road tested on tour by acts such as JAPAN and ULTRAVOX. It was also less of a headache to soundcheck than normal drums.

The SDS-V’s distinctive hexagonal pads were actually made from the same material as police riot sheets.Although he didn’t use the whole Simmons kit, Mal later complained of aching arms. This was from a ‘shock’ that came from hitting the Simmons pads as they did not have the natural give of skinned acoustic drums or even the earlier electronic pads that controlled the Syncussion units and MS20 which to all intents and purposes, were tiny but amplified drums!

Although a fuller Simmons kit was used subsequently on the ‘Junk Culture’ tour, it was only later as OMD made in-roads into breaking synthphobic America with the more conventional sounding ‘Crush’ that Mal started to use a full acoustic drum kit and was allowed to have one of the ultimate percussive symbols of rock ‘n’ roll, the cymbal! This would explain why Mal’s early drum kit always looked like it had been raided by thieves between the soundcheck and gig! Mal remembered “So many people like the road crew said ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with your drum kit but it looks really different! NO CYMBALS, THAT’S IT!’”

Although access to digital representations of their old synths and keyboards were now available using the Emulator live, the fledgling technology was prone to reading errors with the then state-of-the-art 5 ¼ floppy disks. These visually did make interesting artefacts however as Peter Saville found when he saw NEW ORDER’s Emulator and designed the iconic ‘Blue Monday’ sleeve as a coded 12 inch floppy complete with cut-outs!

The Emulator would seem to take forever to load in the context of a show and the setlist needed be arranged to accommodate this. One interesting consequence of the Emulator’s loading time was that Andy’s between song banter increased to cover it up!!! Later when the band upgraded to the Emulator II with its then innovative hard drive in 1985, Andy would often joke about Paul’s problems with his hard disk!!

Despite the expected glitches with the new Emulators, on the whole they gave the band less to worry about, especially after the difficult gestation of ‘Dazzle Ships’ and the critical mauling it received from the press. It allowed for the band to deliver a more confident and professional performance that when combined with Ken Kennedy and Peter Saville’s impressive stage set, would later be recognised as their best live tour to date. But that’s another story although strangely, brass sections and America were only just round the corner…

Special thanks to Alex Machairas for his valued help and granting permission for the use of the archive photographs

‘Dazzle Ships’ is still available in a number of formats via Virgin Records

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
16th March 2012

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