1. You hail from the small town of Leuven, Belgium. What was it like growing up there and what music inspired your teenage years?
Leuven is a university town with a lot of young people around. A few nice bars, one amongst them was named ‘Arnoz’, a punk bar where we spent a lot of hours There also was a club named ‘Atelier’ that played real avant garde music for that time. People came from far to visit this club because the DJ played music that was never heard before!  At the time TB Frank and I were often listening to The Velvet Underground and early Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett) albums.

2. How did you form the band and choose the name, The Neon Judgement?

TB Frank and I were neighbours at the time. We both had no brothers or sisters, so we spent
a lot of time together at Frank’s place. At that time we had a melodica, an acoustic guitar and a ghettoblaster. We just started for the fun, recording experiments with those instruments. The table was used as a drum! After some evolution in this set up, we had to come up with a band name. First it was ‘Agnosis’, but that name didn’t last very long. But to get to TNJ : The idea was that the NEON light, that all government buildings are lit with and where all BIG political decisions are made, made a judgement over the people. First we thought about naming our band ‘Judgement of Paris’ mostly because we liked the word ‘Judgement’. After using our imagination, we came up with the philosophy of the NEON light judging society.

3. Where did you come up with the nicknames TB Frank and Dirk Da Davo?

I guess we were born with a rich imagination. No, seriously TB is inspired by Frank’s coughing (TBC, hence the link) and Da Davo finds its inspiration from the days we were recording our first musical efforts with a ghettoblaster. There used to be a song I called “It’s Da Devo” and from that title I simply changed it to “Da Davo.” It sounds quite Spanish which was perfect as people often thought I had Spanish origins because of my look. Apart from that it’s also a sort of wordplay from “The Devil.”

4. Do you remember the set up and equipment for recording your earliest songs?

Well, we had the set up with the melodica and the acoustic guitar. After that Frank bought an electric guitar and I bought the Yamaha CS 10 as our first synthesizer. With this synth it was easier because I didn’t have to blow anymore. But the first official recordings were made with this equipment (Suffering tape). We also bought a little drum composer BOSS DR-55 Dr.Rhythm. It also made it easier because we didn’t have to knock on the table anymore to make some kind of a drum sound.

5. How did the evolution of the synthesizer in the early 1980s have an effect on your sound?

The music became noisier, but we didn’t care too much about new instruments. We just had the line up with a Korg Mono Poly, Yamaha CS 10 and later on the TR808 drum machine and guitar. That was enough for us. I chose the keyboards very carefully at the time. And it might be unbelievable but they do still stand! I bought a Roland SH201 keyboard some time ago. I started to work with this machine and it was amazing how the sound of this new synthesizer is so close to the keyboards I’ve been using all my life! I felt a bit like the James Brown drummer discovering this.

6. What were the inspirations for your lyrics on the first two tapes?

Daily life I guess. We were very angry and a bit paranoid as far as the society ‘system’ is concerned. George Orwell’s book 1984 was an inspiration for us lyric wise.

7. Were you aware of your contemporaries in Belgium at the time, like Polyphonic Size, Snowy Red, and Absolute Body Control?

Not really. We all were living and working each on our own island. It was also the time of  ’cold wave’. It was uncool to be very social!

8. So much creative and diverse music came out of Belgium in the 1980s, what do you think caused this rich and talented culture?

Belgium is a real melting pot of different cultures. We are in the centre of Europe and it always has been a kind of chaotic and confusing country in many ways. This is a perfect circumstance for art. When we were touring outside our country, we often were asked the question: What is it about Belgium? People were curious about a country where they produced such weird music. Like the famous Confucius once said: If you want to know if people get ruled well or have good or bad laws, you should investigate/listen to the music they make. Something to think about, right?

9. I first heard your song “TV Treated” on a compilation called New Wave Class-X when I was a teenager and I was immediately hooked to the synth stabs and hypnotic lyrics. How did you create your unique sound?

Using our imagination. We did a lot of jam sessions together and so the sound grew out of those jam sessions.

10. Many of the songs on “Early Tapes” have been played in dance clubs around the world. Did you write music to make people dance?

Yes we did. We had the idea of making dance music. At the end of the 70s, we had the disco from Blondie, we listened to George Clinton ‘funk’ and even to Earth Wind & Fire! Funky danceable disco like stuff. Basically, disco inspired us to make the beats as how they are there now!

