Soft Drinks was a Minimal Synth unit formed by members of Rudimentary Peni (Jon Greville, drums, also in The Snake Corps) and Sad Lovers And Giants (Cliff Silver, vocals, also in Gambit Of Shame) with Lee Greville (keyboards), coming together for an angsty early electro punk mod minimal wave project. They only released the 'Popstars In Their Pyjamas' 7" Single on Outer Himalayan Records in 1982.
Label:
Outer Himalayan Records – OH 004
Format:
Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country:
UK
Released:
1982
Style:
New Wave, Post-Punk, Minimal Synth, Synth Punk
UJ3RK5 (pronounced "you jerk," -the five is silent) was a Vancouver-based band from the late 1970s. Their style was post punk/new wave, but was more art rock than synth pop. UJ3RK5's short-lived local success was influenced by the music industry's infatuation with Martha and the Muffins-styled male-female bands. The band included local artist celebrities Ian Wallace, Jeff Wall and Rodney Graham, as well as Kitty Byrne, Colin Griffiths, Danice McLeod, Frank Ramirez and CBC Radio host David Wisdom. Their eponymous debut album, portraying the pioneers of Vancouver's school of so-called 'photoconceptualism' or 'post-conceptual photography' in a rare moment of unison, sported an unlikely hit single titled "Eisenhower and the Hippies" -a song inspired by a work of American conceptual art proponent Dan Graham. The band was a rather short-lived affair, allowing the members to concentrate on their art careers instead.
Label:
Quintessence Records – QEP 1207
Format:
Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, EP
Country:
Canada
Released:
1980
Style:
New Wave, Synth Punk, Post-Punk, Art Punk, Zolo
Neutron Records was founded in Sheffield in 1978 by Stephen Singleton, Mark White and David Sydenham to release work coming from the burgeoning Sheffield electronic music scene. In its anarchic beginning, the label was conceived as fiercely independent, with as strong an emphasis on the visual aspects as the audio, regarding the material as manifestos focused on what they saw as the subversive principles of the postmodern and anti-art. Although fairly obscure (as the Sheffield underground scene at the time did not get much national or international notice) Vice Versa still succeeded in gaining public attention with their own blend of electronic pop tendencies, largely inspired by the fellow Sheffield group, Cabaret Voltaire.
Neutron releases where seen as sharply intelligent statements for the new decade, beginning with Vice Versa's 'Music 4' (7" EP, NT001), a piece of electronic pop linked with cut-up statements on social decadence which went on to win a famous 'single of the week' line in NME, much to the surprise of the group. Two further releases, even more ambitious: a set of prints with a manifesto (NT002), and then the semi-legendary '1980: The First Fifteen Minutes' (7" EP, NT003), complete with six-sided fold out cover (which featured, alongside Vice Versa, three other Sheffield groups: Clock DVA, The Stunt Kites and I'm So Hollow.) Each band contributed one track each for what would be their first vinyl appearance. While the compilation received a great deal of critical acclaim, this wasn't enough to assuage the frustration with the lack of promotion which then led to Neutron singing a distribution deal with the major marketing facility Phonogram, in 1980.
Hit Parade was basically a one man anarchist band, the brainchild of P. Checkoff (aka Rik O’che) a member of the Anarchist Collective in Belfast. Being a left-wing socialist Checkoff’s songs were highly political by nature and concentrated on life in Northern Ireland. Subject matter ranged from the evils of television to H Blocks; the RUC to housing problems, and of course unemployment. “I wanted to make people aware that there’s more than a tribal sectarian war here, there are a lot of problems. It’s a multi-problematic place" stated Checkoff shortly after the release of the 'Nick Nack Paddy Wack' album in 1986.
Unsurprisingly, Hit Parade signed to the Crass label. Hit Parade produced electronic music made up of samples, loops and noises and were helped out in the studio by the likes of Eve Libertine, Penny Rimbaud, Jane Gregory and Flux Of Pink Indians and a host of other musicians, Checkoff said at the time “All the structure of the songs is done by me here in Belfast. But when I go into the studio in London it becomes more of a collected effort with different people putting in ideas.” The first release was the 'Bad News' EP in ‘83. This was followed by the 'Plastic Culture' 12” single in ‘84 and finally by the 'Nick Nack Paddy Wack' album. The album was recorded in ‘84 but due to the financial crisis Crass were in at that time, it wasn’t released until ‘86. Penny Rimbaud and Paul Ellis produced the album.
