Tag: John Foxx (Page 14 of 18)

2013 END OF YEAR REVIEW

12 December 2013 / electricityclub

The Correct Use Of VCOs

The year started appropriately enough with an electronic number ‘2013’ by Belgian duo METROLAND.

For the first six or seven months of 2013, it proved to be one of the most productive periods in electronic pop music. Not since the Autumn of 1981 when had so many significant releases coincided. It was strangely quality and quantity, a rare occurance in modern times for music, especially of the synth propelled variety.

That time saw THE HUMAN LEAGUE ‘Dare’, GARY NUMAN ‘Dance’, ULTRAVOX ‘Rage In Eden’, DEPECHE MODE ‘Speak & Spell’, SOFT CELL ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’, HEAVEN 17 ‘Penthouse & Pavement’, SIMPLE MINDS ‘Sons & Fascination’, NEW ORDER ‘Movement’, JAPAN ‘Tin Drum’ and OMD ‘Architecture & Morality’ all coming out within weeks of each other!

Interestingly from that list, only JAPAN and SOFT CELL are missing as currently performing entities although Marc ALmond himself made a number of concert and theatrical appearances during the year.

OMD got back to their Kling Klang roots with their best album in 30 years entitled ‘English Electric’. Although enthusiasts of the band’s pioneering work were satisfied, fans of OMD’s pop phase were confused as to why Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys had recorded an electronic album influenced by KRAFTWERK! This was an indicator of how the band have mutated and been perceived over the years.

But that was nothing compared with DEPECHE MODE whose single ‘Soothe My Soul’ was remixed by ZZ TOP’s Billy F Gibbons… although recognisably reworked, listeners could barely notice the join, thus fully confirming DM’s development into the world’s premiere stadium electro blues combo. Their album ‘Delta Machine’ was a big improvement on 2009’s ‘Sounds Of The Universe’, but it was no ‘English Electric’.

Among the other evergreens with new long players in 2013 were PET SHOP BOYS, BEF and Alison Moyet.

Messrs Tennant and Lowe finally worked with the ubiquitous Stuart Price to produce an album that was ‘Electric’ by name and electric by nature.

Meanwhile Moyet found her most musically compatible partner since Vince Clarke in Guy Sigsworth for the stunning return to form of ‘the minutes’.

Over at BEF, Martyn Ware assembled his most impressive cast of guest vocalists yet including ERASURE’s Andy Bell and CULTURE CLUB’s Boy George for the third volume of the ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction’ covers series; subtitled ‘Dark’, it featured some of Ware’s most starkly electronic work since he was in THE HUMAN LEAGUE.

Another welcome return came from electronic disco pioneer GIORGIO MORODER. The icon is now 73 years old yet with his stomping track ‘Racer’, he proved could mix it with all the young pretenders. Indeed, his autobiographical contribution to DAFT PUNK’s tribute ‘Giorgio By Moroder’ reflected the respect and admiration he holds within the dance world.

Although only a few years younger, KRAFTWERK’s Ralf Hütter showed no real signs of moving his iconic brand forward despite the 3D spectacle of ‘Der Katalog 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8’ live retrospectives in Düsseldorf, London, Tokyo and Sydney.

With the various hosting art spaces still seeing their ticketing systems collapse, was this really just an elaborate publicity stunt? After all, how many heritage acts get on the news for sending websites into meltdown?

It certainly didn’t do KRAFTWERK any harm as a headlining slot at Latitude Festival and its resultant BBC TV coverage proved. However, new material was still not forthcoming but such is the demand that several unscrupulous eBay dealers in Russia were passing off CD-Rs of three tracks from METROLAND’s 2012 album ‘Mind The Gap’ as KRAFTWERK demos!

Meanwhile, former colleague Karl Bartos exorcised his Kling Klang ghost with ‘Off The Record’, a collection of his unreleased KRAFTWERK-era compositions which made a fine companion to OMD’s ‘English Electric’; his upcoming 2014 world tour is eagerly anticipated.

Photo by David Levine

ULTRAVOX opened for SIMPLE MINDS but with Midge Ure spending most of the year doing the rounds with solo acoustic gigs, their synth lynchpin Billy Currie released his ninth solo offering ‘Balletic Transcend’.

Meanwhile in a revival of a project that both had been involved in, a fragmented VISAGE unleashed their first album in nearly 30 years to a mixed reception.

With just Steve Strange remaining from the original line-up, ‘Hearts & Knives’ was essentially a solo project.

There were heated exchanges on social networks between Strange and his estranged Blitz Club partner Rusty Egan about misappropriated royalties and the validity of the reconfigured brand. Whatever, the raw video recording of the new VISAGE performing ‘Fade To Grey’ live at London’s Hoxton Bar and Kitchen stood as possibly the most embarrassing moment of the year.

Artists who made their name during Electroclash such as ADULT. and MISS KITTIN made welcome returns in 2013 while also from that era, LADYTRON’s Helen Marnie released her first solo offering ‘Crystal World’ crowd funded via Pledge Music.

It was a novel but effective way of securing a promotional budget that involved fans in the process by offering exclusive updates and an opportunity to purchase exclusive memorabilia. In MARNIE’s case, items on sale ranged from hand written lyric sheets to her Mini-Cooper and a bikini!

Meanwhile, former SNEAKER PIMPS sparring partners IAMX and Kelli Ali also went down the Pledge Music route, pointing the way forward to a music industry future without interference from record label middle men. But the failure of several crowd funding campaigns proved the model was not for everyone.

The Britpop era was not particularly known for its use of electronics but two acts who did indulge, REPUBLICA and DUBSTAR, made formal comebacks on the live circuit in 2013.

mesh-web Seeded from around the same time, Bristol’s MESH made possibly their best album yet in ‘Automation Baby’. Celebrating 30 years in the business, techno icon WESTBAM assembled a diverse cast including Iggy Pop, Lil’ Wayne, Hugh Cornwall, Bernard Sumner and Richard Butler for an intriguing set called ‘Götterstrasse’. It was the surprise electronic release of the year.

There were also sophomore albums from LITTLE BOOTS, HURTS and AUSTRA which all drew muted responses from fans following their well received debuts; the promising spark had been present in all three acts appeared to have faded although each album had strong highlights. But there were impressive debuts in 2013 by GHOST CAPSULES, COLLINS and MODOVAR; and all this happened before the summer had started!

On the more guitar driven end of the spectrum, NIGHT ENGINE pursued an art rock aesthetic that would have made Berlin-era DAVID BOWIE proud. And of course, The Dame himself returned with ‘The Next Day’ headed by the touchingly reflective ‘Where Are We Now?’.

Adopting a more post-punk attitude, GIRL ONE & THE GREASE GUNS showed how battered synths, clanky guitars and motorik drums could still come together in perfect harmony while maintaining an air of mystery.

Meanwhile, WHITE LIES continued their New wave odyssey into how THE TEARDROP EXPLODES would have sounded had Julian Cope not got upset by BLANCMANGE’s ‘Happy Families’; they even borrowed a snatch of ‘Fade To Grey’ for the title track of their third album ‘Big TV’. This was despite the mainstream music media’s attempt to downplay their use of synths although the band countered that by declaring TEARS FOR FEARS, TALK TALK and THE BLUE NILE as kindred spirits rather than INTERPOL or EDITORS.

