Tag: Martyn Ware (Page 6 of 8)

THE REST IS NOISE – 19 eighties: the rhythm of a decade

2 December 2013 /

Photo by Mark Allan/BBC

The decade you either love, or love to hate…

The Southbank Centre’s year long ‘The Rest Is Noise’ festival concluded its musical journey through the 20th century with a special event entitled ‘19 eighties: the rhythm of a decade’ which saw classical meet synthpop. Broadcast live by BBC Radio3, the evening was hosted by journalist, cultural commentator and ZTT strategist Paul Morley in the company of the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Featuring the work of contemporary composers such as Andrew Poppy, Sir John Tavener, Steve Martland and Michael Nyman as well as tracks from THE ART OF NOISE and the synthpop era arranged in a special orchestral suite by Anne Dudley, it was billed as “a one-off documentary soundtrack to the decade you either love, or love to hate”.

It is well documented how ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK feels about that decade, or rather how it has been generalised. While some of the greatest and most innovative pop music ever produced came from between 1980-1989, the decade also gave rise to some of the worst.

So to have lazy journalists glamourise about how it was one wonderful party for all is not only ignorant, but extremely insensitive to those who suffered in the era.

Music was often an escape for these troubles and for every pioneer who pursued artistic values as a reaction to the system, like today in our X-Factor / Heat magazine driven society, there were corporations and aspiring celebrities prepared to go to the lowest common denominator in order to get rich quick.

But the biggest gripe ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK particularly has is how the synthesizer has been marginalised as a by-product of that era, only be used now as an instrument to reflect nostalgic intent or mock rather than pushing boundaries and encouraging forward thinking. Comments from unenlightened observers who think of Alison Moyet’s ‘the minutes’ album as being “80s sounding”, rather than a songwriter’s experiment in modern electronica, are an example of the imbecilic attitude at large.

So it was apt that to start the evening in the foyer of Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, HEAVEN 17 and BEF’s Martyn Ware gave a talk entitled ‘A Journey In 20 Synths’.

The Nile Rodgers of Synth Britannia was joined by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s Peter Howell with the pair leading an informative and lively discussion about the electronic music decade. Interestingly, most of the chat focussed around equipment from the decade before.

It all started with an instrument that was first launched in 1971, the Stylophone 350s. Ware commented that he thought he was Brian Eno when he got one. Next up was the EMS Synthi 100, one of those huge telephone exchange beasts that have gone down in legend; Howell recalled it had a knob called ‘Option4’ which wasn’t actually connected to anything and often used by members of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to trick difficult TV producers into accepting their soundtracks by offering tweaks in their presence… ”Oh! Hang on, it just needs some more Option4”!

Ware then gleefully talked about the Korg 700s and Roland System 100, the two synths which effectively helped realise his post-punk musical vision. First manufactured in 1974 and 1975 respectively, these two were the rhythmical powerhouse of THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s first single ‘Being Boiled’ in 1978.

Affection was also bestowed on Roland’s Jupiter 4 from 1978 (described by Ware as his “dream synth”) and the Linn LM1 which Ware said was the “best drum machine ever”.

Asked by a member of the audience whether he liked Oberheim gear, Ware commented that he was not a big fan of American synths as they were designed for musicians, with the filters not being particularly extreme enough for experimentalists. Howell highlighted that one of the beauties of synthesizers was being able to change timbre and tones mid-composition, thus enabling the creation process to be taken into a direction that would not have been possible using acoustic instruments such as guitar or piano.

After adding that he had three Roland TB303 Basslines which were all stolen from the studio because they were pocket sized, Ware groaned as the subject headed towards digital synths of the period.

The Roland D50 from 1987 provoked an interesting debate with Howell in favour of its possibilities while Ware bemoaned the fact that he traded in his Jupiter 8 for a Yamaha DX7!!! Howell then admitted that he used the DX7 as a controller keyboard for the recent Radiophonic Workshop live shows. But both agreed that with FM synthesis, everyone fell into the preset trap and started to use the same sounds… the result inevitably being that pop music became much more homogenised in the latter part of the decade.

Following a comment that the Korg M1 was the worst synth ever designed, Ware walked over to fire up the Roland System 100 and Korg 700s he had brought with him to demonstrate to the receptive audience.

