Here’s a series of releases that haven’t been posted yet, to my knowledge, but are certainly worth hearing. Fans of dark synth music should be familiar with this French coldwave/synth band, for their track “Anyway” is a genre staple. The track also appeared on last year’s Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics compilation, and the remaining 7” tracks can be found here or here.
However, here’s the band’s other two releases- the 1986 Purge An Urge LP and the vocal version of the Mr Schumaker 7”, released in 1984. You can expect the same strange, yet danceable edge on all of these tracks.
EDIT: It’s been brought to my attention that the 1984 OTO release is a different project all together, with nothing to do with the excellent coldwave releases to follow! Hope you still enjoy it all the same!
For those not as jazzed about the previous guitar-driven posts, here’s something that should whet your appetite and offset the darkness a bit, courtesy of BX. I posted the a-side to this magnificent French minimal synth 7” on the first Systems of Romance compilation, and suffice to say, the b-side is of similarly high quality. Also an instrumental, but some great grooves here.
This 1981 single is Theirry Meyer’s only release, so not much more to tell about this one. Enjoy!
Rolling right along, here’s a recent dollar bin snag that’s every bit as good as I was hoping. Pulled this out of a bin based on the date (1983) and cover art alone, threw it on to preview, and was pleasantly surprised. It’s nice to know there are still plenty of undiscovered (and affordable) gems out there!
Not much I can tell you about this one, though. I’ve been told that the label, Phonogram Ltd., was not a true label, but instead, a company responsible for licensing tracks to smaller labels. I have to take another glance at the sleeve to confirm, but a few listings claim that this record was released on Mercury in the UK. Either way, Swiss Navy had a mind to create a dancefloor smash all over the world, and they damn well succeeded with this one, in my book. I don’t care much for the third track, a quirky earworm that while charming, can’t hold a candle to the title track. However, the two mixes of “Back to the Wall” more than make up for it. Here’s the details:
Swiss Navy- Back to the Wall 12”
1. Back to the Wall (Marine Mix)
2. Back to the Wall
3. Cool-De-Jack
Apologies in advance for flooding your hard drives with music, folks. Two posts in store for today- mostly because I promised some Wierd party attendees I’d drop these records immediately for download!
First, we have some killer French synth pop, highly reminiscent of Depeche Mode with some slight italo leanings. This single was released on CBS Records in 1987 and was a minor hit in the European club scene. This track also features the legendary Desireless (aka Claudie Fritsch-Mentrop) on backing vocals, hot off the heels of her own club hit. You have four mixes to choose from here, two extended 12” mixes, the lean single mix (my preferred version), and a spaced out instrumental version, which despite the title, has masked/processed vocals throughout. Think of it more like a dub mix than an instrumental…
Entre2mers released a follow up single, “Marine” in 1989 with bigger, almost Belgian-style grooves and orchestra hits. I’ve included the extended 12” mix here (sorry, don’t own this single or have the single mix digitally) as a bonus. Enjoy!
Hot on the heels of this morning’s post, here’s a very nearly complete discography of French synthpop band Goûts De Luxe. Some of you may already be familiar with the band, as a few of their a-sides were prominent, though now obscure, new wave hits- some of the best of the era. I also included one of the band’s finest moments (the killer minimal synth-esque b-side “Last Train”) on the most recent installments of the Systems of Romance loose tracks compilations. Since I haven’t seen their work shared out there, I figured it was due time to organize it and sort it all out for everyone’s enjoyment.
The band’s origins date back to the mid 1980s in Brest, a city in northwestern France. The band’s lineup changed a handful of times throughout their short time together. After recording (or, in actuality, NOT recording) on the first single, original guitarist Jean-Éric Montfort left the band and was replaced by Marianna Kliska, wife of vocalist Jacques le Honsec. They released two more singles before calling it a day.