The second half of the year brought the much anticipated debut from CHVRCHES entitled ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’. The trio have moved the goalposts as far as modern synthpop is concerned but they were not without their flaws such as the inexplicable decision to use dreary indie-styled male lead vocals on a pair of tracks.

But despite this, with sold out club tours, gigs supporting DEPECHE MODE in Europe and the might of Virgin Records behind them, world domination surely beckons and with it, a new raised profile for the synthesizer overall.

Virgin Records themselves celebrated 40 years in the business with a series of London concerts and its legacy in electronic music was represented by CHVRCHES, HEAVEN 17, SCRITTI POLITTI and SIMPLE MINDS. Although the label is now owned by the Universal Corporation (having been under the control of EMI since 1992), its colourful history remains associated with the championing of new and unconventional music forms during its fledgling years.

And in a diversion from music, one-time Virgin signee Thomas Dolby produced and directed ‘The Invisible Lighthouse’, a documentary on a monument local to his childhood home. In a novel style of presentation, the film went on a tour accompanied by a live narration and soundtrack from TMDR with some of his songs dispersed in between.

Gary Numan’s long delayed ‘Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)’ finally became a reality. A move to LA relaxed him to the point where he was posting his holiday photos on Twitter!

Musically though, he was as intense as ever but luckily, ‘Splinter’ was not the one dimensional riff monster that had been threatened and contained some of his best work in over ten years. Interestingly NINE INCH NAILS, who have been a major influence on Numan and vice versa, also returned after a period of absence with ‘Hesitation Marks’.

Over at Mute, there was another Sorcerer versus Apprentice battle when GOLDFRAPP and Polly Scattergood both released new records in the same month. Now no longer on Mute but very much still part of the extended family, MOBY released the impressive ‘Innocents’ which didn’t tinker too much with his well established formula and included a great collaboration with Wayne Coyne of FLAMING LIPS that sounded like Gary Numan in a Pentecostal church!

In 2013, North America appeared to be turning into a new haven for synth talent. There was LA pop duo NIGHT CLUB while also based in the region, SOFT METALS continued their Detroit Techno inspired progression with ‘Lenses’. Slightly eastwards, Texan based FEATHERS made an impressive statement with their debut long player ‘If All Now Here’; a European tour supporting DEPECHE MODE in January 2014 was fine recognition of their talent.

Fellow Texans ELEVEN:ELEVEN finally got their debut album ‘Through The Veil’ out too. New Yorkers HOLY GHOST! sprung the enjoyable electronic disco of ‘Dynamics’ while also from the area, AU REVOIR SIMONE returned with their fourth album ‘Move In Spectrums’ after an extended break.

But one slow burning combo were Canada’s TR/ST; led by the enigmatic and moody Robert Alfons, at times he sounded like a young LEONARD COHEN updating the sleazy demeanour of SOFT CELL. They toured extensively and garnered some more well deserved attention for their grower of a debut ‘Trst’ which actually came out back in January 2012!

However, all the good work was undone by a ticket lottery fiasco for an end of year London gig in which unsuccessful applicants were not notified until three hours before the concert, this despite communications to the contrary telling people to arrive at the door with ID. In this ever more challenging music industry, artists have to be innovative with promotion. But restricting availability and tricking fans into what was effectively a marketing scam for a larger London concert in May 2014 only alienated audiences.

Like in previous years, Europe was again a centre of creativity. Athens based synth maidens MARSHEAUX were back with their maturer fourth album ‘Inhale’.

Meanwhile, their production team FOTONOVELA gathered DUBSTAR’s Sarah Blackwood, MIRRORS’ James New, KID MOXIE and SECTION 25’s Bethany Cassidy for ‘A Ton Of Love’ while riding on a crest of a wave from ‘Helen Of Troy’, their acclaimed collaboration with OMD.

The song ‘Our Sorrow’ featuring James New turned out to be particularly poignant as after a year of minimal activity, MIRRORS called it a day.

From their Berlin HQ, NOBLESSE OBLIGE delivered an ‘Affair Of The Heart’ with its stark funereal cover of ‘Hotel California’ while Slovenian trio TORUL impressed audiences opening for MESH. Still fiercely independent and uncompromising, THE KNIFE divided opinion with their performance art presentation of their experimental double opus ‘Shaking The Habitual’. From Demark, TRENTEMØLLER delivered his third album ‘Lost’, an adventurous blend of real and electronic instruments that more than proved his suitability as a future prospective DEPECHE MODE producer.

With the critical acclaim still resonant for her 2012 album ‘Highwire Poetry’, Karin Park continued to tour the world but found time to co-write Norway’s Eurovision entry ‘I Feed You My Love’. Sung by Margaret Beger and leftfield by pure pop standards, it came a respectable fourth but predictably, the UK gave it nul points! Following their wonderful eponymous debut album in 2012, SIN COS TAN swiftly followed it up with the more organic but still synth friendly ‘Afterlife’.

Never one to sit still, the duo’s Jori Hulkkonen also released an EP ‘European Splendour’ with John Foxx which sounded every bit as good as its title. Foxx didn’t sit still either and collaborated with THE BELBURY CIRCLE while also curating a covers EP of his own songs featuring GAZELLE TWIN and I SPEAK MACHINE.

Back in the UK, ANALOG ANGEL, AUTOMATIC WRITING, F.O.X, GAPTOOTH and MAPS flew the flag for the domestic scene.

But best of the local crew though were VILE ELECTRODES; they snagged a prestigious support tour with OMD in Germany where the local crowds connected with Anais Neon and Martin Swan’s analogue electricity and opened for John Foxx in Brighton on their return. Their long awaited debut LP ‘The future through a lens’ did not disappoint and from it, the closer ‘Deep Red’ was easily the best OMD song that Humphreys and McCluskey never recorded.

As with last year, attempts were made within the industry to centralise electronic pop and dance music. But as the cancellation of the Playground Festival due to poor ticket sales proved, the two factions do not mix. Scheduled to appear on the Saturday, despite the technological influence of Gary Numan, John Foxx and Wolfgang Flür on the dance scene, the fans of those artists generally loathe the lifestyle and attitude of club culture.

Most just want to see the headline act and go home… the idea of paying an extra premium on the ticket price for a couple of DJs tagged on the see out the early hours of the morning simply doesn’t appeal! And those who are there for the DJs and larging it certainly aren’t interested in live bands. The sooner promoters and record labels realise that electronic pop and dance music are NOT the same thing, the better. That said, it was a difficult time for live events generally with a number of name acts playing to half full venues.

Elsewhere, the music press were on the backfoot with rumours that the once mighty Q Magazine and NME were in trouble. But lazy journalism and lack of adventure by both were as much to blame as any proliferation of the internet or smart technology. That aside, 2013 was a superb year where the music spoke for itself. Many of the veterans gave the best up-and-coming artists a real run for their money.

And while the amount of new electronic music was at an all time high and the finest exponents rewarded with assorted high-profile opportunities as a result, a number of lesser accomplished acts suffered from the comparison with the best.

