Tag: Daniel Miller (Page 1 of 7)

A Beginner’s Guide To DAVE BALL

9 June 2026 /

Photo by Roger Kamp

The late Dave Ball began his adventure in music with a Fender Telecaster guitar, twin stylus Stylophone and second hand Akai reel-to-reel tape recorder but when he purchased a MiniKorg 800DV duophonic synthesizer, he never looked back.

Enrolling on a Fine Art degree at Leeds Polytechnic, on his first day he asked for directions from a second year student wearing a leopard skin printed shirt and gold lame jeans; that student was Marc Almond and the pair were to make history as SOFT CELL…

Managed by Stevo Pearce who had included them on his ‘Some Bizzare Album’ released at the start of 1981, he secured a deal for SOFT CELL with Phonogram Records; one of the first recordings for the label was ‘Memorabilia’ which was produced by Daniel Miller and would go on to become a cult club favourite. The rise of SOFT CELL to have the second biggest UK selling single of 1981 with a cover of the Northern Soul favourite ‘Tainted Love’ is more than well documented and led to an imperial phase with ‘Bedsitter’, ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’, ‘Torch’ and ‘What’ all becoming UK Top4 singles in little more than 12 months.

The debut SOFT CELL album ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ produced by Mike Thorne was a triumph, but while it was the state-of-the-art NED Synclavier that dominated the aural template with the Roland TR808 providing the rhythmic backbone, it was Ball’s much more basic Roland Synthe-Bass SB100 which provided the record with a very distinct sound.

But Ball and Almond were art school boys and expressed their discomfort with being pop stars and tabloid fodder. Inevitably, the next two albums ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ and ‘This Last Night In Sodom’ captured that implosion while Ball recorded a solo album ‘In Strict Tempo’ in between. Although SOFT CELL disbanded in 1984 with Almond going solo and Ball eventually finding solace in the burgeoning house scene, side projects had been part of SOFT CELL’s agenda from the start.

Photo by Roger Kamp

After various productions, guest appearances and aborted projects, Ball formed THE GRID with Richard Norris in 1988. While he also collaborated with Genesis P-Orridge for the ‘DECODER’ soundtrack, there was a reunion with Almond on his 1991 album ‘Tenement Symphony’ to co-write three of the album’s best songs ‘Meet Me In My Dream’, ‘I’ve Never Seen Your Face’ and ‘My Hand Over My Heart’, planting seeds for an eventual first reunion.

THE GRID became in-demand remixers and collaborators with remixes for PET SHOP BOYS, ERASURE and SPARKS as well as productions for Vic Reeves, Kylie Minogue and Billie Ray Martin. Further remixes would be commissioned for David Bowie, David Sylvian & Robert Fripp, Brian Eno, Neil Arthur, Boy George and Sophie B Hawkins while THE GRID themselves would have their day in the UK Top3 with ‘Swamp Thing’ in 1994.

Photo by Roger Kamp

SOFT CELL officially got back together for 2002’s ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ album but despite successfully playing festivals in Europe, an American tour did not go so well. There had been plans to do more shows and another record, but Almond had a motorcycle accident in 2004 which left him with very serious injuries.

The pair lost touch and didn’t speak for about 15 years… but the legacy of SOFT CELL kept looming and a reunion could not be resisted; a show at London’s O2 Arena took place in 2018 and if that announcement was not enough of a surprise, then a new single ‘Northern Lights’ with the B-side ‘Guilty (Cos I Say You Are’ was the cherry on top. The A-side saw Almond and Ball reminisce about their days at the Wigan Casino and recaptured the essence of their unique brand of electronic pop.

While the O2 show was billed as being “One Night, One Final Time”, the chemistry between Ball and Almond was rekindled, leading to further shows and an album ‘*Happiness Not Included’ as well as a bonus collection of outtakes and covers ‘*Happiness Now Completed’.

But Ball’s health began to take its toll and he was unable to perform at SOFT CELL shows from 2022 until he returned in Summer 2023 for a show at Hampton Court Palace, performing in a motorised wheelchair; he had joked to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK: “Once I’m on stage and I’m locked in, so long as I don’t start wheeling backwards, I’ll be fine!”

With the final SOFT CELL album ‘Danceteria’ recorded before his death in October 2025 and set to be released via Republic of Music on 25th September 2026, the legacy of Dave Ball continues with a reissue of ‘In Strict Tempo’ also on the cards.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK looks back at 25 of his works with a restriction of one track per “album project”; there are some omissions but the aim of this Beginner’s Guide is to not make the article too SOFT CELL heavy and show the artistic breadth of the Electronic Boy that was Dave Ball.

SOFT CELL Frustration (1980)

Dave Ball borrowed money from his mother to fund the first SOFT CELL EP ‘Mutant Moments’. Although it was to become a ‘Non Stop Erotic Cabaret’ highlight, the original version of ‘Frustration’ was recorded on 2 track and akin to the unsettling demeanour of THROBBING GRISTLE. The lyrics were mostly written by Ball about his own father and at the end, he took a creepy vocal turn to announce “I’M AN ORDINARY BLOKE”!

Available on the SOFT CELL boxed set ‘Keychains & Snowstorms’ via Universal Music

https://www.softcell.co.uk/

SOFT CELL Say Hello Wave Goodbye (1981)

SOFT CELL’s fine debut album was finished and mixed in the more liberal setting of New York. It captured the edginess of minimal synth arrangements while married to an actual tune, as opposed to the monotone dirges of their more unorthodox contemporaries. With a magnificent arrangement by Ball that allowed Almond to indulge in his Scott Walker aspirations, ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ is possibly SOFT CELL’s crowning achievement.

Available on the SOFT CELL album ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ via Phonogram Records

https://www.facebook.com/softcell

VICIOUS PINK PHENOMENA My Private Tokyo (1982)

Josephine Warden and Brian Moss as VICIOUS PINK PHENOMENA were backing singers for SOFT CELL and featured prominently on ‘Non Stop Erotic Cabaret’. Ball produced their metronomic debut single ‘My Private Tokyo’ which played with many of the Far Eastern lyrical clichés of the time. The duo would shorten their name and go on to release their best single ‘Cccan’t You See’ produced by Tony Mansfield of NEW MUZIK in 1984.

Available on the VICIOUS PINK album ‘West View’ via Minimal Wave

https://www.instagram.com/vicious.pink.music/

SOFT CELL Baby Doll (1983)

A favourite SOFT CELL track of Dave Ball, ‘Baby Doll’ was a grim observation in the life of a stripper. With gothic choir samples and foreboding rhythms, the grittier art school aesthetic was coming into play after a period of pop stardom that did not suit Ball and particularly Almond. There was no option but for the duo to hit self-destruct as they fought with producer Mike Thorne who was now being viewed as a controller and spy for Phonogram.

Available on the SOFT CELL album ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ via Mercury Records

https://www.instagram.com/softcellhq/

CABARET VOLTAIRE Crackdown (1983)

With keyboards and rhythm assistance by Dave Ball, this signature CABARET VOLTAIRE track came from ‘The Crackdown’, Stephen Mallinder and Richard H Kirk’s first full-length album since the departure of Chris Watson. Issued through Some Bizzare and Virgin, it was produced by the duo and Flood where the Cabs’ earlier experimental sound was applied to accessible electronic club templates, combining funk with menace.

Available on the CABARET VOLTAIRE album ‘The Crackdown’ via Mute Artists

https://www.facebook.com/CabaretVoltaireOfficial

DAVE BALL featuring GAVIN FRIDAY Strict Tempo (1983)

Described by the man himself as “ill-conceived”, Dave Ball’s only solo album ‘In Strict Tempo’ featured Genesis P Orridge of THROBBING GRISTLE as well as his own while Gary Barnacle played sax and Virginia Astley played flute. But the album’s snarling percussive standout was the “title song” featuring Gavin Friday from VIRGIN PRUNES. Ball would go on to produce the final VIRGIN PRUNES album ‘The Moon Looked Down & Laughed’.

Originally on the DAVE BALL album ‘In Strict Tempo’ via Some Bizzare, currently unavailable

https://www.facebook.com/daveballofficial

SOFT CELL Mr Self Destruct (1984)

If ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ was SOFT CELL’s difficult second long player, ‘This Last Night In Sodom’ was an even more challenging proposition. Despite having bought a PPG Wave 2.2, Ball applied a lot more Hammond B3 organ to add a more raucous rock edge to the SOFT CELL sound, particularly on the Jack Hammer cover ‘Down In The Subway’ and the self-explanatory ‘Mr Self Destruct’ which highlighted Marc Almond’s state of mind at the time.

