Tag: Blancmange (Page 15 of 16)

Having A Coffee with BLANCMANGE’s Neil Arthur

5 October 2013 /

Native Lancashire lad Neil Arthur and Hillingdon domiciled Stephen Luscombe first met at Harrow College of Art and began experimenting in various bands.

Eventually forming a duo, after a close call with the name A PINT OF CURRY, they opted for BLANCMANGE in 1978. 1980 saw the release of their debut EP ‘Irene & Mavis’ with the pair adopting the aliases of Mavis Secostas and Irene ‘Disco’ Sinden.

They then went on to play as support for NASH THE SLASH which lead to their first composition ‘Sad Day’ being given a slot on the iconic ‘Some Bizzare Album’ which also featured the then unknown combos DEPECHE MODE and SOFT CELL.

In late 1981, a support spot for Grace Jones attracted the attention of The Blitz crowd, thus thrusting them into a new sphere. Further support tours with DEPECHE MODE and JAPAN led to London Records offering BLANCMANGE a record deal in 1982. The singles ‘God’s Kitchen’, ‘Feel Me’ and ‘Living On The Ceiling’ followed, with the latter being their biggest hit reaching No7 in the charts while the parent album ‘Happy Families’ got to No30. After two further albums ‘Mange Tout’ and ‘Believe You Me’, BLANCMANGE split in 1987 but 2011 saw BLANCMANGE reform and back to form with a new album ‘Blanc Burn’.

BLANCMANGE commence touring again in November by revisiting their debut album ‘Happy Families’. They have also recorded a new limited edition version for the occasion entitled ‘Happy Families Too…’ which will only be available on the tour. In addition, there will be a 10” vinyl reissue of their debut EP ‘Irene & Mavis’ 33 years after its conception and at a later date, a deluxe special remixes edition complete with extra tracks including one old favourite that has never made it onto vinyl.

In the plush offices of Ditto in London, Neil Arthur kindly chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about re-recordings, reissues and remixes…

How did ‘Happy Families Too…’ become a reality?

I’ve been asked quite a few times to go out and play ‘Happy Families’ but I’ve always said no… in fact my words were “I won’t go out repeating myself over and over unless we can find a way to offer something new”. This is a bit like starting again in a way. I’ll probably repeat myself in this interview (*loud laugh*) but in terms of music and creativity, I’ve no interest in it; I’m really only interested in the future. However, I’m aware that we have what some people call a Legacy, which I take as a compliment, that people do want to hear it again…

But I thought, let’s move on and re-record it. I want to do an interpretation of the songs of how they were written. So I imagined that ‘Happy Families’ had never been recorded. I’m very proud of how it was of course, but we went into the studio using the technology of 2013 thinking Stephen and I had just written the tracks. I wanted a pared down version of what we did, it’s quite raw the way I’ve gone about recording.

I didn’t want any extraneous stuff in the production, 80s values were terrific but the pared down route suited me and the way I wanted to approach these songs. There are also economics to consider, technology allows you to work a certain way and I had all the synth sounds I needed and I knew David would perform brilliantly.

So you are working with David Rhodes again?

When we decided that we were going to record ‘Happy Families Too…’ – most of the original tracks had guitar on and my guitar playing is as good as my singing… so a bit dodgy *loud laugh*

So for the main guitar I said “let’s get David in”. We had a fantastic time, we recorded all his guitar parts in two days, he worked bloody hard and is coming on tour with us, which is fantastic as we’ll have a good laugh.

So you’ve kept in touch with him all this time?

Yes, after touring with DEPECHE MODE in 1981, Stephen and I were still working full time but we then got offered a tour with JAPAN. I think it had a lot to do with the fact we were a two piece, economical and not much gear etc. We were playing in St Austell, the Coliseum I think, a great big cavernous place, when this bloke comes up to us and says “Here… do you want some beers?”. Then he brought some beers through from JAPAN’s rider! And, I thought, I like him! David and I got on very well from that moment. After seeing him play with JAPAN, we invited him to come and play with us. He happened to live near me so we would meet up for a lot for gigs, the pub etc and I liked his own music that he was doing so asked him to come and play on the original album.

How different was the recording experience this time around?

I listened to the demos and parts of the original tracks but I didn’t study the album as it was. I’ve got the memory of ‘Happy Families’. The interesting part was recreating it using Linn Drum, 808s and some VSTs on there and bizarre things happen when you start listening to parts of songs that you wrote 30 odd years ago…

I looked at tempos, and Adam Fuest, who does our live sound said they were interesting. For example, ‘I’ve Seen The Word’ is 129.73/74! Normally 129 is enough for most people but I wanted it specific, it didn’t feel right any slower or faster. The arrangements are pretty true; when I was analysing a drum part, I would zoom in like an audio microscope using today’s technology. One time I ended up right in the thick of a bass drum and it triggered a memory for me. I remembered Stephen and I programming in the studio and I’d never thought of that moment before then, I suddenly realised I was listening to a memory and it was really moving.

Years ago if you had a buzzing synthesizer and someone suddenly turned a light on, you’d get a terrible noise when you were trying to record. That noise isn’t an issue anymore, there’s things you can put in the computer, programmes that isolate that frequency and take it out. David came in and starting playing and there was this “bbrrr” sound; he said don’t worry about that, just record a bit of that noise at the end of the track. Then Adam, who is mixing the album too, puts one of his VST plug-ins on it that analyses the sound, sets a threshold and it’s gone. Years ago that used to take days to sort out. Don’t turn a light switch on. Someone’s using a Hoover next door. Oh that’d be Stephen! *laughs*

In which formats will ‘Happy Families Too…’ be available?

‘Happy Families Too…’ is in two stages. There’s an exclusive very limited edition version that will only be available in CD and maybe vinyl on the tour dates. Sadly we can’t afford to give it away but we wanted to reward people for making the effort to come and see us. I could have just called the record company and said can you give us some copies of the original, but no. Ten songs have been reprogrammed like ‘Living On The Ceiling’, ‘God’s Kitchen‘, ‘Feel Me‘ and ‘I Can’t Explain‘. I have used a lot of the old stuff as well but brought it into the present day. Nobody in their right mind would record an album for a tour, it’s usually the other way round. It is exclusive and I’m bonkers for doing it *roars of laughter*

There is also going to be a booklet printed with memorabilia etc. We want people to come along to the tour… very unlikely to do it again.

It is part of the live gig experience now isn’t it? People expect to see and buy new merchandise and hopefully get albums signed and of course, one of your strengths is the Meet and Greet…

I absolutely love it. I find it quite humbling as I didn’t get the chance to do it for years. In the 80s, we were just pushed from pillar to post, “where is your next single? Is it as good as the last one?”. Now I get a real buzz from hearing all the stories. I get ideas for lyrics, it’s fantastic! I think I’m in a really lucky position.

So what is the second stage?

A deluxe version that will have extra tracks and remixes… we’re in discussions with a record company at the moment. For example, take ‘Running Thin‘, that track wasn’t on the original album, it was only ever played on a John Peel session and I wanted to document a proper version of that.

Photo by Deb Danahay

So the remix of ‘Living On The Ceiling’ that Vince Clarke is working on and tweeting about is featured on the deluxe edition? He has said it’s his “kinda song” as it only has two chords!

Yes, that’s true, ‘Living On The Ceiling’ does only have two chords, it goes up and down a few times then heads out to sea, my kinda song as well *loud laugh*

That’s fantastic; that’s so nice of him to do it and he sent me a message saying he is having a “splendid” time putting it together.

Would be “Splendid”; that was Vince and Eric Radcliffe’s studio name in the past. What other artistes have you involved, and did they choose the tracks themselves?

