For the second post for today, I’m pleased to offer the full discography of California based minimal synth band League Of Nations, who released just one LP and 12” on Glaze Records.
League of Nations were a two piece consisting of Laurie Jean on drums and programming and David Sinfield on piano, synth, and voice. The pair had also released one 7” in 1981 under David Sinfield’s full name. Otherwise, here’s the information for their discography.
League of Nations- Music For the New Depression LP (1984)
1. Illuminous
2. Overlord
3. Index Of Motion
4. Fade
5. Systematic Eyes
6. For A Moment
League of Nations- Fade 12” (1983)
1. Fade (12” version)
2. Thin Ice Wall
DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED- purchase the League of Nations/David Sinfield reissue here on Anna Logue!
I’ve caught wind of a few various, but unofficial reissues of the full length record. There also seems to be a myspace page, linked here.
I’ve been enamored with UK synthpop/new wave band Fiat Lux’s killer track “Secrets,” which was lovingly deposited into my collection a few weeks back. Since then, I’ve been trying to track down the band’s complete discography, piecing together extended mixes, 7” recordings, and as many unreleased tracks as I could muster, and I’m finally able to offer what I believe to be the complete discography of Fiat Lux. Though no track is as gloomy and delicious as “Secrets,” there are still quite a few obscure new wave cuts ripe for the discovery.
Fiat Lux, firstly, translates from Latin as “Let There Be Light,” originally a Biblical quotation. The three piece band formed in 1982, releasing a handful of Polydor singles along a three year period before disbanding in 1985. Though a few of these singles were collected as a mini-LP, Fiat Lux never issued a full-length album proper. Upon disbanding, vocalist Steve Wright joined Camera Obscura and formed Hoi Poloi. Meanwhile, multi-instrumentalist Dave Crickmore is currently a member of Durbervilles. Unfortunately however, saxophonist/keyboardist Ian Nelson (member of Tattoo Hosts Vision On! and brother of the infamous Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe), died in his sleep in 2006.
Anyway, according to HiredHistory, a comprehensive fan made page, the following is Fiat Lux’s entire discography collected. There’s a few tracks that overlap, so please forgive the occasional dose of redundancy. Otherwise, I’ve also tracked down a handful of unreleased tracks, demoed over the years but never officially released. I’m on the hunt for more and will keep everyone posted if they turn up. Otherwise, without any further ado, here’s the rundown:
Feels Like Winter Again 7” (1982)
1. Feels Like Winter Again
2. This Illness
Photography 7” (1983)
1. Photography
2. Aqua Vitae
Photography 12” (1983)
1. Photography (Extended)
2. Aqua Vitae (Extended)
Secrets 12”* (1983)
1. Secrets
2. Comfortable Life
3. Aqua Vitae (Extended)
*there exists a 7” of “Secrets,” but the A and B side are the same as the 12”.
Blue Emotion 7” (1984)
1. Blue Emotion
2. Sleepless Nightmare
Blue Emotion 12” (1984)
1. Blue Emotion (Extended)
2. Sleepless Nightmare (Extended)
Hired History Mini-LP (1984)
1. Secrets
2. Photography (Extended)
3. Blue Emotion (Extended)
4. Comfortable Life
5. Sleepless Nightmare (Extended)
6. Aqua Vitae
House of Thorns 7” (1984)
1. House of Thorns
2. Three’s Company
House of Thorns 12” (1984)
1. House of Thorns (Extended)
2. Three’s Company (Extended)
3. Sally Free and Easy
Solitary Lovers 7” (1984)
1. Solitary Lovers
2. No More Proud
Solitary Lovers 12” (1984)
1. Solitary Lovers (Extended)
2. No More Proud (Proud Mix)
3. No More Proud (Dub Mix)
Unreleased Traxx:
1. Breaking the Boundary
2. The Moment
3. Solitary Lovers (Alt.)
4. Splurge
All of these tracks are sorely out of print, but perhaps the remaining members of the band can clean ’em up for a proper reissue. Otherwise, if you catch wind of any of these releases, snap them up! Otherwise, thanks again to HiredHistory for all their dedicated efforts in cataloging this band’s brief stint. Visit for more on the band, including press photos, gigography, and more information than you can shake a stick at! Otherwise, I’ll leave you with one final treat, the video for “Secrets,” my favorite track from the lot!
Back to the grind, ladies and gentlemen. Just recently married, I haven’t had much time to think about posting, but now that the dust has settled, let’s get this blog back up and running. I’m still aiming for a twice a week goal for now, so let’s see how that goes.