With the exception of the instrumental version of “Les Yeux de Laura,” and the promo mixes of the track, this zip file ocntains all the tracks recorded by Goûts De Luxe during their time together, including all three singles and respective b-sides. I hope you all don’t mind missing out on the instrumental mix, as I’ve never found them to be very necessary, but I should be able to track it down (in time) if needed. However, as a consolation, I have included a different extended mix of “Omaha Beach” that I can’t quite place on either single, with a different running time and everything! If anyone knows where it belongs, do chime in! Otherwise, let’s get to the details:
Goûts De Luxe- Les Yeux de Laura 7” (1986)
1. Les Yeux de Laura
Goûts De Luxe- Les Yeux de Laura 12” (1986)
1. Les Yeux de Laura (Extended Mix)
Since the band enjoyed some relative success throughout Europe, there are a few promo videos floating around. Here’s a clip for “Omaha Beach.”
Also, if your French is fluent, you can read more about the band (including lyrics, I believe) on their official website. There are also a slew of photos, and a demo recording hidden in the site, so be sure to explore:
Here’s a killer 7” from 1982 that I’ve been meaning to post for a while. Seems there isn’t a lot of information to be had regarding this understated minimal synth/post-punk hybrid single, a private release on T.B. records. The band hailed from the UK, and naturally, this is their only release.
If anyone can fill in the blanks on this one, feel free to chime in. Otherwise, please do enjoy!
Terminal Beach- Love on Auto 7”
1. Love on Auto
2. Dark Words
I have one more thing to post today, so might as well drop it now, while the iron is hot. Here’s a classic 12” by The Bridge, a DJ favorite of mine for some time now, recently acquired on vinyl. I believe this synthpop outfit acted as a three piece, releasing several singles in the mid 1980s. This particular record was produced by Paul Bell, who then went on to form Zerra One.
There’s a bit of discrepency between their first two singles, so let me try my best to explain. As listed online, there’s both a 12” for Love Dance (today’s post) as well as a single release entitled Industrial Love Dance, but both feature the same tracklisting, more or less, with slightly tweaked titles. Maybe the label (Second Vision) thought it was best to steer clear of the ‘industrial’ tag? If anyone can shed some light on this situation, I would be most appreciative!
The versions on this 12” also appear on the Industrial Love Dance single, alongside a shorter, more radio-friendly version of side A, which I’ve uploaded seperately for good measure. So with this post, you get all three versions of “Love Dance,” an edgy synthpop track with excellent hooks and solid vocals. What more can you ask for?
The Bridge- Love Dance 12”
1. Love Dance (Love Mix)
2. Love Dance (Industrial Mix)
Here’s a killer German synthpop single, shameless and high energy as anything from the era. This 7” dates back to 1984, and features an infectious instrumental on side A. For those looking for vocals, there are plenty to be had on the darker and moodier flip-side. A pretty well balanced single, if you ask me.
The back of the sleeve claims that the band was primarily a two piece, but also features a handful of thank you credits for bass and programming work. Not much else to be found about these boys, so here’s the information:
Been meaning to post this one for some time- a recent purchase that’s lived in my DJ bag for some time now. Two track 12” from 1984, featuring members of Play Dead and Look Back in Anger. Also produced by John Fryer, notorious for his pioneering work with 4AD and various other post-punk bands. This is their only release, though more tracks were meant to be recorded.
The sound here sounds like a mixture of soulful vocals (a la Colourbox), post-punk bass grooves, all under the guise of a primitive EBM track. Lots to love here. Here’s the breakdown:
Just found this killer big-beat synthpop single – a playful two track 12” from Trash X, released in 1988. It’s the band’s only release, and was engineered by Ronny Schreinzer of The Twins.
It seems as if this particular release was a collaboration between several esteemed writers and producers, including David Heilmann (Wire, Depeche Mode) and H+N (Holger Flesch & Norbert Endlich). While it sounds of Russian origin, the single was actually recorded and released in Germany.
Not much more to be said about this one, so here’s the information:
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.
