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!

Club De Rome: Selftitled mLP

I can't believe this one has not been shared yet. This is the only album (a mini-LP, really) from French synthpop/coldwave/industrial band Club De Rome. I think they also had a 7", but I've neither seen nor heard it. The more I listen to this record, the more I love it. From the melodic, minimalist A L'Est & A L'Ouest Du Crépuscule to the synthpop smash Painting On Your Skin to the thumping dark thumping bass of Brisure De Symétrie, this album is just one excellent song after another. As far as I know, the two members, Renato Bortolotti (voice,guitar,programming) and Maurice Moschini (drums, programming, sampling) were never in any other groups besides Club De Rome. The mini-LP was released on the venerable Lively Art label, home of Asylum Party, Data Bank A, And Also the Trees, Little Nemo, Museum of Devotion, and (my favorite), Collection d'Arnell Andrea. For a great sampler of what this label has to offer (including an exclusive track by Club de Rome), check out the "13" compilation on the Crispy Nuggets blog here. This Club De Rome mLP was also released on CD with a few bonus tracks (I don't have this, unfortunately). I think it is truly deserving of a reissue one of these days. Perhaps with some unreleased bonus tracks if they exist! If any band members see this... Do you have any other recorded material?

Club De Rome: Selftitled mLP
1989, Lively Art
A1 Viva La Vita
A2 Sex, Fun, CDR
A3 A L'Est & A L'Ouest Du Crépuscule
B1 Painting On Your Skin
B2 TV Deus Rodeo
B3 Brisure De Symétrie
B4 Gringhita

Download the album 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!

Cipher: Selftitled EP

UPDATE: Marsha Mann has emailed me with a great bio of the band and her work, and also some corrections:
Hi Goutroy,
A musician friend of mine came across your site recently and told me about it...I'm Marsha Mann, lead singer & producer of the L.A. based band, CIPHER (1977-1983). While I appreciate you featuring our record on your site (and don't mind others downloading it as well) the info about myself & the band is a bit off.
When my writing partner (Jose Garcia) and I started working together in 1976, we had no knowledge of Souxie & The Banshees. As a singer/performer I was much more influenced by 60's icons Grace Slick & Jim Morrison, and later, David Bowie & Patti Smith. Our music also had elements of avant garde jazz and various ethnic musics from around the world...my lyrics reflected years of self study in metaphysics, shamanism, and the new sciences.
In 1981, I was the first female rocker to produce myself (and the band) in the studio, on my own label (Right-Brain Records). Working with a small network of independent distributors, I was able to get it into stores throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, before the internet existed! We were being played on college radio stations around the country, were featured 5 times on the famed cable TV show 'New Wave Theater', and headlined shows at The Whisky A-Go-Go and Club Lingerie on the Sunset Strip. The L.A. Weekly considered us 'one of the most influential bands of the L.A. Music Underground', and Bam Magazine did a full-page feature article on us. We also played The Savoy Club in S.F. and appeared on the New Wave compilation album, 'Savoy Sound Wave Goodbye' w/ Tuxedo Moon and The Sleepers.
CIPHER was in the process of recording a second record in 1983 when the band broke up. In 1984, I married Radames Pera (the actor who played Grasshopper on the TV series 'Kung Fu') and a year or so later we joined forces with the performance-art rock trio 'Freshly Wrapped Candies' (Chris Haaga, Roz & Wade Hall), performing live interactive video on multiple monitors in changing configurations (very groundbreaking stuff). FWC was briefly signed to Ralph Records in S.F. (The Residents Record/Video Label) who released a 60-minute music video called 'The Sheep of Things To Come'. The female voice on the FWC records are Roz, not me.
My ex-music partner and I are still good friends and plan to release a CIPHER retrospective in the next year or so, which will include the songs we recorded in 1983 that were never released.
I hope this has been of some interest to you, and again, we do appreciate the attention you have given our EP.
Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.
Best Regards,Marsha Mann

... and here's my original post: Los Angeles had a great run of bands in the early 1980s before hair metal reared its ugly Aqua Net-ed head. Cipher was one of the many, many Los Angeles darkwave/post punk/deathrock bands from that genre's heyday. The singer's voice combined with the tense, dense and often ominous post punk made for some unique music that is not unlike the Global Infantilists LP that I shared a couple months ago. I'm pretty sure this was the band's only release. The singer Marsha Mann, later found slighly more notoriety in the undergound LA performance/art band Freshly Wrapped Candies, whose self-released first two LPs were shared on the Mutant Sounds blog a while ago. According to the credits, Mann was the performance conceptualist for Cipher, so I'm guessing that their live performances were artistic and expressive.