Upon the release of the E.P. 'Bad News', an electro-rap rant on such evils as television, H Blocks, the RUC and so on the Crass label in 1982, copies were seized by Special Branch at retail outlets, along with everything else on the Crass independent label, it managed to reach No.4 in the independent charts.
Before the album was released, Channel 4 produced and screened a TV documentary on the health of women in Northern Ireland. The documentary was called "Under The Health Surface" and the programmes soundtrack featured the music of Hit Parade, which can be found on the 'Nick Nack' LP in slightly different forms. [SOURCE: SPIT RECORDS]
Beat studio guru Mike Mangino (Pink Noise, The Poptards) and Chris Shepard (The Poptards) formed Smersh as an experimental big-beat techno/industrial project and began releasing cassettes in 1981. Smersh recorded improvised cuts every Monday night, released countless cassettes on their own label, Atlas King, and were featured on more compilations than you can track down. They never played live, never played the same track more than once. 'A Murder of Crows' was released on their Atlas King label in 1984. It was released after 'Hothouse Bodies in a Cool Culture', and features the tracks "Judy Mach 7" and "Hunter Killer", which were featured on a split 7" single with Penny Cillin in 1985. "Hunter Killer" is also noted for its appearance in the video game "Fucker Gamer Scum Get Stabbed" and also on the Smersh compilation LP 'The Beat From 20,000 Fathoms'. An album something between Chrome and Suicide, very hard to find only released on cassette. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]
Split LP released by the Dogfood Production System
imprint, early Australian experimental label, also known as Wrong. Co-released the Severed Heads/Rhythmyx Chymx split LP and released the first Severed Heads LP.
Garry Bradbury (1960-2022) was a British-born Australian electronic musician active in Sydney's experimental music scene from 1979 to 2022.
His first significant collaboration was in 1980, along with brothers Simon and Tim Knuckey as The Wet Taxis; a band specializing in heavily treated guitar and drum machine and various tape manipulations.
In 1981, Bradbury teamed up with two other musicians, Tokyo Rose and Montgomery Smythe, to form Hiroshima Chair, another electronic outfit featuring a vast arsenal of analogue synthesizers. In 1981, they released this half a split album 'Reset', with Texan band Culturcide. They also released a live C60 cassette through Terse Tapes.
From October 1981, Bradbury teamed up with Tom Ellard's pioneering post punk / industrial band Severed Heads. This collaboration continued sporadically from 1981 to 1985.
Culturcide was a Houston-based experimental punk band, active from 1980 to 1990 and from 1993 to the present day. They were notorious for their 1986 album 'Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America', which earned the band a cult following, but also several legal threats.
Label: Dogfood Production System – Dogmat#4
Format:
Vinyl, LP
Country: Australia
Released: 1981
Style: Industrial, Punk, New Wave, Noise, Synth-pop, Minimal, Synth Punk
Tracklist:
A1 Hiroshima Chair – Reset
A2 Hiroshima Chair – Spastic Antelope Bit
A3 Hiroshima Chair – Tu
A4 Hiroshima Chair – I Think That Dress Is Completely Ruined (I Really Do)
Nervous Gender is an American punk rock electronic band founded in Los Angeles, California in 1978 by Gerardo Velazquez, Edward Stapleton, Phranc and Michael Ochoa. Their use of heavily distorted keyboards and synthesizers made them, along with The Screamers, one of the original innovators of what is today called "electropunk", although they could equally be considered an early industrial group.
The group was confrontational and experimental. Phranc's androgynous appearance was the embodiment of the group's name, garnered the band much press in zines such as Slash and, later, proving inspirational to founders of the Queercore movement. Despite their somewhat high profile, the groups' habit of provoking the audience, obscene material and harsh erotics guaranteed they would never gain commercial acceptance.