The choice was theirs and we have the wonderful Greg Wilson who did such brilliant things at the Hacienda, absolutely amazing… can’t believe he’s doing it, he is going to remix ‘Feel Me‘. We also have my son Joe, who is doing very well for himself under his stage name of APPLEBOTTOM. He was on Radio One recently.

Joe is on my list of questions and I checked this morning, he has nearly 10,000 followers on Facebook now!

He has had over a million plays on one of his tracks. Come on Joe, give me a plug lad… Son of BLANCMANGE! *laughs*

There is a rumour… well, actually he is, going to do a couple of slots on the tour.

He’s your support act?

Think I’ll be supporting him! He’s studying hard and doing his music, I’m really proud of my daughter too, both my kids.

‘Living On The Ceiling’ was written for Helen, your long time partner?

Yes, quite a few songs were written for the lovely Helen, like ‘Sad Day’. I wrote it on a day we had had a bust up and I was bit mopey. I wrote the ‘Living On The Ceiling’ lyrics at college and Stephen came up with an interesting groove so he came over to a squat I was living in at the time in Wood Green.

Stephen played a keyboard and I made a mistake in the melody line, but the mistake was better than the intention. That missing half tone gave the track that Middle Eastern, Arabic flavour. So the lesson is, if you make a mistake, record it, and many mistakes were made in public after that and I will continue to that in November Deb *laughs*

Photo by Deb Danahay

It is really sad to hear that Stephen is still not well enough to go on tour, wondering if Pandit is going to be joining you again?

Not this time. There will be David Rhodes and Oogoo who did the visuals on the last tour, he’s an electronic whizz kid playing the keyboards. So there’s three of us on stage plus Adam. He doesn’t simply mix the sound, he does a lot of treatments live. It’s exciting as I didn’t want it to be the same performance every night. It’ll be ‘squeaky bum’ time every night! *laughs*

I want it to be like that. For example, ‘I Can’t Explain’ is an ad lib each time I do it live. It’s exciting for me as I know I can take it lyrically, and delivery wise, but it can go to a different place. It’s a similar thing with ‘Feel Me’ and I love that idea. It’s great looking at the audience. They are singing the original lyrics and I’m up there giving it a ton, locked in, I go into a zone. I think if you do that, the audience will go with you and believe it; if you’re only half in there, you are duping your audience but I’m completely committed and manic at times.

I remember when you performed ‘I Can’t Explain’ live last year, thought you were going to have a heart attack on stage! Are there other tracks not included on ‘Happy Families Too…’ that will be performed on the tour?

There will be a new track, from the new album which is already started. Maybe the ABBA one, but mainly BLANCMANGE songs… not about to do BEATLES songs! Maybe a Johnny Cash track, I’m a big fan of Johnny Cash as you know! *loud laugh*

Along with the other memorabilia, I have brought along a copy of ‘Irene and Mavis’; were they pet names for you and Stephen?

Yes, we could have had alter egos. Me and Stephen know who is who *loud laugh*

We had this idea that two old dears are in the launderette and instead of reading ‘People’s Friend’, they read ‘Practical Electronics’, and they make an electronic record. It’s coming out again. There’s a scoop! On Minimal Wave Records, there’s a limited edition 10” vinyl to coincide with the tour. I’m so excited about it, they have done a wonderful job remastering it; it’s the best I’ve heard it and it’s the first time it’s been available for 33 years. Minimal Wave are a brilliant record label and I’d advise anyone to check out their stuff.

The DAVE CLARK FIVE track ‘Concentration Baby’ was posted on Facebook today funnily enough. What memories does that conjure?

Stephen played violin and used to do a version with his previous band MIRU. I played guitar and bass, and Lawrence played drums. It was recorded on a four track, all the other tracks were just on a cassette tape. A friend called Dave got a £200 tax rebate so he paid for 1000 copies and became Executive Producer. Porky Prime Cuts cut it, and then we sat in Stephen’s back garden and put the single in the gatefold sleeve. I designed the front, Stephen the back and then we threw Stephen’s cat in for oomph. We couldn’t afford to get it type set, so we wrote it on Stephen’s wall in his flat. *laughs*

There are so many bands from the Synth Britannia era that are still touring and, more importantly, writing new material just like BLANCMANGE…

I still have an intense desire to express myself, irrespective of my age, whether it’s as Neil Arthur or BLANCMANGE. I’m driven to perform music, whether I perform live all the time is another matter. I won’t retire, I will just decompose! *roars of laughter*

Everybody is different. I like to take elements from the past, not just stay there and repeat endlessly like ‘Groundhog Day’. But I realise we are in a world where a lot of people are afraid of the future and nostalgia plays a big role for a lot of people… but I’m really excited about the future. There are also lots of bands referencing that era and loads of new bands reinventing it, absolutely brilliant bands around at the moment.

So what artists are you are listening to at the moment?

I tend to listen to a lot of electronic music still like KRAFTWERK. I love CAN and NEU! Really brilliant! I will always come back and listen to Eno who got me through final course work at College. Especially ‘Music for Airports‘, everybody in the house puts that on, it’s stood the test of time.

Then there’s Matthew Dear, I love what he does; Luke Abbott, DARKSTAR, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE, PANTHA DU PRINCE to name a few and Nicholas Yaar; his album ‘Space is Only Noise‘ is beautiful.

What about my socks Deb? Same colour as my watch (orange)…

…and your teeth Neil *loud laugh*

Would you like to come down to the studio and hear a few of the tracks from the ‘Happy Families Too…’ album?

Yes please! Be rude not to…

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Neil Arthur

Special Thanks to Mike Wilson, Founder and Creative Director of Ditto

Additional thanks to Duncan Clark at 9PR

BLANCMANGE’s ‘Happy Families Too…’ tour includes:

Clitheroe The Grand (3 November), Darwen Library (4 November), Darwen Library (5 November), Manchester Soundcontrol (6 November), Glasgow Braodcast (7 November), Newcastle Think Tank (8 November), Southampton The Brook (9 November), Brighton Concorde 2 (10 November), Wolverhampton Robin (11 November), Nottingham Rescue Rooms (12 November), Liverpool Erics (13 November),Wakefield The Hop (14 November), London The Garage (15 November), Cardiff, Ifor Bach (16 November), Dublin The Button Factory (21 November)

Tickets available at www.blancmange.co.uk

The ‘Irene & Mavis’ EP is reissued as a 10 inch vinyl by Minimal Wave Records in a limited edition of 999 on 5th November 2013. Please visit www.minimalwave.com for more details

https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic

https://twitter.com/_blancmange_

Text and Interview by Deb Danahay
5th October 2013

25 SYNTH INSTRUMENTALS OF THE CLASSIC ERA

13 August 2013 /

1972’s ‘Popcorn’ could arguably be seen as Europe’s first electronic pop hit.

Made famous by HOT BUTTER, they were actually a combo of session players led by Stan Free who had been a member of FIRST MOOG QUARTET with ‘Popcorn’ composer Gershon Kingsley. It was largely considered a novelty record but it inspired many cover versions throughout the world including France where it was a No1.

There, one came courtesy of a young musician named Jean-Michel Jarre who recorded ‘Popcorn’ under the moniker of THE POPCORN ORCHESTRA. While working on his first proper full length electronic album in 1976, Jarre adapted a melodic phrase from ‘Popcorn’ as the main theme of what was to become the project’s lead single. That composition was ‘Oxygène IV’ and the rest is history.

After ‘Oxygène IV’ became a Top 5 hit in the Autumn of 1977, the synth instrumental became a popular medium, even spawning budget covers albums such as ‘Synthesizer Hits’ and ‘Synthesizer Gold’.