Cipher: Selftitled EP
1981, Right Brain Records
A1 Body Chemistry
A2 Harmonic 33
A3 Cymatic Mambo
B1 Modern Medicine
B2 Brown

Click here to download this record!

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!

LEBEN UND ARBEITEN: Selftitled EP

Here is the selftitled 12" EP release by the German band Leben Und Arbeiten. They played an angular, aggressive form of Neue Deutsche Welle. There is often a concentration on the rhythm and drums (especially on Der Letzte Mohikaner, which sounds like a different version of Artery's "The Slide", with howls and screams in place of vocals). In fact, these guys seem to owe as much to the UK early-80s post punk bands as they do their Zickzack labelmates. Bands like Artery, This Heat, Fire Engines, and Ludus figure heavily in their sound. Discogs has them listed as "industrial" and "electro"... they really aren't. Maybe there are some industrial touches, but this is pure NDW by way of the UK. Great stuff. I don't think they released anything else beside a track or two on various compilations.

You can see a couple live songs on youtube here:



Leben Und Arbeiten: Selftitled EP
1982, ZickZack Records
A1 - Gefühl Nix Gut
A2 - Krank Mann / Krank Frau
A3 - Amanita
B1 - Der Letzte Mohikaner
B2 - Ein Tag Ist Nicht Genug

Click here to download this EP!

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!

(ELEVEN) POND: Bullets / Fate 12"

Well, it only makes sense that, for my 100-post (and roughly two-year) anniversary, I would share a follow-up to my first-ever post. Just a week ago, I was at my favorite local record store and noticed an album that looked oddly familiar. It was the same rough tan cardboard as the Eleven Pond LP. It was silkscreened. It was hand-numbered. The font was almost the same. And the band's name was POND... The credit insert confirmed what I was thinking: this is a pretty much completely unknown follow up to Eleven Pond's extremely sought after (and now reissued!) LP. After co-songwriter and bassist/keyboardist Jeff Gallea left the band (amidst quite a bit of tension, apparently), the rest of the band carried on and recorded this one last 12". I talked to Jeff at the Nina Belief/Ronin show at MRX last Saturday, and although he knew that they recorded SOMETHING, he has never even heard this! He's on better terms with his former bandmates now, and so this upload is as much for him as it is for everyone else. The 12" starts off with Bullets, which has great guitars, drums, and vocals, but the synths are quite cheesy sounding. Still, it's not bad. The song Fate, however, sounds like it could have easily have been on the Eleven Pond LP - it's just a bit more electro, and slightly better-produced, but otherwise sounds exactly like the Eleven Pond we all know and love. Plus, the lyrics and vocals are probably the best that James Tabbi ever recorded. This is a great 12" from a great band, and shows that they weren't even close to running out of ideas. One only wonders what other great music would have been recorded if they had kept it up...

Pond: Bullets/Fate 12"
1988, Metamerism Records
A1 Bullets
B1 Fate

Click here to download this record!

THE SHRIEK: Sex Sells EP

Here is a bit of an oddball record. It is the only release by Canadian electropunk band The Shriek, which was a duo consisting of Blair Petrie and Ben Gaylie, who later collaborated on a very underrated electropop/experimental album that you can find on Mutant Sounds. Before they delved into the realm of pure electronics, though, this duo made some very harsh, lo-fi, amateurish music as The Shriek... It starts out with the two most punk songs I have ever posted to this blog, All Fucked Up and Fuck Up. Judging by the names, you can guess how they sound, as well as their maturity level. But they are both great songs, and things get more artsy with "1980", a one-chord art punk spazout that sounds like Wire channeling NYC no wave. Side two is where the synths go into overtime, with "Lost Control", an amazing electro-punk song that reminds me of one of my all-time favorite bands, Lost Sounds. Kids is like a one-chord Wire song. The most bizarre song is Intermission, a sprawling electronic song that shifts from synths and vocoder to repetitive droney chanting from the point-of-view of aliens. And from the 2:35 point, you'd swear you were listening to a Transparent Illusion song (with loads of vocal effects, though). Overall, this is a very recommended record. I wasn't too impressed at first, but it slowly grew on me, especially side two. If there was ever a Canadian version of the Messthetics comps, this duo would be on it!

The Shriek: Sex Sells EP
1980, Rude Records
A1 - All Fucked Up
A2 - Fuck Up
A3 - 1980
B1 - Lost Control
B2 - Kids
B3 - Intermission

Click here to download this EP!

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!