Available on the SOFT CELL album ‘This Last Night In Sodom’ via Phonogram Records

https://youtube.com/@softcell

OTHER PEOPLE Have A Nice Day (1984)

‘Have A Nice Day’ was a curio in the industrial pop vein that saw Dave Ball work with his then-wife Gini on vocals repeating the title. The metallic electronic backdrop was offset by Andy Astle on guitar as the bassline chugged and claustrophobic voice samples lingered. Released on Arcadia Records who also issued the PSYCHIC TV cassette ‘Mouth Of The Night’ in 1985, this single was to be a one-off for OTHER PEOPLE.

Originally released as the single OTHER PEOPLE ‘Have A Nice Day’ via Arcadia Records, currently unavailable

https://www.discogs.com/artist/65297-Other-People

PSYCHIC TV Money For E… – DAVE BALL Remix (1990)

Subtitled the “Ravemaster Mixes”, ‘Beyond Thee Infinite Beat’ was a remix companion piece to the PSYCHIC TV album ‘Towards Thee Infinite Beat’ which saw Genesis P-Orridge explicitly explore the squelchy minimalism of acid house with “A Supply Of Two Tablets Of Acid” post-THROBBING GRISTLE. Dave Ball’s incessant remix made the bassline beefier while adding icier synth lines for full spacey effect.

Available on the PSYCHIC TV album ‘Origin Of The Species’ via Invisible Records

https://www.genesisporridge.com/

THE GRID Floatation (1990)

“I was pleased when it was recognised as an Ibiza chill out classic” said Dave Ball said to ELECTICITYCLUB.CO.UK of ‘Floatation’ in 2016. The idea was for a slower record to play on a beach in the open air like the closing theme of a film. Taking cues from John Barry, while the original album mix sounded KRAFTWERK, the more familiar Andrew Weatherall remix took out the rigidity and added vocals from Sasha for some simmering relaxation.

Available on THE GRID album ‘Electric Head’ via Cherry Red


https://www.facebook.com/thegriduk

MARC ALMOND Meet Me In My Dream (1991)

While Marc Almond’s ‘Tenement Symphony’ album is best remembered for Trevor Horn produced covers ‘Jacky’ and ‘The Days Of Pearly Spencer’, it also hosted his first creative reunion with Dave Ball. Both co-writing with Richard Norris, ‘Meet Me In My Dream’ was a classic SOFT CELL song in all but name, complete with soprano sax solo, it was a reminder of the undeniable magic that Ball and Almond together possessed.

Available on the MARC ALMOND album ‘Tenement Symphony’ via WEA Records

https://www.marcalmond.co.uk/

PET SHOP BOYS DJ Culturemix (1991)

‘DJ Culture’ was a MASSIVE ATTACK influenced single by PET SHOP BOYS in a statement as a statement on the first Gulf War reflecting on how US George HW Bush’s speeches utilised Winston Churchill’s wartime rhetoric in a manner similar to DJs sampling. . For a separately released remix by THE GRID, Ball and Norris added more Latin style percussion to the BROTHERS IN RHYTHM produced track while keeping the song itself intact.

Originally released on the PET SHOP BOYS single ‘DJ Culturemix’ via Parlophone, currently unavailable

http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/

VIC REEVES Abide With Me (1992)

Comedian Vic Reeves had a No1 single with a cover of ‘Dizzy’ with THE WONDER STUFF while the parent album ‘I Will Cure You’ also included a synthy version of DEEP PURPLE’s ‘Black Night’ produced by Philip Oakey. To close it, Dave Ball and Richard Norris were brought in produce a raved-up version of the FA Cup Final hymn and funeral standard ‘Abide With Me’. The joke was lost on the church who tried to get the BBC to ban it.

Available on the VIC REEVES album ‘I Will Cure You’ via Island Records

https://www.discogs.com/artist/164485-Vic-Reeves

ERASURE Am I Right? – THE GRID remix (1992)

The third single from the ERASURE album ‘Chorus’ saw a separate remix of ‘Am I Right?’ by THE GRID that highlighted Dave Ball and Richard Norris’ status as in-demand remixers. As with PET SHOP BOYS ‘DJ Culturemix’, the song remained intact while the Vince Clarke’s understated analogue backing was made much beatier and widescreen as more prominent bass sequences and synth pads were included.

Available on the deluxe ERASURE album ‘Always’ via Mute Records/BMG

https://www.erasureinfo.com/

THE GRID Swamp Thing (1994)

THE GRID’s biggest UK hit ‘Swamp Thing’ mixed banjo and old samples for a thumping slice of cowpunk techno. The five stringed instrument was played by Roger Dinsdale who Ball had spotted performing at an Irish pub in Marylebone. He laid down his own riffs over a bassline and drumbeat. Equal parts joyous and annoying, the novelty caught on in Europe with ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ by Swedish act REDNEX following not long after.

Available on THE GRID album ‘Evolver’ via Deconstruction

https://www.instagram.com/thegrid789/

BILLIE RAY MARTIN In Your Loving Arms (1994)

THE GRID’s first production to get in the UK Top 10 and into the US Billboard 100 in the US, the energetic ‘Your Loving Arms’ was written by German dance diva Billie Ray Martin with British DJ David Harrow after her band ELECTRIBE 101 split. The blissfully dramatic number was a slow burner and did not find major mainstream success until 1995; “I guess it was the song that made all the difference for me and does to this day” Billie Ray Martin said, “I am grateful.”

Available on the BILLIE RAY MARTIN album ‘Deadline For My Memories’ via Warner Music

https://www.billieraymartin.com/

SPARKS When Do I Get To Sing My Way – THE GRID Instrumental Radio Edit (1994)

Like a phoenix from the flames, SPARKS returned for yet another run of mainstream success with ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way’ hitting the No7 spot in the German singles chart. The single came in a plethora of remixes including one by Vince Clarke. But the best was THE GRID’s instrumental radio edit which pushed the symphonic synth lines to the fore. A vocal version came out to head a 1995 UK reissue but that didn’t work as well.

Originally released on the SPARKS single ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way’ via Logic Records, vocal version available on the expanded edition album ‘Gratuitous Sex & Senseless Violins’

https://allsparks.com/

KYLIE MINOGUE Breathe (1997)

THE GRID had gone into hiatus and Ball found a new studio partner in Ingo Vauk. While Kylie Minogue had been going through her “indie” phase working with Nick Cave and MANIC STREET PREACHERS, she found room to work with Ball and Vaux on three tracks for her ‘Impossible Princess’ album. The electronica-based ‘Breathe’ was the best known, coming in a slightly pacier radio edit over the more slow-mo album version.

Available on the KYLIE MINOGUE album ‘Step Back In Time’ via BMG

https://www.kylie.com/

SOFT CELL Le Grand Guignol (2002)

“Would you like to taste a little pain?” asked Marc Almond on ‘Le Grand Guignol’, one of the highlights from SOFT CELL’s comeback album ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’. Using a form of graphic sensationalist horror originating from a noted theatre in Paris as a cynical life metaphor, the bass throb and saxy timpanic drama that saw Ball growl alongside a cynical vocal from Almond and eerie voice samples en Français.

Available on the SOFT CELL album ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ via Cooking Vinyl

https://www.discogs.com/artist/12196-Soft-Cell

NITEWRECKAGE Solarcoaster (2011)

Comprising of Celine Hispiche on vocals, programmer Rick Mulhall, drummer Terry Neale and Ball, NITEWRECKAGE was one of the last projects that the late producer Martin Rushent worked on; “Martin was a lovely man and a total genius in the studio” said Ball in 2016. Capturing a blend of leftfield synth and gothic rock, ‘Solarcoaster’ was firmly rooted in SOFT CELL with Hispiche providing a detached Eurocentric twist.

Originally on the NITEWRECKAGE album ‘Take Your Money & Run’ via Alaska Sounds, available as the single ‘Solarcoaster’

https://www.discogs.com/artist/2445615-Nitewreckage

DAVE BALL & JON SAVAGE Dead Neon (2016)

Dave Ball and Jon Savage (not the journalist!) bonded over Minimoogs, Prophets 5s and a Roland Fantom X6 to compose dark ambient pieces for a one hour work inspired by organisms using sunlight to synthesise nutrients from CO2 and water, juxtaposed with the spectre of global warming and war. The haunting ‘Dead Neon’ embraced harp and oboe textures alongside deep drones to exude an avant classical tone.

Available on the DAVE BALL & JON SAVAGE album ‘Photosynthesis’ via Cold Spring

https://coldspring.co.uk/csr217cd

DAVE BALL Nighthawks (2020)

Originally a Dave Ball instrumental issued as a single that came with the boxed set of his autobiography ‘Electronic Boy’, the tense industrialised pulse of ‘Nighthawks’ recalled the sweaty alternative club overtures of one-time Some Bizzare stable mates CABARET VOLTAIRE. Listeners were treated to the deep growly voice of Mr Ball himself repeating the words “Electronic Boy” and “Nighthawks in a lonely city, Nighthawks in a lonely place”.