But coinciding with accessibility of affordable synthesizers, instrumentals were seen by some as a cop out for a B-side or album filler. A bridge between pop and experimentation, these tracks were actually an artform of their own and many would become cult favourites among enthusiasts who understood that music did not necessarily need words to convey an emotive atmosphere or make people dance.

However today, it does appear to be a dying art with some musicians not understanding that formless noodling, club racketfests or tracks in which the vocalist appears to have forgotten to sing don’t quite cut it. So here are twenty five other instrumentals from the classic era when the synth went mainstream and discerning listeners looked forward to an imaginative wordless wonder.

This chronological by year, then alphabetical list however has a restriction of one track per artist and features no tracks that use a repeated vocal phrase as a topline, thus excluding most recordings by KRAFTWERK! And if you’re wondering where GIORGIO MORODER is, his work was covered recently in his own Beginner’s Guide to him…

NEU! Isi (1975)

By 1975, NEU! had broken into two artistic factions with Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger unable to agree a direction for their new album. So they divided its space with the manic Dinger piloting his rambling proto-punk of side two and the more sedate and thoughtful Rother directing the less jarring first side. ‘Isi’ was a wonderful synthesizer and piano instrumental that was still driven by a motorik beat but less dominantly Apache.

Available on the album ‘Neu! 75’ via Gronland Records

http://www.neu2010.com/

KRAFTWERK Franz Schubert (1977)

TEE-7inchEffectively the closing track on KRAFTWERK’s iconic ‘Trans Europe Express’ album, this neo-classical piece was eerily emotive with its combination of Vako Orchestron string ensemble over some gentle Synthanorma Sequenzer pulsing. The haunting elegance of ‘Franz Schubert’ was like Ralf Hütter had been possessed by the ghost of the great German composer, reflecting the art of his melodic and harmonic intuition.

Available on the album ‘Trans Europe Express’ on EMI Records

http://www.kraftwerk.com/

SPACE Magic Fly (1977)

SPACE was the brainchild of Didier Marouani who went under the pseudonym Ecama and formed the collective with Roland Romanelli, and Jannick Top. With compatriot Jean-Michel Jarre and a certain Giorgio Moroder also in the charts, the space disco of the iconic ‘Magic Fly’ heralded the start of a new European electronic sound within the mainstream. With its catchy melody and lush, accessible futurism, ‘Magic Fly’ sold millions all over the world.

Available on the album ‘Magic Fly’ via Virgin France

http://fr.space.tm.fr/

JAPAN The Tenant (1978)

Inspired by the grim Roman Polanski film, ‘The Tenant’ signalled the Lewisham combo’s move away from funk rock into artier climes. A merging of the second side of David Bowie’s ‘Low’ with classical composer Erik Satie, it saw Richard Barbieri play more with synthesizer and piano textures to create atmosphere while Mick Karn dressed the piece with his fretless bass rather than driving it. Karn’s burst of self-taught sax at the conclusion is also quite unsettling.

Available on the album ‘Obscure Alternatives’ via Sony BMG Records

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

GARY NUMAN Airlane (1979)

For anyone who first became a fan of electronic pop during the Synth Britannia era, ‘Airlane’ was a key moment. As the opening track of ‘The Pleasure Principle’ and its subsequent concert tour, it was the calling card that literally announced “GARY NUMAN IS IN THE BUILDING”! Yes, Numan had done instrumentals before, but with its sparkling Polymoog riffs, ‘Airlane’ provoked excitement and anticipation.

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

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

YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA Rydeen (1979)

With their eponymous debut under their belt, YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA fully found their technopop sound on ‘Solid State Survivor’. Written by drummer Yukihiro Takahashi, ‘Rydeen’ was a percussively colourful pentatonic tune filled with optimism and flair. This was the trio at their best as the later ‘Technodelic’ was a quite doomy, while their swansong ‘Naughty Boys’ was overtly mainstream.

Available on the album ‘Solid State Survivor’ via Sony Music

http://www.ymo.org/

JOHN FOXX Mr No (1980)

Armed with an ARP Odyssey, Elka string machine and Roland Compurhythm, John Foxx’s ‘Mr No’ was like a futuristic Bond theme or a signature tune for some space gangster. The mechanical giro was menacingly snake-like while the swirling chill invaded the speakers to prompt some almost funky robot dancing. The ‘Metamatic’ era track originally surfaced on the ‘No-One Driving’ double single pack with aother instrumental, the more sedate ‘Gilmmer’.

Available on the album ‘Metamatic’ via Edsel Records

http://www.metamatic.com/

THE HUMAN LEAGUE Gordon’s Gin (1980)

Written by Jeff Wayne for a cinema advert, THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s cover of ‘Gordon’s Gin’ kicks in like an commercial for Moloko Plus being sold at the Korova Milk Bar. Glorious and euphoric with futuristic sounds that weighed more than Saturn, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh left the band shortly after to form a project named after an imaginary group from a scene in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ discussed by anti-hero Alex with a couple of devotchkas at the disc-bootick!

Available on the album ‘Travelogue’ via Virgin/EMI Records

http://martynwareblog.blogspot.co.uk/

ULTRAVOX Astradyne (1980)

Of ‘Astradyne’, Billy Currie said: “Midge started with that strong melody, Chris’ bass was also a very strong feature. I played a piano counter melody behind. The track was so strong that we felt at ease to lengthen it with a long textural piano bit that is sort of bell-like with the metronomic bass drum beats and the violin tremolo solo… Midge came up with that final section lift taking it out of the long ARP solo. I double it! It is a very good strong keyboard part. It is very celebratory at the end…”

Available on the album ‘Vienna’ via Chrysalis/EMI Records

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

DEPECHE MODE Big Muff (1981)

One of two Martin Gore compositions on the Vince Clarke dominated DEPECHE MODE debut ‘Speak & Spell’, ‘Big Muff’ was a fabulous highlight on the album’s more superior second side. Highly danceable and enjoyably riff laden, this futuristic romp was named after an effects pedal made by Electro-Harmonix who later branched into portable synths. It allowed many a synth obsessed teenager to declare “I like big muff” without embarrassment!

Available on the album ‘Speak & Spell’ via Mute Records

http://www.depechemode.com/

SIMPLE MINDS Theme For Great Cities (1981)

Even with the advent of the free download era, ‘Theme for Great Cities’ is one of the greatest freebies of all time having initially been part of ‘Sister Feelings Call’, a 7-track EP given gratis to early purchasers of SIMPLE MINDS’ fourth album ‘Sons & Fascination’. Starting with some haunting vox humana before a combination of CAN and TANGERINE DREAM takes hold, the rhythm section covered in dub echo drives what is possibly one of the greatest instrumental signatures ever!

Available on the album ‘Sons & Fascination/Sister Feelings Call’ via Virgin/EMI Records

http://www.simpleminds.com

VISAGE Frequency 7 – Dance Mix (1981)

Not actually written as an instrumental, the original was the B-side of VISAGE’s first single ‘Tar’ and much faster paced, featuring Steve Strange rambling about not very much. For its dance mix, ‘Frequency 7’ was slowed down and Strange’s vocal removed. The result was a masterclass in Barry Adamson’s bass counterpointing with Billy Currie’s ARP Odyssey bursts of screaming aggression and Rusty Egan’s metronomic electronic beats for a creepy robotic aesthetic.