Fred A & Le Travo: Works 1 mLP

This record is actually sort of a request by my girlfriend, who is unfortunately several hundred miles away for another month. I told her that I found this LP over the past weekend, and I ripped it after she said she was very interested in hearing it. I normally don't mix my private life with my public blog, but I figured that since she can't possibly be the only one who will enjoy this excellent album, I would share it!
Without further delay, let me introduce this record - it is a pretty rare split mini-LP from two wonderful Belgian bands, Fred A and Le Travo. It was released in 1984 on the Himalaya label (the same label as the Noh Mask LP I posted earlier in the year), and is one of the more obscure releases on the label. Fred A is very dark minimal wave with synths, sparse drum machines, piano, and somber singing. It actually reminds me quite a bit of the Esquisses LP that Phoenix Hairpins shared several years back. Fred is better known as Fred Angst, one of the two core members of minimalist/postpunk/avant garde band Aroma Di Amore. As good as Fred A is, Le Travo are the stars here, though - they contribute some amazing synth-heavy coldwave songs similar to Weimar Gesang or Opera Multi Steel. This is one of the only two or three records they made an appearance on. This is highly recommended - download this one immediately (you have my permission even if you're NOT my girlfriend)!

Fred A & Le Travo: Works 1 mLP
1984, Himalaya Records
A1 Fred A - De Donkere Dans (4:16)
A2 Fred A - November (4:30)
A3 Fred A. - Blauw Blauw (4:00)
B1 Lè Travo - Caterwaul (4:57)
B2 Lè Travo - Glow Of Gnome (5:13)
B3 Lè Travo - Chiaroscuro (2:45)


Click here to download this record!

Pinkie Maclure - Unman LP & Bite The Hand that Feeds You 12"

This week I have decided to share two releases by the British chantreuse Pinkie Maclure. She has been continually releasing albums since 1985. Here are two of her very first releases: a 12" with David Harrow (who released a VERY highly recommended solo album) and her album "Unman". She combines the feminism and political lyrics of her Ink Records labelmate Anne Clark, with the gloom of Danielle Dax and the raw experimental instrumentation of Diamanda Galas or Mona Mur (among many others) and rolled them all into a ball of dark, melancholy darkwave that was distinct and unique. Her voice is a constant high point - powerful, gothic, ominous and even soulful. I really cannot give enough praise for this album and single. They are strong lyrically, musically, and atmospherically. She is still making music to this day (more in the electro realm, but still great; check out www.pinkiemaclure.com). She is definitely an artist who deserves much more wide recognition - download these records and see why!

Pinkie Maclure: Bite the Hand That Feeds You 12"
1985, Ink Records
A Bite the hand That Feeds You
B Don't You Go

Pinkie Maclure: Unman LP
1986, Ink Records
A1 Blue Chevrolet
A2 Subliminal Seduction
A3 Voice of the Silent Majority
B1 The Habit
B2 Different World
B3 Poem
B4 Red Tape

Download both of them here!

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!

THE COUPE DE VILLES: Waiting Out the Eighties LP

The term "holy grail" gets thrown around a little liberally these days when referring to synthpop and obscure 80s records in general. I remember seeing this one described as a "holy grail", and while there may be reasons to apply that term to it, the music is probably not the first reason for this. That's not to say the music is necessarily bad - it's just very much a product of its time, and has not aged particularly well. I decided to share it because I know that a LOT of people are very interested in hearing it. The album will remain a desired curiosity because it is legendary director John Carpenter's band; he is joined by Tommy Lee Wallace (forever known by horror fans as the man who created the incredibly creepy mask worn by Michael Myers in Halloween), and Nick Castle, who actually got to wear that mask as the creepy villain. Further ensuring its status as a rarity is the fact that it was never actually commercially released - it was ONLY given to friends and family. I wonder whose copy I have here?
As a band, the trio is best known for performing the theme to Big Trouble in Little China. Unlike the other actor-cum-musician record I posted a while back (13 year old Ben Stiller's wonderfully amateur electronic band Capital Punishment), the musicians in The Coupe de Villes were professionals using professional equipment, approaching their craft with a safe pop-rock sensibility rather than experimentation. As a result, the music is the kind that could ONLY have been made in the mid-80s - synth-heavy fare with a few good standout songs (the title track is particularly fun, and I'm always a fan of 80s songs that are referential to that decade). It's a curiosity and a relic, and should be approached not as the next lost synthpop classic, but as an obscure release of heartfelt pop music expression by a trio of accomplished horror and action film icons.