11. Can you describe your most memorable/favorite live gig from the earlier years?

Haha. The first gigs we ever did, the pauses in between the songs that we played were longer than the songs themselves. We had a large table in front of us again, and we used a lot of effects pedals. Every song we had to change the pedals in between the equipment that we used, it was funny. The picture under the plastic thing that was used on the insert for Early Tapes was from the first TNJ concert ever at ‘Arnoz’ in Leuven.

12. How do you feel about the renewed interest in your music and newer bands that look to the Neon Judgement for inspiration?

Well, that’s cool! The 90s were quieter for us because Grunge music was ruling. Suddenly people were tired of this kind of music and they wanted something else again. We’ve been remixed by lots of younger DJs and producers now. The Hacker, Dave Clarke Tiga, they all refer to TNJ as an inspiration for their own music. That’s nice because those people brought a new electro feel amongst the young kids! Because the DJs refer to us so often, we can decide that we’ve co-operated close to the future of music in general.

13. Do you have any current musical projects or future plans for the  Neon Jugdement?

We’ve just finished a documentary about TNJ entitled ‘Docuvision 2010a1984′. It’s 35-minute documentary that tries to capture the feelings we had in the 80s. You can see quite some live footage from back then. For this documentary we could count on the co-operation of Dave Clarke, The Hacker, Terence Fixmer, Luc Van Acker. It’s directed by Jeroen Buytaert who made the video clip for “Leash” taken from our “Smack”-album (2009). We are touring with this documentary to present it to our fans. After the screening of it, we play a short live set that will feature some very early TNJ tracks like “13.13,” “Schizofrenic Freddy,”  “Machine Life.” We are trying to make something very special out of this!

I am honored to release, for the first time ever on vinyl, the first two cassettes by Belgium’s The Neon Judgement! Just in time to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary, summer tour and release of the documentary Docuvision 2010A1984.

I first heard the addictive sounds of The Neon Judgement from a compilation CD called New Wave Class-X that I picked up on South Street, Philadelphia at the early age of 18. The song “TV Treated” from 1982 grabbed my attention with its blaring synthesizer jabs and repetitive chorus and made me seek out more by this prolific band that crisscrosses genres with ease. Fast forward to today, I present you with the earliest recordings by The Neon Judgement:

DE- 007 The Neon Judgement – Early Tapes LP

Dark Entries has dug deep into the early days of the Belgian cassette scene to release two tapes by The Neon Judgment in the form of one vinyl LP for the first time ever! These pioneers of underground electronic music hail from the small town of Leuven near Brussels, Belgium and gave birth to the New Beat and EBM scenes worldwide in 1981/2 with the release of their first two cassettes–neatly compiled here as Early Tapes. Always a consistent duo of Dirk Da Davo (synthesizers, vocals) and TB Frank (guitar, drum machine, vocals) The Neon Judgment worked in a parallel world alongside Suicide, Cabaret Voltaire, and the Deutsche Neue Welle recording under the watchful eyes of Roland Beelen (Antler-Subway) & Ludo Camerberlin (A Blaze Colour).

Arriving just in time to celebrate the Neon Judgment’s 30th anniversary, Early Tapes showcases the band’s brash and seedy lyrics, with raw synth stabs and repetitive drum machine beats adding to this rhythmic discourse. The result is a combination of lo-fi technology and emotional sincerity to create a sound both warm yet alienating that has stood the test of time and 30 years later, still evokes the same magic. The 10 songs on this LP were remastered from the original cassette masters resulting in a cohesive, gritty, maniacal dance program that sounds more relevant today than ever. Each sleeve is hand numbered in limited edition copies of 500 with an 11×11 lyric sheet including rare photos, a mini poster and two silk screened die-cut diagrams taken from the band’s original synthesizer workbooks.

Sound samples HERE
Tracklisting:
A1 Factory Walk
A2 Sweet Revenge
A3 Harem
A4 The Machine
A5 Army Green (WOIII)
B1 Schyzophrenic Freddy
B2 TV Treated
B3 Stay Mad
B4 Sister Sue
B5 On My Own

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If you live near San Francisco, COME HEAR THIS MUSIC LIVE AND DANCE!!!

Thursday, August 12 – Nachtmusik @ The Knockout
Thursday August 26 – Nachtmusik presents: You. // Secret Society of the Sonic SIx // DiMenTia @ The Knockout
Saturday August 28 – 120 Minutes and Nachtmusik present: Light Asylum (NYC) @ Milk Bar

The next few Dark Entries Records releases are in the works!