Available on the album ‘The Anvil’ via Cherry Red

http://www.visage.cc/

BLANCMANGE Sad Day (1982)

There are two versions of this cult classic; a mutant countrified ambient piece based around the bassline of Brian Eno’s ‘The Fat Lady Of Limbourg’ from the ‘Some Bizzare Album’ and the lively Mike Oldfield inspired album version from ‘Happy Families’. Each has its merits but the percussively jaunty re-recording just wins over with its synthesized wallows, chiming guitars and crashing Simmons drums.

Available on the album ‘Happy Families’ via Edsel Records

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

DRAMATIS Pomp & Stompandstamp (1982)

The hypnotic B-side to ‘Face on The Wall’ showcased the fusion of the classical, rock and prog elements that were the core talents of Chris Payne, RRussell Bell and CedSharpley who had been the mainstay of the first GARY NUMAN backing band. Not a cover of Edward Elgar’s near-namesake composition ‘Pomp & Circumstance’ , DRAMATIS‘ rousing number would however make a perfect closer for the Last Night Of The Proms in the 22nd Century!

Available on the album ‘For Future Reference’ via Cherry Red Records

http://www.numanme.co.uk/numanme/Dramatis.htm

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS DNA (1982)

Technically, ‘DNA’ is not a really synth instrumental with the hook line being far too guitar oriented. However, it had a key role breaking down barriers for music with a more futuristic bent in synthobic America and snatched a 1983 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. And for that, ‘DNA’ deserves kudos! A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS‘ cultural impact can be measured by leader Mike Score’s iconic hair style being lampooned in ‘The Wedding Singer’ and ‘Friends’.

Available on the album ‘A Flock Of Seagulls’ via Cherry Pop

https://www.facebook.com/MikeScoreOfficial/

SOFT CELL ….So (1982)

A solo Dave Ball composition that was on the B-side of ‘What?’, the tall, pensive synthesist created an electronic disco number while Marc Almond was off doing the first MARC & THE MAMBAS’ album that would have done GIORGIO MORODER proud. Reminiscent of the Italian producer’s ‘Chase’, ‘….So’ featured wonderful percolating synths over a fabulously danceable groove and a solid metronomic beat that required no additional vocal histrionics or energetics.

Available on the album ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ via Mercury Records

http://www.marcalmond.co.uk/

CARE On A White Cloud (1983)

CARE was a short lived project comprising of soon-to-be main man of THE LIGHTNING SEEDS Ian Broudie and THE WILD SWANS’ vocalist Paul Simpson. Combining acoustic strums with synthesizer melodies, CARE had promise but imploded due to musical differences. ‘On A With Cloud’ was an epic instrumental with thundering percussion, castenets, ringing guitar and heavenly synthetic layers that appeared the 12 inch B-side of the duo’s best 45 ‘Flaming Sword’.

Originally released on the 12 inch single ‘Flaming Sword’ via Arista Records, currently unavailable

http://stevomusicman.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/care/

CHINA CRISIS Dockland (1983)

CHINA CRISIS recorded a variety of instrumental sketches and the results were often superb. But as the duo of Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon only had a couple of hits, most of this material was little heard having been tucked away on B-sides. ‘Dockland’ is a prime example having been the flip of the flop single ‘Working With Fire & Steel’. The sublime nautical transience inspired by Liverpool’s once vibrant docks lying wasted in a period of high unemployment was captivating.

Available on the album ‘Collection: The Very Best of China Crisis’ 2CD edition via Virgin Records

https://www.facebook.com/pages/China-Crisis/295592467251068

DURAN DURAN Tiger Tiger (1983)

‘Tiger Tiger’ is the best JAPAN instrumental that Sylvian and Co never recorded plus some would consider any DURAN DURAN track without a Simon Le Bon vocal to be a bonus. That aside, John Taylor and Nick Rhodes had more artier aspirations so indulged on this musical tribute to the William Blake poem. Taylor does a superb Mick Karn impersonation on fretless bass while Rhodes adds a great synth melody to proceedings.

Available on the album ‘Seven & The Ragged Tiger’ via EMI Records

http://www.duranduran.com/

THE ASSEMBLY Stop/Start (1984)

Strangely enough, Vince Clarke is not really known for his instrumentals. Co-composed with  Eric Radcliffe, ‘Stop/Start’ was effectively Clarke’s first instrumental as DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Any Second Now’ had a ‘(Voices)’ variant while YAZOO’s ‘Chinese Detectives’ was only played live. A Casiotone infused ditty with Linn drums and a cute melody, ‘Stop/Start’ was the B-side to THE ASSEMBLY’s only single ‘Never Never’.

Available on the boxed set ‘Mute: Audio Documents’ via Mute Records

http://www.vinceclarkemusic.com/

HOWARD JONES Tao Te Ching (1984)

Throwing off his mental chains, Mr Jones took inspiration from his own Buddhist spirituality and the overtures of Vangelis’ 1979 album ‘China’ for this rather beautiful piece which used to open his early shows. Using pentatonic melodies and sweeping chords on ‘Tao Te Ching’ in the style of Tomita and Kitaro, it’s a shame that this aspect of Jones’ quite obvious musical capabilities has never really been explored.

Available on the album ‘The Very Best Of Howard Jones’ via Warner Music

http://www.howardjones.com/

OMD Junk Culture (1984)

Inspired by a ‘Blade Runner’ sample, ‘Junk Culture’ was a reggae-ish number set to a bizarre time signature and signalled OMD’s move away from Germanic electronica. Still experimenting, only this time with more World Music forms thanks to the advent of sampling technology, the detuned Tijuana brass, deep dub bass and schizo voice snippets recalled the work of Jah Wobble, Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit.

Available on the album ‘Junk Culture’ via Virgin Records

http://www.omd.uk.com

TEARS FOR FEARS Pharaohs (1985)

‘The Marauders’ and ‘Empire Building’ showed TEARS FOR FEARS were adept at instrumentals and their best was ‘Pharaohs’, the B-side of ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’. Launched with a crunchy 6/8 heartbeat, the sedate piano motif and drifting synths gave a distinctly nautical feel, enhanced by sound bites from the BBC shipping forecast. But out of nowhere, the middle eight Emulator voice theme from the A-side introduces its partnering chordial guitar solo!

Available on the album ‘Songs From The Big Chair’ 2CD deluxe edition

http://tearsforfears.com/

NEW ORDER Best & Marsh (1989)

This theme was composed in 1988 for the eight part Granada TV series hosted by Factory Records’ supremo Tony Wilson and featured two of Manchester’s most iconic club footballers, George Best and Rodney Marsh. With a great string synth melody, Hooky bass, clubby beats and Italo piano stabs, this prompted the FA to commision NEW ORDER to write ‘World In Motion’ for the 1990 World Cup, while the series allowed ‘Best & Marsh’ to embark on a popular speaking tour.

Available on the album ‘Technique’ 2CD Deluxe edition via London Records

http://www.neworder.com/

VANGELIS End Titles From Blade Runner (1989)

Dramatic, tense and melodic, Vangelis’ closing theme to the acclaimed 1982 Ridley Scott directed Sci-Fi movie ‘Blade Runner’ succeeded in orchestrating a score using just synths and samples to maintain the futuristic unsettlement of the story. However, the glorious track was not actually released until 1989 on the ‘Themes’ compilation, while an actual soundtrack album didn’t actually see the light of day until 1994.

Available on the album ‘Blade Runner’ via Warner Music

http://www.vangelisworld.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
13th August 2013, updated 29th December 2022

The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE

16 July 2012 /

Back in 2008, reissue label Edsel licensed BLANCMANGE’s three albums ‘Happy Families’, ‘Mange Tout’ and ‘Believe You Me’ from Warners.