Helen Marnie said: “I think it’s great that electronic music is on a high right now but it’s so saturated as well. Everyone’s going it’s great cos it’s electronic and I’m like ‘I’m not so sure’… but there’s lots of good stuff”.

In fact, the standard was so high in 2013 that some of the acts who ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK featured in 2012 probably wouldn’t have got a look in this year. From those who sounded like the middling bands featured on the Janice Long Show circa 1985 to 21st Century synthpop reincarnations of HUE & CRY, the volume of music available in many ways made it quite easy to distinguish the excellent from the pleasant but ordinary material that was, as the dreaded ‘Say Nothing Auntie Of Landfill Indie’ Jo Whiley would say, “alright”!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK accepts the continuing mission to maintain a degree of quality control in 2014 as it has done since its inception.

As @TheRobMo put it on Twitter: “gatekeepers / tastemakers… it’s what we go to you for”. Meanwhile on the site’s Facebook, regular reader Brian O’Malley correctly added: “Not all synth music is great, and not all guitar music is rubbish”.

But the final word on 2013 must go to BEF and Glenn Gregory (or HEAVEN 17 if you prefer) via their electronic cover of an Ervin Drake song made famous by Ol’ Blue Eyes:

“And it poured sweet and clear… it was a very good year”

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK Contributor Listings of 2013

PAUL BODDY

Best Album: MAPS Vicissitude
Best Song: MAPS Built To Last (Free School Remix)
Best Gig: ALISON MOYET at London Royal Festival Hall
Best Video: HOLY GHOST! Dumb Disco Ideas
Most Promising New Act: JUVENILES

KAREN BUXTON

Best Album: VILE ELECTRODES The future through a lens
Best Song: HURTS Someone to Die For
Best Gig: OMD + VILE ELECTRODES at Leipzig Haus Auensee
Best Video: OMD Night Cafe
Most Promising New Act: MARTYN BAILEY

DEB DANAHAY

Best Album: GARY NUMAN Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)
Best Song: COVENANT Last Dance
Best Gig: GAZELLE TWIN at London Roundhouse Studio Theatre
Best Video: TRUST Bulbform
Most Promising New Act: TRUST

STEVE GRAY

Best Album: CHVRCHES The Bones Of What You Believe
Best Song: MARGARET BERGER I Feed You My Love
Best Gig: BAS 2013
Best Video: IAMX I Come With Knives
Most Promising New Act: TORUL

CHI MING LAI

Best Album: OMD English Electric
Best Song: FOTONOVELA feat MIRRORS Our Sorrow
Best Gig: OMD + VILE ELECTRODES at Cologne E-Werk
Best Video: FEATHERS Land Of The Innocent
Most Promising New Act: FEATHERS

SOPHIE NILSSON

Best Album: ALISON MOYET the minutes
Best Song: SPACEBUOY Breathe
Best Gig: DEPECHE MODE at Copenhagen Parken
Best Video: DEPECHE MODE Soothe My Soul
Most Promising New Act: CHVRCHES

RICHARD PRICE

Best Album: PET SHOP BOYS Electric
Best Song: OMD Dresden
Best Gig: KARIN PARK at The Lexington
Best Video: MONARCHY featuring DITA VON TEESE Disintegration
Most Promising New Act: CHVRCHES

Text by Chi Ming Lai
12th December 2013

The Electronic Legacy of VIRGIN RECORDS

20 August 2013 / electricityclub

Virgin Records celebrates its 40th Anniversary.

Although the label is now owned by the Universal Music Group, its colourful history is forever associated with the championing of new and unconventional music forms during its fledgling years. Virgin founder Richard Branson started his empire in 1970 with nothing more than a mail order outlet, selling discounted records.

The name Virgin came from the fact that Branson and his team of directors were all new to business. There then came a small record shop in London’s Oxford Street a year later. Not not long after, a residential recording complex in an Oxfordshire mansion which became the now-famous Manor Studios was established. Further shops opened so with the success of the retail arm and studio, a record label was launched in 1973.

Recognising he had no real working knowledge of music, Branson appointed his second cousin Simon Draper (who had been Virgin’s buyer) as Managing Director to seek out new talent for the new A&R led company. Beginning with Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ and the catalogue number V2001, progressive acts such as GONG along with cosmic Germans FAUST and TANGERINE DREAM soon followed, all with varying degrees of success.

But with the advent of punk and keen to shake off its hippy image, Virgin gained notoriety by signing THE SEX PISTOLS in 1977 and releasing ‘God Save The Queen’ in the process. The label courted further controversy when they issued the album ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’ to great fanfare. Virgin ended up in the dock under the 1899 Indecent Advertising Act over a poster in their Nottingham record shop.

But Branson and defending QC John Mortimer had an ace up their sleeve; Reverend James Kingsley, a professor of English Studies at Nottingham University was called as a witness. Under questioning, Kingsley was asked for the derivation of the word “bollocks”. Apparently, it was used in the 19th century as a nickname for clergymen who were known to talk rubbish and the word later developed into meaning “of nonsense”.

Wearing his clerical collar in court, Kingsley confirmed: “They became known for talking a great deal of bollocks, just as old balls or baloney also come to mean testicles, so it has twin uses in the dictionary”. The case was thrown out by the judge… after that, the label reinvented itself as a centre of post-punk and new wave creativity, signing bands such as THE RUTS, XTC, PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED, MAGAZINE, THE SKIDS, DEVO and PENETRATION.

When David Bowie declared THE HUMAN LEAGUE as “the future of pop music” after seeing them at the Nashville in 1978, Virgin Records were quick to snap them up. Meanwhile, OMD were initially signed to Virgin’s Factory styled subsidiary Dindisc Records under the directorship of Carol Wilson; but their success had been an embarrassment to Richard Branson, particularly in 1980 when following the international success of ‘Enola Gay’, OMD had outsold every act in the parent group!

Despite massive sales of ‘Architecture & Morality’ in 1981, Dindisc ran into difficulties and was closed by Branson with OMD gleefully absorbed into the Virgin fold. The label threw in its lot with the synthesizer revolution and gave homes to SPARKS, JAPAN, SIMPLE MINDS, HEAVEN 17 and CHINA CRISIS as well as more conventional acts of the period such as Phil Collins and Bryan Ferry.

In 1982, on the back of ‘Don’t You Want Me?’ having been a No 1 in the UK and USA, Virgin had made a profit of £2 million but by 1983, this had leaped to £11 million, largely attributed by the worldwide success of CULTURE CLUB. Virgin Records was sold by Branson to Thorn EMI in 1992 reportedly for around £560 million to fund Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Under new management, the label became less visionary and more corporate with SPICE GIRLS and THE ROLLING STONES, along with Lenny Kravitz, Meat Loaf and Janet Jackson being examples of the brand’s continued global success, while many of the innovative acts who had helped build the label were surplus to requirements. Despite this, Virgin Records still maintains a tremendous back catalogue.

Over the years, Virgin Records have been in the fortunate position of having a critically acclaimed act on its roster at each key stage of electronic music’s development and its electronic legacy continues today with the recent signing of Glaswegian synth trio CHVRCHES.