Originally released on the DAVE BALL album ‘1979 – 2019’ via Big Frock, SOFT CELL version available on the album ‘*Happiness Not Included’ via BMG

https://www.instagram.com/daveballelectro

THE GRID / FRIPP Leviathan (2021)

Noted for his guitar Frippertronics with Brian Eno, David Bowie and David Sylvian, Robert Fripp played on THE GRID’s 1992 album ‘456’. Norris and Ball rediscovered unreleased tapes from these sessions and were inspired to add new electronic backing and effects to create an album ‘Leviathan’ named after the mythological sea creature referenced in The Bible. The title track was a glorious nautical ambient work to savour.

Available on THE GRID / FRIPP album ‘Leviathan’ via Discipline Global Mobile / Panegyric

https://robertfripp.com/

SOFT CELL & PET SHOP BOYS Purple Zone (2022)

In a union of “The Blackpool Electro Mafia” comprising Dave Ball and Chris Lowe who attended the same school while never meeting, as well as featuring the voices of both Almond and Tennant, ‘Purple Zone’ was turned into rousing uplifting Europop number with very anthemic reminiscences of PET SHOP BOYS. But without the groundwork laid by SOFT CELL, PET SHOP BOYS may not have had an open door to walk through.

Available on the SOFT CELL & PET SHOP BOYS single ‘Purple Zone’ via BMG

https://www.facebook.com/petshopboys

GAVIN FRIDAY Ecce Homo (2024)

With a long gestation period, the ‘Ecce Homo’ album began in earnest in 2016 after a collaboration between Gavin Friday and Ball on a version of SUICIDE’s ‘Ghost Rider’ which SOFT CELL had also covered. Combining elements of synth with post-punk, the title song itself was a wonderfully deathly slice of disco gothique that sounded like Ian McCulloch meeting SOFT CELL at Berghain given an extra chill by an opera soprano sample!

Available on the GAVIN FRIDAY album ‘Ecce Homo’ via BMG

https://www.gavinfriday.com/

In memory of Dave Ball 1959 – 2025

‘Electronic Boy: My Life In and Out of Soft Cell: The Autobiography of Dave Ball’ is published by Omnibus Press in hardback

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK has compiled a Spotify playlist ‘The Secret Life Of Dave Ball’ at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3HO813W9cf5K8mjuLgLxrv

Text by Chi Ming Lai
9th June 2026

ALL THE YOUNG DROIDS: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985

7 July 2025 /

‘All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985’ is a new compilation that gathers obscure electronic pop from an era when both major and independent record labels were looking for the next Gary Numan.

With the man born Gary Webb taking this new waveform to the top of the UK singles chart in 1979 not just once but twice, the adoption of affordable synths became an entry point to those seeking fame and fortune. While OMD, DEPECHE MODE and THE HUMAN LEAGUE became chart fixtures, many others would not.

Compiled by Philip King whose day job is as a picture researcher at Uncut magazine, according to NME journalist Nick Kent back in the day, this was a period of “blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese passing gas in a wind tunnel”. But with the eventual backlash against synths and the rise of digital technology that could emulate real instrumentation, the inevitable end came “not with a blood-curdling bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”

As the recent well-received reissue of Life Is A Grand’ by Henry Badowski and the release of 1981 demo recordings of B-MOVIE as the ‘Hidden Treasures’ album have proved, there is present day enthusiasm from synth music fans for little known or previously unreleased tracks from the past. This more than highlights the state of modern synth which continues to deceive, with the quality of VSTs and their array of classic sounds masking a wider deficiency in basic songwriting.

Opening proceedings on ‘All The Young Droids’ are Belgian duo DESIGN with ‘Premonition’ from 1983. Mixed by Dan Lacksman of TELEX using a Yamaha CS-15, Roland Juno-6, Roland TR-808 and no sequencers, there is an appealing Walloon detachment with Gallic girly refrains while the sound quality cannot be faulted.

From the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, VISION had Paul Statham from B-MOVIE temporarily join in 1982 at the invitation of vocalist Russell Bonnell in time to appear on ‘Lucifer’s Friend’; while its morose vocal delivery was very much de rigueur of the times, it is rich in bright keyboard melodics. A bouncy machine pop number from 1981, Selwin Image’s ‘The Unknown’ is not short of catchy hooks either but limited to self-release at the time on cassette, it was destined never to be widely heard.

A collaboration between Peta Lily and Michael Process, ‘I Am A Time Bomb’ is a delightfully odd feminist synth pop tune that does sound like one of Pamela Stephenson’s pop skits on ‘Not The Nine O’Clock News’, so it’s shame there is no wide eyed big haired visual accompaniment to this. Meanwhile, if Spizz did ‘Where’s Captain Kirk?’ as a synth track, then Kiwi Alasdair Riddell’s ‘Do You Read Me?’ is what it might have sounded like; its rousing Moog Sonic Six solo is rather magnificent.

Released in 1978, ‘The Ultimate Warlord’ was a favourite on the dancefloor of at The Blitz and it shines with a spiritual quality despite the spacey vocal detachment. This was the time when Daniel Miller launched THE NORMAL and produced by him, ‘Science Fiction’ by Alan Burnham is one of the better known recordings thanks to its recurring inclusion on a number of cult synth compilations; as no-one has ever tracked Mr Burnham, was he actually the Mute Records supremo all along?

Written and produced by Andreas Dorau while he was still at school and featuring various class mates on vocals, the original German language ‘Fred Vom Jupiter’ is a cult jewel of the era that got a UK release on Mute Records in 1982; it however loses in something in its English translation but remains delightful just the same.

With rousing crossover potential, John Howard’s ‘I Tune Into You’ was a 1980 major label release on CBS produced by Nicky Graham who later was the studio brains behind BROS. Meanwhile in another Goss twins connection, management interest came from Tom Watkins who also steered PET SHOP BOYS during their imperial phase but the partnership was not to be.

The eccentric Richard Bone was another cult figure of the era and written to test his then-new TEAC 4-track Portastudio, ‘Alien Girl’ from 1982 was one of several excellent singles made by the Anglophile New Yorker and bizarrely, a No1 in the Hong Kong dance music charts.

One person who was to have mainstream UK hit with ‘Hey Matthew’ in 1987 was Karel Fialka who had appeared on Virgin’s 1980 ‘Machines’ compilation with ‘The Eyes Have It’. From the year before, the self-released ‘Armband (The Mystery Song)’ remains a good example of garage synth based around a MicroMoog. Someone who had already tasted fame was THE GLITTER BAND bassist John Springate who in 1985 issued a slice of mad dystopian prog synth in ‘My Life’; comprising of three very different sections crammed into 4 and a half minutes, in places it sounds like DRAMATIS who were the original Numan band!

Playing to the robotic clichés of Futurism often associated with synth, THE MICROBES’ excellent ‘Computer’ is all staccato semi-spoken vocals to emulate John Foxx while THE GOO-Q’s messy ‘I’m A Computer’ utilises a vocoder that has been mixed far too loud! From 1982, ‘Famous Names’ by INCANDESCENT LUMINAIRE actually could have been autobiographical as DEPECHE MODE attended one of their gigs in their hometown of Stoke but while a good effort, it lacks the proficiency and clarity of the Basildon boys.

Using the Roland TB-303 Bass Line and TR-06 Drumatix combination, 1984’s ‘No Motion’ by DISCO VOLANTE is rhythmically tight but as with much of today’s electronic pop, it lacked a solid tune. However, it is a fascinating technical time piece before the 303 was used and abused in acid house. Dee Jay Bert and Eagle’s ‘I Am Your Master’ though is something of a novelty and what a Dutch Vincent Price impersonator doing a drone soundtrack for a Dracula movie would sound like.

And proving that those who work in the music press are just frustrated musicians, DREAM UNIT is revealed to be Graham ‘Mick’ Meikleham, now Production Editor at Uncut Magazine; while ‘Drop In The Ocean’ has some absorbing synth lines, he probably made the right career choice.

Other tracks such as Ian North’s ‘We’re Not Lonely’, the lo-fi synth instrumental ‘It’s Not What You Are But How’ by SOLE SISTER or the eponymous arty tone poem ‘Gerry & The Holograms’ are less immediate, but no less appealing if one prefers less melody. But the point of this collection is that the majority of these acts were writing and producing pop songs with wider ambitions, even if was to just become big fishes in their own esoteric ponds.

If you liked Cherry Red’s ‘Electrical Language – Independent British Synth Pop 78-84’ boxed set, Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs’ ‘The Tears Of Technology’ or ASPRA’s ‘Play For Tomorrow Vol.1’ but wished there were fewer established acts, then ‘All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978 -1985’ is for you. Painting a picture of beautiful failure, someone’s junk can easily be another’s treasure and there are plenty included here.