Using the original patches from ‘Being Boiled’, the familiar industrialised rhythm poured from the expanded System 100 driven by its 104 sequencer module. After some temporary 103 Mixer glitches, Ware stood behind the Korg 700s for a run through of the song’s distinctive bass riff

TheKorg 700s’ dual oscillators rumbled the plush confines of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. It was an entertaining and accessible presentation with Ware and Howell articulating their thoughts without too much technical talk in a humourous manner.

Photo by Mark Allan/BBC

And so onto the main event; Paul Morley introduced the evening’s proceedings as “using words and music to summon up memories of that decade, to eradicate some others” and “to try and work out what the hell happened there…”

The ‘rhythm of a decade’ concert itself began with ’32 Frames For Orchestra’, a piece conceived by one time ZTT artist Andrew Poppy as “merging Beethoven with The Velvet Underground”.

In an onstage chat with Morley, Poppy reflected a spirit of adventure that shared an affinity with the innovators of Synth Britannia before taking to the piano himself for a rendition of ‘Almost The Same Shame’. There then followed touching tributes to the recently departed composers Sir John Tavener and Steve Martland. The solemn tranquillity of Tavener’s ‘The Lamb’ captured the sadness of the era eloquently while Martland’s powerfully rhythmic ‘Remix’ represented how he felt classical music could be given a broader audience, a stance reflected in his commitment to music education and as a curator of the short lived Factory Classical label.

Celebrating THE ART OF NOISE and ZTT’s 30th Anniversary, an announcement came forth via Morley in his usual, wittily provocative style: “thirty years after our first record ‘Into Battle’ which was neither an album nor a single, which was really a series of musical movements in the abstract, each of which lasted different lengths from the quite short to the fairly long, the time has perhaps come for a reunion… this is our reunion, hidden in the middle of something else altogether!”

Photo by Mark Allan/BBC

The orchestral premiere of THE ART NOISE’s debut 1983 EP ‘Into Battle’ specially arranged by Anne Dudley was a delight, coming over at times like a lost Bond film soundtrack. The EPs two best known tracks ‘Moments In Love’ and ‘Beatbox’ each had their component parts reinterpreted by classical instruments as “memory of a memory”; the distinctive bassline of ‘Beat Box’ was represented by French horns while the iconic vocal samples of ‘Moments In Love’ had their places taken by an ensemble of violins.

After the interlude, classical music’s link to synthpop was emphasised further before the Grand Finale with a recital of Michael Nyman’s ‘Chasing Sheep’. Itself based on Purcell’s ‘Prelude to Act III, Scene 2’ from ‘King Arthur’, it was recently used by PET SHOP BOYS as the basis of their ‘Love Is a Bourgeois Construct’. A duo with links to many involved in THE ART OF NOISE including Anne Dudley, plus of course Trevor Horn and JJ Jeczalik, all were in attendance for this spirited evening. Engineer Gary Langan was in the audience too, making it a full reunion of THE ART OF NOISE in spirit if not performance.

Photo by Mark Allan/BBC

To conclude the concert, Anne Dudley took to the piano for the much anticipated ‘rhythm of a decade’. While Paul Morley narrated his musings on Thatcher’s Britain, he was accompanied by an orchestral soundtrack arranged by Dudley… and what a soundtrack! Beginning with her own familiar intro to ‘Two Tribes’ before segueing into the beautiful pentatonic melodies of ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’, there then followed a significant number of synth classics transcribed for everyone’s listening pleasure.

From the dystopian shrills of ‘Underpass’ and ‘Fade To Grey’ to the euphoric club tunes of ‘Pump Up The Volume’ and ‘Pacific State’, each had been carefully chosen by Dudley for their distinctive riff laden elements to complement the dynamics of Morley’s monologue.

The biggest surprise came with a blast of SOFT CELL’s ‘Sex Dwarf’ while ‘Mad World’, ‘Situation’, ‘Love Action’, ‘True Faith’ and ‘Blue Monday’ all figured in proceedings alongside more conventional numbers of the period such as ‘Back To Life’, ‘Let’s Dance’, ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Running Up That Hill’. It all worked together marvellously for what was slowly emerging effectively as a spoken word art piece accompanied by music.