The Coupe De Villes: Waiting Out the Eighties LP
1985, RRRRRRictus Records
A1 Waiting Out The Eighties (3:10)
A2 1967 (3:44)
A3 She Has Friends In L.A. (3:38)
A4 Manhole (3:08)
A5 Hard On Me (3:35)
A6 She Doesn't Want You Anymore (2:18)
B1 Back From The Dead (1:47)
B2 On My Knees Again (3:58)
B3 I Really Need You (2:59)
B4 Hollywood (3:22)
B5 Darlin' (All Night Long) (3:25)
B6 Midnight Man (3:49)

Download this LP here!
(Link fixed)

PERFECT VISION: Discography

Well, my earlier post of Perfect Vision's Tongues Out mLP caught the eye of the band, and the synth player & singer (and sleeve designer) of the band, Steve Xerri, gave me recordings of all of the rest of the band's output and asked me to share them. He also geve me a bit of info about each release:

First off is the band's debut EP, ...Our Broken Crown... It was released by Backs and recorded in various studios: Hamster Studios was
a friend's home-based set-up (and the track recorded there, Drive Me,
was the first one John Peel played). Hyperion Studios was owned
by hippie band The Enid, and Spaceward, where Laugh At
Breakage and This Hook were recorded, was the haunt of The Stranglers.


The demonstration tape was recorded mostly on 4-track (Portastudio) in rehearsal rooms, friends' bedroom studios, etc. All the material was laid down before the band released anything on vinyl through Backs. The artwork is from an inlay to the cassette. Repetition is a Bowie song, the rest the band wrote themselves. At one time the band would open their live set with the song Great Figure, its long taped intro, complete with clarinet, played in the dark before they went on stage - heady stuff! It was released on In Der Tat Records and originally distributed by Peeved. Special thanks go to Steve Hartwell, who ran Peeved and was very generous in letting the files be shared.

The Coincidence 12" was financed by Backs; they were all recorded at
Spaceward studios.

If you like the Tongues Out mLP I posted a while back (or, hell, even if you don't), download these here. This is a truly underrated band who played some of the best minimal synth, new wave, electro, and post punk songs of the early to mid 80s.

Perfect Vision:

...Our Broken Crown... EP
1984, Backs Records
A1 Laugh At Breakage
A2 Drive Me
B1 This Hook
B2 Swim To Me


Demonstration single-sided tape
1985, In Der Tat Tapes, originally distributed by Peeved
A1 Play Red
A2 Worksong
A3 This Hook
A4 Bite The Bullet
A5 Repetition
A6 Labour Like This
A7 On Edge
A8 Great Figure

Coincidence EP
1986, Backs Records
A1 Coincidence
A2 Dream Ship
B1 Crossing Borders

Download everything here!

GLOBAL INFANTILISTS: Selftitled LP

Global INtantilists were a goth/new wave band from Sweden that only released two records in their brief life. This selftitled album is their debut. One of the primary members was Mare Kandre, a writer who ultimately decided to dissolve this band in 1984 to concentrate on her literary craft. At 22, she released her first book, I ett annat land, which resulted in her being hailed as a genius; she would release several more books, many influenced by gothic fiction. Sadly, she died at age 43; it is largely believed to be suicide.
This group is where Kandre honed her writing - the lyrics are dark and gloomy, and the vocals are full of melodramatic shrieks and cries, sounding like Siouxsie Sioux if she was a drama geek. Apparently the band's second album is more straight-ahead synthpop, but this album is the perfect mix of doom and gloom and guitars and artiness and synths. This is the UK Abstract Records release, which had an extra track that the original issue did not have.

Global Infantalists: Selftitled LP
1983, Abstract Records
A1 This Music
A2 Passing
A3 Leaving
A4 Remain Untouched
B1 Crystal Ship
B2 An Inch Of Nothing
B3 The Flight
B4 The Garden

Click here to download this album!

BLUENOSE B: Forever Passing Trains 12"

There seems to be an endless supply of long-forgotten UK bands who are rediscovered on music blogs these days. I don't know what made the UK such fertile ground for great new wave, indie, and post punk music. Bluenose B are one of those bands that fall somewhere in between indiepop, goth, and new wave, with big, BIG guitars and somewhat dark vocals. The song Forever Passing Trains is features loud, driving guitars and loud, pounding drums, and loud, perfectly gloomy singing, and is, well... LOUD. Burning Up is quite a good track as well, and a bit more melodic. This band released this EP and another EP called My Diary (does anyone have this???), and I think they released a song on a regional UK comp as well. It's time they get rediscovered... download this gem and enjoy!

