Archive for the synth Category

Bunnydrums

Posted in 1980s, 2000s, bunnydrums, philadelphia, post-punk, synth on August 21, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Please pardon the lack of updates over the past few days, my dears…but I have been indisposed and out of town. That said, I’ve dug up an old favorite for you folks today, one that were once on to something great before disbanding prematurely, but have since resurrected themselves and are a currently active and coherent unit.

Bunnydrums culminated with various members of the Philadelphia punk rock scene in 1980. Keen on expanding the punk aesthetic with a slew of dance rhythms, saxophones, and electronics, Bunnydrums would set up shop and focus most of their energy recording, but would occasionally gig out in support of such bands as R.E.M., Pere Ubu, Bauhaus, and the Cult.

The band released a handful of singles, a duo of EPs, and two full length, 1983’s PKD and 1984’s Holy Moly before their split on New Year’s Eve, 1986. Though the current lineup occasionally explored other musical avenues and managed a few one-off shows the year after they split, the band would remain dormant until the new millennium, when the band shockingly reunited. Though they have yet to release new tracks, they’ve been gigging steadily in the east coast, and after signing to Metropolis Records, they have since remastered and re-released most of their back catalog on the compilation PKD/Simulacra.

For your listening pleasure, I’ve uploaded two seminal Bunnydrums tracks, the driving synthetic drone of ‘Smithson’ and the funky dark groove of ‘Holy Moly.’
Enjoy!

download Bunnydrums- ‘Smithson’
download Bunnydrums- ‘Holy Moly’

and here’s a youtube video of the revamped band performing the song ‘Closed Eyes’ live at the Trocadero in July of this year.

Keep your eyes peeled for Bunnydrums live dates in the east coast, including a gig in NYC with our little band, Funeral Crashers in October! For interested purchasing parties, here’s a link to order PKD/Simulacra on CD:

Purchase PKD/Simulacra
Bunnydrums on myspace

(thanks to Marc for chiming in with a few corrections!)

The Fast Set- Junction One 7”

Posted in 1980, 1980s, 4ad, minimal, synth, the fast set, wave on August 14, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Some classic minimal synth for you today, ladies and gentlemen… Today’s band is the Fast Set, a one man synth project who’s first and only 7” recording was also the very first release on Axis, aka 4AD.

The Fast Set is comprised of avant-artist David Knight, who signed with with Axis records upon its inception in 1980, just before label-head Ivo Watts-Russel was forced to change the label’s name to 4AD. As a one man project, the Fast Set recorded just one 7” single for the song ‘Junction One’ in 1980. The b-side of the single was a synthetic dirge rendition of ‘Children of the Revolution’ by T.Rex.

The band’s only other recorded moment was a cover of T.Rex’s ‘King of the Rumbling Spires,’ released on a Some Bizzare compilation in 1981. Afterwards, David disbanded his project and went on to work with the likes of Danielle Dax and the Shockheaded Peters.

Here’s that lone single for your listening and downloading pleasure:

The Fast Set- Junction One 7”
1. Junction One
2. Children of the Revolution

*DOWNLOAD LINKS REMOVED* Click here to purchase these via 4AD’s official site.

Testcard F

Posted in 1980s, british, minimal, synth, synthpunk, testcard f, wave on August 9, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s band, Testcard F, has so little recorded output that I almost considered tossing it all at you, but that would take all the fun out of hunting it down and savoring it, wouldn’t it?

In fact, there’s not only just two singles and a John Peel recording available, there’s very little information to be found about this British band, aside from a few bits and bobs:

The band formed in 1981, and reconstructed and built their own synthesizers. 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 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.

I’ve uploaded their b-sides, both tracks which I enjoy more than their respective flip. The first, ‘Unfamiliar Room’ is a particular favorite of mine, featured on the Bandwagon Tango 7” and the second the b-side of the Third Stroke 7”. If anyone is anxious for the remaining a-sides and Peel recordings, drop a line and I’ll happily upload the rest.

download Testcard F- ‘Unfamiliar Room’
download Testcard F- ‘If Only it Wasn’t’

…and sadly, I have no photos, youtube clips, or homepages for you today, and naturally since their material is so far out of print, if you manage to come in cahoots with either of these vinyl singles, snap them up in a heartbeat!

Colin Newman

Posted in 1980s, art-punk, british, colin newman, synth, wave, wire on August 7, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop


Having gone though rather huge phases listening to nothing but post-punk greats Wire for a few days in a row, it’s no shock that I’ve also inspected and been overjoyed with the various side projects and solo outings during the band’s off-time. Today’s artist is one of the double frontmen of Wire and the primary tunesmith, Mr. Colin Newman.

When the British band temporarily split in 1980 after three records, Colin quickly pursued a solo career, taking the art-damaged direction that Wire had experimented with on both Chairs Missing and 154. The result didn’t fall far from the tree, for Colin recorded a series of three records in a similar art-pop style. The first, 1980’s A-Z, was released on Beggar’s Banquet and featured ‘Alone,’ a haunting track tapped near-ten years later for the soundtrack to Silence of the Lambs and covered by friends in 4AD project This Mortal Coil. Both 1981’s Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish and 1982’s Not To were released on 4AD, once they were able to properly finance Newman’s recordings. The first featured instrumental tracks as a series of numbered fish while the second consisted of new recordings and reworked Wire outtakes.

Though Wire reformed in 1984 and has remained intermittently active since, Colin released three more solo records and an EP for various labels. The last, 1997’s Bastard was a largely collective and collaborative electronic outing. Over the years, Colin has also produced records for the Virgin Prunes and Minimal Compact, produced recorded full-lengths with Wire as well as longtime collaborator and wife Malka Spigel, managed Wire’s Pinkflag label, and also done double-duty as a member of Githead, an experimental rock outfit.

I’ve uploaded two solo Newman tracks for the downloading; ‘Alone’ from A-Z and ‘Don’t Bring Reminders’ from Not To.

download Colin Newman- ‘Alone’
download Colin Newman- ‘Don’t Bring Reminders’

Most of his solo and collaborative band material is easily available through Amazon and your local record shoppes, so pick some up if you’re into it! For a more thorough biography and discography on Colin, click this link:

Colin Newman web-hub
Colin Newman via 4AD