Overall, Anne Dudley’s orchestral interpretations were a great success, much more so than say OMD’s hit and miss experiment with the Liverpool Philharmonic immortalised on the ironically titled ‘Electricity’ DVD. As for Morley’s narration, for those who have loved his commentary over the years, this was perfect entertainment but for those who have found him an irritant, this would have been an intrusion to the music.

The evening was a triumph that reflected on that decade as not being the cheesefest it has often been portrayed as by the media and the public at large.

The fact that these synthesizer tunes (which have often been derided as not being real music) have been able to be orchestrated by one of modern pop’s most successful arrangers is a testament to their value and integrity. Yes, the rhythm to a decade but also a rhythm to many more…

Special thanks to Victoria Taylor and Camilla Dervan at the BBC

http://www.annedudley.co.uk/

http://www.ztt.com/

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

https://www.peterhowell-media.co.uk/

http://www.theradiophonicworkshop.co.uk/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd December 2013

HEAVEN 17 + SCRITTI POLITTI Live at Virgin40

13 November 2013 /

The Way It Was In The Past, A Long Long Time Ago… Virgin Records continued its 40th Anniversary celebrations with a special concert at London’s Koko featuring HEAVEN 17 and SCRITTI POLITTI, two of the label’s funkier exponents of electronic pop.

Billed as ‘Martyn Ware Presents…’, while HEAVEN 17 were the headline house band for the night, the song choices focussed on his early career including his time as a founder member of THE HUMAN LEAGUE.

Signing to Virgin Records in 1979, during this period with Ian Craig Marsh and Phil Oakey, he was involved in the making of two seminal synth works ‘Reproduction’ and ‘Travelogue’; the latter bore the legend “Contains synthesizers + vocals only” on its back sleeve in response to QUEEN’s “no synthesizers” pronouncement on their albums.

Under the A&R directorship of Simon Draper, the label had the vision and foresight to realise that THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s sound was “the future of pop music”. But the lack of commercial success at the time led to a split in 1980 with Phil Oakey who then recruited two girls Joanne Catherall and Susanne Sulley to record the massive selling ‘Dare’. Meanwhile Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh formed BRITISH ELECTRIC FOUNDATION and its pop subsidiary HEAVEN 17 featuring Glenn Gregory; the highly acclaimed debut LP ‘Penthouse & Pavement’ was the end result.

Before this retrospective show began, first there was a rare live appearance by SCRITTI POLITTI, the politically aware musical collective led by Green Gartside. Their ‘Cupid & Psyche 85’ was one of Virgin’s biggest sellers in 1985. But ever the passive rebel, Green started with ‘The Sweetest Girl’ from Scritti’s debut ‘Songs To Remember’… released on Rough Trade!

After a crisp performance of that cult classic which was later covered by MADNESS, he recalled how the tune had been written in a Communist League squat just round the corner from Koko… “Happy times” he quipped! He then followed it with ‘A Day Late & A Dollar Short’ which was written on a beach in LA… ”Happy times” quipped Gartside again, the irony not lost on him!

From the “reggae / pop / post-modernism” of ‘The Word Girl’ and the rock infused ‘Umm’ to the rap influenced ‘Die Alone’ during which Green treated the audience to his Moss Def impersonation, the sound was punchy and dynamic. Of course, the dynamics came to the fore with two of Scritti’s biggest hits ‘Wood Beez’ and ‘Absolute’. Both Arif Mardin productions were faithfully reconstructed in that memorable sub-ART OF NOISE stylee for the eager Koko crowd.

Throughout, Green’s distinctive raspy timbre was in fine shape and although comparatively stage shy, his down-to-earth demeanour was warm and appealing. SCRITTI POLITTI should go out on the road more often because based on the crowd’s reaction, this performance was met with much gleeful approval and enthusiasm.

In the pre-show build-up, HEAVEN 17’s MD Martyn Ware had promised renditions of songs from his tenure with THE HUMAN LEAGUE. Although several early League staples such as ‘Being Boiled’, ‘The Black Hit Of Space’ and ‘Crow & A Baby’ have been regular fixtures in HEAVEN 17’s live set for several years now, tonight’s celebratory atmosphere was the perfect occasion to dust off a number of fine but little heard examples of electronic innovation for a concert setting.