Bluenose B: Forever Passing Trains 12"
1985, Bluenose Records
Forever Passing Trains
Burning Up
Maybe

Click here to download this record!

KNIGHTKLUB: Mixed Emotions LP

Well, I am back, and I've found quite a few rarities recently, so I figured I would share some!
Here is an obscurity from a US band called Knightklub. This LP was self-released on their own KnightKlub label, and as far as I know it is the only thing they ever released. Two members played synths, one played percussion and drum programs, and one played guitar. The music can range into kinda cheesy light pop fare on a couple songs, but for the most part this is great electronic new wave with a bit of silliness (especially on "Godzilla Apporaches Tokyo), reminding one of bands like You, Nullset, Null and Void, and Units.

Knightklub - Mixed Emotions LP
1984, Knightklub Records
I've Got My Heart on Right
All You Want is Her Body
The Tables Have Been Turned
Godzilla Approaches Tokyo
The Haunting for K
These Three Years
Talking That Terminal Jive
I'm Unwinding
Glad for Mom

Click here to download this record!

ELEVEN POND: Bas Relief REISSUE!!!!!

I've noticed some bickering and fighting and controversy among the music sharing blogosphere over the past few months. Some people hate the idea of sharing (for free!) this music, as it cheapens the experience of listening to the physical record. To that I say "pish-posh!" (and that's something I've never said before in my life...). Sometimes music blogs CAN make a difference.
For instance, a couple years ago I uploaded the obscure and barely-known LP from Eleven Pond. I occasionally saw copies for sale (I bought one from a local record store and one from gemm.com for mere pocket change), and after sharing the record, everybody wanted a copy. After a while, one of the original band members, Jeff, contacted me via my blog, expressing his joy that his music was reaching a wider audience, despite the fact that it was 20 years after the release, and in digital form only.
My friend Josh took note of this. He had wanted to start a record label for some time, and contacted Jeff to see if he would be interested in a reissue. As it turns out, he was very interested. After a slow start, the record was remastered by the legendary George Horn at Berkeley's Fantasy Studios. The record was given a new cover (the cover hat Jeff originally wanted way back in 1986), and every copy was silkscreened and hand-numbered for the perfect DIY touch.
This isn't just a minor reissue, it's a wonderfully remastered and lovingly crafted piece of music history. Seriously, this is how this record was meant to be heard. The difference is noticeable. The bass is deeper, the drums hit harder, the guitars are louder, the vocals are clearer, and the synths... whoa boy, the synths!
So... where can you get this reissue? Well, from Dark Entries Records, of course!
So, now you can witness how, with the right circumstances, some luck, and a whole lot of hard work (by people other than me), a simple blog post of an old, obscure, forgotten gem of a record can ultimately lead to a reissue. The original band makes money off the record that they never thought they would see, and they finally get the recognition that they deserve.

Paul Nova: Trees Without Leaves LP, Fantasy & Feeling 12", Julie Ann 7"

Since it's been a while since I posted, and since this may be my only post for June, I'll include a nice "bonus" upload here. I think that a lot of people are very curious about this mysterious UK solo act, after seeing his stuff fetch hundreds on eBay. I know I was, and finally got these songs from a very generous member of minimal-wave.org. As one-half of the underground synth duo Bizarre Unit, Paul Nova was making minimal electro-pop for his entire short career. His later singles (especially Fantasy and Feeling) had a more commercial synthpop sound, but were still excellent releases. This is basically his entire discography (he had a 7" with Famous Boys/Trees Without Leaves, but both those songs appear on his LP.) If anybody has the Bizarre Unit stuff to share, I would be very happy!

Paul Nova: Julie Ann 7"
1982, Echibit One Records
A Julie-Ann
B Video Age

Paul Nova: Trees Without Leaves LP
1984, Exhibit One Records
A1 Lovers In Paris
A2 You Could Be Good
A3 Home Sweet Home
A4 Trees Without Leaves
B1 You Are
B2 Famous Boys
B3 Love You Madly
B4 Broken Rose

Paul Nova: Fantasy and Feeling 12" EP
1985, Exhibit One Records
A1 Fantasy
A2 Letter Of Love
B1 The Feeling
B2 Summer Breeze

Download everything here!

