Electric Avantgarde: Lonely 12”

Hailing from the college town of Freiberg in Germany, where I obtained this 12” while travelling earlier this year, Electric Avantgarde was a duo who made amateur yet enjoyable synthpop. If the band is remembered at all, it is for a tape they released on the long-enduring Danse Macabre Records  in 1990. This 12” predates that tape by a few years, and has two mixes of a song called “Lonely”.

While the band’s later material (at least the songs that I have heard) are more guitar-oriented goth rock, “Lonely” is completely enjoyable – albeit unabashedly cheesy -- electro-pop/Euro dance. Think Mysterious Art or Dead or Alive or Secession and you’re halfway there. The group was led by a guy who mysteriously (or pretentiously) went by the name Mozart. He sings in a weird combination of a girlish falsetto and a forceful masculine style.

The B side is just a dub mix of the A-side, because every band apparently had to have a dub mix back in the 80s. It’s not as good as the original mix. This song may not be for everyone , but those of us who have a soft spot for the occasional unironic dance track will enjoy it!

Electric Avantgarde: Lonely 12”

1988, self-released

Listen here!

Nullset: Debut 7"

For some reason, my initial post of this record disappeared... Here it is again. This is the exceedingly rare and practically unknown debut 7” from obscure New Jersey synth band Nullset. In the past, I posted their Unisphere 12” and Forget You First 7”. Those records found the band in pop-ish new wave territory (although Unisphere is still has some pretty nice DIY sounding synthpop tracks). But this 7” is much more electronic, and features one of my absolute favorite synthpunk song.

The A side is a good lo-fi synthpop song that sounds very much like their material on their 12” released later in the year. It’s somewhat tinny and not recorded particularly well. The low production value adds to the song's charm, though.

The B-side is the truly kickass song though. Unfortunately, it is a live recording (begging the question, why could they not have recorded this song in a proper studio? Did they only have time for one song when they recorded the A-side?). Aside from being mixed VERY low (allowing for even light surface noise to be noticeable at the beginning), the sound is not that bad for a live track recorded in 1981 or so in a tiny club. And the song packs a punch – it is fast-paced synthpunk, with some great synth lines and loads of KR-55 drum machine fills. If there is somehow an unreleased studio recording of this, perhaps someone out there has it?

This record was released in 1983, shortly before the Unisphere 12”, and has been largely forgotten. I can imagine that only a few hundred of these were ever pressed, and I have only ever seen one copy in my life – which I grabbed without hesitation and have ripped here.

Nullset: Debut 7"

1983, JRM Records

Click here to listen!

Modern Science: S/T 7”

I vaguely remember hearing a couple of these songs streaming online a while ago, but until now I have never seen it ripped for download. So when I found a cheap copy recently, I decided to remedy that. First of all, despite the cool and slightly creepy cover image, this is not a darkwave or goth record. It is pure, unapologetic synthpop. It uses 100% analog electronics, with simple drum machines and stabs and washes of synths. Before they were Modern Science, the band was known as The Odds, who apparently released a synthpunk single. I’d be interested in hearing that…

This record is definitely catchy as hell. I’m Not in Love is my favorite; it’s a straightforward two-minute synthpop burst. No One’s On the Street Tonight decent, although it has a somewhat ill-advised synth solo that betrays its nearly 30-year vintage.

If there was ever a minimal synth version of cheesy 80s movie montage music, Got to Be 1^st would be it. Try listening to it and NOT envisioning a lost John Hughes movie in which a young, wimpy John Cusack runs laps and works out with unrelenting determination in an effort to win the heart of a girl who’s in love with the school track team champion (who’s a complete jackass to Cusack, of course).

Modern Science 7”

1982, S&M Records

A1.		I'm Not In Love	2:03
A2.		No One's On The Street Tonight	2:45
B		Gotta Be 1st Click here to listen!