Thus, one of THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s earliest compositions ‘Circus Of Death’ opened the set. In its ‘Reproduction’ form with its spoken introduction by LWT announcer Peter Lewis, the clattering dystopia and narcotic doom delivered charismatically by Glenn Gregory. His bass delivery wasn’t actually that far removed from Phil Oakey’s sombre baritone.

Glenn Gregory said to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK last Autumn: “It’s funny because it’s me that pushes that HUMAN LEAGUE thing and I love that early stuff… I’ve been on at Phil Oakey every time I see him saying: ‘Please Phil; you, Martyn and Ian… go and do the first two albums, just do it once’. But he won’t have it! I would have my ticket and be at the front weeks in advance…”

So as Phil Oakey doesn’t want to do it, it is for Martyn Ware to rightly highlight his pioneering contribution to Synth Britannia and for Glenn Gregory to be on the stage, rather than in the audience. And in a bizarre way tonight, HEAVEN 17’s live personnel surreally amalgamated THE HUMAN LEAGUE Mks I and II with the gorgeous Berenice Scott deputising for a still AWOL Ian Craig Marsh (whose birthday it coincidentally was) while the glamourous duo of Billie Godfrey and Rachel Mosleh played soulsista variants of Joanne and Susanne!

The beginning of the set was loaded with surprises as a stupendous ‘Marianne’ from the ‘Travelogue’ era EP ‘Holiday 80’ ripped from the speakers.

On good form with his backing vocals, Martyn Ware took centre stage himself by doing his best Iggy impression on ‘Nightclubbing’ from the same EP. Always an important part of the early HUMAN LEAGUE and HEAVEN 17 vocal set-up, Martyn proved himself to be a competent lead vocalist so Mr Gregory needs to watch out 😉

Martyn remained on the mic to duet with Glenn on their now customary rendition of another League cover favourite ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling’. But of course, it was the premieres of Da League’s early standards that everyone was waiting for.

Those came with a slower, dark variation of ‘Empire State Human’ (as programmed by Vince Clarke for the ‘Naked As Advertised – Versions 08’ CD) and best of all, ‘WXJL Tonight’. A song about the mechanisation of radio stations which today is only too apparent, Glenn gave a marvellously soulful interpretation which Martyn likened to Neil Diamond. Closing with a reworked cover of Mick Ronson’s ‘Only After Dark’ and naturally, ‘Being Boiled’, the ten song set was a total triumph.

Of course, performing so many songs for the first time, there was bound to be a few missed cues from those concerned although these came more from the boys rather than the girls! But these slight fluffs added to the charm and good natured feel of the evening. To follow that initial crescendo, there was then the surefire pleasure (one) of  HEAVEN 17’s greatest hits and more in the second half, including a toughened up ‘Fascist Groove Thang’ with its CHEMICAL BROTHERS vibe.

From a club friendly ‘Let’s All Make A Bomb’ to a euphoric extended ‘Temptation’, coupled with those early HUMAN LEAGUE songs, this was an unforgettable programme. Certainly as a live act, HEAVEN 17 are a far much more fun and engaging proposition than the current incarnation of THE HUMAN LEAGUE.

The sprightly quintet of Martyn, Glenn and Martyn’s Angels are the endearing antithesis of Phil, Susanne and Joanne’s dour detachment… and if you want proof, just observe how ‘Temptation’ is performed compared with ‘Don’t You Want Me?’ when the respective factions are in action. There, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK has said it! So sue us!

There have been some gripes online that HEAVEN 17 should not be performing early HUMAN LEAGUE material even though one of the original three co-composers is all present and correct. But by the same token, should PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT be performing the JOY DIVISION and NEW ORDER back catalogue or ONETWO doing OMD songs? As with HEAVEN 17, a founding protagonist is present in each so therefore, the artistic credentials are valid.

And so is the entertainment value. This is showbusiness after all. In many ways, THE HUMAN LEAGUE should actually take a lead from HEAVEN 17’s performance adventurism and take a few risks. After all, HEAVEN 17’s ‘How Live Is’ CD artwork made the proclamation: “VOTE HEAVEN 17 – TRUST US, WE’RE ENTERTAINERS”!