Various Artists – BART (Bay Area Retrograde) LP
Jeff and Jane Hudson – Everything 2xLP (co-release with Captured Tracks)
Vita Noctis – Collected Works 2xLP (co-release with Daft Records)
Pesteg Dred – Years Of Struggle Against The Lies, The Stupidity And The Cowardice LP
Nagamatzu – Sacred Islands Of The Mad LP
End of Your Garden/De Må Være Belgiere – Split LP

1. You hail from Tamworth, “Heartland of the English Midlands” what was it like growing up there and what music inspired your teenage years?

ANDY BALDWIN: I grew up in a small village just outside the town. I was into Bowie and stuff like that, but my brother was into soul and funk. When I was 15/16 i started to listen to King Crimson and Bebop Deluxe and then punk came along and by 17 I became a night owl, Going to Barbarellas in Birmingham 2 or 3 times a week until at least 3am. I saw The Clash, early Ultravox and Talking Heads amongst others at that time.
RIKK QUAY: Tamworth equals boring!!!! – well it was in the late 60′s and early 70′s when I was a teenager. I was never really interested in chart music, as such until I left school, didn’t give a toss about the Beatles and the Stones etc in the 60′s, but when the 70′s came in, I was hooked. However, there was a certain type of  ” music”  I was into and that was incidental film music from sci-fi and horror films, (especially sound effects).   I later found out these amazing sounds were from a Theramin and was even more amazed to discover that Leon Theramin patented this in St Petersburg, Russia, way back in 1928  .If I had to say I was a fan of any band in the 60′s, it would be the Tornados, who had a number of hits, the most memorable, being “Telstar”, which was the first ever UK single that got to Number One in the U.S. Billboard charts.  Musically, the most important date to me in the 60′s was Saturday 23rd November, 1963 at 5.15pm when the first ever episode of Dr Who was screened.  The theme music, originally produced by Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radio Phonic Workshop, still fills me with awe, even to this day (Ron Grainier later took the credit for this).   It is such an iconic tune, that has been covered many times, my personal favourite being by The Orb. As for the 70′s, as nothing was happening in Tamworth, I decided to start up my own mobile disco and was known as Rikky Patrick of Unit 2 Disco with playlists such as T Rex. David Bowie, Roxy Music, New York Dolls, Alice Cooper, Sparks, Kraftwerk (Autobahn , 1974)  plus all the other usual suspects.

2. How did you form the band and choose the name, Those Attractive Magnets?

AB: Well Rikk was working in a pub call the Marmion as DJ and I frequented it because he was playing some good tunes at the same time I was going to gigs in Birmingham. I don’t remember how but we must have got talking, Rikk and I started hanging around. Rikk bought the first synthesizer, and we found a bass player called Steve who I knew from college, me on guitar and Rikk’s synthesizer. We jammed around for a few weeks but Steve was a musician so he quit as we were not really very good in a traditional format. I then bought a synth and we found a vocalist called Graham who got stage fright at our first gig, swore a lot and walked off. Me and Rikk just played on, got a good reception considering and just rolled on from there with me taking the lead vocal.
RQ: I’d just left The Department of Happiness and Self Satisfaction (The D.H.S.S.) and was D J ing at the Marmion Pub  and the Tavern in the Town, both in Tamworth, playing obscure sounds for obscure people, which the mainstream punters, weren’t too chuffed about!  My weekly  gig  at the Marmion, I  called “Thursday Night Diptheria”,a parody of “Saturday Night Fever”, which was always packed out. Here, I met Andy, found out we had a lot in common, musically.   Andy played guitar then and I had my Synth,a Jen SX 2000, we also had a mutual friend Steve, who played bass and lived over the road from the pub, which was handy!   This band line up came to an abrupt end after a couple of weeks as Steves missus got fed up of us practising in her flat and issued  Steve with an ultimatum, her or the band! ….but love conquers all…..   Then there were 2, me and Andy!   We then decided to work as a duo (well it worked for O.M.D and Soft Cell!) and starting thinking about a name .  Many names were thought of and many names were cast adrift in this process.   I always wanted something scientific and I remembered my fascination of magnets at school, the way they defied gravity, I mentioned this to Andy and we agreed Magnets was good,   We didn’t want to be THE Magnets it sounded too 60′s , I thought of THOSE instead of THE, but Those Magnets didn’t sound right.  The word ATTRACTIVE came about because magnets attract and we thought is was kind of New Romantic sounding in a futuristic kind of way!.  The main reasons I decided to even pick up a Synth, was after seeing Clockwork Orange in 1973 in the cinema (about 6 times!) and buying the soundtrack for the film, by Walter/Wendy Carlos.   Then in 1978 I went to see The Clash at the Top Rank in Birmingham, but it wasn’t so much them, or the fact that Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols came on to do an encore with them.   It was one of the support bands, called Suicide, that completely blew me away – I can still feel the throbbing bass now!   Within a week, I had sold my D J equipment and bought my first (of many) Synths.