Perfect Strangers: Fascination EP

Here is a synthpop band from Concord, CA, called Perfect Strangers. Their brand of new wave was synth-heavy and upbeat, and they released only this EP before dissolving. While it's a bit commercial sounding, the song Fascination is quite a good track, and Run to You was a minor hit on Quake FM (it was also released on the Quake FM 'Rock of 84' comp, which featured exclusive songs by Voice Farm and Fade to Black). The band reformed under the name Skindeep in the mid-80s, with a much more polished sound. That band released one record (which included a re-recorded version of Run to You).

Perfect Strangers: Fascination 12"
1983, Perfect Strangers Records
A1 Fascination
A2 Just Because I Know You
B1 Run To You

Click here to download this record!

THE SHORT WAVE MYSTERY demo tapes & unreleased tracks!

Well, I actually have nothing to download with this post, but I'm just pointing you in the direction of some of the best minimal electro ever made. The Short Wave Mystery, they of the $200 bootleg and $1000 12-inch, have a huge cache of nureleased tracks that you can listen to any time right here. I especially recommend "Without Cause". This sounds like the best Depeche Mode song never released. It is THAT good. Cross you fingers and look for a reissue on Dark Entries Records!

Red Violet Red (pre-ELEVEN POND!) 12"

To start out 2010, here is a special treat, courtesy of Lesypersound in Spain. He discovered that there is a heretofore unknown pre-Eleven Pond 12" from Jeff Gallea (the songwriter/synth player of Eleven Pond)! It was exciting for me when I found the Pond 12" I posted a while back, so I know how great a discovery this must have been for him! Here is a great summary from him:

-----

These last weeks I'm reorganizing my collection thanks to the great database that is DISCOGS, they still lack many records to upload and I go collaborating in what I can going up some. In this work I added a 12" record that was in my collection from many many years called RED VIOLET RED (before ELEVEN POND LP was known or had it in my collection). Let us notice the sound was similar to ELEVEN POND, same cover type made by hand, limited and numbered, fact in US and suddenly I saw that the cover was signed by J. Gallea !!!!!!!?????, quickly came me to mind Jeff's Gallea of ELEVEN POND!!! then I checked the correspondence address that leave in the back-sleeve and was exact to the one that leave in the inner-sleeve of ELEVEN POND's record ....... and... bingo!!! I understood that RED VIOLET RED was a kind pre-ELEVEN POND release. Jeff Gallea made this record with other musicians not on later ELEVEN POND record but the sound is really similar and it advances the sound that will have the later record without a doubt. This was very touching for my and I wanted to share that information with you and with the other collectors!!!

-----

Now, don't be discouraged by Candy Cane. It... has NOT aged well. The B side, 12 Miles of Sky, is a dark synth-wave masterpiece that is just as good as the best Eleven Pond tracks! This presumably) concludes the Eleven Pond-related stuff we'll be hearing (until Jeff finally decides to finally release the album's worth of unreleased stuff he has). Hopefully this will tide you over... happy 2010!

Red Violet Red 12"1985
Game Hen Records
A: Candy Cane
B: 12 Miles of Sky

Click here to download this record!

Martin Human: Upside Down and Backwards 7"

Unknown minimal synth records abound, even in this digital age in which it seems everything has been shared. Here is a virtually unknown gem that I have only seen twice: A 7" from a San Francisco solo synth artist with the perfectly new wave name Martin Human. I don't know if he ever released anything else, or was ever in any other groups - it would be nice to know! This 7" is a self-released record on his Human Release label. The music is just programmed drums and very simple, minimal electronics and vocals - a very bare-bones approach to synthpop. The A side is good, but the B side, Rocks and Caves, is even better, with a quick pace, echoing vocal cries that sound like they were indeed recorded among the rocks and caves, and synthetic percussion overload at times. This one is sure to be on at least a couple wantlists.

Here is a mini email interview I did with Joseph from Martin Human:

I have a ton of other stuff that I recorded and mixed on my 1/2" 8 track in my bedroom that no one except friends have heard. It was kind of all over the map stylistically but mostly soundtrack kind of material. I have never really stopped making music to this day. Martin had quite a bit of interest from Elektra/Asylum at the time but they wouldn't move forward with me until I had a band together that could tour to support a release which I never got around to. The motivation and interest for me was to be in the studio constantly making new stuff as opposed to playing the same songs over and over live.

