resuscitating underground 80's music
- Jeff and Jane Hudson return to the stage Jan 14
Jeff and Jane Hudson return to the stage on January 14, 2012 to play their first live show in years!
The Massachusetts husband/wife duo will be celebrating the 30 year anniversary of their debut album “Flesh” originally recorded in 1982 and reissued on Dark Entries/Captured Tracks in 2011 as an expanded 2xLP.
(Which just made Other Music’s Top 25 New Releases & Reissues of 2011)This is what “Berkshire On Stage” had to say:
There are few lovers of arts and antiques in North Adams who don’t know and love Jane and Jeff Hudson (seen in photo above) from their innovative retail emporiums, first on Main Street, and after a vacancy opened up, smack dab in the middle of Mass MoCA. That’s a good thing, since they have what can only be described as an enormous circle of friends and colleagues both locally and from around the country. When they travel to the Berkshires, the Hudson’s are at the top of their “must-see” list. In fact, keeping up with the Hudsons is fun, since the duo is always experimenting, trying new things, and more than happy to talk about all things creative. And with Jane you never know where she has been pointing her camera lately. Her images are as popular as his fun ephemera finds.
Bringing back their ever popular “Flesh”
Even with this following, what many who know them might not realize is that Jeff and Jane had a long history as musicians before settling down in North Adams. Influenced by the growing wave scene that was permeating record stores and airwaves in the 1980s they built their musical career on the new stream of technology-entering music. Celebrating the re-release of their album Flesh, they perform at MASS MoCA in Club B-10 on Saturday, January 14, 2012, at 8 PM.
Called “the synth wave couple of the U.S.” Jeff and Jane Hudson jump across styles and sounds. Their album Flesh featured industrial echoes and absorbing vocals but also had electro pop energy combining traditional sounds of post-punk alongside the gleaming new ideas of factory music. Jane’s sultry vocals mix beautifully with cold mechanical sounds. Othermusic.com said, “Jeff and Jane Hudson in their early sounds take cues from traditional sounds, with elements of rock and folk coming through. Yet, soon it is the synthesizer and drum machine that are at the core of their sound. Melding analog drum machines, dreary synth lines, detached vocal delivery from both Jeff and Jane, a killer DIY ethos, and tight, artful sonic arrangements, the duo successfully blurred the line between pure synth pop and more guitar-driven post-punk, while retaining a playfulness seldom seen in the realm of arty, dark synth music.”
But wait, there’s more!
Jeff and Jane Hudson will be joined by Aurora Halal, a young video artist from New York specializing in retro late- night dance video extravaganzas, and Irish singer/songwriter/guitarist and local hero Karl Mullen who has formed a band with Jeff called Space Bar. Space Bar will perform an electronic laptop music performance. A talented painter in addition to being a musician, Williamstown resident Mullen has released many albums, and is an accomplished guitarist.
Originally from Boston and former members of the late-’70s new wave group the Rentals, visual artists Jeff and Jane Hudson moved to NYC at the beginning of the ’80s, opened for Suicide, the Clash, PIL and Duran Duran among others, and released a single and the World Trade EP on famed label Lust/Unlust Music, home to downtown no wave luminaries DNA, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, impLOG, and others. They relocated full-time to the Berkshires in 2005.
The performance is part of MASS MoCA’s Alt Cabaret series which presents emerging and established artists in different disciplines in the club-like B-10 with drinks from the MASS MoCA Bar and dinner from Lickety Split available before and during the show. The next live event in the series is Darrah Carr Dance on January 21, 2012.
Tickets
Tickets for The Hudsons are $12 in advance, $16 the day of the performance, and $10 for students. Members are eligible for a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 11AM to 5PM every day but Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org at any time.
About Mass MoCA
MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA is an independent 501c(3) whose operations and programming are funded through admissions and commercial lease revenue, corporate and foundation grants, and individual philanthropy. Except for an initial construction grant from the Commonwealth, and competitive program and operations grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, MASS MoCA is privately funded: 90% of annual operating revenues are from earned revenues, membership support, and private gifts and grants.
- An interview with Vita Noctis
Last month Dark Entries released the complete discography of Belgian trio Vita Noctis across two vinyl albums. We decided to ask the band some questions about their past, present and future:
Dark Entries: What part of Belgium are you from? What was it like growing up there and what music inspired your teenage years?
Vita Noctis: Our roots are in Vilvoorde near Brussels. The twin brothers, Kris and Jos went to a boarding school. This was not fun and resembled a prison. Although we’ve never had personal problems during our childhood years, it was quickly clear that people do not live in paradise. Negative feelings about the society have always been present. We do not know if there is a relationship between the black and doom way thinking and the way of making music. Music was an outlet for many young people. Punk made it clear that anyone could make music without any musical education. It was an inspiration for a new kind of music that was less aggressive but still had that melancholic undertone.
DE: How did you form the band and choose the name “Vita Noctis”?
VN: Jos and Kris bought a few instruments on the second hand market. Martine was Kris’ girl friend and turned out to be a singer. The name “vita noctis” is Latin for “nightlife”. We thought that name sounded good, that’s it.