Looking back now, the absence of an all-star rendition of ‘Being Boiled’ during the ‘Steel City’ tour in 2008 when THE HUMAN LEAGUE and HEAVEN 17 shared the bill with ABC will forever remain a missed opportunity. Hmmm! Who might have put the block on that idea? 😉

Setlist:

Circus Of Death
Marianne
Crow & A Baby
Nightclubbing
You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
Empire State Human
The Black Hit Of Space
WXJL Tonight
Only After Dark
Being Boiled
–
Fascist Groove Thang
Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry
Play To Win
Geisha Boys & Temple Girls
Let’s All Make A Bomb
Come Live With Me
We Live So Fast
I’m Your Money
Let Me Go
Temptation
–
Penthouse & Pavement

The ‘Live From Metropolis Studios’ DVD+CD featuring ‘The Black Hit Of Space’ and ‘Being Boiled’ as well as many of HEAVEN 17’s best known songs is available now via Demon Music Group

HEAVEN 17 play the following live dates in 2014:
Birmingham Town Hall (14th February), Southampton The Brook (15th February), London Jazz Café (20th and 21st February), Manchester Academy (15th March)

http://www.heaven17.com/

https://www.facebook.com/heaven17official

http://www.scritti.net/

https://www.facebook.com/scrittinet

Text by Chi Ming Lai with thanks to Ian Ferguson
Photos by Richard Price
13th November 2013

BEF Live At Shepherds Bush Empire

9 October 2013 /

BEF finally played the first of two special concerts featuring an impressive line-up of guest vocalists to celebrate the three volume high-tech covers series ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction’ and in particular, the latest release subtitled ‘Dark’.

Announced on stage by its musical director Martyn Ware as “the last ever BEF concerts”, the production company made its live debut as part of a dual weekender with its most successful subsidiary HEAVEN 17 in Autumn 2011.

Taking place at The Roundhouse in London, it was a gloriously ambitious outing which included the likes of Sandie Shaw, Boy George, Kim Wilde and Midge Ure. Tonight’s show was in the slightly more intimate confines of Shepherd’s Bush Empire. It provided an opportunity to showcase a number of songs that had not been aired at the last BEF show.

It is always to their credit that the BEF / HEAVEN 17 umbrella always give value for money to their loyal followers by varying setlists, something which other acts from the Synth Britannia era who still tour could learn from.

Naturally, Glenn Gregory opened proceedings with a song that could be seen as 2013’s electronic music scene theme tune ‘It Was a Very Good Year’. With its eerie HUMAN LEAGUE meets THE FUGEES breakbeat arrangement, it was a fine opening that reflected Martyn Ware’s electronic roots with his love of contemporary soul and classic songwriting. But there were surprises from the off…

First guest Andy Bell from ERASURE gave an emotive rendition of QUEEN’s ‘Love Of My Life’ in addition to his contribution to the impressively diverse ‘Dark’, Kate Bush’s ‘Breathing’.  Then one of the ‘Dark’ album’s best numbers ‘Don’t Wanna Know’ got its premiere courtesy of COMMUNARDS singer Sarah Jane-Morris.

The contrast of her deep blues with the blippy electronics came over like a darker gothic version of YAZOO. Slightly more laid back but no less dramatic, her version of ‘Family Affair’ also highlighted the funkier standpoints of the BEF sound.

HEAVEN 17’s contemporaries SCRITTI POLITTI’s Green Gartside and PROPAGANDA’s Claudia Brücken took their turns on the stage with Green reprising his raspy tones on ‘Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time’ and ‘I Don’t Know Why I Love You’. Meanwhile Claudia (who didn’t actually appear on the ‘Dark’ album as she was recording her own covers LP ‘The Lost Are Found’) gave a beautifully Germanic edged realisation of ‘The Look of Love’ that recalled ‘Felt Mountain’ era GOLDFRAPP and a finger-clickin’ good ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’.

But there were a trio of amazingly heartfelt performances; first Glenn Gregory performed ‘Party Fears Two’ which he first sung at this very same venue in 2007 for the Billy Mackenzie 50th Birthday Tribute Concert. It was a fitting remembrance of the late vocalist from THE ASSOCIATES who sang on Volumes 1 and 2.