In 1979, Don Bolles of the Germs joined as drummer. The next year Phranc left the band and Paul Roessler of the Screamers joined. In 1981 they released their LP 'Music From Hell', which included guest vocalist Alice Bag from Bags singing on "Alice's Song". Nervous Gender did not record in the studio again. After the LP came out, Paul Roessler moved to New York City to play with the Nina Hagen Band and was replaced by Bill Cline, and Don Bolles left the band to play with 45 Grave. During their career Nervous Gender was called by one critic, "...the thorn in the side of the L.A. music scene...". [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Label: Party Sound Tapes – P.S. 17
Format:
Cassette, Compilation, C90
Country: US
Released: 1983
Style: Experimental, Synth Punk
Tracklist:
A1 Praise The Lord
A2 Dyphteria
A3 Castration
A4 Green Tile Floor
A5 Cardinal Newman
A6 Slave
A7 Why/All Day Long (I Felt Like Smashing My Face Through A Clear Glass Window)
A8 I Don´t Scat Anymore
A9 Bathroom Sluts
A10 Pretty Vacant
A11 Lying Braggard
A12 Bible Stories
A13 Fat Cow
A14 Miscarriage
A15 Waterpiss
B1 She Works For Safety....
B2 Ron & Edward
B3 O Of Scat
B4 Berlin Red Head
B5 Poets
B6 What Can I Do?
B7 Scandinavian Dilemma
B8 Misscarriage
B9 Slave
B10 My Mommy´s Chest
B11 Dog Boy
B12 Monsters
B13 Fat Cow
B14 Cardinal Newman
B15 Regress For You
B16 Music From Hell (Tape Collage By Gerardo)
Notes:
C-90 tape and 17 double side printed A4 in a fold out (over sized) A4 sleeve. Numbered "unlimited edition".
"Everything you ever wanted to hear by Nervous Gender, but were afraid to listen to!"
Xero (also styled as Zero or Xiro) were an Australian punk rock and new wave band were formed in Brisbane in 1977
and among a number of significant gigs, opened for The Cure in support of that group's second album, 'Seventeen Seconds'.The Go-BetweensRobert Forster was an occasional guest.
Xiro issued two different four-track extended plays, 'Half the Profits' and 'Religious Wars', on audio cassette in mid-1980. They supported The Cure again in 1981.
Xero split in 1983. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Label:
Not On Label (Xiro Self-released) – none
Format:
Cassette
Country:
Australia
Released:
1980
Style:
New Wave, Minimal, Minimal Wave, Post-Punk, Synth Punk, Experimental Rock
The Executive Slacks' 'You Can't Hum When You're Dead' was another obscure jewel from the early 80's. "The Bus" sounded like a fragmented funk-rock version of the industrial noise of the Swans, but mostly payed tribute to the anarchic kraut-punk of early D.A.F.. The same applied to the dysfunctional chaos of "30 Years" and the orgiastic electronic-punk of "Cinema", while the cyber psychedelia of "So Mote It Be" was revolutionary enough to label it a precursor of trip-hop. The real attraction in these tracks is the ever evolving amoebic background, as in the abstract tribal mayhem "Sexual Witchcraft", again, revolutionary enough to label it as a predecessor to Black Dice's mutant electro-punk. Unfortunately side-two followed a more traditional industrial-punk formula, but it was still pretty wild rock 'n' roll, with the deformed vocals in particular giving it a violent and demonic feel. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]
Label:
Fundamental – SAVE 3
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country:
UK, Netherlands
Released:
1984
Style:
EBM, Darkwave, New Wave, Post-Punk, Synth Punk, Industrial
Tracklist:
A1 The Bus 3:01
A2 30 Years 3:28
A3 Cinema 2:54
A4 So Mote It Be 4:31
A5 Sexual Witchcraft 3:59
B1 Our Lady 3:30
B2 Man Of Christ 3:42
B3 I'm Coming 7:23
B4 Our Lady (Yoof Dub) 3:23
Notes:
A1 to A4 recorded Aug/Sept. 1982 Fresh Tracks.
A5 provided by Executive Slacks, recorded on a Fostex Multi-Track in Dec. 1982.
B1 to B4 recorded Jan/Feb 1984 at Secret Sound Studio N.Y.