So here are twenty albums from the iconic label which ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK considers significant in the development of electronic music. Restricted to one album per artist moniker and featuring only UK releases initially issued on or licensed to the Virgin label, they are presented in chronological order…

TANGERINE DREAM Rubycon (1975)

‘Phaedra’ may have been the breakthrough but ‘Rubycon’ consolidated TANGERINE DREAM’s position as leaders in the field of meditative electronic music. Featuring the classic line-up of Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann and Chris Franke, the hypnotic noodles of VCS3 and Moogs dominated proceedings while Mellotrons and organic lines added to the trancey impressionism with the trio sounding like they were trapped inside a transistor radio.

‘Rubycon’ was released as V2025

http://www.tangerinedream.org/

ASHRA New Age Of Earth (1977)

Guitarist Manuel Göttsching had been a member of ASH RA TEMPEL but looking to explore more progressive voxless territory on ‘New Age Of Earth’, he armed himself with an Eko Rhythm Computer, ARP Odyssey and his signature Farfisa Synthorchestra. An exponent of a more transient soloing style, he used the guitar for texture as much as for melody in this beautiful treasure trove of an album, as on the wonderful 20 minute ‘Nightdust’

‘New Age Of Earth’ was released as V2080

http://www.ashra.com/

STEVE HILLAGE Rainbow Dome Musick (1979)

Already an established member of the Virgin family as a member of GONG, solo artist and in-house producer, Hillage had a love of German experimental music and ventured into ambient with long standing partner Miquette Giraudy. Recorded for the Rainbow Dome at the ‘Festival for Mind-Body-Spirit’ at Olympia, these two lengthy Moog and ARP assisted tracks each had a beautifully spacey vibe to induce total relaxation.

‘Rainbow Dome Musick’ was released as VR1

https://twitter.com/stevehillage

SPARKS No1 In Heaven (1979)

Following the success of ‘I Feel Love’, its producer Giorgio Moroder teamed with SPARKS. The resultant album saw Russell Mael’s flamboyant falsetto fitting well with the electronic disco template. ‘The No1 Song In Heaven’ hit the UK charts before TUBEWAY ARMY’s ‘Are Friends Electric?’ while ‘Beat The Clock’ actually got into the Top 10 but the album itself was overshadowed by the success of Gary Numan.

‘No1 In Heaven’ was released as V2115

http://www.allsparks.com/

JOHN FOXX Metamatic (1980)

“I want to be a machine” snarled John Foxx on the eponymous ULTRAVOX! debut and after he left the band in 1979, he virtually went the full electronic hog with the JG Ballard inspired ‘Metamatic’. ‘Underpass’ and ‘No-One Driving’ were surprising hit singles that underlined the dystopian nature of Foxx’s mindset while the fabulous ‘A New Kind Of Man’, the deviant ‘He’s A Liquid’ and stark opener ‘Plaza’ were pure unadulterated Sci-Fi.

‘Metamatic’ was released as V2146

http://www.metamatic.com/

JAPAN Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980)

Dropped by Ariola Hansa despite their third album ‘Quiet Life’ being palatable with the emerging New Romantic scene, JAPAN found a refuge at Virgin. ‘Swing’ succeeded in out Roxy-ing ROXY MUSIC while the haunting ‘Nightporter’ was the ultimate Erik Satie tribute. An interest in Japanese technopop saw Sylvian collaborate with YMO’s Ryuichi Sakamoto on the splendid closer ‘Taking Islands In Africa’.

‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’ was released as V2180

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

BRITISH ELECTRIC FOUNDATION Music For Stowaways (1981)

When they left THE HUMAN LEAGUE in Autumn 1980, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh formed BEF, releasing ‘Music For Stowaways’, an instrumental album only available on cassette to accessorise Sony’s brand new Stowaway portable tape player. However, the name of the new device was changed to Walkman! With economic recession decimating the industrial heartland of Sheffield and the spectre of imminent nuclear holocaust, the chilling ambience on ‘The Decline Of The West’, the futurist horror of ’Music To Kill Your Parents By’ and the doomy fallout of ‘Uptown Apocalypse’ certainly connected with the album’s concept of a walking soundtrack.

‘Music For Stowaways’ was released as TCV2888

http://www.heaven17.com/bef/

THE HUMAN LEAGUE Dare (1981)

After ‘Reproduction’ and ‘Travelogue’ failed to set the world alight, manager Bob Last played a game of divide and rule on the original line-up. Vocalist Philip Oakey and Director of Visuals Adrian Wright would recruit Ian Burden, Jo Callis, Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall to record the now classic ‘Dare’ album under the auspices of producer Martin Rushent sounding ike KRAFTWERK meeting ABBA, especially on ‘Darkness’ and ‘Don’t You Want Me’.

‘Dare’ was released as V2192

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

HEAVEN 17 Penthouse & Pavement (1981)

HEAVEN 17’s debut ‘Penthouse & Pavement’ combined electronic pop and disco while adding witty sociopolitical commentary about yuppie aspiration and mutually assured destruction. The ‘Pavement’ side was a showcase of hybrid funk driven by the Linn Drum and embellished by the guitar and bass of John Wilson while the ‘Penthouse’ side was more like an extension of THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s ‘Travelogue’.

‘Penthouse & Pavement’ was released as V2208

http://www.heaven17.com/

SIMPLE MINDS New Gold Dream (1982)

“You want to be with Virgin so bad that you’ll sign anyway” said Richard Branson to SIMPLE MINDS; signing after the promise of US tour support, the band lost their intensity and recorded a great album filled with pretty synthesized melodies, textural guitar and driving lead bass runs. Big titles like ‘Someone Somewhere In Summertime’, ‘Colours Fly & Catherine Wheel’ and ‘Hunter & The Hunted’ made investigation essential.

‘New Gold Dream’ was released as V2230

http://www.simpleminds.com/

DEVO Oh, No! It’s Devo (1982)

By 1982, DEVO had become much more of a synth based act with programmed percussion to boot. Their sound moved away from the guitar dominated art rock of their Eno produced debut ‘Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!’ As quirky as ever, the album’s concept was a response to criticism from the press about their imagery… thus they asked temselves “what would an album by fascist clowns sound like?”

‘Oh, No! It’s Devo’ was released as V2241

http://www.clubdevo.com/

OMD Dazzle Ships (1983)

OMD’s first album for Virgin after the demise of Dindisc, ‘Dazzle Ships’ was a brave sonic exploration of Cold War tensions and economic corruption. Although it featured some of the band’s best work like ‘The Romance Of The Telescope’, ‘International’ and ‘Radio Waves’, ‘Dazzle Ships’ sold poorly on its inital release. The band were never the same again, but this fractured nautical journey has since been vindicated as an experimental landmark.

‘Dazzle Ships’ was released as V2261

http://www.omd.uk.com

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (1983)

Being the best looking member of YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA, it was almost inevitable that Sakamoto San would turn to acting. His first role was alongside David Bowie in ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ and with it came his soundtrack. The main title theme resonated with emotion and traditional melody while the drama of ‘The Seed & the Sower’ was also a highlight. A chilling synthesized rendition of the hymn ‘23rd Psalm’ sung by the cast brought a tear to the eye!

‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ was released as V2276

http://sitesakamoto.com/

CHINA CRISIS Working With Fire & Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume 2 (1983)

Produced by Mike Howlett, ‘Working With Fire & Steel’ allowed CHINA CRISIS to deliver a more cohesive album following the four producers who steered their debut. Best known for the brilliant Emulator laced hit single ‘Wishful Thinking’, the album is much more than that with melancholic synth melodies and woodwind counterpoints over a combination of real and programmed rhythm sections.

‘Working With Fire & Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume 2’ was released as V2286

https://www.facebook.com/chinacrisisofficial

DAVID SYLVIAN Brilliant Trees (1984)

By 1984, Sylvian had a lucrative solo deal that gave him total artistic control. Side one of his debut solo offering opened with echoes of JAPAN in the funky ‘Pulling Punches’ but then adopted more of a laid back jazz feel. Meanwhile the second side had synthetic Fourth World overtones with avant garde trumpetist Jon Hassell and sound painter Holger Czukay as willing conspirators, and the emotive ‘Weathered Wall’.

‘Brilliant Trees’ was released as V2290

http://www.davidsylvian.com/

BRIAN ENO Thursday Afternoon (1985)

With new music technology come new compositional concepts so when CD was launched, Brian Eno asked: “what can be done now that could not be done before?”. ‘Thursday Afternoon’ was a 61 minute ambient journey and the lack of surface noise meant it could be very quiet. Using a Yamaha DX7 and minimal sustained piano, it soundtracked video paintings of the model Christine Alicino in vertical portrait format, so the TV had to be turned on its side to view it!

‘Thursday Afternoon’ was released as EGCD64

http://brian-eno.net/

PHILIP OAKEY & GIORGIO MORODER Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder (1985)

‘Together in Electric Dreams’ did better than any singles from THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s lukewarm ‘Hysteria’ album. So Virgin swiftly dispatched Oakey to record an album with Moroder. The segued first side was a total delight from the off, featuring the rousing ‘Why Must The Show Go On?’ while the Donna Summer aping ‘Brand New Love (Take A Chance)’ was another highlight, as was the stupendous ‘Now’ on side two.

‘Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder’ was released as V2351

http://www.moroder.net/

THE BLUE NILE Hats (1989)

Whenever THE BLUE NILE are mentioned, it’s their 1983 album ‘A Walk Across The Rooftops’ that is always discussed in breathless awe. But the follow-up ‘Hats’ is the trio’s crowning glory. Both licensed to Virgin through a deal with Linn, the high quality Hi-Fi manufacturer. With hopeless romanticism and rainy drama, the glorious centrepieces were ‘Headlights On The Parade’ and ‘The Downtown Lights’.

‘Hats’ was released as LKH2

http://www.downloadhome.co.uk/thebluenile_dlc/thebluenile.html

THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON Lifeforms (1994)

THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON became flag bearers of avant garde electronic music and seen as successors to TANGERINE DREAM and Eno. Signing to Virgin in 1992, the duo invested in some Akai S9000 samplers and given free rein to experiment in their sonic playground, resulting in the complex sweeps and downtempo collages of ‘Lifeforms’ with the influence of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop looming heavy in the sonic playground.

‘Lifeforms’ was released as V2722

http://www.futuresoundoflondon.com/

MASSIVE ATTACK Mezzanine (1998)

Despite relations being at an all-time low, MASSIVE ATTACK produced some of their finest work on ‘Mezzanine’. With dark undercurrents and eerie atmospherics, the sample heavy album’s highpoints featured the vocals of Elizabeth Fraser on the hit single ‘Teardrop’ and the spy drama magnificence of ‘Black Milk’, although the band were sued for the unauthorised use of MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND’s ‘Tribute’ on the latter

‘Mezzanine’ was released as WBRCD4

http://www.massiveattack.co.uk/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
20th August 2013

25 SYNTH INSTRUMENTALS OF THE CLASSIC ERA

13 August 2013 / electricityclub

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)

Effectively 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

BENGE Interview

24 June 2013 / electricityclub

Photo by Ed Fielding

Benge is Ben Edwards, best known for his role as Chief Mathematician and collaborative partner in JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS.

Their album ‘Interplay’ was one of the most acclaimed electronic pop albums of 2011. It was swiftly followed-up by a second album ‘The Shape Of Things’ and an extensive UK tour featuring BENGE cohorts Serafina Steer and Hannah Peel, leading to the project being voted Best Electro Act of 2011 by Artrocker Magazine.

And before there was time to blink, there was a third instalment ‘Evidence’, a tour support slot for OMD and a live album ‘Rhapsody’ in 2013. Developing on a childhood fascination with electronic sound, after finishing art school, Benge set up a music studio and released his debut album ‘Electro-Orgoustic Music’ in 1995 on his own Expanding Label. Since then, Benge’s recording complex has become the now famous Play Studios which houses one of the largest collections of working vintage synthesizers in the world. Several of these appeared in the BBC documentary ‘Synth Britannia’.

He also worked on a variety of projects with other artists and released a further nine experimental solo albums, the most acclaimed of which was 2008’s ‘Twenty Systems’. It is an insightful soundtrack exploring how electronic sound architecture has evolved from using transistors to integrated circuits and from ladder filters to Fourier approximation.

Brian Eno described it as “A brilliant contribution to the archaeology of electronic music” while it was via this album that Benge first came to the attention of John Foxx. With the reissue of ‘Twenty Systems’, Benge was in the Moog for a chat…

How did you first become fascinated by electronic music?

I was born in the late 1960s and grew up in the 1970s when my parents ran a small independent school from our family home. It had a music classroom full of stuff like tape machines, electric organs, percussion instruments and even a modular synthesiser that was donated to the school by a family friend.

It was hand built in the early 70s and we called it The Black Box. As a boy I would spend hours in the music room with headphones on experimenting with sounds. When I got back into synths after I went to college, I asked my dad what happened to The Black Box and he said “oh, I chucked it out a few weeks ago!”

Who were your favourite artists and did you like the ‘Synth Britannia’ era?

When I was a teenager, I listened to any music with synths on, from Prog Rock to Stockhausen to KRAFTWERK. The first gig I ever went to was GARY NUMAN in the late 1970s and it blew my mind. What is really cool about that is the support band were OMD (it was just two of them and a tape machine back then) so they were actually the first band I ever saw live, and we have just finished a support tour for them.

What was your first synth and is it still part of your armoury?

The first synth I ever bought was an Octave Cat mono synth for £30. I sold it for £40 to buy a Moog Prodigy which I sold for £60 to buy something else, I think it was a Yamaha CS40M. That was pretty much the last synth I sold.

How did you start actually collecting synths and what criteria did you use to decide what you acquired?

It was very different back in the early 1990s when I first got into buying stuff. People were literally chucking equipment out and I would go around getting pretty much anything on a whim. At first, I never paid much for things, but as I got more discerning I suppose I went for the more quirky and unusual things, like the modular instruments or large scale digital systems.

Your reissued 2008 album ‘Twenty Systems’ is an aural history of the synthesizer. When you had the original idea, did you already have everything you needed or did you have to plug-in the gaps so to speak?