‘All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978 -1985’ is released 11th July 2025 on as a transparent pink or black double vinyl LP and double CD by Night School / School Daze Records, available from https://night-school.bandcamp.com/album/all-the-young-droids-junkshop-synth-pop-1978-1985

https://nightschoolrecords.com

Text by Chi Ming Lai
7th July 2025

2024 END OF YEAR REVIEW

27 December 2024 /

Image by Simon Helm

Me? Definitely Won’t Be! Join the #SynthResistance

When ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK came into being in March 2010, synth was still on a recovery path and it seemed PET SHOP BOYS were the only act continuing to fly the flag successfully having been awarded the BRIT Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution To Music’ the previous year.

While DEPECHE MODE and SIMPLE MINDS had released albums in 2009, their latest material showed few signs of their imperial phases. BLANCMANGE, NEW ORDER and SOFT CELL had not yet returned, ULTRAVOX were still to release ‘Brilliant’ despite a well-received live return and while THE HUMAN LEAGUE were regulars on the live circuit, they had not issued a new album for 9 years. Meanwhile OMD and DURAN DURAN were in a state of creative flux having released disappointing albums in ‘History Of Modern’ and ‘Red Carpet Massacre’ respectively.

However in 2024, most of these acts are performing to sizeable audiences and while ULTRAVOX may have called it a day in 2013, Midge Ure continues to tour with songs from ‘Vienna’, ‘Rage In Eden’, ‘Quartet’ and ‘Lament’. For these heritage acts, the concert circuit is now very lucrative and a testament to their music still standing up after several decades and most importantly for longevity, appealing to new and younger audiences.

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

But for new synth music generally, particularly in Britain, it appeared to be in decline although these signs had been very apparent over the past few years. One thing that has been significant about ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 30 SONGS OF 2024 was that on only 4 occasions was there full or part representation from the nation that seeded Synth Britannia… how the mighty have fallen! And when Taylor Swift is doing better electronic pop songs than most, then there’s a real problem!

First time around during 1994 to 1997, Britpop had as good as killed off the synth and with the news of the OASIS live reunion in 2025 grabbing all the headlines, it looks as though history is repeating itself. But everything is cyclical and there was a backlash against guitar bands after the new millennium began. There is hope yet but while a MIRRORS reunion is unlikely any time soon, it takes darkness to appreciate the light so anything is possible 😉

2024 was a year fraught with uncertainty and this was reflected musically. With ongoing political tensions in their homeland and having spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, MOLCHAT DOMA relocated from Belarus to Los Angeles. Their excellent fourth album ‘Belaya Polosa’ channelled the anxiety and fear of that journey into exile and literally saw the trio change from sounding like JOY DIVISION to sounding like NEW ORDER. But have they walked from the frying pan into the fryer?

Released back in March before the US Elections, one of the best albums of 2024, ‘Masochist’ by NIGHT CLUB became a dystopian prophecy come true. Emotions were summed up by the inclusion of ‘The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)’, a cover of the song by FUN BOY THREE. Written as a metaphor to the dangerous posturing games played by “The Cowboy” Ronald Reagan in 1981 during The Cold War, today the even crazier orange face is back followed by his flock of mindless MAGA sheep…

‘If You Tolerate This, Then Your Children Will Be Next’ sang MANIC STREET PREACHERS and more than ever in the UK, it is important to stand against the retarded racist scum getting behind the neo-fascist posturings of that pompous grifter Nigel Farage to cover up for their own life failings. Add in a crackpot billionaire who inherited blood money made during the vile South African Apartheid regime, playing a real life Dr Evil by throwing his cash into the far right and supporting the new Nazis in Germany of the AfD, and the world is in a very precarious position right now. Quoting Midge Ure who recently gave new live renditions of the ironically monikered RICH KIDS’ sadly relevant 1978 anti-Nazi anthem: “NEVER AGAIN DO I WANT TO HEAR THE SOUND OF MARCHING MEN!”

Anglo-German duo KALEIDA experienced an existential crisis due to the pressures of parenting and the shifting patterns of life. But Christina Wood and Cicely Goulder managed to make their long distance creative partnership work again and their reward was their third album ‘In Arms’. As the title suggested, it has been an impassioned battle capturing 3 years of artistic perseverance and reinforced their sense of purpose.

On a more personal level, Anglo-French artist Julia-Sophie delved deeper into the complexities of relationships by exploring themes of self-destruction, tenderness, love and emotional struggles. This is what happens when people ‘forgive too slow’ but swathed in an intriguing electronic sound, her understated fulfilment combined emotional unease with an airy beauty for some satisfying thoughtful listening for another of the best albums of 2024.

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

With the onset of climate change but still those in denial despite the scientific proof, Patricia Wolf conceived ‘The Secret Lives of Birds’. Having recorded various bird songs and calls, curiosity led her to become a conservationist and while her music was very beautiful at times, there were darker moments of angst and sadness driven by concern. Birds and their behaviour have been a creative haven for artists of a more ambient persuasion and Masayoshi Fujita continued his avian fascination on his new work ‘Migratory’.

Loula Yorke presented her new ‘Volta’ and the wonderful opener ‘It’s been decided that if you lay down no-one will die’ acted as a bittersweet meditation on overwhelm, an emotion many were feeling. For Finlay Shakespeare, his creative journey appeared to have taken its emotional toll and ‘Directions Out Of Town’ reflected turbulent times and was touted as possibly his last album. Meanwhile Polish producer ZAMILSKA summed feelings up with the impassioned ‘United Kingdom Of Anxiety’ as another exile from Belarus CHIKISS captured this moment ‘Between Time & Laziness’.

Photo by Thomas Stelzmann

While a new PET SHOP BOYS album was always on the cards and they duly delivered with their fifteenth ‘Nonetheless’, Michael Mertens and Ralf Dörper starting a new chapter of PROPAGANDA was perhaps on not on anyone’s bingo card at the start of 2024. Featuring the sultry vocals of Thunder Bae, PROPAGANDA presented an eponymous long player to signify a fresh start with the closing cover ‘Wenn Ich Mir Was Wünschen Dürfte’ being a key highlight.

There were several key esoteric releases in 2024; Gareth Jones and Daniel Miller released their third volume of ‘Electronic Music Improvisations’ as SUNROOF while Heiko Maile and Julian DeMarre offered ‘Neostalgia’, leaving Jori Hulkkonen with some ‘Hurt Humour’. And like a greeting from wherever he is now in the universe, Klaus Schulze had ‘101, Milky Way’ posthumously released in a continuation of his vast electronic legacy.

In 2024, there were albums released where 90 to 100% of the content comprised of previously released singles; one of those was the debut album by LEATHERS, the side-project of ACTORS keyboardist Shannon Hemmett which explored her love of dark electronic pop. Another was the appropriately titled ‘VII’ by Swedish duo KITE which was their seventh body of work containing music from their seven most recent singles released over the past seven years, gathering the power and the glory of their ambition.

Using a similar strategy,  R. MISSING finally released an album ‘Knife Shook Your Hand’ after years of embracing a scattergun standalone song approach which at times was frustrating to follow, especially with today’s now widely embraced Netflix-led home and mobile entertainment methodology of “binge watching” TV series.

Photo by Volker Maass

CAMOUFLAGE finally took their ‘Rewind To The Future & Goodbye’ tour on the German road with a show look backing on four decades. Meanwhile celebrating 45 years of BLANCMANGE, ‘Everything Is Connected’ was a new career-spanning collection supported by a tour where Neil Arthur supported himself with his collaborative side project THE REMAINDER. Celebrating 25 years of the multi-million selling ‘Play’, Moby delivered a mighty greatest hits set in front of a packed house at London’s O2 Arena as well as highlights from that album.

Midge Ure aired his catalogue of his greatest hits and with so many ULTRAVOX songs part of the set, it was difficult not to think of his departed bandmate Chris Cross who passed away this year. Another sad loss in 2024 who had connections to ULTRAVOX and their former leader John Foxx was the iconic photographer Brian Griffin; his other subjects included DEPECHE MODE, OMD, SPANDAU BALLET and TALK TALK.

With 16 tracks speeding through its restless 40 minutes, ‘Powder Dry’ saw Tim Bowness revisiting his passion for the post-punk and electronic pop acts of his teens, having opened for the solo Billy Currie version of ULTRAVOX and worked with members of JAPAN while in his first band NO-MAN with Steven Wilson; of course the latter has been behind the spate of new remixes of ULTRAVOX for their series of lavish boxed sets.