Although it was great to have these long players available on CD for the first time since their original release with turned up sound and bonus tracks, they were notable for their errors and omissions plus some unsympathetic liner notes by Alan Robinson.

For example, ‘Happy Families’ was missing the original album version of ‘Waves’ along with the notable B-sides ‘I Would’ and ‘Running Thin’ due to contractual issues with the BBC! Meanwhile ‘Mange Tout’ was missing the album cut of ABBA cover ‘The Day Before You Came’. There was also the much discussed absence of the 12 inch version of ‘What’s Your Problem?’ from the extra tracks on ‘Believe You Me’.

However, BLANCMANGE got off lightly compared with Edsel’s ALTERED IMAGES reissues which featured mixes of songs duplicated across their three albums despite being labelled otherwise, tracks mastered off flexi-discs, more muted sleeve notes from the same writer (who clearly disliked Claire Grogan & Co) and in the sad case of ‘Bite’, half of the album consisting of entirely the wrong versions! Thankfully, some of those missing tracks by The Maiden Aunts of Techno have surfaced on ‘The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE’, a timely new 2CD collection compiled by Music Club Deluxe with input from Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe themselves.

Music Club Deluxe, an arm of Edsel’s parent group Demon, have made a concerted effort to work with Warners to source masters and negotiate around any contractual issues with the BBC to plug the essential gaps in BLANCMANGE’s digital catalogue.

Photo by Deb Danahay

While all the singles like ‘God’s Kitchen’, ‘Feel Me’ ‘Living On The Ceiling’, ‘Blind Vision’, ‘Don’t Tell Me’ and ‘That’s Love That it Is’ are included, it is the rarities and selected album highlights (including most of ‘Happy Families’ and songs such as ‘Murder’ and ‘All Things Are Nice’) which make this collection.

The original version of ‘Sad Day’ from the ‘Some Bizzare Album’ is all present and correct. In 1981, this futurist showcase launched the careers of DEPECHE MODE, SOFT CELL, THE THE and B-MOVIE as well as that of BLANCMANGE. Here, Neil Arthur’s twangy guitar is augmented by a Minipops rhythm box and Stephen Luscombe’s Wasp synth bass reminiscent of ENO’s ‘The Fat Lady Of Limbourg’. Very different from the more familiar Oldfield-ish album version, ‘Sad Day’ was the start that eventually led to prestigious support slots with DEPECHE MODE, GRACE JONES and JAPAN as well as a deal with London Records.

Also from those fledgling years are the superb Peel Session tracks ‘Running Thin’ and ‘I Would’ which later cropped up on the flip of ‘Living On The Ceiling’. Both are stark and almost minimal but ‘I Would’ with its clattering rhythms is menacing while ‘Running Thin’ is more resigned in tone. Interestingly in retrospect, they hint at 2011’s ‘Blanc Burn’ album more than anything that featured on the original London LPs.

And as if to make the link, new track ‘Making Aeroplanes’, an outtake from the ‘Blanc Burn’ sessions follows this vintage pair on CD1. One notable inclusion on CD2 of ‘The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE’ is the album version of ‘Waves’. Without the strings, it is like SCOTT WALKER fronting OMD with the sombre detuned brass line allowed to breathe at the song’s conclusion. For those that want it, the single mix with the orchestra is there but this earlier version IS much better and strangely more emotive. Sometimes, less can mean more.

But best of all as far as the rarities go is ‘Hello Darling’ by Stephen Luscombe side-project BLUE WORLD which first appeared as a BLANCMANGE credited track in 1986 on Record Mirror’s free cassette ‘Spools Gold’. Available on CD for the first time, it is an early mash-up where Bollywood meets Giorgio Moroder.

The track is based around a sample of Indian comedian Kishore Kumar from a film called ‘Darling Darling’ which Luscombe saw as a teenager growing up in Southall. It ended up as part of the soundtrack for a BBC documentary ‘The Legend of Leigh Bowery’ about the fashion icon who designed the costumes for BLANCMANGE’s 1984 tour and despite being recorded nearly 30 years ago, it sounds amazingly contemporary.

Although the 12 inch version of ‘What’s Your Problem?’ and single mix of ‘I Can See It’ are still missing, thanks to the masters being lost within Warner Music’s vaults, ‘The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE’ is an essential artefact for the duo’s many fans. A lot of the important material tracing the quirky duo’s history is now thankfully restored, albeit not quite in its rightful place. But thanks to the efforts of Music Club Deluxe, Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, this collection is an informed start to at least softening past mistakes made by others.

As for Music Club Deluxe’s colleagues in the next office at Edsel… do a bit of research and ask! Attention to detail doesn’t hurt! There are plenty of people out there who are willing to give their time for the music they love, simply because they care!

‘The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE’ is released by Music Club on 23rd July 2012

http://www.blancmange.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic

https://twitter.com/_blancmange_

Text by Chi Ming Lai
16th July 2012

NEIL ARTHUR Interview

16 March 2012 /

BLANCMANGE made their welcome return in 2011 after a recorded absence of nearly 25 years with the album ‘Blanc Burn’.

Featuring inventive and quirky tunes such as ‘Drive Me’, ‘I’m Having A Coffee’, ‘The Western’ and ‘Starf*cker’, the collection showed that the creative dynamic which influenced acts such as FAITHLESS, LA ROUX and HOT CHIP was as vital as ever.

A well received Spring tour plus other prestigious summer dates such as Coventry’s Godiva Festival with HEAVEN 17 and MIRRORS showed that audiences still had a taste for BLANCMANGE. However due to illness, Stephen Luscombe was unfortunately unable to join his erstwhile partner Neil Arthur for those live dates. Despite always looking forward, BLANCMANGE have been crossing paths with their past on several occasions since their comeback.

Godiva Festival saw Neil Arthur meeting up with HEAVEN 17’s Martyn Ware, who produced the demos which got them signed to London Records. Meanwhile, Friday 4th May 2012 will see BLANCMANGE headline a special weekend celebrating the legacy of DEPECHE MODE and the Basildon electronic music scene.

BLANCMANGE supported DEPECHE MODE on their early tours and became close friends particularly with Vince Clarke. Of course, BLANCMANGE themselves had their own imperial phase with hit singles such as ‘Living On The Ceiling’, ‘Blind Vision’, ‘Don’t Tell Me’ and the ABBA cover ‘The Day Before You Came’… so that’s where Vince Clarke got the idea for ERASURE’s ‘Abba-Esque’ EP from!!!

With a new tour for May just announced, Neil Arthur got a trifle excited and spoke about BLANCMANGE’s future plans.

Photo by Deb Danahay

How did you become involved in playing a DEPECHE MODE fan event in Basildon?

I know organiser Deb Danahay from years ago when she was with Vince Clarke.

Me and Stephen were good mates with Vince, the other DEPECHE MODE lads and their partners at that time during 1981-82.

Deb got in touch and said she was seeing us in Brighton. We’d chatted a few times over the phone and Facebook but we ended up meeting and had a really good chat after the show. It was just fantastic; we’ve kept in touch since then.

How was it touring with DEPECHE MODE back in the day?

We did two tours with them. When we toured with DEPECHE MODE the first time, I hadn’t long left college and I was working so I took time off work to do that. We weren’t signed at that time. On the second tour, we knew Vince was leaving but everybody was keeping it quiet. After Vince left and Alan Wilder joined, we then did Jersey and Guernsey on the 10th and 12th April 1982 with them. We had a swimming competition after the last gig!

I bumped into Alan a few months ago at Sinners Festival in Belgium when RECOIL and BLANCMANGE were playing. We walked out of our dressing rooms and both of us gave out some ‘manly’ screams and went “BLOODY HELL”!