DE: When did you start writing music for the first two cassettes?
VN: We can not exactly remember when we started. We think in 1981.DE: Do you remember the set up and equipment for recording your earliest songs?
VN: We were a very low budget group. All of our instruments were 2nd hand (Roland TR-808 drum machine, Casio, Ibanez bass guitar and a keyboard Korg MS-20). The first recordings were done with tape decks (two tracks).DE: Did the evolution of the synthesizer in the 1980s have an effect on your sound?
VN: No, we have always used the same instruments. Only the recording of our final EP was done in a studio where other so-called “better” instruments were available. We were convinced then to use the “better” tools. The recording of the album was done in a few hours to reduce costs. In retrospect we regret this because our songs on the record do not sound the way we wanted them, too clean.DE: What were some inspirations for your lyrics at the time?
VN: The texts were not pre-written or invented. While jamming on the instruments, we sung phrases or sounds that were feeling at that moment in the head. Therefore, some texts do not have any sense at all. We were more focused on the sound of the words rather than the meaning of them.
DE: The songs on “Against The Rule” are sung entirely in English, was there a reason for this?
VN: The sounds of the English language seemed to be the most appropriate for our music.DE: Who were your musical contemporaries at the time in Belgium or around the world?
VN: In Belgium Front242, The Klinik, Neon Judgement and around the world Sisters of Mercy, Fad Gadget…DE: So much creative and diverse music came out of Belgium in the 1980s, what do you think caused this rich and talented culture?
VN: We don’t have an explanation therefore..DE: I first heard your song “Alone” at a friends house a few years ago and the combination of catchy vocals/lyrics/bass/synth got stuck in my head for days! How did you create your unique “sound”?
VN:The unique sound originates from a limited knowledge of music with limited possession of instruments each with its own sound. It had to be simple.DE: The earlier versions of songs like “Hade,” “These Lies” and “Expose” sound quite different than the later version, what do you attribute this to?
VN: The songs on the album are partly made with other instruments and with a mixing by an outsider. The result was not always satisfactory.
DE: Did Vita Noctis ever tour? If so, describe your most memorable/favorite live gig?
VN: We have never really been on tour. We have done only a few gigs.DE: The songs on “Against The Rule” span 2 years, yet you created so much music in that short time period! Did you ever take a break?
VN: The songs are often just a result of an inspiring jam session without any preparation. We played together, each one with an instrument, and when we found something that sounded well, we recorded it. Most of the songs have no fixed structure and arose simply from the feeling at that moment. When we had to search too long for a good sound the spirit and emotion of the song disappeared.
DE: How do you feel about the renewed interest in your music?
VN: We’re excited. It gives pleasure to see that bands from the ’80s seem to be hot again. As if we begin our second childhood.DE: What have you been up to since the 80s and what are your future plans?
VN: We were still in school/college when we started making music. After the release of the cassette tapes, we released our vinyl EP but the success of the EP on the market was rather disappointing. With time, the enthusiasm faded. Jos left the band shortly thereafter. Although Martine and Kris didn’t compose new songs anymore, we’ve always been following the scene. With the idea to come back someday, we’ve kept our instruments from those days. Unfortunately most of the instruments are broken. We are therefore obliged to work in a different way now. Composing music with the computer, it all seems much easier to make a song but it isn’t. The idea is that next year we will do a gig . Who knows, if we get the taste once again, maybe more will follow …
- Dark Entries on WFMU
Last week Dark Entries had the privilege to guest DJ on WFMU with Marty McSorley for the last hour of his radio show. We gave a sneak peak into what 2012 is shaping up to look like and played unreleased songs from the never-released sophomore album by XEX. You can see our playlist below and listen to our segment of the show HERE
&
Playlist for Marty McSorley – November 8, 2011
Artist Track Album Year Dark Day Live at the Mudd Club w/ Nina Canal 1979 XEX Fun In The Sun xex: change 1981 Borghesia Lustmorder Clones 1983 Buzz Kennedy See you Sioux 1986 Vita Noctis These Lies Against The Rule 1985 The Product Drowning Alive Again 1984 Vocoder Que Sucede ahora? (what happens now?) 1984 Data Bank A Shapes of Love The Citadel 1984 Sic Voltage Control Thought Noises 1981 Dance Society Seen The Light Demos Vol 1 1983 Siekiera Idziemy Przez Las Nowa Aleksandria 1986 
System Liliputt on display in the NEW RELEASES box
One small section of the massive WFMU Library!
- Trick or Treat!
Dark Entries can’t wait until Halloween to announce our final releases of 2011! They are ready to ship today! Thank you for all the support this year and make sure to read our release schedule for 2012.
I remember listening to The Danse Society as a teenager, the CD boombox on my lap in my friends car since her stereo was broken. Most nights we would blast “We’re So Happy” on the way to the 24-hour diner over and over, screaming the lyrics out the windows to people on the street… and 15 years later I am releasing The Danse Society’s demos from 1983! Halloween also brings us a release by Belgium’s Vita Noctis who finally have their entire discography on two slabs of cold vinyl, if this compilation doesn’t move you to shout and scream, nothing will. ENJOY!