A number of veterans returned after long new release absences. Michel Moers, best known as the front man of Belgian electronic trailblazers TELEX released what was only his second solo studio album ‘As Is’ and had Claudia Brücken guest on its lead single ‘Microwaves. Meanwhile after several years in the making, Harald Grosskopf presented ‘Strom’, translated from German as “electricity”.

Across the Atlantic, Los Angeles-based multimedia artist Geneva Jacuzzi gave a detached Eurocentric poise reminiscent of Gina X and her third album ‘Triple Fire’ was an enjoyably delightful mix of accessible electronic pop and energetic art chaos. Comprising of North America’s alternative music power couple Tom Shear and Mari Kattman, HELIX took their fans to an ‘Unimaginable Place’ as another US based couple XENO & OAKLANDER further refined their precise yet spirited productions for their eight album ‘Via Negativa (in the doorway light)’.

Newer North American acts making a splash were IMMORTAL GIRLFRIEND and Canada’s MINDREADER while Los Angeles-based duo DIE SEXUAL finally brought their erotic charge to the stage opening for the likes of IAMX and LEÆTHER STRIP. But the most promising act emerging stateside were Haute & Freddy.

Photo by Tim Darin

For the past few years, Alison Lewis has focussed on her ZANIAS solo venture but she was back playing live with Ryan Ambridge as LINEA ASPERA in the summer with the pair having been quietly writing and recording new material together. Having found TikTok fame performing synthwave styled covers, DREAMKID released his second album ‘Daggers’ to capitalise on his social media traction while both exploring much darker climes, CURSES and CZARINA released their third full length albums.

In Europe, Belgian duo METROLAND released their sixth album ‘Forum’ as well as simultaneously maintaining their solo projects 808 DOT POP and LECTREAU. In Sweden, Johan Agebjörn was a very busy man releasing EPs with Yota and Mikael Ögren while also announcing he has a work-in-progress with NINA; the Queen of Synthwave’s own musical partnership with RADIO WOLF was developing nicely, with a European tour opening for CANNONS giving the couple a chance to showcase their darker sound.

As the summer ended, IONNALEE ambitiously issued her new album simultaneously in English and Swedish while Norwegian neighbours PISTON DAMP declared there were “No Points For Trying” as they launched the more pessimistic instalment of their twin volume ‘Mastermind’ album venture.

Photo by Joanna Wzorek

Presenting the second volume of their ‘Midnight Confessions’ series, ITALOCONNECTION were back with their vintage but modern style of Italo disco while Greco-German trio DINA SUMMER showed that good electronic dance music with a grittier impassioned outlook was alive and well in Berlin. Also based in the former divided city, Polish DJ and producer CHARLIE emerged as one of the promising new stars on the Italo-Proto scene.

Retrospective sets can often compile another time, another place as exemplified by releases this year from Bryan Ferry, Peter Baumann and NO-MAN proved. But the best one came from FRANK CHICKENS whose ‘Ninja Legends 1983-1989’ captured them in their quirky prime, especially on the collection of BBC radio  sessions which made it an essential purchase. On the book front, ‘1984: The Year Pop Went Queer’ was among the best.

The desire to revisit the past became a major thing in 2024, as exemplified by the frenzy surrounding the sale of tickets for the OASIS reunion shows which were among the first in the UK to employ the dreaded but perfectly legal scam of dynamic pricing. But the need to see any band years past their commercial peak with the likelihood of a less accomplished performance than before, be it vocally, musically or energetically, was a head scratching prospect. The music world has been trying to make up for lost time and money since 2021 but the post-covid gig bubble may have now burst.

With ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK having seen many bands back in the day at their best, the shows now available with a hint of nostalgia may not have been universally appealing as they were to those who were too young or not even born to have attended first time around. But paradoxically thanks to the dearth of new quality music, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK found itself listening to podcasts of old people talking about old music! So it was an honour to be invited by host Iain McDermott to chat about our favourite year in music 1981 for his wonderful ‘Back To NOW’ podcast centred around the noted compilation album series.

‘The Album Years’ hosted by Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness remarked that “talking about music IS the new music” and on the most knowledgeable, passionate and humorous podcasts, hosts were able to express their opinion and say a record or an artist was “sh*t” without immediate fear of social media retorts while also praising where praise was deserved!

But during a recent edition of ‘The Small Town Boys’, Clark Datchler of JOHNNY HATES JAZZ remarked that while music critics back in the day could be “cynical” and “nasty”, today they are at the other extreme and “sycophants now” with “hardly any criticism of records released” – this everything is brilliant mentality has undoubtedly led to an acceptance of mediocrity and a lack of perspective in a monoculture of medium pleasure.

With those forthright and articulate expressions key to their success, live presentations of these podcasts in theatres and arenas are becoming increasingly popular and profitable thanks to lower overheads, especially when compared to concerts.

Among ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s favourite music podcasts in 2024 were ‘Word In Your Ear’ presented by former Smash Hits and Q editors David Hepworth and Mark Ellen, ‘Electronically Yours With Martyn Ware’ and ‘The Giddy Carousel of Pop’ discussing the history of Smash Hits. But best of all was the more general podcast ‘The Rest Is Entertainment’ hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde which is part of Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger Podcast empire also behind ‘The Rest Is Politics’, ‘The Rest Is History’, ‘The Rest Is Money’, ‘The Rest Is Classified’ and ‘The Rest Is Football’; one suspects the popular socially conscious former footballer will not miss the BBC the way it will miss him 😉

If 2023 was something of a strange year, 2024 might have actually been stranger. There is a glimmer of hope for the future, but the signs are already there that things may get worse, be it socially, politically, environmentally or culturally… sometimes, people really do deserve what they get!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 2024 playlist ‘The Great Bleep Forward’ containing over 235 tracks from the year can be listened to on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4xMrAkCbeWvUmTfrN6i6Gu

Text by Chi Ming Lai
27th December 2024

A Beginners Guide To KOMPUTER – FORTRAN 5 – I START COUNTING & Friends

22 October 2024 /

“We are the perfect pop band” said KOMPUTER in 1998 on their debut album ‘The World Of Tomorrow’.

Comprising of Simon Leonard and Dave Baker, KOMPUTER emerged in 1996 as a response to OASIS ripping off THE BEATLES; “We decided that someone should rip off KRAFTWERK, so we did, and the name we chose was KOMPUTER”  said Baker, “Subsequent releases were less obviously KRAFTWERK influenced and still do!”

But some were not into the concept with one observation being remembered by Baker written in a review of a 1996 show at The Garage in London: “My memory of that Garage gig is a very animated and upset young man in an ill-fitting jumper, spilling Tuborg about the place, screaming at the top of his voice, ‘WHAT IS THE FACKING POINT?!’”

Simon Leonard had released experimental music in 1979 as FILE UNDER POP with the Rough Trade single ‘Heathrow’ and as AK PROCESS with the self-explanatory ‘Electronic’ on Output Records. Meanwhile Dave Baker played keyboards in a band called SONS OF CAIN; “I had no creative input except for keyboard parts” he recollected, “I got increasingly fed up and walked off stage one night in the middle of a gig and left the band!”

Baker and Leonard had met at Middlesex Polytechnic in 1982 and bonded over a love of pop. With Baker’s own first experiences of synth sounds coming from ‘Switched On Bach’, then Tomita’s ‘Snowflakes Are Dancing’ and ‘Autobahn’ coupled with Leonard’s experience of having already released electronic music, it was only natural that they would become a synth duo.

Named after the coming-of-age drama thriller starring Jenny Agutter, they became I START COUNTING, signing to Mute Records in 1984. “Some of the synths we started with are still in use” Baker told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, “Roland 100M modular system, Roland VP330, Korg MS20. A little later the Roland SH101 twins arrived, then the Yamaha CS30. When we started as I START COUNTING we used a Roland MC 4 sequencer, then an MC500, followed by Atari based sequencing. We started using Ableton Live as KOMPUTER.”.

Despite I START COUNTING opening for ERASURE on their 1987 European tour, the musical landscape was changing. The new music that Leonard and Baker were making fell under the spell of techno as the dance music revolution took hold. So in 1990, “for a fresh, initially anonymous start and a new dancey direction”, the duo became FORTRAN 5.

FORTRAN 5 was of a more collaborative umbrella, working with a variety of artists including Thrash from THE ORB, DJ Colin Faver, Neil Arthur, Jocelyn West, Katharine Blake, Larry Graham, Rod Slater of THE BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND and Derek Nimmo. Samplers became the order of the day. Baker remembered “the original Mute studio above Rough Trade in Kings Cross had an Akai S612, then we got our own Greengate DS3 sampler, followed by the Akai S900 and S1000, followed by an Emu E5000 which is still in use”.