We obviously knew we might bump into each other but not opposite dressing rooms… it’s a huge event! Bloody brilliant, me and Alan with KARL BARTOS next to us!! “Eh, who’s been in that toilet?”… the high life of electronic music! *laughs*

Photo by Deb Danahay

What are your key memories of those DM support tours?

It was all in black and white then! My biggest memory is never winning a game of chess with Andy Fletcher! And the amount of cuddly toys they used to get given! That was phenomenal! *laughs*

A very funny thing happened…

When we done those two dates in the Channel Islands with sell out audiences, we were at the entrance to the airport and there were a load of teenagers there with autograph books. DEPECHE MODE walked straight through and the teenagers didn’t bat an eyelid…they were dressed as DEPECHE MODE, they weren’t in disguise! Me and Stephen walked past, nobody battered an eyelid. My girlfriend walked past and they mobbed her! *laughs*

Those kids were Swiss tourists and they knew there were these bands there but they couldn’t figure out who and she looked the most glamourous. So she had to sign all the autographs! There were many funny moments and good times.

You and Stephen spent quite a lot of time with Vince Clarke when he was doing YAZOO. So what was this unreleased track BLANCMANGE did with YAZOO like?

It was awful!! That’s why it didn’t come out I suppose! *laughs*

Me, Stephen, Vince and Alison got together in Blackwing Studios and we started but never finished a version of ‘It Takes Two’…it was abandoned, we basically ended up laughing so much we couldn’t do it! With hindsight, it might have been a good idea to persevere and sort it out but we had a good laugh. I’ve got a copy in the studio but nobody will ever hear it as far as I’m concerned! *laughs*

The difference between my voice and Alison’s voice… Alison’s a singer; I was forced into a position to sing! I didn’t have to do it but one of us had to sing and I was just better at it than Stephen was! *laughs*

How is Stephen at the moment if I may ask?

I saw him the other week. He’s not well; it’s very difficult for him. He’s got to be very careful about activity. But he’s in great spirits and that’s a good thing, we have a good laugh. It’s obviously frustrating from his point of view. He knows BLANCMANGE is in very capable hands… with the other two even if it’s not with me. But he’s very happy for me to be getting on with it *laughs*

I’m sure we’ll do more stuff together; I know everyone wishes him well.

What about THE ASSEMBLY track it is rumoured you did?

We went in the studio and had a pfaff around with stuff… we started something, but it didn’t work out and just moved on. We were busy with our stuff at the time. What I do remember from that time is cracking those Extra Strong Mints in the dark to see if they let any light out!! Me and Vince in a cupboard, cracking mints! You’ve gotta try it! *laughs*

How did you feel about the reaction from fans and press to BLANCMANGE’s return and ‘Blanc Burn’ in particular?

I was very pleased with the way it was received… compared to reviews I can recall from years ago, the reaction has been very positive and that’s lovely. Having said that, when it came out, I didn’t read a review; it’s only recently that I’ve done that. At the time, I thought it was more important to get on with the work. Reviews are great if they’re good but after all these years, you just get on with it. We’ve made plenty of mistakes in public and just carried on…if people decide it’s a mistake, that’s their prerogative. If it’s something that people really like, they can have their opinion on it and I go “thank you every much indeed”.

The other thing is, we’re not with a big record company, it was only licensed and the whole thing was recorded in our studios and mixed at a friend’s place. It wasn’t done how like the old albums were put together…that’s what I thought was the interesting thing because the end product probably appears from the outside to be very similar. The actual process was very different. There were some excellent reviews, some good ones and I’ve read a few that don’t get it but that’s fine.

In terms of how the audience have reacted to us, it was humbling. I hadn’t been on a big stage for a long time and I didn’t know what it was going to be like. At Glasgow, it was like stepping into a void. But as soon as I put my foot on the stage, I knew exactly where I was and I knew what I wanted to do…things kind of trigger and come back. And it was made easier by the most partisan crowd I could just imagine. It was fantastic and meeting people afterwards, that was the humbling bit. It was absolutely brilliant hearing their stories and inspirational things I found out from people. Great!

I saw you at Koko and it has to be said you’ve aged much more gracefully compared with some of your contemporaries, what’s your secret?

It’s very kind of you to say so… how close did you get? *laughs*

Everything in moderation and some of it never in moderation! I love running and football, I play football regularly. I enjoy swimming too, my whole family was into that at a competitive level. It put me in good stead!

I’ve actually been out cycling today with my old mate David Rhodes who used to play with us, JAPAN and Peter Gabriel! We did a great run though the Cotswolds. I don’t know, he’s older than me and he was beating me on every hill! And we weren’t racing either!!

You were doing a few of the old Tai Chi moves on stage…

I’ve been doing Origami as well, I can fold a piece of paper in half just like that! I’m a black belt in Origami! *laughs*

Pandit Dinesh must have the largest ever exotic percussion collection ever seen at a pop concert?

He’s a great man, great friend…sometimes he says he’s going to start off on one instrument and goes onto another one! He’s full of surprises and some of the songs were twice as long as they should have been! *laughs*

Your daughter and son came to some of the shows, what did they make of it all?

Obviously, they didn’t know dad did that…“oh, you get a bit intense up there don’t you dad?!” Better out than in! They told me they were proud… I’d like to think they were honest! *laughs*

Of course, my better half, who signed the autographs I mentioned earlier, had seen it all before!

You haven’t done ‘The Day Before You Came’ at any of these shows, was there any particular reason for that?

No, it was just that there were a lot of songs to do and I was really keen to do a mixture of new and old. I mean, we didn’t do ‘That’s Love, That Is’, ‘Lose Your Love’ or ‘What’s Your Problem?’. I just made a decision… funnily enough ‘The Day Before You Came’ may well appear and ‘Lose Your Love’ too, but I’m also keen on doing new stuff and moving it forward! I’m very interested in the future.

I do understand that we have some kind of a legacy and I realise people who do come to see us would expect to hear those old songs. We enjoy doing songs like ‘Feel Me’ and sneaking in ‘Running Thin’. It was great fun doing old stuff like that with the new ones.

So what’s the background of new track ‘Come On Now’?

‘Come On Now’ was done in the same period as ‘Blanc Burn’, but what we did first was to see how we would get on because me and Stephen hadn’t worked together for a long time. What was nice was that we had both been doing music during that time for films, TV and adverts. Funnily enough, the roles had changed because I do a massive amount of programming… that’s what I do but years ago, it was a different thing with synthesizers and sequencers. We ended up with a load of songs and of course, some went on the album, some didn’t. Whether this stuff will ever come out, I don’t know because we don’t have to release it. There’s a bizarre version of a CHIC song that might surface… we don’t often do covers but when we do! *laughs*

The version of ‘Come On Now’ that is now was one of the last tracks we mixed but it was one of the first songs we recorded together… I’d written this basic song with these lyrics and we started mucking around with it. We just decided not to put it on the album.

You are very much into the future, so how are you resisting offers to do things like Rewind Festival and Here & Now?

If people want to do that, then it’s fine. BLANCMANGE have been asked and I’ve even been asked on my own… I don’t really want to do it, it’s not my bag! You have a band playing in the background who you don’t know, and you go on and sing your hit… it’s not me! Last year, we did Godiva Festival with MIRRORS and HEAVEN 17. I’ve got a lot of time for MIRRORS… they look great, I love the sound and the way they do it. And then after us were HEAVEN 17.

