Monday's Long Song

 

Stephen Mallinder was one of the founding members of Sheffield's industrial pioneers Cabaret Voltaire. The influenced many bands playing a new kind of electronic music. Mallinder released in 1982 his first and almost forgotten solo album Pow Wow where he moved away from CV's sound. Inspired by krautrock and bands like Neu! and Eno he worked on an extraordinary sound including fragments of Giorgio Moroder sounds. I rediscovered this record while I got the news of his new album and I still like the music he made. Timeless bass-driven  an motorik sounds that combined perfectly post-punk, disco and krautrock. 

Stephen Mallinder - Cool Down

And I can't resist to feature his dubby experience at this place.

Stephen Mallinder - Temperature Drop

Sensoria

 

Today's track was running round my brain since a few days since I listened to it after a long time. Cabaret Voltaire were an Sheffield based post-punk band  that set some milestones in electronic music in the mid 80's where many people expected guitar based music. CV were one of those industrial bands that brought post-punk, pop and dancefloor together. A classic for me.

Cabaret Voltaire - Sensoria

Kino Kino

It was back in the mid 80's when Sheffield based electronic post punk band Cabaret Voltaire got new facets into the musical scene. Formed in the early 70's they explored the possibilities of combining new wave attitudes with electronic sounds. Together with bands like Throbbing Gristle they showed us how electronic music and dancefloor music can live together. Their EP Drinking Gasoline was a milestone of pre-dancefloor music and made my ears open to some very different sounds. I think without this basics I couldn't get into house, trance and modern space music.

Cabaret Voltaire - Kino Kino (12 inch)
Cabaret Voltaire -  Just Fascination (12 inch)
Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar

Perfume

It was in the late 80's/early 90's when I was infected by the new sound from Manchester. Before I seldom took the road to electronic music. Probably some kind of Cabaret Voltaire or something like that. So well I was able, I have pursued British independent charts and one day I saw that a new song was climbing the charts. It was Perfume by Paris Angels and at the days before internet and less abilities to get an English music magazine you had to go to your local record store and try to catch the record. It was impossible to get the single so I had to wait until the album was out. I listened  several times to Sundew but Perfume was on heavy rotation at this days. This band from greater Manchester was one of those that opened my ears for something new and fantastic. Inspired by acid house and many other Manchester bands they never got the recognition they should have.

Paris Angels - Perfume
Paris Angels - Perfume (Loved Up)

Indie Scene 1983

This year was a very political year at my place. First because of NATO double-track decision and the following installation of nuclear weapons in Germany by the American army and second because of the final denying of the planed census by the German government. Watching the songs on this CD I think there are less songs with a political statement on it. It seems the music is generally moving to singer/songwriter with them introverted lyrics of electronic dance/dream pop. But there is nothing to complain about because music is every time in motion and this is just a little spot on what's happened.

Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar
Depeche Mode - Everything Counts
Prefab Sprout - The Devil Has All The Best Tunes
Red Guitars - Good Technology
Shriekback - Lined Up
The Fall - Kicker Conspiracy
The Icical Works - Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)
The Three Johns - AWOL
Tracey Thorn - Plain Sailing
Yazoo - Nobody's Diary

Otherwise there were songs that reflect life more than shown on CD.

Enjoy and maybe you have some good memories according to this year.

Indie Scene 1979

1979 seems like independent music has grown up. More and more influences ware taken over so that we have now a bigger musical spectrum. There are still the bands that play the rhythm and blues influenced new wave like The Rumour and Joy Division stuck deeply in their own fantastic sound. It was the year great pop songs were made by independent artists like Kristy McColl or Squeeze. Looking retrospective to this year I have to determine that it was the year electronic sound entered the indie stage. Fat Gadget or Cabaret Voltaire opened our ears for something different and new. It was also the year British kids discovered a type of music that was forgotten but still present in the shade: Two-Tone and Ska. Bands like the Specials, The Beat, The Selecter and Madness gave us the sound of the summer and The Jam weren't the only ones wearing suits any more. For me it was the year I had to do my military service. Almost a lost year staying away from my crowd and less money to buy records. It was also a time when I spent my leisure with five more guys in room listening mostly to Dire Straits, Pink Floyd's 'Wall' and ABBA or something else from the first Disco wave in Germany. Sometimes I got the chance to play one of my tapes and the result was still the same: offering them new music is like throwing pearls before swine. Anyway, here are some songs that might make you a happy start into the weekend.

Enjoy and have a good time

Cabaret Voltaire - Nag Nag Nag
Fat Gadget - Back to Nature
Kristy McColl - They don't know
Madness - The Prince
Selecter - On my radio
The Beat - Tears of a clown
The Rumour - Emotional traffic
Tubeway Army - Are friends electric