Despite their first live appearance in a while at London’s Electrowerkz in 2019, currently “KOMPUTER is resting but may revive any time” said Baker, “Meanwhile I continue to release material as LONELYKLOWN. I have also just re-released my OOO EEE OOO album ‘Burning Through Time’ on CD and digital. All my solo music is available from my Bandcamp at https://davethekeys.bandcamp.com/ “

Material from their three main incarnations was combined in 2011 for the release of ‘Konnecting…’ and while all these different monikers and side projects could be a challenge to follow, they served a purpose; “Because we refreshed our musical identity once in a while” said Baker, “we re-evaluated our working methods and priorities regularly”

So with commentary from Dave Baker himself, here is ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 20 track Beginners Guide to the KOMPUTER axis and its many konnections…

AK-47 Stop! Dance! (1981)

Named after the assault rifle by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, AK-47 was another solo moniker of Simon Leonard. A lively slice of minimal synth with the vocodered phrases that referenced the weapon, ‘Stop! Dance!’ was released a year before Leonard met David Baker – “Simon was working with other people when I joined but they gradually stopped contributing, leaving the two of us. We were friends, DJ-ed and discussed music before we started working together.”

Available on the compilation boxed set ‘Musik Music Musique 2.0 1981 – The Rise Of Synth Pop’ (V/A) via Cherry Red Records

I START COUNTING Letters To A Friend (1984)

The first I START COUNTING single was produced by Daniel Miller. ‘Letters To A Friend’ was “Our first release on Mute” reminisced Baker of the charmingly deadpan English pop tune with a bright glassy backdrop that sounded like it was recorded in a church. It was “demoed on a Portastudio at Simon’s stepmum’s in Hampstead. Programmed on Daniel’s Synclavier at his mum’s in Decoy Avenue. Musically inspired by a CULTURE CLUB song, lyrically autobiographical”.

Available on the I START COUNTING / FORTRAN 5 / KOMPUTER compilation ‘Konnecting…’ via Mute Records

I START COUNTING Still Smiling (1985)

Also produced by Daniel Miller and with the metallic resonances of ‘Some Great Reward’ era DEPECHE MODE, the bouncy ‘Still Smiling’ was “Almost a sequel to ‘Letters To A Friend’” recalled Baker, “The B-side was ‘There Is Always The Unexpected’ which foretold our future experimentation! Simon and I have both always loved and admired the Daniel Miller and Flood’s extended remix of this. Adrian Sherwood did an amazing one too”.

Available on the I START COUNTING / FORTRAN 5 / KOMPUTER compilation ‘Konnecting…’ via Mute Records

I START COUNTING Ra! Ra! Rawhide (Rasputin) (1988)

Using an edited JFK quote “Communism is the wave of the future” on the artwork while turning Frankie Laine and BONEY M into a musical Frankenstein’s Monster, Dave Baker recalled this early example of a mash-up (before the term existed) as: “A biting piece of political satire bookending the American cowboy classic ‘Rawhide’ and the classic Russian anthem ‘Rasputin’, which so inspired LADY GAGA. There was a scathing review by Mark E. Smith somewhere”.

Originally released on the I START COUNTING single ‘Ra! Ra! Rawhide (Rasputin)’ via Mute Records, currently unavailable

FORTRAN 5 Heart On The Line (1991)

‘Heart On The Line’ was an airy part spoken-part sung folky number with a blissful electronic dance backdrop number was that deserved to be hit when the UK charts was full of rave-driven novelty material that was far inferior. “The original demo sampled the intro from the BLONDIE song ‘X Offender’” said Baker, “Vocals by two of MIRANDA SEX GARDEN (we helped produce their first single in return). Remixes by Vince Clarke, Moby and Justin Robertson!”.

Available on the album via the I START COUNTING / FORTRAN 5 / KOMPUTER compilation ‘Konnecting…’ via Mute Records

FORTRAN 5 featuring DEREK NIMMO Layla (1993)

A superb eccentric upper class reading of ‘Layla’ that saw “Derek doing Derek”, Eric Clapton’s worldwide hit (which incidentally he DID NOT play the signature riff for, that was actually Duane Allman!) was turned into classic English poetry over bouncy electronic backing – “Derek Nimmo was a famous 70s comedy actor” Baker remembered, ”We actually got him in the Mute studio to record this. He was very entertaining and humble!”

Available on the album via the I START COUNTING / FORTRAN 5 / KOMPUTER compilation ‘Konnecting…’ via Mute Records

FORTRAN 5 VP330 (1995)

Named after the Roland Vocoder Plus VP330, Baker said “That VP330 has been through a lot but it still works perfectly. Bought new 1979/80, toured around UK and Europe, on loan to Studio Mute for a few years, now part of my home studio set up. A few of the keys have melted patches where Simon rested cigars”. Using the VP330’s distinctive if less realistic synthetic choirs, the track had an eerie KRAFTWERK resonance in a sign of things to come.

Available on the FORTRAN 5 album ‘Avocado Suite’ via Mute Records

JOHN CAME Ink Tank (1995)

Rumoured to have been ERASURE in disguise, John Came was actually a Leonard and Baker side project where a singular persona was adopted to create the illusion of a lone frontman. Baker remembered that the sinister robotised ‘In Tank’ was “The only track on the album ‘Rhythmicon’ with vocals. These were produced by a custom made talking box, which required painstaking and time consuming programming. We made a brilliant video on Super 8 film”.

Available on the JOHN CAME album ‘Rhythmicon’ via Mute Records

KOMPUTER Valentina Tereshkova (1996)

Embracing the “K” word and mining ‘The Model’ while speeding it up, this was a tribute to the first female Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. But Baker recalled how the song could have come out quite differently: “An original demo was made with Claudia Brücken, with completely different melody and lyrics. The eventual lyrics were inspired by BONEY M’s sometimes biographical style. An anonymous, instrumental 12” was also released”.

Available on the KOMPUTER album ‘The World Of Tomorrow’ via Mute Records

KOMPUTER Terminus – Memory Man (1998)

The highlight of the debut KOMPUTER album as ‘Terminus Interminus’ with its strong ‘Trans-Europe Express’ in outer space vibe, ‘Terminus’ came in a number of variants without the original’s transport narration. A remix by German DJ COSMIC BABY was chosen to be the single but Baker preferred “An excellent mix by the very talented Mr Daniel Miller” as Memory Man which provided a frantic electro tension not present on the other versions.

Available on the I START COUNTING / FORTRAN 5 / KOMPUTER Digital Deluxe album ‘Konnecting… (B-Sides And Rarities)’ via Mute Records

KOMPUTER Kompaktor (2002)

Taking a far more abstract experimental approach on the second KOMPUTER long player, ‘Kompaktor’ was “Inspired by the sounds of a large rubbish crushing machine on Old Spitalfields Market, where Simon and myself worked for many years. It made very loud creaking, wailing sounds like some gigantic elephant or something. From the album ‘Market Led’ which used many samples from both the market and discarded records we reused”.

Available on the KOMPUTER album ‘Market Led’ via Mute Records

KOMPUTER My Private Train (2003)

Compiled by Wayne Clements of Essex duo MACONDO, ‘Robopop Volume 1’ was possibly the closest thing to the ‘Some Bizzare Album’ in the 21st Century. ‘My Private Train’ dated from ‘The World Of Tomorrow’ sessions and was “Never given a standalone release” as Baker recalled, “it was included on a synthpop compilation. I still really like this song. A video was made on a train journey we made between London and Scotland to play at a festival”.

Available on the compilation album ‘Robopop Volume 1’ (V/A) via Lucky Pierre Recordings

KOMPUTER Headphones & Ringtones (2007)

After the pure KRAFTWERK homage of their debut and the experimental sampling of its follow-up, the third KOMPUTER album ‘Synthetik’ explored the brave new world of virtual synths. ‘Headphones & Ringtones’ was an impassive but witty observation on how music consumption had changed in the 21st Century. “The title came from a line from another song, ‘Night Bus’, which was demoed but never released” said Baker.

Available on the album via ‘Synthetik’ via Mute Records

ERASURE Victim Of Love – KOMPUTER Mix (2009)

Having already remixed ERASURE previously as FORTRAN 5 with their ‘Lay All Your Love On Me (No Panties Mix)’, Leonard and Baker were back again with a new take on ‘Victim Of Love’ for the companion piece of the expanded ‘Total Pop! The First 40 Hits’ collection: “I just listened to it for probably the first time since making it and thought it sounded very good” said Baker, “I think the idea was to make it sound more ERASURE than ERASURE”.

Available on the ERASURE compilation album ‘Pop Remixed’ via Mute Records

OMD The Right Side? (2010)

‘The Right Side?’ was the closer of the ‘History Of Modern’ album featuring new vocals, lyrics and melody from Andy McCluskey who had an idea based on ‘Looking Down From London (Metroland)’ after hearing the KOMPUTER remix; “Andy from OMD rang me to ask permission to use our track. Of course we agreed. We were very surprised and pleased with the resulting song, which basically kept our original intact as the basis”.