So it was really nice that there were electronic acts all together but one was a new band, two of them weren’t. I thought it was a fantastic idea. Do they do that at Rewind? I don’t think so. And when we came back, most of the set was new songs! If you didn’t know us, you’d have been thinking “what are these old gits doing up there playing new songs?” It was really good fun, and nice meeting Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory again, I hadn’t seen them for a while.

When we were doing festivals before, you’d go on stage, come off and Rory Gallagher would go on. It’s a bit different now and there’s a load of them!

Any DEPECHE MODE or YAZOO themed tribute planned?

You’ve just given me a great idea! I went round to Vince’s years ago, he got out one of those holographic records and we tried it with the headphones on. With me, it was like having your haircut with a swarm of bees round your head! Maybe I’ll recreate that moment *laughs*

We’re looking forward to it but we’ve got a heck of a drive! I said to Deb “yeah, we can sort it out with the agent” etc… and then I looked at our tour schedule, we’ve got Newcastle-Glasgow-BASILDON!!! You’re asking me if I’ll do a tribute? You’ll be lucky if I’m standing up… I might have to sit down doing the whole bloody set!! I think that night, I’ll play keyboards and you can hear somebody else singing! *laughs*

What next for BLANCMANGE and yourself?

We’re thinking of putting out an EP, perhaps on a USB stick, but also we may do a limited edition of our first EP ‘Irene & Mavis’ which is not around anymore. We’ve had it digitised. We’ve got festivals coming up. We had some really good times at Sinners in Belgium last year. That was good fun, they really looked after us so I’m looking forward to all that. There’s talk of us going out to America.

I know we’ve talked about this retro thing but I think in the Autumn, we’re looking at doing a classic album in its entirety which might be ‘Happy Families’. They’re looking at doing a short tour of that and I think it would be good fun to do. I quite fancy doing ‘Mange Tout’ to be honest, but I have a feeling we’ll probably do the first one and see where it goes. We’ll certainly take that to Germany as well.

I’ve got a side project I’m working on with FFINCE & ODDGER. I was talking to the lads from KOMPUTER about doing something. I’m also looking at having a chat with CAGE & AVIARY who I love. You got to get their new album Migration, there’s some great dubby and four-to-the floor stuff going on there. I was speaking to John Luongo who we did ‘Blind Vision’ and the second album with the other day, he wants me to go and see him in America.

I’m sure they’ll be another BLANCMANGE album but I’d quite like to do some remixes. A really interesting thing happened, I came across a tape from 1980 and it’s got songs that nobody’s ever heard. The only one that ever came out was the original ‘Sad Day’ which went on the ‘Some Bizarre Album’. They’re recordings on a 4-track. We’ve had that digitised, it’s on the computer and it might get some attention.

There’s things like ‘I Would’ and the original versions of ‘Waves’, ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘I’ve Seen The Word’ minus a verse!! It’s got a verse missing while there’s no histrionics on ‘Waves’! There’s a bit of ‘Waves’ that I’ve always had difficulty with. I remember somebody said “why don’t you do that bit, you don’t sing it like you used to?” and I said “I don’t have to, it’s my bloody song!”… I said to Stephen the other day that I wished we’d never written it! *laughs*

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Neil Arthur

Special thanks to Stuart Kirkham at 9PR and Deb Danahay

BLANCMANGE’s 2012 tour includes:

Newcastle O2 Academy (2nd May), Glasgow ABC (3rd May), Blackburn Darwen Library Theatre (9th May), Liverpool O2 Academy (10th May), Leeds Brudenell Social (11th May), Leamington Spa Assembly Rooms (18th May), Birmingham O2 Academy (19th May), Wolverhampton Slade Rooms (20th May), Milton Keynes Wavendon The Stables (21st May), Oxford O2 Academy (24th May), London Islington Academy (25th May)

http://www.blancmange.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos Courtesy of Deb Danahay and Neil Arthur
Live Photos by Richard Price
16th March 2012

DEB DANAHAY Interview

8 March 2012 /

Photo courtesy of Deb Danahay

This UK May Day Bank Holiday weekend sees a gathering of the masses taking place…

DEPECHE MODE fans from all over the world will gather in Basildon, Essex between Friday 4th to Saturday 5th May 2012 to celebrate the legacy of the town’s biggest musical export but also the region’s electronic music scene which had its own hub in the shape of Southend’s Croc’s club.

Together with other ‘Some Bizzare Album’ contributors SOFT CELL, THE THE and B-MOVIE, DEPECHE MODE became part of an emergent scene that was to have a long lasting impact on pop, electronica, alternative, industrial and beyond with artists as diverse as DAVID GRAY (who covered SOFT CELL’s ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’), MANIC STREET PREACHERS (who covered THE THE’s ‘This Is The Day’), RAMMSTEIN (who covered DM’s ‘Stripped’) and DIDO (whose song ‘Here With Me’ was co-written by B-MOVIE’s Paul Statham)!

But the biggest coup has been the announcement that BLANCMANGE will be headlining. Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe opened side two of the Some Bizarre Album with the instrumental ‘Sad Day’ and later supported DEPECHE MODE. Remaining friends in particular with Vince Clarke, the duo had their own success with the albums ‘Happy Families’ and ‘Mange Tout’ while they made their return last year with ‘Blanc Burn’ and a series of well received live dates.

The Saturday afternoon will host an exhibition of DEPECHE MODE memorabilia at The James Hornsby School in Laindon which Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Alison Moyet once attended. It also hosted one of DEPECHE MODE’s first gigs with the original line-up of Vince Clarke, Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore; a plaque at the school proudly commemoratives that occasion.

Curator Deb Danahay is a well known member of the DEPECHE MODE family having founded the band’s fan club with Jo Gahan.

As Vince Clarke’s girlfriend, Deb experienced at first hand the trials and tribulations of a group of young men fusing the sound of the synthesizer to a new ultrapop template.

Photo by Deb Danahay

Signing to Mute Records, they released their debut album ‘Speak & Spell’ in Autumn 1981 but there was then the shock announcement that Vince Clarke would be leaving the band to form YAZOO with blues singer Alison Moyet!

With the transformation from synth boy band into something much darker and sinister, DEPECHE MODE were very much a product of their surroundings, a development provoked by the conservatism of their new town birthplace and the gifted opportunity to suddenly see the world.

Despite their inventiveness, DEPECHE MODE garnered a negative reaction from the British music press but found a more positive response abroad. Their stark industrialised experimentation and filmic qualities eventually conquered the arenas of Europe and then the stadiums of America with albums such as ‘Music For The Masses’, ‘Violator’ and ‘Songs Of Faith Of Devotion’.

Deb Danahay kindly spoke to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK and reminisced on her time within the DEPECHE MODE camp.

What was the original catalyst for holding a DM fan event in Basildon?

I joined Facebook and started having lots of European fans get in touch with me… they’d read the book ‘Stripped’ by Jonathan Miller and I’m the only Deb Danahay in the world as far as I know, so it was easy to get hold of me *laughs*

They started posting up photos and someone sent me a video of The Masses, a DM event in Hamburg… I thought it was a gig, but there were all these fans waving their hands to a DJ! It blew me away that people went to evenings that were purely DEPECHE MODE music all night long. I was invited to go over to Berlin with Robert Marlow which was really surreal that they wanted me to go over. That’s when I realised this was quite a big thing.

Photo by Deb Danahay

So how was the first event in 2011 received? Where were people making the journey from?

There were a lot of Germans, some Swiss, Swedes, Romanians, and Italians… they were so lovely and happy to be together to party and be in Basildon.

What have you included this time round to make it even more of an occasion?

There’s going to be a Bus Tour visiting all of the special places that the European fans who come over to Basildon on their own steam would visit… to them, it’s like Liverpool with THE BEATLES. So included are the band members’ childhood homes, schools etc.