I had had the idea to make an album using only one synth per track and had started to record it. Then one day I was sitting in the studio and I wondered if I had enough synths to do a set of consecutive years. It was very exciting because as I looked around I suddenly realised that I had the years between 1968 to 1988 covered – and as I explain in the booklet, these are the years that take us from the first analogue instruments to the large computer based workstations – in other words, the most important era of development in this field.

Where did you find the Moog Modular and what is the history of your particular example?

I got the Moog 3C system in 1994 from a guy called Martin Newcome. He had recently set up a place called The Museum of Synthesiser Technology and as a result he had a lot of contacts in the synth world, and in particular the American dealers. I asked him if he could source a Moog system and he obliged, but it meant that I didn’t find out its provenance. It’s a pretty early system from around 1968, and it’s got the nice early oscillators.

Only the synth mentioned in the title was used on its corresponding track; but with the EMS VCS3 one, you used the delay section of an EMS Polysynthi. Vince Clarke declared the Polysynthi as “the worst sounding synth ever made”. I’m no expert but I have tried one and I think it sounds horrible too… what’s your take?

I am aware of the limitations of this synth, but in a way that’s what I like about it – it has its own very unique character and to me that makes it interesting.

For example it’s the only synth I can think of with a voltage controlled analogue delay built in to the audio path. Generally speaking, I say the more quirks an instrument has the better, otherwise all electronic music would sound the same!

The later tracks feature the digital computer synths such as the PPG Wave, Fairlight, Yamaha CX5M and Synclavier. As someone who is renowned for his love of analogue, how do you look back on this era of electronic music?

Actually I have just as much passion for digital equipment as analogue. The analogue/digital debate has never been an issue for me. The Fairlight is possibly one of the best synthesisers ever designed, regardless of its role as a sampler – people forget it can do 32 part additive synthesis in real time – not bad for 1983. And the Synclavier has a digital conversion rate of up to 100k which makes it sound so big and warm, or equally bright and dynamic. Again all these various systems took a very unique approach to sound creation and that’s what gives them so much character.

Of the ‘Twenty Systems’ tracks, which do you think was the most successful conceptually?

I think the ‘1987 Synclavier’ piece is the closest to what I wanted to achieve with the tracks on the album – namely to let the machine be as big a part of the composition of the track as possible. On that track I really set the machine up in a way that brings something of its character out over a wide range of sounds and compositional techniques. However, my favourite piece on the album from a musical point of view is the ‘1975 Polymoog’ track. There is something about the combination of the simple melody and the tone of that keyboard that seemed to work together well.

Did that match up with what was your own favourite synth? If not, what are your favourite all time synths?

Neither of those tracks was made on my favourite synth which has to be the Moog Modular. That gets used nearly every day. It has such a big and powerful sound that has still never been bettered by any of the synths that have come since. However I recently bought a vintage Buchla 100 which was made at the same time or perhaps a few years before the Moog and I have to say it is as good as the Moog, although it does things in a very different way. It’s got a raw power to it that is like listening to pure electricity coming out of the speakers.

Photo by Ed Fielding

What inspired you to work with John Foxx and how would you describe your creative dynamic with John?

Well, John has been one of those figures in music who has inspired me so much over the years to remain creative and be true to my beliefs as a musician and producer. When I was first introduced to the idea of working with him, I was so happy. I think John was attracted to the idea of working again with all these original synthesisers, and he also liked the purity of the sounds I was getting out of them and the simplicity of the approach I had taken on ‘Twenty Systems’.

We have a lot in common when it comes to what we are looking for when we make our tracks together. Neither of us are actually keyboard players as such but we see this as a positive thing because it means we have to rely on the analogue sequencers and arpeggiators to play the melodic parts. Neither of us can play complicated chords or tricky solos but this gives our tracks a certain simplicity which we really like.

How different is it from what you understand about his methods when working solo, or with people like Louis Gordon or Harold Budd?

I don’t know much about his working practices with other people, but for us it’s all about exploring new possibilities and trying to capture something special in the studio. The first album is called ‘Interplay’ and if you listen to the title track you will learn a lot more about our working practices than I can tell you here!

‘Interplay’ has been considered by many to be the warmest album that John Foxx has ever made. How did you both set about achieving this? Is it largely down to using vintage equipment or is it more than that?

We both have an affection for the impurities contained within sounds, the little things that give life to electronic equipment and computers. I find that old equipment has a lot more of these quirks and imperfections inside them, and these things build up when you layer and reprocess sounds, if you allow them to do so. It’s about embracing the foibles inherent in the equipment and using them to your advantage. Maybe it is this that gives it warmth and a certain organic quality.

For example, the oscillators on the Moog system drift slightly out of tune all the time, and when you layer them up you can hear them slightly ‘beating’ with each other. But this gives the sound a wonderful shimmery, edgy quality that you don’t get with perfectly tuned synthesiser voices.

‘The Shape Of Things’ is a much starker, more reflective collection. How did you manage to finish a second album so soon after the first one?

We spend a lot of time down here in the basement! Also there have been a lot of collaborations with other artists coming into the equation since I have been working with John. There’s always something going on here and most of it gets recorded and has found its way onto our records. It’s a very exciting time to be in electronic music.

What memories do you have of the first time you played live with John Foxx at The Roundhouse in 2010, especially with all that vintage gear on stage?

It’s always scary using modular stuff on stage. At The Roundhouse, we had quite a bit of it up there and also we used CV and Gate to connect up the drum machines, sequencers and arpeggiators which added another level of uncertainty. But it all worked out as we had hoped for with only a few minor issues. I like using this approach if possible – it certainly keeps it exciting. I’ve got another project called WRANGLER, with Phil Winter and Mal (ex-CABARET VOLTAIRE) and we have done a few small gigs in London without using a laptop – it’s all analogue – clocked from CV and Gate.

What have been your favourite tracks from the JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS project?

My favourite tracks I think are the really simple ones where there is just a modular synth sequence and drum machine and John has come in and written his vocal around it – so a perfect example would be ‘The Good Shadow’ from the first album or ‘Talk’ from the second. On the other hand, having played our stuff out live so much recently I have begun to appreciate some of the more full-on songs such as ‘Catwalk’ and ‘The Running Man’. They have been the highlights of the live set for me, especially as a drummer.

Of course, JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS toured with a more streamlined hybrid set-up. How satisfied were you from a production point of view with how it all sounded?

It’s quite a different beast now we are a threesome – but it’s great fun and feels like a really tight unit. Its hard for an electronic band to perform sequenced material live without a backing track, so we have gone for a combination of using some of the studio-recorded synth sequences and drum machine parts (including the ‘Metamatic’ stems taken from the original 8 track masters) with the live vocals, keyboards, violin and Simmons drums. I think it’s pretty unique and a really fun way of presenting our material.

Photo by Richard Price

So what do you think of these modern analogue synths such as the Moog Voyager and Dave Smith Prophet 08 which have their heritage in classic instruments?

I find it very exciting that there is now a booming analogue synth industry. There are more modular manufacturers around today than ever there were in the 1970s, which is a huge surprise. It’s a reaction against the dominance of plug-ins and apps. For me personally I still prefer the older, wonkier equipment though. There’s something about the sound, feel and smell of the older stuff that really appeals to me. Someone should design a synth plug-in that smells right.