Available on the OMD album ‘History Of Modern’ via Blue Noise

BLANCMANGE God’s Kitchen – KOMPUTER Remix (2014)

With ‘Happy Families Too’, Neil Arthur wanted to approach BLANCMANGE’s classic debut album using modern technology with updated references like “I’ve just been shopping… online!” on ‘Kind’. The bonus tracks were remixes by Vince Clarke who reworked ‘Living On The Ceiling’ and KOMPUTER who did ‘Cruel’ and ‘God’s Kitchen’; “This is really very good” said Baker of the latter, “I don’t remember anything about making it at all!”

Available on the album BLANCMANGE album ‘Happy Families Too’ via Blank Check

DAVE THE KEYS The Lights Of The Pub (2020)

“My first solo release for the first Lockdown Christmas of 2020”, Baker had envisaged ‘The Lights Of The Pub’ “as a ‘Fairytale Of North London’, it was a tribute to all the pubs standing empty at this time, remembering festive seasons of the past and looking forward (hopefully) at future ones. It specifically referenced The Lamb on London’s Holloway Road, where I play piano every Thursday and raised funds for a Crowdfunder in aid of the pub”.

Available on the single ‘The Lights Of The Pub’ via https://davethekeys.bandcamp.com/track/the-lights-of-the-pub

KOMPUTER Spacer (2020)

From a charity collection comprising of 22 cover versions, it featured an enjoyable Komputerised take on the 1979 Sheila B Devotion disco classic complete with dreamy vocoder. Baker said ‘Spacer’ was “One of very few cover versions we have ever done, released on a compilation in aid of a Crowdfunder for The Lamb pub. The original is one of my favourite ever 12 inch singles, with genius production from Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards of CHIC”.

Available on the compilation album ‘Hatful Of Holloway’ (V/A) via Lamb Ade at https://smarturl.it/hatful-of-holloway

OOO EEE OOO Summer 20 (2021)

Taken from the OOO EEE OOO album ‘Burning Through Time’ released on limited edition cassette only in 2021 and re-released on CD and digital in July 2024, Baker added “This is my favourite track on the album, including snatches of radio noise and speech as well as field recordings from local walks in Queens Wood, Highgate. I like to think it conjures up an atmosphere of being suspended in time in an endless summer”.

Available on the OOO EEE OOO album ‘Burning Through Time’ via https://davethekeys.bandcamp.com/album/burning-through-time

LONELYKLOWN Everything I Try To Do Is Wrong (2022)

Waste not – want not, ‘Everything I Try To Do Is Wrong’ was “actually a rejected KOMPUTER song. During Lockdown I would walk to Simon’s flat in Crouch End every Friday and exchange ideas. I would give him a USB stick with audio on and he would give me handwritten lyric ideas. This was a combination of verses Simon wrote and a chorus idea I’d had a while ago. Simon didn’t think the resulting song was really KOMPUTER so I asked if I could have it”.

Available on the LONELYKLOWN EP ‘Wrong X4’ via https://davethekeys.bandcamp.com/album/wrong-x4

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Dave Baker

https://komp46.wixsite.com/komputer

https://www.facebook.com/KomputerOfficial

https://www.instagram.com/komputerdave/

https://twitter.com/komputerdave

https://linktr.ee/lonelyklown

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1gEqsqT3mT13pTcUhEyzzs

Text by Chi Ming Lai with thanks to Simon Helm
22nd October 2024

A Beginner’s Guide To GARETH JONES

1 April 2024 /

Gareth Jones was born in Lancashire and while he played a number of instruments as a youngster, his interest soon turned to music technology with the purchase of a tape recorder.

He gained his formal training at the BBC and began working as an engineer in various recording spaces including Pathway, a small 8 track studio in North London which was frequently used by Stiff Records and where THE DAMNED recorded ‘New Rose’ in 1976. It was there that he worked on MADNESS’ debut single ‘The Prince’ in 1979. But it was his work with former ULTRAVOX front man John Foxx and his 1980 long playing debut ‘Metamatic’ that was to be his breakthrough.

This led to work producing esoteric acts such as TUXEDOMOON and TAUCHEN-PROKOPETZ; it was while working with the latter on the 1983 ‘DÖF’ record in Vienna that it was suggested that Jones mix the album at Hansa Tonstudio in West Berlin. At the time, it was the most high-tech complex he had ever worked in and prompted to his relocation to die Mauerstadt.

Many British bands began recording and mixing in Berlin as the exchange rate made things highly cost effective. It was while Jones was engineering the recording of the third DEPECHE MODE album ‘Construction Time Again’ at John Foxx’s own studio The Garden in Shoreditch that he proposed mixing the record in Berlin. He had been initially reluctant to work with DEPECHE MODE who he considered lightweight but was eventually persuaded by Foxx to become their Tonmeister.

Gareth Jones was a pioneer in the use of state of art digital equipment including the NED Synclavier and AMS digital delays; among his techniques was using the big ballroom at Hansa to capture atmospheres created by sounds being played through large amplifiers which were then recorded with microphones, creating a huge cavernous sound.

Although chiefly known for his work with synths and sampling, Jones also worked with more guitar driven bands such as WIRE, THE HOUSE OF LOVE, INSPIRAL CARPETS and MOGWAI as well as dark lord Nick Cave. After the fall of The Iron Curtain, Jones later returned to London where he remains today at his current base theArtLab within The Strongroom complex in London.

Having fought cancer in 2008, he continues to produce, mix and compose with a third SUNROOF album with Daniel Miller currently in progress. Meanwhile Jones had also provided his expertise and guidance to emerging studio personnel via the Red Bull Academy.

With a restriction of one track per album project and in chronological order, here are 20 tracks which form ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s Beginner’s Guide to the innovative career of Gareth Jones.

JOHN FOXX Plaza (1980)

Having departed ULTRAVOX, when John Foxx recorded his debut solo record, Gareth Jones was the engineer at Pathway, a studio known for its reggae sessions. While the aim was a starker vision of electronic music, both Foxx and Jones absorbed dub influences where things would be stripped back but one sound given all the power. As well as the surprise hit single ‘Underpass’, this aesthetic suited the dystopian ‘Metamatic’ opener ‘Plaza’.

Available on the JOHN FOXX album ‘Metamatic’ via Metamatic Records

http://www.metamatic.com/

TUXEDOMOON Incubus (1981)

Impressed with the sound of ‘Metamatic’, TUXEDOMOON had originally sought John Foxx to produce their next album ‘Desire’ but unavailable, he put the American art rockers in touch with Gareth Jones. “Gareth was brilliant, fabulous” said the band’s Blaine L Reininger, “He was able to teach us; kind of organise us”. On one of the highlights was  ‘Incubus’ which used the same Roland CR-78 Compurhythm used as on ‘Metamatic’.

Available on the TUXEDOMOON album ‘Desire’ via Crammed Discs

https://www.tuxedomoon.co/

JOHN FOXX Dancing Like A Gun (1981)

With a second album and studio both named ‘The Garden’, Gareth Jones was again working with John Foxx to realise both. After the colder overtures of ‘Metamatic’, Foxx had thawed out considerably after a holiday in Italy and as a result, traditional instrumentation returned. ‘Dancing Like A Gun’ contradicted its “Oppenheimer waltzing” line but blended synth with art rock to recall ‘Quiet Men’ from his ULTRAVOX days.

Available on the JOHN FOXX album ‘The Garden’ via Metamatic Records

https://www.facebook.com/johnfoxxmetamatic

DEPECHE MODE Two Minute Warning (1983)

Working alongside Daniel Miller who continued as producer, Gareth Jones had DEPECHE MODE sampling found sounds around the-then derelict surroundings of Shroreditch to create a new sonic template in pop. Songs like ‘Everything Counts’, ‘Pipeline’ and ‘More Than A Party had socio-political themes while the Alan Wilder composed ditty ‘Two Minute Warning’ reflected the heightened Cold War angst of the time.

Available on the DEPECHE MODE album ‘Construction Time Again’ via Sony Music

https://www.depechemode.com/

FAD GADGET Collapsing New People (1984)

Frank Tovey had been intrigued by the sound of German industrial band EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN whose name translated into English as “collapsing new buildings” and their use of industrial equipment and found objects. So while recording at Hansa, he got Gareth Jones to record a large printing press nearby as the basis for a loop rhythm that became ‘Collapsing New People’, one of the best FAD GADGET singles.