Trained undertaker and singer/songwriter David J Roch gave his Moroder-esque spacey disco take of Bill Withers’ ‘Same Love’, one of the stand-out tracks on ‘Dark’. However, the biggest surprise of the evening came when regular HEAVEN 17 / BEF live band member Berenice Scott stepped out from behind her keyboards for a dazzling cinematic rendition of BLONDIE’s ‘Picture This’.

Endearingly sung by “possibly the sexiest lady ever to have got behind a synthesizer”, the crowd was aghast with her vocal abilities; it came as such a surprise that it almost stole the show. The extremely modest Miss Scott though had actually ventured back to her keys before the lengthy song’s conclusion, so didn’t quite feel the full weight of applause that acknowledged her performance.

On the final stretch, The Swiss Family Wilde took to the stage with Kim joined by her niece Scarlett and brother Ricky for a Motown triple tribute. Beginning with the magnificent but little known Stevie Wonder composition ‘Every Time I See You I Go Wild’, the spine tingling industrial backdrop suited Ms Wilde’s vampish demeanour. Then it was a pair of Hitsville classics that featured on the first volume of ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction’ series ‘There’s A Ghost in My House’ and ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ which Kim had a hit with herself back in 1986.

With Tamla influences very much dominating this section of the show, it was appropriate that to finish was an extended workout of ‘Temptation’. Centred around the band’s two backing vocalists Billie Godfrey and Kelly Barnes, the pair had already demonstrated their power particularly on their respective interpretations of ‘Smalltown Boy’ and ‘Just Walk In My Shoes’. The spectacle of the pair engaged in a battle of the disco lung smiths was a wondrous delight

This evening of fun and frolics was a marvellous achievement on the part of Martyn Ware and the BEF band Asa Bennett, Julian Crampton and Berenice Scott for their abilities and professionalism in learning and playing so many songs for effectively a one-off event. It is a shame that there will be no more BEF events such as these but they are an extremely big logistical undertaking. But then again, for anyone who attended this or the Sheffield Academy show, or The Roundhouse back in 2011, these will be special memories to be cherished for a long time.

Setlist:

It Was A Very Good Year (featuring Glenn Gregory)

Breathing (featuring Andy Bell)

Love Of My Life (featuring Andy Bell)

Don’t Want to Know (featuring Sarah Jane Morris)

Family Affair (featuring Sarah Jane Morris)

Smalltown Boy (featuring Billie Godfrey)

Free (featuring Billie Godfrey)

Co-Pilot The Pilot (featuring Kelly Barnes)

Walk In My Shoes (featuring Kelly Barnes)

Party Fears Two (featuring Glenn Gregory)

Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time (featuring Green Gartside)

I Don’t Know Why I Love You (featuring Green Gartside)

Picture This (featuring Berenice Scott)

The Look Of Love (featuring Claudia Brücken)

These Boots Were Made For Walking (featuring Claudia Brücken)

Every Time I See You Go Wild (featuring Kim Wilde)

There’s A Ghost In My House (featuring Kim Wilde)

You Keep Me Hanging On (featuring Kim Wilde)

Boys Keep Swinging (featuring Glenn Gregory)

Temptation (featuring Glenn Gregory, Billie Godfrey and Kelly Barnes)

‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Volume 3 – Dark’ is released by Wall Of Sound and available as a CD and download

‘Martyn Ware Presents…’ takes place as part of the Virgin 40 celebrations at London’s Koko on Monday 11th November 2013.

Material spanning his entire career will be performed including HEAVEN 17 and from his time as a founder member of THE HUMAN LEAGUE. Please visit  http://www.koko.uk.com/listings/martyn-ware-presents-heaven-17-11-11-2013 and http://www.virgin40.com/ for more details

http://www.britishelectricfoundation.com

http://www.facebook.com/BritishElectricFoundation/

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

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price
9th October 2013

BEF Featuring KIM WILDE Every Time I See You I Go Wild

18 July 2013 /

The new video for BEF’s ‘Every Time I See You I Go Wild’ sees Kim Wilde turn into ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ for a battle against vampires and other forces of evil.

Directed by Paul D, it also sees cameos from BEF mainman Martyn Ware, Wall Of Sound supremo Mark Jones and post-punk music personality Mr Normall. It comes from the third volume of the ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction’ series and subtitled ‘Dark’.