3. Two songs from your first cassette, “Pictures On The Wall” appear on the “Electromagnetic Pulse” compilation LP, were these your earliest songs?

AB: “1500″ was reworked from an earlier version before I took vocals, but we ditched most of our first set. I really cant remember those early songs at all, but there were 5 or 6 that never saw the light of day again.
RQ: As T.A.M, go, most probably, we did have others, they got lost in the anus of time! Obviously they weren’t much good anyway.

4. Why and when did you switch from live drummer to drum machine?

AB: We had a young school kid called John Higgins join the band for say 6 months. That was when we started to write good tunes. 1500 was a difficult beat for a drummer so we used a few synth stabs in the studio. John left the band cause he wanted to earn some money playing in covers bands, and his Dad was the driver so couldn’t always get to practice. That was the catalyst to get a drum machine, the Roland CR78 with programmer. It was a fantastic tool as it had some very strange presets we modified and toyed with, such as a waltz.
RQ: It was 1980, the first year we were together and apart from my Jen SX 2000, I had a really naff electronic home organ with a drum nachine unit on it, but I knew a drummer, John Higgins who had been in a punk band, the Reliants, who featured Edward Ian Armchair on vocals.  John was with us for roughly 6 months, till Daddy bought him a new drumkit and wouldnt let him play in another band that made no money, so he went off to join a covers band..   Last time I saw him, was in the 90s and he was doing really well with some rock band, the name evades me just now.  Andy decided to buy a Roland CR 78 programmable drum machine, which we nicknamed E.D.W.A.R.D. – Electronic Drum Wizard and Rhythm Determinator!   Many hours of fun was had by all!

5. What did the New Romantic movement mean to you?

AB: It was an image thing, didn’t mean a lot to me, but Rikk and Paul were into the fashion of the time. We did meet some interesting people though, and it seemed a good vehicle for our music at the time.
RQ:  The New Romantic Era was connected with the Synth/Electro vibe at the time and was a natural progression from the punk movement and was basically a good excuse to wear make up, strange clothes, have strange hair and drink copious amounts of alcohol!   Me and Paul were well up for it, but Andy wasnt so keen(Except for the alcohol, that is!)   I have always worn predominantly  black and with the Goth movement being a natural progression from New Romantic, still do    .My eyeliner pencil is still sharp!   My black nail varnish has yet to dry!

6. How did the evolution of the synthesizer in the early 1980s have an effect on your sound?

AB: We bought Yamaha to start because they were cheaper than the Roland and Arps of the time. The sound was a little thinner but more variable. These were the first affordable synths of the day and I doubt we would have created the same songs with other makes. We did use Roland SH01 and Juno 6 for Nightlife Change and Falling from view. And moved on TR 606 and TB 303 at that time ditching the CR 78 and getting some dance beats on the go.
RQ: Dont think it needs explaining, we were a Synth band that used Synths!

7. Can you describe your most memorable/favorite live gig?

AB: The most memorable was stripes nightclub, the place was heaving and we were set up on the dance floor. I was singing in the middle of packed floor and mingling with the crowd.
We were very good that night, the crowd was packed. There were other gigs such as the first rock festival when we released the single and signed 20-30 autographs, and a 15 song set that I though would never end as my voice was giving up.
RQ: Personally, my favourite gig was at Faces Nightclub in Birmingham in early 1981.    Barbarellas, one of the best clubs in Birmingham, had just been knocked down, so Faces was one of the main venues for this type of music..  This was the first time we ever had a decent sound system to play through, a great venue and at the time, the most popular place to be seen in Birmingham.  We got the gig through DJ Alan Gibson, who heard our Pictures on the Wall cassette and loved our music.   We were asked back a few times for follow up gigs.