Today’s band is 1000 Ohm, a two man Belgian minimal synth project formed in 1979. Originally, 1000 Ohm was the brainchild of Frank Van Bogaert, but as the outfit continued into the 1980s, Johan Van Herck joined in to flesh out the band’s sound, joined by an unnamed third member for live shows (if anyone knows the third member’s name, please chime in). The first release uploaded today, the 1981 A.G.N.E.S. 12”, features just Frank at the helm, while Van Herck joined in time for 1984’s Love In Motion 12”.
The duo split in 1987 after several more 12” singles (including ‘The Claim’ a shameless synthpop jam), and Van Bogaert went on to produce several local artists before purchasing ACE studios in Antwerp. As the nineties came to a close, Frank began to release a series of his own organic synth recordings, some of which have won German awards. He still records to this day.
Without any further adieu, here’s the info for these two synth-pop gems:
Not much more info I can give today, but as promised, here’s the first official LP by UK electronic/post-punk band Venus In Furs (released in 1984). Managed to acquire the rest of the band’s discography, but am missing *one* track from Soft Life. Speak up if you’ve got it. Otherwise, on to the music:
Venus in Furs- Platonic Love & Other Stories
1. Fallen Statues
2. That First Wild Kiss
3. Majordomo
4. Entracte/Zurich 1924
5. His Master’s Voice
6. Platonic Love
7. Waltz Of The Venus De Milo
8. Achilles Brain
9. Snowscape
10. The Challenge
I have two releases in store today. A request post will follow, but first up, here’s a stellar Bunnydrums 12” ripped straight from my personal collection.
I loosely covered Bunnydrums just under one year ago, but this release is seemingly out of print. A quick recap: Bunnydrums formed in 1980 and originally split in 1986, after releasing a handful of singles and two full length records. The Philadelphia based band reformed in the new millennium, compiling several of their releases for the PKD/Simulacra collection, still available through Metropolis Records. The Funeral Crashers had the pleasure of playing with Bunnydrums just last year, but since then, the band seems to have split once more. Will they rise again? Only time will tell…
In the meanwhile, here’s the info for 1984’s On the Surface 12”:
Bunnydrums- On the Surface 12”
1. On The Surface (Edited)
2. Boundaries
3. Switch-Blade
4. Closed Eyes
5. On The Surface
I’ve had several requests this year for the remaining discography of Norwich minimal band Testcard F. Firstly, here’s my previously quoted entry on the band, with download information following:
“Testcard F formed in 1981, and reconstructed and built their own synthesizers throughout their tenure. Unlike some synth-punk and minimal wave acts of the time, this band near-completely utilized electronic instruments, drum machines, and backing tapes; the only organic instrumentation appearing in the form of trash cans, coat racks, and other assorted bits of debris. Oftentimes, their live performances would be slagged viciously by heckling attendees, anxious for guitars. One particular gig in their hometown of Norwich ended in a small riot.
The band split immediately on the brink of success after winning a Norwich battle of the bands and recording their two singles and Peel Session in 1984.”
Sleep Chamber are an early 80s industrial collective consisting solely of John Zewizz and an otherwise revolving door lineup. The outfit formed in 1980 in Boston and was experimental in nature, yet as time passed the outfit shifted in styles several times over.
The late 80s saw a more EBM/synthpop direction, while Sleep Chamber began creating dark ambient music into the nineties, shifting between those two styles for the remainder of the decade. The band dropped from most radars in the new millennium as Zewiss’ personal troubles caused the project to self destruct, and it’s unclear whether Zewiss plans to record after a hiatus. However, a few collections of unreleased material has appeared and rumors hint at new material in 2008.
I’ve uploaded what seems to be Sleep Chamber’s third cassette release, entitled Musik For Mannequins, a more experimental/musique concrete release from 1984. Without any further ado, here’s the information:
Sleep Chamber- Musik For Mannequins K7
1. Victmm
2. Jungle Disease
3. The Lantern
4. A Distant Cry
5. Conversations In Between Walls
6. Left Side Of The Tomb
7. Twenty Three
8. The Last Fantasy
9. Rite To Death
This fan-run myspace page comes complete with a brief interview with John Zewiss, an interesting read for more information about the band’s whereabouts and future plans. Click below to take a peek:
This one’s an old favorite of mine. Today’s post features an experimental/minimal band from Belgium named Bene Gesserit and their first record A High, Happy, Perverse, and Cynical Cry of Joy, released in 1984.