Q: Did you play live, and if so, were there any similar bands that you played with in the area?
A: Martin never played live but I did with a number of other bay area bands.

Q: What was the SF synthpop scene like at the time - was there a lot of support for the music?
A: I used to get a lot of radio play from "The Quake" KQAK (later became Live 105) which supported a lot of local music at the time, as well as most of the local college stations. I sort of did my thing in a vacuum back then and didn't really know many other synth artists at the time. I was so young I couldn't even get into most of the clubs. KROQ in SoCal also had the single in rotation for a few weeks in addition to lots of college stations all over the country (I have a list somewhere).

Q: What equipment did you use?
A: All the synth sounds on the single were made with a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 and Prophet 600. The drum box was an EMU Drumulator. It was recorded and mixed at Russian Hill Recording, SF in studio B on a Neotek console and an MCI 2" 24 track.

Q: And how many copies did you press?
A: 1000 were pressed. I sold about 200 and gave away about that many.


Martin Human: Upside Down and Backwards 7"
1984, Human Release
A: Upside Down and Backwards
B: Rocks and Caves

Download this record here!

Barbi and the Kens: Mini LP

This is perhaps the first and only 7" to be called a "mini LP". This is the only release by Barbi and the Kens (aside from another 7" with only two of the four songs found here). It was
released on Bobby Orlando's "O" Records. The record starts with an irreverent new wave number, Pay My Bills, followed by the bratty, punky Uptown Downtown Cruising. More similar quirky new wave starts off side two with Just a Gigolo. These three songs sound like a mix of early B-52s and Blondie - weird, silly, fun, and highly infectious, with male and female vocals. The final song, Steppin Stone (yes, a cover of the song made famous by The Monkees), is pure danceable minimalist electronic bliss - totally repetitive (think DAF or Robert Gorl, but less industrial and more electro), with thumping synthesized drums and basslines, and completely monotone female vocals. To me, it is the standout track (but even without that song, this 7" is quite solid!).

Barbi & the Kens: Mini-LP

1980, "O" Records

A1 Pay My Bills

A2 Uptown Downtown Cruising

B1 Just A Gigolo

B2 I´m Not Your Stepping Stone

Download the record here!

Persons Unknown: Addiction 7"

Here is a mysterious 7" from a UK band called Persons Unknown. I have seen this 7" only a handful of times before, and thought I would share it and help make at least a couple of the persons more, well... known. This was somewhat of a side project of Missing Presumed Dead, whose LPs and 7" were posted on Mutant Sounds a while back. Peter-Paul Hartnett, singer of the early incarnation of MPD, is the singer on this 7", and sometime MPD member/contributor Sam Dodson wrote the music. The music is not completely unlike Missing Presumed Dead, although it is much more straight-ahead synth-heavy post punk. I believe this is the only 7" Persons Unknown ever recorded, and it only features one song (but two mixes of that song). This will appeal to fans of minimal wave, post punk, and synthpop, and will hopefully get the respect it deserves.

Persons Unknown: Addiction 7"
1981, self-released
A Addiction
B Addiction (version)


Click here to download this record!

Die Hausfrauen: (almost complete) Discography

Here are all five songs from the two releases by New York electronic/post punk band Die Hausfrauen. They released a 7", a 12" with one song from the 7" and three exclusive tracks, and then rereleased all five songs on a split LP with Malaria!. There is also a compilation from 1981 with a live song called Sacred Cow which I have never heard. Their mix of analog synths, angular post punk, and aggressive female vocals made them stand out from the many other NYC no wave bands of the time. Synthpop and post punk fans (hell, even punk fans) will find a lot to like among the five songs spread across these two releases. Frontwoman Vera Beren, is still making dark music in NYC with her current band Vera Beren's Gothic Chamber Blues Ensemble, (which, although it basically has the names of three genres, is actually a rather apt name!).