8. Many of the lyrics on “Electromagnetic Pulse” revolve around themes of “outer space” and “time;” were you always interested in these themes as a kid?

AB: Sci-fi was always my favourite and Rikk’s, I used to watch the old US shows like Time Tunnel, The Invaders, Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea etc. As well as UK shows such as Dr Who.
RQ: YES!…. and I still am!    Big shout out to Gerry Anderson from Supercar to Thunderbirds and beyond, All 40s, 50s and 60s sci-fi B movies, The Invaders, Star Trek, and anything in between.  One of the strangest, most surreal series was The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan – fantastic stuff!

9. The Magnets sound is unique and strayed away from mimicking other New Wave bands. How did you maintain your style amongst the clones?

AB: When we started the band I more or less stopped listening to music by other bands. Just did my own thing with the band. I don’t think I bought an album for 2 or 3 years. If I wanted to listen to music I’d just play. We used to practice up to 4 nights a week at that time, so didn’t have time get into other stuff. Of course I listened to music but not that intensity.
RQ:  Thats very nice of you to say!   We were just likeminded and it just happened, that was our sound, and that was it!   No magic involved!

10. All of your material from 1980-1983 was recorded in Steve Adams studio, who is this man and why did you only record with him?

AB: Steve Adams, a teacher and a very talented folk singer. He won a national competition and put the proceeds into building a studio. The first one in the Tamworth area, so he was the natural choice. Very committed to long 16 hour days at the weekend, and helping us produce Pictures on the wall when we knew nothing about the process. I met him a couple of years ago over a couple of pints, hasn’t changed a bit.
RQ: Steve Adams had the ONLY studio in Tamworth at the time, so as a matter of logistics, we recorded there!   It was 4 track studio when we recorded Pictures on the Wall, then he upgraded to an 8 track studio – WOW cutting edge technology!

11. Those Attractive Magnets appeared on the Futurist compilation “Synthetic Romance” in 1982. What is Futurist music and why does “We Fade Into (Secret Silence) different than what appears on  “Electromagnetic Pulse”?

AB: It seemed at the time to be a money making scheme for the studio. The production was awful, technician seemed disinterested, I was glad to be outta there. The original on Electromagnetic pulse is far better. The studio had some good equipment, if they knew how to use it, it could have been good.
RQ: From what I believe, Futurist describes a projection of an art-form now, which has validity in the future.(or another excuse for copious amounts of alcohol!)   As far as Synthetic Romance is concerned, we fell into the “tourist trap” of musicians , where we were offered something for nothing, which we ended up paying for, along with every other band on the album.   It was done in a 24 track studio, the guy advertised for Electronic Bands and like mugs, we went for it.  After being charged the equivalent of 2 months wages, having no say in the execution or production of the sound, we ended up with an  vastly inferior sounding track, compared to the vastly superior earlier version recorded in Steve’s 4 track studio!   Lesson Learned!!

12. In 1983 you went from Tamworth’s “Band Of The Year” to breakup. What happened?

AB: We were getting very popular. Rikk was being torn by working with other bands, one of the other band members wanted to be a sound-like, so the intensity of the previous years was lost. Rikk decided to move on, and the Magnets continued. We stayed good mates for all these years, then we got together in the mid 90′s and wrote a bundle of songs 3 of which we simply recorded.
RQ: We didn’t break up as such.    I left, due to personal reasons, work and relationship problems, nothing to do with the band, who continued to carry, albeit in a slightly different direction.  We all remained good mates, even to this day.

13. Can you tell us about Sam Holliday who wrote many articles about Those Attractive Magnets in the Tamworth Herald back in the day as well as the liner notes for “Electromagnetic Pulse”?