DE-017 Vita Noctis – Against The Rule 2xLP
Dark Entries and Minimal Maximal have joined forces to re-issue the complete discography of Vita Noctis on a double vinyl LP. Previously these songs were restricted to limited self-released cassettes, compilation appearances and a sole 12″ Mini LP. Beware, this is abrasive, primal music made by irritated teenagers full of angst!
Vita Noctis were a trio from Vilvoorde, Belgium in the Flemish Region. Inspired by the post-punk movement twin brothers Kris and Jos Kips convinced Kris’ girlfriend Martine Genijn to start a band in 1981.They recorded their earliest songs onto a 2-track tape deck in their bedroom studio using second-hand equipment they could afford: Roland TR-808 drum machine, Casiotone MT-31, Ibanez bass guitar and a Korg MS-20 keyboard. Their first album “In The Face Of…DEATH” was self-released on cassette only in 1984 followed by the “Much Money Good Boy, No Money Good-Bye” cassette in 1985. In February 1986 the band recorded five songs at Studio Care in Gent, Belgium later released as the self-titled 12″ Mini-LP on Mad In Belgium Records. Their final recording session was November 1986 returning to the band’s bedroom studio, resulting in the song “She Likes Me” which appeared on the “Climax Productions Presents” LP.
“More “arthouse” than “goth”, Vita Noctis blend the sneering attitude of punk with the spartan structures of minimal electronics. The band had more in common with the early electronic Sheffield scene of Cabaret Voltaire, Vice Versa or early Human League than their Belgian contemporaries. Urgent vocals go from a whisper to a scream in seconds and sound restless, bored and irritated all at once. Fuzzy guitar, simple baselines and crude electronics take turns accompanying the dynamic vocal stylings. While lyrics tackle weighty topics like death and religion, the landscape they paint is as playfully bratty as it is grim.
All songs have been remastered from the restored 1/4″ reel to reel tapes by George Horn at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley California. Each double LP comes in a deluxe gatefold jacket with cover art by original designer Stephan Barbery and never before seen band photos and lyrics for each song. Spanning three years and four recording sessions “Against The Rule” is the soundtrack to Armageddon, very fitting in the contemporary climate of dissatisfaction and social upheaval.
Sound clips HERE$25
DE-021 The Danse Society – Demos Vol. 1 LP
Dark Entries digs deep into the UK Goth underground to unearth The Danse Society “Demos Vol. 1.” The band formed in Barnsley, England in 1980 from the remnants of local post-punk bands Y? and Lips-X. Between 1980 and 1982 the band released a handful of 7” and 12” EPs and the debut album “Seduction” on their own independent label, Society Records. The band also recorded several sessions for Radio 1, including a John Peel session, and topped the Independent Charts with the single “Somewhere.” Their commercial debut, “Heaven Is Waiting” was released in February 1984. They released two further singles and the album “Looking Through” before breaking up in 1986. After 24 years three original band members reunited to record the new album “Change of Skin,” released in July 2011.
1983 was The Danse Society’s year. Playing sold out tours and the success of “Seduction” won them a recording contract with Arista Records. Spending their advance on new equipment the band recorded an album’s worth of demos in one day at Greenhouse Studios, London in May 1983. The line-up for this session was Steve Rawlings (vocals), Paul Nash (guitar), Lyndon Scarfe (keyboards), Tim Wright (bass) and Paul Gilmartin (drums). Doom laden guitar riffs, swirling synthesizers, crushing drums, driving and disembodied vocals, characterize the distinctive Society sound. “Demos Vol. 1” is the closest you’ll get to The Danse Society live experience. You can almost taste the dry ice, feel the power coming through the monitors, and become entranced by the strobe-induced madness this album embodies. The Danse Society operate in a raw, atmospheric realm less campy than many of their Goth Rock peers, unconcerned with pop charts or commercial appeal. These aren’t songs, they are commands.
This 11 track collection includes an early version of the single “Wake Up,” 5 demos that would make the cut for “Heaven Is Waiting,”3 songs that would later become B-sides and 2 unreleased instrumentals. All songs have been remastered from the original tapes for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. Each LP includes a fold-out, double-sided newsprint poster with photos, lyrics and liner notes by original drummer Paul Gilmartin and music journalist Mick Mercer. 28 years later these demos capture a band at the height of their confident, powerful and haunting glory.
Sound clips HERE
$18
ALL RELEASES ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP:
The first two releases of 2012 will be:
DE-022 Buzz - See You Sioux LPDE-023 Sic - Thought Noises LP
and then releases from:Magic Dragon, Smersh, Dark Day, xex, Altres, Fall of Saigon, Codek, Data-Bank-A, Los Microwaves, Stress, The Product, Lives of Angels, Eleven Pond, Vocoder, Kitchen & The Plastic Spoons, Borghesia, ADN’ Ckrystall, Lavabos Iturriaga, Q4U and MORE…
Thanks for your support!