And what’s the next synth that you’ve set your heart on getting, either vintage or current?

I’m always on the lookout for stuff naturally, but I try and remember that these things are only there to serve a purpose – to make music! So alongside my work as THE MATHS, I have been busy recording a series of more experimental electronic albums over the last year or so. They tend to be focussed on a particular synthesiser or system, such as the Buchla, and can be found over on my Bandcamp page: http://zackdagoba.bandcamp.com/

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Benge

‘Twenty Systems’ is re-released as a CD via Expanding Records

http://memetune.net/

http://myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.co.uk/

http://playstudios.carbonmade.com/

http://www.expandingrecords.com

http://www.johnfoxxandthemaths.com/

http://www.metamatic.com/

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
Photos from Benge’s websites and artwork except where credited
24th June 2013

VILE ELECTRODES Re-Emerge…

16 May 2013 / electricityclub

Following the release of their self-titled debut EP featuring brilliantly quirky electronic pop such as ‘Play With Fire’, ‘Headlong’ and the magnificent splendour of ‘My Sanctuary’, VILE ELECTRODES remained silent for most of 2012 as they wrote and recorded more material.

Then as the year drew to a close, they premiered their first song from the sessions ‘The Last Time’. NOT a cover of THE ROLLING STONES track which was subsequently ripped off by THE VERVE in its Andrew Loog Oldham lounge arrangement, singer Anais Neon described it as “our aural Ferrero Rocher and / or L’Oreal. Hope you like!”. Wintery like prime ‘Architecture & Morality’ era OMD, ‘The Last Time’ sounded nonchalantly cruel like CLIENT running a Siberian labour camp; the simple but brilliant video however showed Anais sitting contemplatively in a hospital waiting room while time passes her by…

Invited to support OMD’s upcoming tour of Germany in May following Andy McCluskey spotting the band while perusing ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, they will also be opening for JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS at Brighton Concorde 2 in June. Not only that, VILE ELECTRODES will be releasing a new EP ‘Re-Emerge’ to coincide with the tour and finally, their long awaited debut album ‘The Future Through A Lens’ in June which includes fan favourites ‘Proximity’, ‘Feed Your Addiction’ and ‘Deep Red’.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK talked Synth Politiks with VILE ELECTRODES’ Martin Swan and Anais Neon and the practicalities of using antique synthesizers on stage…

Martin, what was your first keyboard or synth?

Martin: When I was about 14, my mum bought me a Casio PT20, which was a tiny keyboard just one step up from the old VL-Tone… and I wrote songs on it. I’d always known I had song-writing ability and, as soon I had this PT20, I was able to get on with it. When I was 16 the girl I was going out with had left school to get a job as a dental assistant. With pretty much her first pay packet, she bought me a Roland SH101 for my birthday! It was £185 from Vroom in Watford – where I ended up living above a few years later. So that was it! PT20, SH101 and, a few months later, I picked up an MC202, which is a little sequencer that goes with the SH101. It was only £50, which is unbelievable now. I used to write these little tunes (with no drums on them!) and record them onto cassette. It all started from there.

What types of synths do you like?

Martin: One of my real loves is string synthesizers. They’re not like regular synthesizers, in that they’re an older technology and quite primitive. None of the string sounds are that authentic by today’s standards. The manufacturers like Roland, Yamaha, ARP and Moog tried to make them sound like orchestras, so they put chorus units inside them to thicken their sound, and make them sound as big and as lush as possible. It’s the sound of a certain era of music for me. It’s that Gary Numan sound that sits over the Moog bass, it’s the sound of ULTRAVOX, it’s the sound of early OMD. It’s even the sound of indie acts like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN and THE ICICLE WORKS. So I have a whole load of them and just fall into their swirly loveliness!

Your epic song ‘Deep Red’ from the forthcoming album has some great sounds…

Martin: For ‘Deep Red’, I set up some drones and held down the same key on about three different string synths and it creates this amazing atmosphere. There’s a Yamaha SK20, which plays the foreboding sound, and the higher parts are played on a Moog Opus 3. The thing about the Opus 3 is that it’s got a resonant filter, which is unusual for a string synth. With a chorus added on that, it sounds really spooky. There’s actually two melody lines, the first is played on a Yamaha CS15 and sounds like a filtered dying cat, for want of a better description, while the second one with the higher strings is played on the Moog.

Photo by Doralba Picerno

Your favourite instrument appears to be the Korg MS20? It must be a pain to use live?

Martin: The worst thing about using the MS20 live is lugging the flight case around. It’s actually pretty simple to use! It’s got big dials so it does look a bit like it’s controlling radar or something, but it means it’s easy to know where you are with it. It’s also really reliable, unlike some of the other gear that we have used in the past; it stays in tune and the filters are really strong. I know it really well so I can do what I want to do on it.

Anais, your set-up is a bit simpler, what do you use?

Anais: I’ve got the Korg mini-Kaos pad and the KP3 that I use for sampling my vocals and adding harmonies and sound effects. I play an SH-101, as does Martin, and a Roland RS-09 – one of our beloved string synths! I’m also controlling the sequencers these days as well. Basically I do everything and Martin just stands around looking pretty. *laughs*

I have inherited a love of synths from Martin, but I’m not a true synth geek and I don’t know all the subtle differences the way Martin does. For me it’s a case of “that one has a really lovely sound, we have to have more of that!”.

Martin: She does that a lot with the Juno 6, which is why a lot of our songs have got Juno arpeggios in them. ‘Proximity’ prominently features it.

Anais: Martin was in the studio and just started off a simple drum loop and kicked off an arpeggio sequence on the Juno and I went “oh my god”… half an hour later, ‘Proximity’ was written! It’s such a beautiful sounding bit of kit. We’ve actually decided to take it to Germany with us!

There are two fascinating synths in your armoury; one you’ve just mentioned which is the Roland RS09 which Mick MacNeil from SIMPLE MINDS used on ‘Love Song’…

Martin: It’s a string synthesizer which does organ and strings…

Anais: It doesn’t make that many sounds really does it? *laughs*

Martin: It’s got very basic sounds, but what it does is quite unique. It has this ensemble, as soon as you add vibrato it starts to sound great, a real OMD vibe to it like ‘Almost’. Because it’s so simple, it’s a fantastic instrument to use live; four sounds but really strong. We use it a lot for top melody lines. It’s small for a string synth so it’s more practical. It’s got such a richness, very 1978-79! I think THE CURE used one on ‘The Funeral Party’ as well as an ARP Quartet but not many bands have used it, that’s one of the reasons why I like it as well.

And you have one of the most modern monophonic synths in the Dave Smith Mopho which features on ‘Re-Emerge’ from your new EP…

Martin: Our Mopho was in the first batch that came into the UK, and I was very lucky to get it. I can thank The Arts Council here, because I got it as part of their ‘Take It Away’ scheme so it didn’t cost me a penny up front and I’ve paid for it since on interest free credit. It’s a modern take on the Sequential Circuits Pro-One, which is a classic analogue monosynth that DEPECHE MODE and HOWARD JONES played.

