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!

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!

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!

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"!

ModMach: Selftitled EP

Here is a EP (and perhaps the only release) from a San Francisco band called Modmach. Sure, you most likely have not heard of them (they seem pretty much hopelessly obscure), but they actually had their roots in the well-known (in underground/indie terms, at least) San Francisco minimal synth band Units. Richard Driskill, Ron Lantz and Alex Rudis of Units split the synth band before the recording of their Digital Stimulation LP to form ModMach in 1980.
There is really no information to be found between the formation of the band and the release of this record a whole five years later in 1985. Did they release anything else in between - a demo tape, a 7", a reel-to-reel? It appears that Ron Lantz left the group before this 12" EP was recorded. This was self-released on the band's Oddernmart label, and came packaged in a foldover plastic sleeve with a cover insert and credit sheet. Thanks to Stephen from Obscure Records for the photos.
The music here is decent synthpop/new wave - it's definitely not as great as the classic Units stuff, but it's good.

ModMach - Selftitled EP
1985, Oddernmart Records
1. Security
2. On Too Long
3. Nothing New
4. Truth

Click here to download the EP