Available on the FAD GADGET album ‘Gag’ via Mute Records

https://www.instagram.com/fadgadgetofficial/

BLAINE L REININGER Mystery & Confusion (1984)

For his first second solo album, Blaine L Reininger was reunited with Gareth Jones at the production helm. Using Roland’s portable pre-MIDI holy trinity of the TB-303 Bassline, the SH-101 monosynth and the TR-808 Rhythm Composer synced via a customised cable, its highlight was the cinematic synthpop of ‘Mystery & Confusion’ which saw the TUXEDOMOON leader exude a distinct Eurocentric spirit.

Available on the BLAINE L REININGER album ‘Night Air’ via Les Disques du Crépuscule

https://lesdisquesducrepuscule.com/blaine_l_reininger.html

PALAIS SCHAUMBURG Beat Of 2 (1984)

An influential Neue Deutsche Welle band from Hamburg, PALAIS SCHAUMBURG were on the bill with DEPECHE MODE at the 1981 Mute Night at the London Lyceum. Their members included Thomas Fehlmann who went on to join THE ORB as well as produce ERASURE and experimental producer Holger Hiller. The percussive ‘Beat Of 2’ turned out to be their final single and was produced by Gareth Jones alongside Inga Humpe.

Available on the PALAIS SCHAUMBURG album ‘Parlez-Vous Schaumburg?’ via Mercury Records

http://palaisschaumburg.com/

HUMPE HUMPE Yama-ha (1985)

A slice of quirky Neue Deutsche Welle from sisters Annette and Inga Humpe, ‘Yama-ha’ was produced by Roma Baran who had worked on Laurie Anderson’s ‘O Superman’. The “shopping list” synth and sample number listing a number of Japanese tech and vehicle manufacturers was remixed by Gareth Jones. Incidentally the B-side ‘Memories’ was produced by Conny Plank. In the UK, the duo was known as SWIMMING WITH SHARKS.

Available on the HUMPE HUMPE album ‘The Platinum Collection’ via Warner Music Group Germany

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063561587623

EINSTURZEN NEUBAUTEN Yü-Gung (1985)

With their early albums characterised by harsh shouting and screaming, when Gareth Jones was brought in to work with EINSTURZEN NEUBAUTEN, it was to provide a sense of order to the West Berlin group’s experimental metal-bashing. Using sampling technology to provide an avant-dance palette to accompany Blixa Bargeld’s fierce chant of “FÜTTER MEIN EGO”, the sinister rhythm was inspired by the sound of chopping up speed!

Available on the EINSTURZEN NEUBAUTEN album ‘Halber Mensch’ via Potomak

https://neubauten.org/

BRONSKI BEAT Hit That Perfect Beat (1985)

Featuring new BRONSKI BEAT singer John Jøn Foster following the departure of Jimmy Somerville, ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’ was a frantically paced HI-NRG track helmed by Adam Williams of THE SELECTER who had been co-producer on EURYTHMICS’ singles ‘The Walk’ and ‘Love Is A Stranger’. Impressed by his work for DEPECHE MODE, Gareth Jones did the final mix which replicated the pumping presence of ‘Master & Servant’.

Available on the BRONSKI BEAT album ‘Truthdare Doubledare’ via London Records

https://www.facebook.com/bronskibeatband

DEPECHE MODE Stripped (1986)

Rising from Tonmeister to co-producer during ‘Some Great Reward’, Jones continued in the role for ‘Black Celebration’. By now, Martin Gore’s songs had got bleaker and bleaker. Inspired by German film director Werner Herzog, Daniel Miller wanted a dystopian intensity and the album to be lived, a feeling which ramped up when the band finished the album in Berlin. ‘Stripped’ was the “remarkable” single that heralded this darker direction.

Available on the DEPECHE MODE album ‘Black Celebration’ via Sony Music

https://www.facebook.com/depechemode

MINISTRY Just Like You (1986)

Having debuted with the synth-oriented ‘With Sympathy’ album in 1983, by 1986 MINISTRY had become more abrasive with industrial elements creeping into their sound. Engineered by Gareth Jones but produced by Adrian Sherwood of On-U Sound, the beat driven ‘Just Like You’ featured a Fairlight CMI which mainman Al Jourgensen had been able to acquire as a part of the deal with Sire Records.

Available on the MINISTRY album ‘Twitch’ via Rhino Records

https://ministryband.com/

NITZER EBB Let Your Body Learn (1987)

Founded by Bon, Douglas McCarthy and David Gooday, with their musical premise of “muscle and hate”, NITZER EBB took the seed of DAF to develop a danceable industrial finesse. While Phil Harding of PWL fame produced and mixed most of their debut long player released by Mute, Gareth Jones and Daniel Miller teamed up to remix their energetic single ‘Let Your Body Learn’ which had bee originally independently issued in 1986.

Available on the NITZER EBB album ‘That Total Age’ via Mute Records

https://www.nitzerebbprodukt.com/

ERASURE Blue Savannah (1989)

After his DEPECHE MODE Berlin trilogy, Gareth Jones remained in the Mute family and began a long-standing working relationship with ERASURE. The concept of ‘Blue Savannah’ was Roy Orbison doing electronic pop. As co-producer with Mark Saunders, he provided an uncluttered backdrop to showcase the soaring optimism of what was to become one of the most universally loved songs by Andy Bell and Vince Clarke.

Available on the ERASURE album ‘Wild!’ via Mute Records

https://www.erasureinfo.com/

IRMIN SCHMIDT Gormenghast Drift (1991)

When Mute Records licensed the CAN back catalogue in 1990 via their manager Hildegard Schmidt’s Spoon imprint, there came the opportunity to work on new solo recordings with their keyboard virtuoso Irmin Schmidt. With Gareth Jones as co-producer, while there were vocals and contributions from bandmates Jaki Liebezeit and Michael Karoli, the closing instrumental ‘Gormenghast Drift’ was an atmospheric delight.

Available on the IRMIN SCHMIDT album ‘Impossible Holidays’ via Spoon Records

https://mutebank.co.uk/collections/irmin-schmidt

ERASURE Grace (1995)

An attempt at prog synth which Andy Bell referred to as ‘Bright Side Of The Sun’, the seventh ERASURE album saw Gareth Jones and Thomas Fehlmann work together as producers on the ambitious if flawed self-titled opus. While there was the brilliant under rated single ‘Fingers and Thumbs (Cold Summer’s Day)’, there were also beautiful emotive neo-classical moments such as ‘Grace’ among the highlights.

Available on the ERASURE album ‘Erasure’ via Mute Records

https://www.facebook.com/erasureinfo

BOYTRONIC Living Without You (2002)

The 21st Century incarnation of BOYTRONIC saw the return of original frontman Holger Wobker. The anthemic ‘Living Without You’, which was one of two songs produced by Gareth Jones for the parent album ‘Autotunes’, utilised an impressive array of instrumentation including electronics, filmic orchestrations and rock guitars as well as Wobker’s impassioned vocals.

Available on the BOYTRONIC album ‘Autotunes’ via Strange Ways Records

https://www.facebook.com/BoytronicOriginal/

MESH No Place Like Home (2006)

When it suggested that MESH work with Gareth Jones, the band were initially reluctant because of the inevitable DEPECHE MODE comparisons. But Rich Silverthorn remembered “He was a really nice guy. We spent about 10 days locked in eating Chinese food, laughing and mixing ‘We Collide’”. Of the six tracks Jones mixed, ‘No Place Like Home’ proved to be one of the most poignant songs of MESH’s career.

Available on the MESH album ‘We Collide’ via Dependent Records

http://www.mesh.co.uk/

GARETH JONES Safe Travels (2020)

On the milestone of his 65th birthday, Gareth Jones’ released ‘ELECTROGENETIC‘, his first album under his own name. Most of the tracks began as improvisations around a modular patch, then crafted in a blend of humanity and electronics. While in Detroit, he developed the subtle rhythmic pulse and absorbing keyboard overtures of ‘Safe Travels’, one of several poignant tracks commemorating his recently passed mother and mother-in-law.

Available on the GARETH JONES album ‘ELECTROGENETIC‘ via Calm + Collect

https://www.instagram.com/garethgeniusjones/

SUNROOF 1.8 – 2.3.19 (2021)

A studio collaboration between Gareth Jones and Daniel Miller, while this project mostly produced covers such as ‘Hero’ for ‘A Homage to NEU!’ in 1998 and assorted remixes, SUNROOF started playing live shows and finally released a debut long player ‘Electronic Music Improvisations Vol1’. It featured a collection of improvised modular experiments recorded in 2019, of which the energetic ‘1.8 – 2.3.19’ was the most immediate.

Available on the SUNROOF album ‘Electronic Music Improvisations Vol1’ via Mute Artists

https://mute.com/artists/sunroof

Text by Chi Ming Lai
1st April 2024

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