The striking electronic cover of the Northern Soul favourite is best known in a version by JJ Barnes but was written by Stevie Wonder. However, it appears to have confused some of Kim Wilde’s fanbase, rather like earlier in the year when OMD released ‘Metroland’ to mixed responses from their followers who couldn’t understand why the band had recorded an electronic track influenced by KRAFTWERK!

But this has to be expected when acts have careers spanning 30 years with periods of mainstream international success. This BEF recording actually takes Kim back to her synthesized beginnings with songs such as ‘Kids In America’, rather than huge sellers such as ‘You Came’ and ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’, a SUPREMES cover which has also been reworked by BEF!

Arranged by THE MODIFIED TOY ORCHESTRA’s Paul Duffy, ‘Every Time I See You I Go Wild’ features just Roland System 100, a marvellous user friendly synth that was the mainstay of early HUMAN LEAGUE, BEF and HEAVEN 17, courtesy of its esteemed operator Martyn Ware. So what’s there not to like about an electronic Northern Soul cover… after all, one of the biggest selling singles of the Synth Britannia era happened to be one of those 😉

‘Every Time I See You I Go Wild’ is from the BEF album ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Volume 3 – Dark’ and released as a single by Wall Of Sound on 19th August 2013

https://www.facebook.com/BritishElectricFoundation/

https://www.kimwilde.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
18th July 2013

BEF Music Of Quality & Distinction Vol3 – Dark

21 May 2013 /

The third volume in BRITISH ELECTRIC FOUNDATION’s ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction’ series has been long awaited.

Subtitled ‘Dark’, it was first announced back in 2007 and the majority of it was premiered at a special BEF weekend showcase at The Roundhouse in 2011. ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Vol1’ was issued in 1982 to great fanfare, a sophisticated K-Tel album recorded under the musical directorship of Martyn Ware, then recently departed from THE HUMAN LEAGUE and soon to find fame as part of HEAVEN 17.

Featuring vocalists such as Tina Turner, Sandie Shaw, Paul Jones and Billy Mackenzie, it was a critical if not a commercial success but effectively revived the career of the Soul Siren born Anna Mae Bullock as well as kickstarting Ware’s impressive production portfolio which later encompassed ASSOCIATES and ERASURE.

1991 saw the release of ‘Music of Quality & Distinction Vol2’ which had much more of a mainstream soul vibe; Tina Turner and Billy Mackenzie returned while other notable vocalists included Chaka Khan, Billy Preston, Green Gartside and Terence Trent D’Arby whose massive selling debut ‘Introducing The Hardline…’ was produced by Ware.

The concept of ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Volume 3 – Dark’ though is dark interpretations of perceivably upbeat songs. The chilling, stark electronics and eerie soundtrack arrangements on several tracks have led to Ware producing some of his most distinctly industrialised work since his days with THE HUMAN LEAGUE. The tremendous opener ‘Every Time I See You I Go Wild’ is a case in point.

Using just a Roland System 100, instrumentally it could have come from ‘The Dignity Of Labour’ or ‘Reproduction’while Kim Wilde’s spirited vocal adds a human twist to what sounds like THE HUMAN LEAGUE meets DEPECHE MODE. There’s even a tongue-in-cheek reference to ‘Don’t You Want Me’ thrown into the metallic mix for good measure!

Another great fusion of soul mechanics is ‘Don’t Wanna Know’, a John Martyn cover voiced by former COMMUNARDS co-vocalist Sarah Jane Morris. Still sounding like a lower register Jimmy Sommerville, Morris’ bluesy tones contrast well with the synthesized backing. In a variation to the theme, Green Gartside adds his distinctive raspy touch on The Delfonics’ ‘Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time’ which absorbs the senses with its silky sonics and complimentary guitar textures.

Andy Bell provides one of the album’s standouts with his rendition of Kate Bush’s ‘Breathing’. A song that was never that upbeat in the first place, its narrative on the nuclear holocaust is given an even more disturbing counterpoint when Bell audibly recites scientific data on the effects of an attack.