Thrill of the Pull: Green to Red 12"

For all of you who really wish that Killing Joke would record a song that sounds exactly like their early-to-mid-80s heyday, here you go. Green to Red basically sounds like it could be on Night Time, with vocals that sound a bit like Mark Burgess of Chameleons. The B side is even more Chameleons-like. I can't really fault a band for sounding like other bands I love, though. It's derivative gems like this that make scrounging for unknown records worth it! All I know about this band is that they released this one 12" on Underground Release Records in a die-cut sleeve that made it look like some random rap record the first couple times I saw it. They were from San Francisco, and I think one of the members may have been in Fade to Black, a SF deathrock band from around 1984-85. I'm not sure, though.

Thrill of the Pull: Green to Red 12"
1986, Underground Release Records
A1 Green to Red
B1 Everlasting Dream

Click here to download this 12"!

The Hail Mary: What's That Fire EP

The thing that grabbed me first when I found this album at a small record shop in Antwerp was the sticker on the front: "First Record Censured in Belgium". What caused it to be censured? Were all the songs promoting baby sacrifice? Listening to the album didn't really offer many clues - it's a solid four songs of excellent deathrock and dark post punk that's part Christian Death and part Bauhaus. So I ask all of you - do you know why the Hail Mary had the first record censured in Belgium? Is there even any credibility to this claim?

The Hail Mary: What's That Fire EP
198?, self-released
A1 What's That Fire?
A2 The Quiet Way to Paradise
B1 Into the Last Fight
B2 Violets

Click here to download the EP!

Echo Art: Leitmotiv LP

Here is an LP from a mysterious Italian darkwave band called Echo Art. I know they released at one 12" EP in addition to this album, but I really can't find much info on them. This LP is a varied affair, with some instrumental and experimental songs in addition to coldwave and darkwave songs. Overall it's a very solid album of dark, gloomy new wave. The final song, Hershel, is the one that I find myself listening to over and over. It's built upon a simple repetitive synth line, with dark reverbed vocals (in Italian) that make it a classic!

Echo Art: Leitmotiv LP
1986, Project Records
A1 Dual Time
A2 Life
A3 Leone D'Inverno
A4 Poison
A5 Argot Du Milieu
B1 Baillame
B2 Lips Nnn
B3 Awake
B4 Hershel

Click here to download the LP!

MC²: Selftitled LP

It seems like there is an endless supply of German new wave bands. There was a huge
underground tape culture, and many blogs (most notably Mutant Sounds) have posted countless
NDW tapes and private releases. Personally, it's a genre that's hit-or-miss. There's almost always an element of silliness and quikiness in German new wave. Some releases are quirky and fun, and sometimes the silliness is detrimental, to the point of just being stupid.
Fortunately, this album falls square in the former - almost every song is a bouncy classic, with loads and loads of synths, choppy guitars, and German vocals that I can't understand. This is up there with Palais Schaumburg, Croox, Malaria!, Zero Zero, 1.Futurologischer Congress and others who combined their silliness with a bit of gloom and loads of straight- ahead electro-pop.

MC²: Selftitled LP

1982, Gulp Records

A1 Stadt Aus Stahl

A2 Gen-X

A3 Keimfrei

A4 E = MC²

A5 Kleine Königinnen

B1 007

B2 Erde

B3 Ufos

B4 Schutzlos

B5 Du Willst Nur Mich

Click here to download this album!

PRIMARY COLORS: Fact and Fiction EP

Here is an EP from a Boston, MA band that I have seen on eBay a couple times a year; it always fetches a modest price, but I have never seen it shared before. In my opinion, it is completely underrated, and chock-full of great synthpop that's slightly melancholy, not overly poppy, with a perfect amount of electronics and a touch of gloom. Two synth players, a bassist and a drummer (no guitars) are a perfect combination for synthpop. Fact and Fiction is a great pure synthpop track, and Original Sin should drive the fans of darker minimal synth carzy. Anyway, in summary: download this. It's great.

Primary Colors: Fact and Fiction EP

1982 Urban Noise Records

A1 Fact and Fiction

A2 Notorious

B1 Small World

B2 Original Sin

B3 Fiction (Reprise)

CLick here to download this record!

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!