Die Hausfrauen:

Bellevue Affair 7"
1981, Cachalot Records
A Bellevue Affair
B She's My Destruction

Midnight Rain 12"
1981, Cachalot Records
A1 Midnight Rain
A2 Bellevue Affair
B1 Suburban Incest (Harry's Song)
B2 Defunkt Hunk

Click here to download these records!

Factual: Psychotic Romance 12" & Your Way 7"

Here are two of the three releases from Factual. They were from the surprisingly fertile new wave/synthpop scene of
Nashville, TN - a scene that, in the early 80s, contained bands such as Calculated X, Dessau, and Warm Dark Pocket (whose EP, by coincidence, was just shared by Vanilla Face on his absolutely wonderful Crispy Nuggets blog!).
Factual released three records on their own Faction label before breaking up. After breaking up, synth player/vocalist Rob Earls formed the aforementioned Warm Dark Pocket. Faction were a great electropop band, with synths and drum machines galore, and vocals that were the perfect mix of melancholy and urgency. They knew how to play synths AND write great songs. This band definitely deserves more recognition - download these and see why. Both of these records were released on transluscent colored vinyl (the 7" was red, the 12" was blue), which is kinda cool for record snobs. Faction's last records was a 12" called For the Song, which also had a remix of Psychotic Romance. I've never heard either song - if anyone has this to share, I would love to hear it!

Factual: Your Way 7"
1982, Faction Records
A1 Your Way
B1 Think To The Beat


Physchotic Romance 12"
1983, Faction Records
A1 Psychotic Romance
B1 Institutions
B2 Wire And Chrome
B3 Standing Alone

Download both records here!

The Popular Sex: Powers of Suggestion LP

Here is yet another unknown US synth LP from a mysterious Atlanta-based duo called The Popular Sex. All the songs were conceived between 1976 and 1981, mainly in Eastern Europe. Each track includes the year and the city or country of conception on the back cover. The LP starts out with songs from 1977-1979 that focus on simple drum machine beats and synths, with some great electropop songs like Power of Suggestion and some minimal synth gems such as You Want Happy and When We Were Lovers. Side two takes things a bit differently, with female vocals and more driving and full-sounding songs, from the electrifying electropop of Mad Heat to the synthpop Blondie knockoff of My Heart Beats Empty. There are a couple duds here and there, but for the most part this is a great, if eclectic, synthpop album. It even comes with a large foldout lyric poster with a early computer generated psychedelic art! It doesn't necessarily fit the music (neither does the album cover, I suppose), but that adds to the charm. A google search turns up several copies of this one for sale - it may not be hard to find (yet), but perhaps that's just because nobody has heard it yet? Check it out, there's bound to be a song or two that you like!


The Popular Sex: Powers of Suggestion LP
1984, Wild Carbon Software
Tracks (with year and place of conception)
A1 Powers of Suggestion (Ural'sk, 1977)
A2 Muscle of Steel (Krakow, 1977)
A3 You Want Happy (Bucharest, 1979)
A4 My Life Is Good Again (Ibaden, 1979)
A5 When We Were Lovers (Sarajevo 1978)
B1 Mad Heat (Dresden, 1980)
B2 My Heart Beats Empty (Prague, 1979)
B3 No Idea (Istanbul, 1976)
B4 Expedite (Sofia, 1979)
B5 This May Save Your Life (Moscow, 1981)


Click here to download this record!

NULLSET: Unisphere 12" & Forget You First 7"

Here are two of the three releases from New Jersey electropop/minimal synth band Nullset. Their only 12", Unisphere, was released in 1983 on JRM Records, and their final 7", Forget You First, was released in 1986 on Parabola Records. The 12" was produced by Matt Pinfield - the same Matt Pinfield who hosted "120 Minutes" on MTV back in the 90s! Musically, they are pretty straight-ahead electropop on their 12", with loads of analogue Korg synths and drum machines, with a nice minimal gem with "The One". The recording is a bit murky and lo-fi at times, as is the nature with these privately released no-budget records, but it's still pretty endearing. Bonus points for the great archaic Ascii art on the foldout insert!
The 7" is a bit more full-band new wave, but the B side is still on the synthpop side of things. If anybody has their first 7", I would love to hear it!