The Mopho is a combination of that and the Moog Source, which was the first monosynth that had memories. Obviously, it really helps for playing live to switch from one patch to another. But it’s quite sturdy and the sounds are more contemporary than the SH101 for example. I think LITTLE BOOTS’ keyboard player Chris Kemsley was the first person in the UK to get one. It’s kind of old school vintage synth in one way but it’s got a modern aesthetic as well. It’s very muscley!

That’s the thing for me, VILE ELECTRODES music isn’t stuck in the 80s but neither is it completely contemporary, it’s somewhere between the two. And hopefully as a result, doesn’t date too badly! We’ve decided not to take the Mopho to Germany with us, though. We’re taking our new Analogue Solutions Leipzig SK instead!

How do you feel about being invited to support OMD and JOHN FOXX?

Anais: It’s a fabulous opportunity, and a genuine surprise! It may sound like a fawning cliché to say it, but they are honestly some of our favourite musicians, and naturally huge influences on us. I could be wrong but, particularly for OMD, I think fan opinion played a role in our being offered the slot, as there were lots of people talking about us in OMD forums, and we’ve had a wonderful show of support since we told people.

We keep saying that we feel so lucky, and there is an element of luck, as there are so many great and deserving bands out there. But at the same time we do work really hard at building relationships with the people who support us, and they in turn work hard to tell people about our music. Which is good, as we’re rather rubbish at that part!

Modesty aside, it’s a kind of validation, too, for what we do creatively. We are just who we are, and we haven’t tried to follow any particular format or formula, or create a special mystique. And we don’t have some grand plan or intended career trajectory. We just make pop music. We use electronic instruments. But what we do doesn’t sound like contemporary pop, but neither does it particularly sound like classic synthpop, or dance-pop, or minimal wave, or post-punk or whatever. Our songs really cross a whole load of different styles, and I think people recognize that we’re not easy to pigeonhole, and that we have something a bit different to offer as a result.

Martin: OMD were the first band I ever saw live, the band I spent my teenage years obsessing about and collecting everything I could of theirs. So it’s amazing!! But it still hasn’t really sunk in. It’s so exciting, but also quite daunting. Most small bands in the UK don’t get to play to more than about 50 people on a regular basis, so it’s big step up, and we’ve got a lot of work still to do to feel like we’re representing what we do properly on a big stage.

You’re known for your big live set-ups. Are you reducing what equipment you’re taking to Germany for the OMD tour?

Anais: We had planned to but, having spent some time in rehearsal with a stripped down set, it just didn’t feel… very us! So we’re back to ‘Neon and Swan, and an army of synths’! Though we’re not taking our drum pads! In one way that’s a shame, because when we play them live it adds a really great performance and visual element, but we realised we did need to streamline a little bit. And we didn’t want the tour management team to think we were taking the p*ss! *laughs*

It’s very important for us, when performing, to do as much as we can live, and you can’t do that for our songs with just a couple of synths and a drum machine. Most of our tracks have been recorded live in the studio, with everything running and being played (hopefully) in sync together. This includes some very old and very fragile pieces of equipment, some of which we definitely wouldn’t risk taking on the road, as we could never afford to replace them if something happened to them! As a consequence, our recorded sound can be difficult to reproduce on stage. If we think something is really integral to a particular track, then we do try to recreate it but, to us, playing live should be a unique experience each night. It isn’t the same as being in the studio – it should be a performance!

Martin: Not much of what we use has memories, and we purposefully don’t make detailed notes, preferring to go on how things sound rather than what the settings are supposed to be. And things will go wrong – they always do! Expect confused arm-flinging, puzzled looks and raised eyebrows… it’s part of the fun! For me, the idea that the live experience should be different from what you’re hearing on the recording is very important. Or else you could just sit at home and listen to the record! But in terms of capturing that, it’s just a matter of…

Anais: … excitement and enthusiasm really. At least it is now! I’d never been in a band before VILE ELECTRODES, and both song-writing and performing were totally alien to me. When we first started out I needed prescribed structures and sounds. It was so hard for me to be on the stage in the first place that, if something was different, it totally threw me off course. I forbade Martin from making any weird unexpected noises, as it made me think I’d missed my cue or something! But I’m over that now. Expect weird noises galore.

Photo by Doralba Picerno

How are you finding playing live now that you’ve streamlined to just the two of you?

Anais: VILE ELECTRODES started out as two-piece, but I was such a nervous performer that it was all I could do to stand behind a microphone and remember my lyrics. So we invited some good friends to join the band, in part as moral support for me, but also to fill the gaps where Martin didn’t have enough arms to do everything.

As the Vile schedule got busier, the others felt they weren’t able to commit the time and energy that the band was starting to require, so we went back to being a two-piece. By that time my nerves had mostly subsided, anyway, and I was able to take on more roles – and more equipment! Nowadays, Martin complains that he hasn’t got enough to do on stage! In short, being a two-piece is brilliant and has totally changed how we’re able to work together and make creative decisions.

Until recently Anais, you were moonlighting as Gillian Gilbert for NEW ORDER tribute band RE:ORDER?

Anais: We’ve just done our last ever RE:ORDER gig (until the Re:Union, of course!); basically, when VILE ELECTRODES were just starting out, I had a call from Will (RE:ORDER’s Barney, and a longtime friend of mine) to say that they were losing their Gillian, and did I maybe happen to know someone that could maybe play a little bit of keyboards and maybe a little bit of guitar hint hint… it seemed like a good chance to get a bit of on-stage experience where I wasn’t going to be the centre of attention, so I signed up. It’s been great fun, and we’ve played some brilliant venues, and it really helped with my confidence building as a performer. I’ll miss it, but I think I’ve got plenty of Vile activities to be focusing on at the moment!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to VILE ELECTRODES

Please visit http://www.omd.uk.com for further details for VILE ELECTRODES’ 2013 German tour supporting OMD which includes: Hamburg Docks (21st May), Bielefeld Ringlokschuppen (22nd May), Berlin Tempodrom (24th May), Leipzig Haus Auensee (25th May), Köln E-Werk (27th May)

VILE ELECTRODES also open for JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS on Friday 7th June at Brighton Concorde

VILE ELECTRODES’ 3 Track CD EPs ‘Play With Fire’, ‘The Last Time’ and ‘Re-Emerge’ are available as downloads via http://vileelectrodes.bandcamp.com/

‘The Future Through A Lens’ will be released in Summer 2013. It can be pre-ordered along with other VILE ELECTRODES merchandise and music including their previous EPs via their online store at http://vileelectrodes.bigcartel.com/

http://www.vileelectrodes.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/vileelectrodes

http://vileelectrodes.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/vileelectrodes

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
16th May 2013

Tag: John Foxx (Page 14 of 18)

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ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK Contributor Listings of 2013

The Electronic Legacy of VIRGIN RECORDS

25 SYNTH INSTRUMENTALS OF THE CLASSIC ERA

BENGE Interview

VILE ELECTRODES Re-Emerge…

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2013 END OF YEAR REVIEW

The Correct Use Of VCOs

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25 SYNTH INSTRUMENTALS OF THE CLASSIC ERA

BENGE Interview

VILE ELECTRODES Re-Emerge…

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