Systems of Romance

This one’s an especially rare treat for fans of bootlegs and live material. Fans of the French cold wave should already be familiar with Ausweis, who released several hard-hitting singles, a split, and a full length LP in the mid-80s. Seems as if they were the French answer to Killing Joke, with the pounding rhythms and arpeggiating synths, best displayed on tracks like “Jours De Haine” and “Pas Demain.” Despite the comparisons, I’ve always found the band to be especially vicious, having just as much in common with the first wave of synthpunk, including their country’s own Métal Urbain and co.

Either way, the band is an absolute staple as far as the French are concerned, and this tape compiles several live recordings from the band’s tenure. There’s no date assigned to it, but the tape was produced by the V.I.S.A. label, responsible for releases from Vox Populi, Clair Obscur, Die Bunker and the Pas Demain 7”, just to name a few. I’m guessing the tape is from 85, given that most of the live performances hail from that era. You can expect some of the same Ausweis classics to appear here, as well as several unreleased tracks exclusive to the band’s live set at the time. Obviously, the quality is hit or miss, given the source recordings, but I hope you’ll all agree that it’s a fitting snapshot of a vicious band in their natural habitat.

Ausweis- Ausweis K7
1. Mecanik
2. Doktor Diktature
3. Berlin
4. 1984
5. Exhibition
6. Ella Choice
7. Je N’Aime Plus Les Filles De Chez Dior
8. Eva
9. Dieu Est Mort
10. Phase Fatale
11. Red And Black (Spizzenergi cover)
12. Gangsters United
13. Murnau

*download it here*

For more info on the tape, including specific info on the performances each track was pulled from, check out the discogs page for more details!

This entry was posted on April 10, 2012 at 4:14 pm and is filed under 1980s, cassette, coldwave, goth, k7, post-punk with tags ausweis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.