While Bell’s distinctive timbre remains intact, on the orchestrated rock of ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’, Boy George takes on a turn of deadpan and aggression that makes him almost unrecognisable! One of the stars of the BEF showcase at The Roundhouse, his onstage tale about going with Martyn Ware to see Gary Glitter in concert and getting the convicted felon’s autograph was priceless; “I don’t think it’s worth much money now” he quipped! That alone deserves a second track and appropriately enough, it is a near faithful ‘Make Up’ from Lou Reed’s ‘Transformer’. “We’re coming out…out of our closets” indeed!

Another thematic pairing comes with the return of the barefoot Queen of Pop, Sandie Shaw. After tackling ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’ on ‘Vol1’, she gives it some Northern Soul welly on ‘Just Walk In My Shoes’, a tune written by one-time Motown signings The Lewis Sisters.

Meanwhile the Bacharach and David cover duties on ‘Dark’ go to the kooky Polly Scattergood who delivers a lovely ‘Felt Mountain’ era Goldfrapp styled performance of ‘The Look of Love’. Trivia fact: ‘The Look Of Love’ (which featured in the original film version of ‘Casino Royale’) was beaten to the 1968 Oscar for Best Original Song by ‘Talk To The Animals’ from ‘Doctor Dolittle’!

‘Dark’ is a large collection of work, 16 songs in all and they appear to fall into three categories. As well as dark electronics, there are more contemporary dance assisted numbers and filmic ballads. Of the dancier numbers; melodramatic Sheffield newcomer David J Roch doing Bill Withers’ ‘Same Love’ is one of the big surprises with an emotive neo-acappella intro segueing into a meaty pulsing bassline, spacey whistles and haunting invader games.

HEAVEN 17 backing vocalist Billie Godfrey features on a similar but extended treatment of Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’ while Maxim aka Max Pokrovsky of the Moscow-based rock band Nogu Svelo! goes all campy Europop on an enjoyably over-the-top reading of ABBA’s ‘The Day Before You Came’; a virtual unknown before ‘Dark’… not anymore! The clarinet solo just sums up how gloriously loopy this rendition is!

The late Billy Mackenzie left this earth in 1997 and after his presence on the first two volumes, ‘Dark’ would not be complete without his legacy being represented. This comes in the shape of a sparse, slowed down waltz rendition of ‘Party Fears Two’ by Glenn Gregory which first appeared on HEAVEN 17’s 08 versions compilation ‘Naked As Advertised’. An unexpected inclusion, this is an important centrepiece that sits well with the other songs in the compendium.

And Gregory almost steals the show with Frank Sinatra’s ‘It Was a Very Good Year’. Held together by a sampled drum loop and dressed with Ware’s bubbling synths, Gregory makes a perfect crooner in the tradition of Scott Walker, with echoes of his ‘Always Coming Back To You’ in the delivery. The 60 year old song itself takes on a magnificent dimension that will please any early HEAVEN 17 fan.

However, ‘God Only Knows’ and ‘Picture This’ performed respectively by Shingai Shinowa from The Noisettes and Kate Jackson from The Long Blondes are, while sweetly performed, possibly the two least essential items to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s ears on this album. But, such are the strengths of Ware’s curation and production that they are highly likely to be appeal to others. And this is one of the important selling points of ‘Dark’… there really is something for everyone.

Ending with new HEAVEN 17 backing vocalist Kelly Barnes on Teena Marie’s ‘Co-pilot To Pilot’, this is maybe the most incongruous item on the set with the backing track having been originally recorded for ‘Music of Quality & Distinction Vol2’. Its Trans-Atlantic soul vintage is quite apparent, especially when belted out in that classic manner by the Macclesfield youngster.

Overall, ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Volume 3 – Dark’ is a worthy adventure and Martyn Ware can pat himself on the back for realising his most challenging project to date. Whereas the first two volumes had record label support, ‘Dark’ has been self-funded, hence the time span of the work; Ware’s dedication, musical ear and co-ordinating abilities deserve recognition and reward.

‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Volume 3 – Dark’ is released by Wall Of Sound on 27th May 2013 as a single CD, deluxe 2CD with bonus instrumental disc and download

http://britishelectricfoundation.com/

http://www.facebook.com/BritishElectricFoundation/

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

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price and Chi Ming Lai
21st May 2013

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2017 ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK | Email: [email protected]
Privacy Policy

Up ↑