HOLY TOY - Panzer and Rabbits LP & Why Not in Choir? LP

There is always a problem when record shopping with a friend who has similar tastes - especially when shopping in a foreign land, full of records you'll never see back in your homeland, not even in a million years. Inevitably, one of you will find a record that the other covets. Jealousy and envy will rear their ugly heads. Tensions will rise. And records will be thrown at high velocity.
...Well, perhaps that's a bit of a stretch. But still, I was pretty jealous when my friend and I were shopping in Antwerp, and he came over to me, holding a copy of Panzer and Rabbits, and said "Wow, I just listened to this album by Holy Toy. Have you ever heard them?" While I HAD heard them before (and had their first album and their Soldier Toy 12"), I was only a casual fan, playing their record once in a while for background music. But in the moment that he brought the record over, it was as if I instantly became their biggest, most fanatical fan ever.
"YES I HAVE HEARD OF THEM holycrapwheredidyoufindthatrecordIhavebeensearchingforitforYEARS!"
He was... taken aback. Needless to say, he loved the record and intended to buy it. My heart sank. Sure, I was holding a stack of 30 records that I intended to buy, some of which I had been looking for for years (Nuit Blanche compilation, anyone?), but that didn't matter. I needed THIS record as if my life depended on it!
"Um... I'm gonna go listen to this record, now", he said, pulling out a Das Wesen album. I hadn't heard them before, but the cover looked cool, and I winced. Ouch, buddy, I thought as he turned to walk back to the record player. Just twist the knife deeper, why don't you?
So, in the end, I did not get the Panzer and Rabbits LP. However, within 5 minutes of our little exchange, I found a copy of Holy Toy's third album, Why Not In Choir. And my friend let me borrow his album so that I could rip it. ...let's just see if he ever gets it back. MwaHAHAHAHA!
Well, if you have ever wanted to hear the second or third albums by this highly underrated industrial darkwave post punk synth noise experimental goth band, wait no longer. They sound like early Laibach, or mid-80s In the Nursery. Dark militaristic drumbeats, extremely atmospheric noises, synths, guitars, and dark, menacing vocals make this band one of my current favorites. You can find the first album and the Soldier Toy 12" on Mutant Sounds here:


Holy Toy: Panzer and Rabbits LP
1984, Sonet Records
A1 Fresh News-Larve
A2 Last Leader
A3 Doors Of Perception
A4 Armageddon
B1 Men And Dog
B2 Travel Agency
B3 Telegram I
B4 Many Of Them
B5 Captain Bom-Bom-Bom
B6 Telegram II

Click here to download Panzer and Rabbits!


Holy Toy: Why Not in Choir? LP
1985, Sonet Grammafon AS
A1 Under Skin
A2 Medals
A3 Dr. Wood
A4 Wosh Up
A5 Zone
A6 Men At Work
B1 Pray
B2 Empty Meat
B3 Last Act
B4 From Angel To Devil
B5 Why Not In Choir

Click here to download Why Not in Choir!

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER: Industrial Poppies LP

I had no idea that ol' Nessie actually recorded an album, but here is proof that not only does he exist, but that he also knows how to use a synthesizer! Which is odd, since you would think that using an electric instrument in a lake would electrocute the poor monster.
Regardless of whether or not he was shocked when making this album, this 1985 record is a strange gem of electro-pop. In fact, it actually walks the line between electropop and industrial quite well. Perhaps this is early industrial dance? At times, it really reminds me of Gelatinous Citizen (whose sole album you can download from Mutant Sounds here.
It also has some sax, pianos, and an experimental bent on several tracks on side 2. I believe it's the work of one guy (or lake monster) from the UK; it was released on Hamster Records (cute!), with silkscreened covers, and no liner notes and minimal credits. So it's a bit mysterious, and definitely worth downloading.

The Loch Ness Monster: Industrial Poppies LP
1985, Hamster Records
A1 Cut Me Down to Size
A2 2D Sex
A3 Plastic Baby
A4 Renoir's Mother
A5 Mind the Gap
B1 Mobo
B2 Christmas Again
B3 Time Base Corrector
B4 Paint he Dado Red
B5 Nightmares

Click here to download this record!

THE LOCAL MOON: An Experience 7"

Well, here is the band with the laziest lyricist ever. The Local Moon released only one record, and the lyrics to all three songs were poems by the late American beat poet Bob Kaufman. And since they misspelled his name on the credits, I suppose that maybe it's for the best that they didn't try writing anything of their own.
Of course, since the band didn't spend time writing lyrics, they had plenty of time to write the music, and they did one hell of a job. The standard guitar and drums are accompanied by oboe, clarinet, ethno brass, and more. And while that sounds like it would be bad world music, it is actually incredibly gloomy, experimental, and atmospheric darkwave, especially the incredible "An Experience".
Apparently only a few hundred copies were pressed, and they were bundled with an underground magazine from Berlin called Verwendung - Heft4. I wish I had that magazine, but alas, I'll take what I can find. This is very recommended stuff!

The Local Moon: An Experience
Record Partner Hamburg, 1988
A1 A Experience
B1 Dolorous Echo
B2 Response
(please note: I ripped side B as one song since they flow into each other)

Download this 7" here!