Nullset: Unisphere 12"
1983, JRM Records
A1 - To The Point
A2 - Say Fall
B1 - Unisphere
B2 - The One
B3 - Times Out

Forget You First 7"
1986, Parabola Records
A1 - Forget You First
B1 - Counting to One

Click here to download this record!

GT MODELL: Selftitled mLP

I can't believe it, but it's been 2 years and 100 posts since I first started this blog. How time flies and life changes! But at least music remains constant. This week, I have 3 very different records, starting with this one: the selftitled mini-LP from Dutch minimal synth duo GT Modell. Not a lot of info can be found about these guys, not the least reason for which is because they only go by "G" and "T". Both members sang and played synths and rhythmbox, as well as handclaps and razorblades (?). This sometimes veers into sort of poppy territory, but overally it's quite good. Side one is studio recordings, and side two are all live songs (but excellent soundboard quality). I don't think these guys ever released anything else.

GT Modell: Selftitled mLP
1983, Modulation Records
A1 - We Won't Let You Down
A2 - A Name
B1 - Turn On The Lights
B2 - Children Of The Future
B3 - We Are The Pioneers
B4 - Don't Close Your Eyes

Click here to download this mLP!

Q - Cine De Miedo EP & Justine - Amor Acuatico EP

It seems like Spain is terribly underrated when it comes to synthpop and new wave music. I mean, El Aviador Dro is great; Diseno Corbusier is good, but more experimental, and Cetu Javu have a Spanish-sounding name but are actually from Germany, so they don't count. But there ARE gems out there, as evidenced by these
great rarities by Q (also known as Grupo Q) and Justine. And while these two groups share the same primary songwriter, Fernando Carmona, and released records on the same private label (Panoleta Records) and basically sound the same (except Justine has female vocals), they do a great job at lending some true legitamacy to Spain's ostensibly lacking synthpop/minimal synth legacy. Just one listen to Q's synthpop perfection of "Nada Nos Parara" or Justine's slightly dark and Neon-esque Amor Acuatico or ridiculously catchy and fun (if slightly cheesy at times) E.E.U.U.R.S.S. will confirm that these
releases deserve some true respect.

Q: Cine De Miedo EP
1984, Panoleta Records
A1 Cine De Miedo (3:50)
A2 Nada Nos Parará (2:18)
B1 Déjame Ahora Dormir (4:56)
B2 Muñeca Cibernética (4:07)

Download the Q EP here!

Justine: Amor Acuatico EP
1986, Panoleta Records
A1 Amor Acuático (3:48)
A2 Hipnotismo (4:52)
B1 Hoy Me Sobrevienen Cosas Extrañas (3:07)
B2 E.E.U.U.R.S.S. (4:19)

Download the Justine EP here!

YOU: Neek EP

Well, since Mutant Sounds shared You's first LP, Are Coming, I thought I would share You's final release, the EP Neek. If you read that sentence aloud, it really makes no sense, huh? I think that's what the band was going for. Like, after the night of a show, a fan could say to their friend "I saw You last night! You is great!", and thoroughly confuse them. Grammatical irregularities notwithstanding, this band played some great new wave/synthpop. Cheesy and poppy and kitchy at times, of course, but it's mostly very good. They have a lot of similarities with fellow US new wave bands like Xex, Nullset, New Occupants, Units, and Computer Sex.

You: Neek EP

198?, Empire Records

A1 Technological World

A2 What's On Your Mind

A3 Untitled

B1 Rock the Night Away

B2 Line of Fire

B3 Untitled

Download the EP here!