AB: I think musical editor was Sam’s first real job, following on from Rob Sly who was really into us. Our base pub “the tavern in the town” became a mecca for local music journalists, and Sam followed the tradition. But Sam was more than a reporter, he quickly got involved in the local music scene, and became a figurehead of the Tamworth Rock Festival, which subsequently ran for many successful years. He was passionate about music and this passion had a big influence on those around him, so Sam had a key role in promoting Tamworth bands at that time.
RQ: He did our first ever review of our gig at St Johns Youth Club, Tamworth in 1980 for some fanzine he was doing, the name of which I forget.  He later went on to become Editor of the Tamworth Herald, a well respected local paper, which won many awards.  He is now Editor of the Bath Chronicle, an equally respected publication.  His passion for music, stemmed from punk music, one band in particular, “The Stranglers” has seen him at almost every gig they’ve ever done, regardless of which country they are playing in , during which, he has met the band many times and become good friends with them.   Also, since being the Editor of the Bath Chronicle, he has had the pleasure of drinking the  British Tax Payers wine at no 10 Downing Street, on not one, but three occasions!   His contribution to the 80′s Tamworth music scene was legendary and I am proud to call him one of my closest friends.

14. I first heard your single “Nightlife” on a dark dancefloor in New York City and I was immediately addicted to your fresh sounds! How did you create the perfect balance of delicious dance beats and clever lyrics?

AB: Most of the music came from a beat to start with and just jammin around it. Although we played synths, we started with traditional roles. Rikk did bass, Paul did rhythmic stuff such as arpeggios and, Gary melodies, and I filled in the gaps. Rikk did most of the beats.
RQ: First of all, Josh, if you were on the dancefloor, I’m glad it was dark!!!!!   At that time, me and Andy were very fluid creatively, it just came together, what more can I say?

15. How do you feel about the renewed interest in your music and newer bands that look to the Magnets for inspiration?

AB: Well I never used to listen to our music much, but this renewed interest has made me compare our music to others. It sounds very different to any other band I know. Perhaps we resisted the “soundlike” temptation because we all came from different musical tastes.
RQ: INCREDULOUS, totally GOBSMACKED!!!!!!

16. Do you have any current musical projects or future plans for Those Attractive Magnets?

AB: I’m working on some new stuff, also trying to record some of the old practice tapes from our old TEAC144 , which hopefully I will start making available on Facebook. It’s great to talk with Rikk again and I’m sure we will do something together soon, probably by the power of the interweb.

RQ: We have talked about a re-union, logistics make this difficult, but not impossible. We are scattered all across Britain.   I never say never, we’re always open to offers and we’ve already been offered a gig at a very popular European Festival.     That’s the questions done, I would now like to thank the FANS, Dark Entries Posse, George Horn, Fantasy Studios, for listening to our wailing synths of doom and making it palatable for the human ears consumption! Eloise Leigh, for her dedication and patience to her art for her design prowess .Pieter Schoolwerth, for starting the ball rolling, by playing “Nightlife” on his VERY dark dancefloor.  And last, but not least, you Josh, for suffering my inane ramblings at all times of the day and night. It took a while, but we got there my man!  You’re a thoroughly decent chap and never unplug your Moog!.

Conceived almost a year ago after hearing the song “Nightlife” on the VWierd dancefloor and asking the DJ Pieter Schoolwerth about the music I finally tracked down the original band leader Rikk Quay thanks to this fantastic Tamworth Bands website: http://www.tamworthbands.com/

Carefully remastered from the original master tapes, which Rikk sent over from the UK I am proud to present in all their remastered glory:

DE- 005 Those Attractive Magnets – Electromagnetic Pulse LP

Those Attractive Magnets were created early 1980 in a town called Tamworth, the heart of the English Midlands, as a vehicle for Rikk Quay (keyboards) and Andy Baldwin (vocals). They self-released a super limited cassette EP, Pictures on the Wall in 1980 and the Nightlife/Love Chimes 7″ in 1983 and appeared on a Futurist music compilation LP, Synthetic Romance in 1982.
Their music travels beyond copycat synthpop bands of the time into electronic realms of the 80s underground scene. There are some obvious parallels of the time – you can hear the commercial strains of The Human League, Soft Cell and Kraftwerk at times – but the band never wholly embraced commercialism as these tracks reveal. Although their sound takes a cue from the post-punk and early new romantic scenes, it still remains one step ahead in a unique futuristic world full of delicious dance beats!
Electromagnetic Pulse is the first ever compilation of a number of tapes Those Attractive Magnets produced during their three creative and prolific years of song writing, 1980-1983. This LP contains remastered versions of both songs from the 7″ as well as 2 songs from the cassette EP and a different version of the song that appeared on Synthetic Romance; 9 songs in total, 7 of which have never appeared on vinyl until now! Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies with an 11×17 poster/insert of lyrics, photos and liner notes by Sam Holliday.