HA HA MONO: Run for Miles 7"

Here is a record to make goth and early-80s synth fans drool. It's the only release from a UK band called Ha Ha Mono. It was released in 1982 on Lash-Up Records through the SRT custom pressing label. The song "Run for Miles" is a gloomy synth-driven masterpiece, while the track "Snake" is slightly more pop-sounding, but still a wonderful dark post punk track with a synth line that sounds like it's trying to charm the snake in the song's title. Definitely an excellent record, and one that deserves to be heard by a wider audience.

Ha Ha Mono: Run for Miles 7"
1982, Lash-Up Records
A: Run for Miles
B: Snake

Click here to download this 7"!

RIP SCHREDDER'S TECHNO PRIMITIVISM 7"

If you like your synths pushed to the very brink of sounding like they are going to fall apart, here is a treat for you. A guy from Florida by the name of Rip Schredder's recorded this 7" called "Techno Primitivism" in extremely small quantities. He also had Milo from the punk band Gay Cowboys in Bondage do backup vocals. The name of this record doesn't lie: This is truly primitive. It's not exactly "techno" as we know it (I don't even think that term was really used in the manner it is today, anyway) - it's pure noisy analog synth banging, knob twiddling, tinny synth percussion, and angsty talk-singing. This record is so amateur it makes Transparent Illusion sound like a night at the opera...

Rip Schredder's Techno Primitivism 7"
198?, self-released
A: Gut Reagan
B: Information Nightmare

Click here to download this 7"!

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!

SOUL ON ICE: Underwater 12"

Here is the only 12" from a schizophrenic band called Soul on Ice. They also had a song on the "Your Secret's Safe With Us" compilation. They didn't really have a specific style: "Underwater" is a midtempo post-punk song that has influences of The Sound and Echo and the Bunnymen; Breahless sounds like the intro to an early U2 song with dub guitars, and Splintered Lens sounds exactly like early Shriekback. It's worth it for the latter for me, since I love that style of bass-driven post-punk and lazily mumbled vocals. Good stuff!

Soul on Ice: Underwater 12"
1982, Red Rhino Records
A Underwater
B1 Splintered Lens
B2 Breathless

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

To Heaven a Jet/Revox Cadets split 7"

This week I have three synth-heavy records to share. To get things started, here is a 7" released on Bill Nelson's Cocteau Records. It's a split between two bands, and I believe these may be the only songs they officially released. I know that the To Heaven a Jet song was later rereleased on a Cocteau Records comp, and the Revox Cadets song appears on one of the many New Wave Complex cd-rs. David, the singer/songwriter of To Heaven a Jet, informed me that Revox Cadets was actually just Bill Nelson himself, under a pseudonym. After To Heaven a Jet disbanded, David went on to be in groups like The Rain Poets and Big Man Aviators.

To Heaven a Jet/Revox Cadets split 7"
1981, Cocteau Records
A To Heaven A Jet: Airfields
B Revox Cadets: Tony Goes To Tokyo (And Rides The Bullet Train)

Click here to download this 7"

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Nuit Blanche LP + ASHES: Saturn is Black 7"

I suppose that most people are familiar with this excellent compilation, Nuit Blanche. The LP features groups likie Diseno Corbusier (whose debut EP Perfido Encanto I shared last year)., Design (who also had a track on the Topless Game comp and a 7" on Anna Logue Records... the track here has yet to be reissued), The Ashes (who also had a 7" on KPs Records, the label that released Topless Game and Nuit Blanche), and unknown bands like the excellent Paris-Brule-T-Il?. This is a highly sought-after and very recommended LP with loads of killer songs. Most of the songs are in the synthpop/minimal wave/post punk vein, although there is a suprisingly pleasant classical guitar instrumental to end the record.

Also shared here is the aforementioned Ashes "Saturn is Black" 7", about which I can find absolutely no mention on the internet. It was released in 1984 on KPs Records... does anybody know if this label released anything else?

Various Artists: Nuit Blanche LP
1984, KPs Records

A1 Design Sunset Boulevard
A2 Halloween (2) Tomorrow
A3 Ashes, The Delay
A4 Chrome 17 Etcetera
A5 Diseño Corbusier Chiquillo
B1 Faits Divers This Is A Romance
B2 Duty Free (2) Burning Passion
B3 Paris-Brule-T-Il? La Logeuse
B4 Croth Daily News
B5 Central Park (5) Anas De Lin

Click here to download the record!


Ashes: Saturn is Black 7"
1984, KPs Records

A1 Saturn is Black
B1 Run Away of Love

Click here to download the 7".