MODE/IQ - Mind/Soul mLP

Here is a mysterious mini-LP from a New York band called Mode/IQ. I can find no info on these guys aside from what is on the jacket and insert. They only list their first names on the sleeve, which certainly does not help. The only info I found is that the producer and engineer, Albert Garzon, is the person who wrote all the songs & played synths on the Evening in Torpor LP that I posted a while back. So, that's kinda interesting. And apparently this band has some other releases out there (live tapes and some singles and EPs, but I don't know if those are on vinyl or cassette), but this is the only one that I have found online. As far as the music, it sort of combines electropop with the downtown-NYC punk funk sound (Del-Byzanteens, Bush Tetras, etc). Definitely a good record, and I personally would be interested in hearing more from them if anyone has anything...

Mode/IQ: Mind Soul mLP
1984, Modern Mode Music
A1 Competition
A2 Confidence
A3 Looking Through Your Mind
B1 Two Different Things/At Random
B2 I'm Immune

Click here to download this mLP!

B.TROOP: Europeans LP

Here is the only LP from the UK electro-pop band B.Troop. This UK band released a couple 7"s before they issued this full-length in 1981 on Illuminated Records. This is ridiculously infectious synthpop, with drum machines, sax, bubbly synthesizers, and catchy hooks and choruses throughout the album. It's perhaps a mix of Human League and Teardrop Explodes. It's a very underrated album, so give it a chance!

B.Troop: Europeans LP
1981, Illuminated Records
A1 Not Coming Back
A2 Europe
A3 New Human
A4 Fade Away
A5 Emotional Assassin
A6 Satellites
B1 Computer Logic
B2 Strange Time
B3 Yvette
B4 Just Because
B5 Espionage A Gogo
B6 Killing Conversation

Click here to download this record!

Various Artists: Der Produzentenklub Empfeihlt Lebensmittelsex LP

Here is a rare comp of NDW, minimal synth, darkwave, experimental, and post punk bands called Der Produzentenklub Empfeihlt Lebensmittelsex. I can't find much information about the label on the Internet, but from what I can glean, Der Produzentenklub started around 1986 or so (this was the first release), and may have been a subsidiary of the German NDW label Ink Records (not to be confused with the more well-known UK label of the same name!). Many of the bands here (Reifenstahl, Don Bartnick, Topolinos) had releases or were compiled on that label. Other bands also released other records or featured members of more well-known groups (Echo Romeo had a 12" on the Das Buro label, CCCP featured ex-members of Fehlfarben and Belfegore).
There is something for everyone here, especially fans of electronic music. It's a pretty solid release, and works very well when listened to the whole way through.

V/A: Der Produzentenklub Empfeihlt Lebensmittelsex LP
Der Produzentenklub, 198?
A1 ROUGE ALEGRE: Sonic Boom
A2 CCCP: Our Time
A3 HUNDGEBURTH: Circumstances
A4 DIE FISCHE: Machine to Machine
A5 ECHO ROMEO: So Far
A6 FACE TO FACE: Vicious Circle
B1 FEAR OF GOD: The Fall
B2 ID: House on Fire
B3 REIFENSTAHL: Mein Herz Muss Schweigen
B4 TOPOLINOS: Rote Fahnen
B5 DON BARTNICK: Und Crashman: Leben In Der Geisterstadt
B6: UNKNOWN ARTIST: Untitled

Click here to download this album!

CLOUD NINE: Waterland mLP

Here is an LP that is surprisingly unknown (it's not even listed on discogs), considering it was released on the venerable Ariola label. This is a Dutch band called Coud Nine, who played a type of synthpop that seemed like it was made for radio play. As such, there is a bit of cheese factor involved at times, but when the band gets it right - as on the wonderful electropop smash "Fraction of a Second" - they REALLY do it well.

Cloud Nine: Waterland mLP
1985, Ariola Records
A1 Blue Gardens
A2 Fraction of a Second
A3 Poison
B1 It Started When the Rain Came
B2 Waterland
B3 Wordporridge

Click here to download this mini-LP