Sound samples HERE

Tracklisting:
A1 1500
A2 Nightlife
A3 Falling From View
A4 Change
A5 Venus
B1 Survivors
B2 Love Chimes
B3 We Fade Into (Secret Silence)
B4 Radio Weeps, Television Cries

$18

Event Info HERE

Please also check out the SHOP for new items from Godspill in the NETHERLANDS!

Legowelt – Gardens Of The Ghetto 12″ EP
IBM – A Music Box Reflection 12″
Various – Bronson Quest EP
Angel Face – Angel Face 12″
Jackmaster Corky – Dimension M 12″
Crème Organization – A Tribute to Robert Moog 1 12″
Africans With Mainframes – Mogadishu 12″
Gino Felino – Spend The Night 12″
Faceless Mind – Faceless EP
Kassen – Kassen LP
Avida – Il Grillo E La Formica EP
David Kristian – City Without Windows OST LP
Francesco Clemente – Suoni Dalle Ombre Oltre LP
Rude 66 – Sadistic Tendencies 2xLP
Galaxy Toobin Gang – Galaxy Toobin’ LP
Ajello – Magic Feet 12″ EP
Skatebård – Vuelo EP 12″
Sun La Shan – Catch 12″
Guiseppe Manuele – Are You Down EP 12″
Bijou – Bijou EP 12″
Jupiter Black – We Like Moroder (Divider & Starcluster remixes) 12″
Spacelex – Pretty Face EP 12″
Keen K. / P. Muench – The Spiral / Connection Flight EP 12″
Grackle – Genres 12″
Professor Genius – La Grotta 12″
Various Artists – Synthetic Memento 2LP
Monika Novak – Living on the Run 12″
Galaxy Hunter – We Came From Space 12″
Mention – Strange World 12″

and new items from Genetic, Erikti, La Forme Lente, Community Library, 5th Floor Ent, Wierd, Avant!, Blind Prophet , You don’t have to call it music and MORE!

Human Puppets – TV Eye 7″
Units – History of the Units LP
Systematics – What We Did In The Afternoons 2xLP
Frank Just Frank – The Brutal Wave LP
Automelodi – Automelodi LP
Xnno & Oaklander – Sentinelle LP
Led Er Est – Dust On Common LP
Cult of Youth – Filthy Plumage In An Open Sea! mLP
CCCANDY – Lonesome Berlin LP
The Feeling Of Love: Waiting For The Cheerleaders To Get Drunk 7”
Void Vision – In 20 Years 7″
Various Artists – Circuit D’Actes EP
Alexandros – Data – LP
Brigade Internationale – Regard Extrême LP
Die Bunker – Peut-être qu’il n’y a plus rien? (1983-1984) LP
RBE: Raudive Bunker Experiment 2xLP
RBE: Raudive Bunker Experiment – Falling 7″
Various – Milano New Wave 1980-1983 LP
Sixth June – Every Time LP
Hidden Agenda – More Decisions CD
Various – Genotypes CD
Nina Belief – System Of Belief 10″EP
Guerre Froide S/T EP CD

AND… here are two videos of the making of Those Attractive Magnets – Electromagnetic Pulse LP

and listen to soundclips from the LP here:

PLAYLIST from Minimal Wave Radio 6-20-10

Make sure you take note of Robin’s influences throughout the show and read in further detail about these bands in the booklet that comes with the Dark Day Window LP re-issue, available in the Shop

Grab it in the SHOP!

Please tune in to Minimal Wave on EAST VILLAGE RADIO this Sunday, June 20 from 6-8PM EST for a special interview with Robin Crutchfield of Dark Day/ DNA. Hear him play records that influenced him and talk about his musical past!!

We also have super limited DARK DAY T-SHIRTS

Super limited silk-screened Dark Day t-shirts. These tees are 100% prima cotton – that is the highest quality, super softest cotton in the world! All are unisex style t-shirts with crew necks and suble ‘distressed’ edging for the perfect vintage feel and look. These tees come in specially dyed colors!
SIZES: Women’s S, M, L Men’s S, M, L
PLEASE SELECT SIZE FROM DROP DOWN MENU
*all photos by Sadie Mellerio*