We’re using the tour bus that YAZOO used for their ‘Reconnected’ Tour so that’s quite exciting in itself. There’s going to be a film that people can watch on the bus and then they visit the relevant places, take pictures and meet people who were important to DEPECHE MODE in the early years. These people will tell their stories and chat to fans.

For the bands have you chosen to play, what selection criteria have you used?

Mainly, they have a DEPECHE MODE / YAZOO / Basildon connection or they’re people that we know. Although in the case of one band MODOVAR, the singer Chris used to write to the YAZOO fan club – which I used to run back in the day! *laughs*

Photo by Deb Danahay

You have BLANCMANGE headlining. So you and them both go back a long way?

Yes, BLANCMANGE supported DEPECHE MODE in 1981. Vince, Neil and Stephen were good friends, we went on holiday together so there was a camaraderie. I did lose touch with them but when they started touring again last year, I met up with them again. Neil’s really up it…

For those who are thinking about whether to come along or not, what sort of people is it likely to appeal to and what can they expect if they come?

It’s for people who appreciate electronic music and also, it’s a party as opposed to a festival really. There’s a club at the end of each evening after the bands. It’s for like minded people to socialise, appreciate live music and party! The DM devotees just love getting together at gigs and events. A welcoming friendly atmosphere is guaranteed.

What will the DJs be playing?

Electronica from the late 70s to present day. There’s a specialist DJ Dan Martin from Barcelona who will be playing purely DEPECHE MODE for the Saturday night club party.

You’ve mentioned YAZOO but will the other offshoot acts such as ERASURE and RECOIL also figure?

Yes of course – if that’s what the DJs like yourself choose to play! *laughs*

You’ve have a close connection with the DEPECHE MODE family, what was your first memory of them in those fledgling days?

I knew Dave first, we used to go to the same pubs and clubs… we were slaves to fashion and whatever was the latest trend at that time! Me and Dave were into the soul scene first. I remember we were at a party and being a good friend, he walked me home. He mentioned Vince, who I didn’t know then, had asked him to be lead singer of this band… Dave didn’t know what to do! So I said “go for it, there’s nothing to lose!” *laughs*

Vince was very astute, he’d asked Dave because Dave was popular and had a lot of friends who were part of the In Crowd. Vince, Martin and Fletch were part of a Christian Fellowship; that was their musical background. I then met Robert Marlow who was Vince’s best friend and then I met Vince through Rob.

Photo by Deb Danahay

Can you remember your first DEPECHE MODE gig?

The first time I saw them was at a party that I held at The Paddocks in Basildon, but they were called COMPOSITION OF SOUND then. I still have a Fanzine gig review of that performance – it can be seen at the Memorabilia Event.

Had you been interested in electronic music much at that point?

I was a Soul Girl initially – but was drawn to Giorgio Moroder through Donna Summer *laughs*

This led onto KRAFTWERK and ULTRAVOX then THE HUMAN LEAGUE, GARY NUMAN and OMD. Then of course, there was THE NORMAL, SILICON TEENS and FAD GADGET. I couldn’t believe it when I first got to know Daniel Miller, it was such a shock to find out he was THE NORMAL and THE SILICON TEENS!! I’d bought these records ages before… I thought THE SILICON TEENS were a proper group! I’m sure everyone else did! *laughs*

Did anyone have an inkling that something was going to happen with DEPECHE MODE?

NO! No one did! Vince was very driven and striving but he was on the dole! No-one within the band thought they would become big stars. The scene they were in around Crocs, everyone was just having a party *laughs*

On the 20th Century Box documentary narrated by Danny Baker, the boys can be seen rehearsing a song that was never actually released. Judging by the evidence on film, there’s probably a reason why that one has never come out! But in your opinion, was there an unreleased DEPECHE MODE song that was either played live or rehearsed which is perhaps a hidden jewel and should have been recorded?

There is ‘Television Set’ but that wasn’t written by any of the band and that’s why it was never got recorded.

One of the exhibits you’re going to have on the Saturday afternoon at James Hornsby School is to give fans the opportunities to hear some rare tracks and demos?

I had demos of Vince and Alison recorded at an 8 track in Vince’s flat. We have a unit so people can listen on headphones. This year we have special DEPECHE MODE demos and as BLANCMANGE are performing, I have a demo that BLANCMANGE and YAZOO recorded but was never released…

So ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ becomes a huge hit, ‘Speak & Spell’ has just been released and then Vince Clarke announces he’s leaving! What honestly did you think at the time?

Well, I was very much in love with Vince at that time, it didn’t matter what he did. I wasn’t surprised when he left, but not because of anything anyone did. It was just Vince, he didn’t like being tied down, or he didn’t then…

Of course, your loyalties were with Vince and YAZOO but were you worried for Martin, Dave and Fletch? What were relations like between the two camps at the time?

Things were fine, but obviously I remember feeling bad because they didn’t understand why. It was just Vince in himself. Socially, I used to meet the guys down the pub – part of the gang as normal – which speaks volumes of their characters doesn’t it?

Mute’s Daniel Miller has to be applauded for being a great mentor at this time…

His personality and character held everything together, he was just so balanced and level. I never saw him lose his patience or temper with anyone. He was a big motivator. Also, Mute itself then was tiny, it was really laid back and friendly.

‘Upstairs At Eric’s’ and ‘A Broken Frame’ came out within a few weeks of each other in Autumn 1982. With their 30th anniversaries coming up, how do you think these two albums stand up to scrutiny now?

They’re just brilliant of course! I’m very biased aren’t I? *laughs*

Photo by Deb Danahay

How do you think the core of DEPECHE MODE have managed to stay together all these years?

I think it’s because they have a deep friendship and Basildon people, we have this self-deprecating humour…I remember in the most recent DM book, 1983 support act Matt Fretton said he couldn’t understand how Dave, Martin and Fletch used to take the mickey out of each other… but I could understand that.

It’s a joke, not a personal thing, it’s not about having a go at someone, but he couldn’t see that. That’s the sort of thing that has kept them together. When you listen to them being interviewed, they’re still so down to earth.

So why do you think DEPECHE MODE have been the most successful act of the Synth Britannia generation, particularly in America where other acts from the era such as THE HUMAN LEAGUE, OMD, SIMPLE MINDS have had a couple of big hits but have been unable to maintain the kind of momentum which still sees DM play huge venues?

The feeling I get from the European fans is that DEPECHE MODE songs portray their lives. The lyrics in tracks like ‘Walking In My Shoes’ mean something emotionally to them. That’s why a lot of people are drawn to DEPECHE MODE, it’s about their lives, whether it’s being heartbroken or lonely through the years.

What do you think of the stuff that Vince Clarke and Martin Gore have recorded as VCMG?

I think it’s wonderful that they have connected again, but personally I’m not really into trancey disco, it’s not my cup of tea…

Your favourite DEPECHE MODE songs and album?

Wow! Too many to mention Chi! The ‘Speak & Spell’ era has got a great personal thing for me. ‘Big Muff’, I just love ‘Big Muff!’ and I love ‘Personal Jesus’. Anything that Johnny Cash covers has just got to be incredible…

Photo by Deb Danahay

What about any of Vince Clarke’s various projects?

I love all the early ERASURE catalogue like ‘Sometimes’ and ‘A Little Respect’ – but again to many to mention. THE ASSEMBLY with Feargal Sharkey, that was just amazing.

Vince did some work with the guys from WIRE which has just come out in a box set… DOME they were called – totally originally pieces of work…

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Deb Danahay

BAS II takes place on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th May 2012

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
8th March 2012

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