Taking their name from a religious race of humans from Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Bene Gesserit was formed in 1981 by Alain Neffe, a pioneer in the Belgian industrial scene. Joined by Nadine Bal, the pair would record a series of live cassettes and three records under psuedonyms (B. Ghoula and Benedict G., respectively). Their sound combined both the experimental edge of industrial music and the slick synthesized sound of minimal synth, a curious and innovative hybrid that earned the band a decent following and cult status to this day.
Though the band split after releasing their third record, Alain would remain active in such outfits as Human Flesh, Cortex, I Scream, and Pseudo-Code. You can nab another one of their records from Mutant Sounds by clicking here. Otherwise, here’s the info for Bene Gesserit’s first release:
Bene Gesserit- A High, Happy, Perverse, and Cynical Cry of Joy LP
1. She Is Walking
2. Japanese Song
3. Enfants Des Rues
4. Pravda
5. Nuit Et Chuchotements
6. Strange Strangers (In The Night)
7. Clear Blue Smile
8. Walt’s Waltz
9. Tonight
10. Désirs-Délires
11. Kitchen Music (For Kitchen People)
12. Existentialisme
13. No Rule For A Dream : Bali
14. Tourdorizonmuzikal (C’est Ça)
15. La Brabançonne (Belgian National Anthem)
*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* Official CD reissue coming March 2012 via EE Tapes.
The band has both an official site and a myspace page, but both are entirely in French. For anyone fluent or otherwise curious:
On a previous note, anyone who downloaded Absolute Body Control’s Numbers should check back again, for I originally only had the first side of the cassette uploaded. The new link should now consist of both tape sides…
Fulfilling a request for today for Belgian post-punk/coldwave band Siglo XX. Siglo XX formed in 1980 during the fallout of the punk explosion, and the four piece outfit would drop a number of developmental DIY singles before recording their first record a few years later. Their sound was akin to the likes of the Factory Records crew, oftentimes hard-hitting and intense, while other times melodic, synthetic, and entrancing. Their name, which is Spanish for ’20th Century,’ stems from an anarchist movement and is representative of their gloom and doom sound, though the band loathed to be lumped in with their contemporaries.
Siglo XX disappeared from view as the eighties fizzled out, leaving behind a local legacy of singles, seven full-lengths, and several compilations. I’ve uploaded their 1984 collection, entitled Re-Released ’80-’82, which compiles their more formative (and in this author’s opinion, better) material.
Details:
Siglo XX- Re-Released ’80-’82
1. The Naked And The Death
2. Art Of War
3. Lines Of Hope
4. Youth Sentiment
5. Obsession
6. Factory
7. La Vie Dans La Nuit
8. Individuality
9. Autumn
10. Caraibian Nightmares
11. The Fall
I have a handful of their other releases lying around should anyone be interested in hearing more. Otherwise, click below for a Siglo XX myspace tribute page, and stay tuned for some treats, including a donated Marquis De Sade record and a third podcast.
I promise this isn’t intentional anymore, folks, but today’s band also happens to hail from France. It’s a request of sorts from a new reader, and the band is End of Data, a four piece Coldwave outfit who formed in 1983 and split just a few years later. Live setups for the band included ex-members of Tanit and Orchestre Rouge.
The band’s discography consists of two solid records, 1984’s Sahrah and 1985’s Dans Votre Monde. As I’m unable to scour up a copy of the latter in an “acceptable” bitrate (if anyone wants a 128kps rip of the record, holler and I’ll post it), I’ve only uploaded their incredible debut. Alternately, if anyone has a more sufficient copy of said record, feel free to send it my way.
Details:
End of Data- Sahrah LP (1984)
1. End Of Data I & II
2. If I’m Not A Killer
3. Follow Me And So
4. Like A Succession I & II
5. Trottodaf
6. Sahrah / Symphonie Inachevée
During their tenure, the title track ‘Sahrah’ became a slightly prominent club hit, and has since been featured on several coldwave/French wave compilations. They made a video, to boot, and here it is:
Systems of Romance was created in mid-2007 to serve as a dumping grounds for all great things coldwave, minimal synth, post-punk, synthpunk, industrial, synthpop, and various other combinations of these styles. Feel free to make requests, noodle around, and discuss all you like...
Otherwise, this blog is dedicated to showcasing material that has long since been out of print. If you are aware of any of these items being readily available from the artist or label, or take issue with these tracks being uploaded, please let me know so I can amend the post or remove the links.