BOUGANVILLA

Sizes

Women’s Small Women’s Medium Women’s Large Men’s Large

SEA OF CORTEZ

Sizes

Women’s Small Women’s Medium Women’s Large Men’s Small Men’s Medium Men’s Large

WARM SLATE GREY

Sizes

Women’s Small Women’s Large Men’s Small Men’s Medium Men’s Large

BLACK

AND the first review of Dark Day  – Window LP reissue is here:

RECORD OF THE WEEK at  Aquarius Records (June 18, 2010)

DARK DAY Window (Dark Entries)

So cool! And cold wavey. A wonderfully produced piece of vinyl to replace those crappy downloads which have been bouncing around the internet for the past five or six years. Dark Day was the project spearheaded by R.L. Crutchfield, who first worked with Arto Lindsay and Ikue Mori in the earliest incarnation of the seminal No Wave band DNA in the mid ’70s. By 1979, Crutchfield was striking out on his own as Dark Day; and at first, this band was an intentional reversal of roles within the trad-rock band with two women playing guitars and drums and a man behind the keyboards. The ladies for that incarnation were Nancy Arlen of Mars and Nina Canal of Ut; and they managed a few gigs and one hell of a great single – “Hands In The Dark” – which appeared many years later on a Soul Jazz No Wave compilation and has been covered spectacularly by the Chromatics. Canal and Arlen weren’t terribly interested in continuing in the project, leaving Crutchfield to find likeminded folks with whom to work. The second (and last) Dark Day record was recorded in 1982, with Crutchfield going into the studio with a bunch of cheap electronics and toy synthesizers with Bill Sack to flesh out the accompaniments on similar instruments. Their interlocking arpeggiations are punctuated with blooping electronics that are equal parts Trio and Kraftwerk with an underlying dread to the spiralling songs that detoured from Kraftwerk’s utopian vision of man-machine hybrids and down a paranoid vision of man being at the mercy of his machines, no matter how innocent their intent. Dark Day’s songs are insistent and catchy despite their utterly simple structures. “Metal Benders” and “Danger / Dance” are probably the closest thing to being ‘hits’ on the album as weird / anti-romantic variations of Young Marble Giants with whip crack rhythms and spectral pre-X-Files electronic whistling melodies. Coming out of the NYC No Wave scene helped craft Dark Day into a something other than neo-Romantic post-punk outfit with electronics. This was a wholly unique band, who never got the attention that many of their contemporaries. Kudos to Dark Entries once again on a splendid reissue!

I spent some time yesterday silk screening black cardstock jackets for the 24-page newsprint booklet, “Darker Days As I Recall Them” by Robin Crutchfield, that will accompany the Window LP.

Taking pre-orders for Window now in the SHOP. All records will ship out next Wednesday, June 9th

The Dark Day – Window LP reissue will include a 24-page newsprint booklet entitled Darker Days As I Recall Them by Robin Crutchfield.

Please enjoy sound clips of the Dark Day – Window LP below:

Irwin, the host, asked me some rare questions and wrote this nice paragraph about me in preparation for the show:
josh started his own record label, dark entries, and has been putting out amazing reissues of lost/obscure synth wave

http://www.darkentriesrecords.com

but beyond his label josh contributes so much to the music and queer communities through his undying passion and relentless quest to uncover pasts with important stories and sounds that deserve to be heard.

he was a key figure in the finding and restoring reels upon reels of unreleased music by patrick cowley – which lead him to do a series of moving interviews with people from patrick’s past which really paint such an important picture of pre-aids/post-aids san francisco.

josh dj’s on many different kinds of dance-floors across the globe. he’s a part of honey soundsytem, nachtmusik, bibi, yet always is remaining super independent in his strides & eclectic wide ranging musical tastes.

his next project is releasing the legendary lost album “dark days” by former dna member/no wave pioneer r.l. crutchfield.

tune in as we spend an hour talking about how cold waves can fill veins with warmth * the similarities in life & music that patrick cowley & arthur russell shared * and what new york & san francisco could learn from each other.

interview/guest dj set with JOSH CHEON from DARK ENTRIES:
ELEVEN POND, temporeal
MARTIN GORE, gore
THE SOFT MOON, breathe the fire
PATRICK COWLEY (w/DIVINE), *commercial spot*
PATRICK COWLEY, n-soup
ROBOT HUSTLE, serengeti drive (v/a “brotherhood”)
NOMINAL STATE, middle class
R.L. CRUTCHFIELD’S DARK DAY, the metal benders
THOSE ATTRACTIVE MAGNETS, survivors
THE CURE, m

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