PRESS
From Aquarius Records
NEON JUDGEMENT Early Tapes (Dark Entries) LP
One of the more eccentric acts to emerge from the Belgian EMB scene in the late ’80s, The Neon Judgement developed a stylized sound of electronics melded to an Americana swagger with patinas of country-fried twang working into leather-clad industrialisms. At times, Neon Judgement were brilliant in this approach, other times it was a contrived dud. Yet, this sound was one that was developed over time, as their earliest recordings took on the more of synth punk idioms that were held by contemporaries in Cabaret Voltaire, Absolute Body Control, Siglo XX, Suicide, and even bits of Gary Numan. This LP contains all the tracks from the two cassettes that Neon Judgement released in 1981-1982 (TV Treated and Suffering), and it makes perfect sense that the exceptional ears at Dark Entries would seek out the finest moments from Neon Judgement’s beginnings. At this time, the band was considerably more raw, with jagged guitar riffs coupled to the overdriven synth chords and jabbing arppegiations. It sounds like Neon Judgement had been listening to that first Suicide record, and wanted to try to figure out how to reinterpret the zombified rockabilly through electronics as well, without resorting to a pure homage. The minimalist spiralling of Neon Judgement’s electronics holds some of Suicide’s simplicity, although Neon Judgement’s rock sensibility is purely showcased through the guitar and not the songwriting, which is much more tuned (at least here) to the European approaches of coldwave detachment. A couple of the tracks (e.g. “Factory Walk” and “TV Treated”) had made appearances on later albums with more polish on the production, but there’s something better suited to the stilted gait and agitated guitar pluckings on “Factory Walk” that make these recordings more expressive. As with all Dark Entries titles, limited to 500 copies.
FROM Igloo Magazine
Those Attractive Magnets :: Electromagnetic Pulse (Dark Entries)
(August 2010) On the 18th of December 1834 Robert Peel addressed the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, the town where he stood as MP. The, then, Conservative Prime Minister spoke of meager reform in an attempt to quell public discontent and allay upheaval, or as he put it “a perpetual vortex of agitation.” It was an address that sought the continuation of the norm, with a finite degree of civil, ecclesiastical and institutional change. This address, widely republished around the UK at the time, became known as the Tamworth Manifesto and in many historic circles is scene as the manifesto of the Victorian Conservative Party. Peel was forced out of office in 1835.
Fast forward 150 years and Britain sees a very different form of Conservative politics. The Iron Lady is at the helm and the economics of privitisation and the disassembling of the welfare state are well under way. Thatcherism was “a perpetual vortex of agitation,” spinning the 1980s on the edge of a pound coin. Tamworth did not escape the iron grip of neo-liberalism, but a new musical freedom was growing; though this would probably have been dubbed “artistic entrepreneurialism” by Peel’s political descendants. One group to come from this burgeoning scene were Those Attractive Magnets.
Those Attractive Magnets formed in 1979 and had a number of different incarnations, with Rikk Quay and Andy Baldwin being a constant, before splitting in 1984. The group are now finding an audience beyond Tamworth, and the collector’s crate, with Dark Entries releasing the group’s first full length record, Electromagnetic Pulse; thirty one years after the band formed.
The group have a real 1980s new wave slant to them, having an early Human League lilt. The opening track, “1500″ has a raw Travelogue feel to it, synths and driving beats combined with desolate vocals. “Nightlife” originally on an 1983 7″ has a similar fledgling new wave sound, post punk meeting the synthesizer. The tracks have a wonderful proto sound, on the edge of synth pop and an electronic movement that would ignite an irreversible change in music. Across the pieces is a drum machine fueled energy laid against sombre vocals and chords, such as in the downtrodden “Venus.” The tracks have the polar embedding of 1980s Britain, the dissection of society and the cynicism that resulted strung out to an electro chord. Upbeat mingles with downbeat, such as the power and apathy of “We Fade Into (Secret Silence.)” The record comes to a close with “Radio Weeps, Television Cries,” with catchy synth hooks and snares leading the listener out.
Many new wave groups had aspirations of commerciality. The likes of The Human League, OMD and Gary Numan certainly did. This is not to take anything away from these groups, but the dilution of marketing strategies and demographic analysis can definitely be heard on their later and, albeit, weaker works. Those Attractive Magnets were not a commercial group, they were a selection of synthesizer enthusiasts from Tamworth. It was in these pockets that the synthesizer revolution really took place, in bands huddled around Korgs and Yamahas and attempting something unheard. It is within such environments that unblemished commentaries on “modern” Britain took place, in a demoralised voice with a synthsizer chord. Tamworth will forever be steeped in historical significance. But alongside its important political foundations lie musical counterparts, recorded on cassette and in the forgotten columns of local newspapers.
The LP sees Dark Entries rounding off a great first year with its fifth release. Congratulations to Josh and all involved at the label. Hopefully this prolific start can be maintained for many years to come.
Robbie Geoghegan, Contributing Editor
From Joseph Ghosn
All about Window of Dark Day
From the first notes of the opening track, the hard grip, his hand. Unknown until that first listening, it overwhelmed me and I immediately took, taken home, only to discover that this was a reissue of a rare disc. Recorded in 1981 by Robin Crutchfield, veteran of the no-wave scene of NYC, a member of DNA (the group Arto Lindsay), this album Dark Day is apparently highly sought after. And especially since it matches perfectly with the rediscovery of his “minimal wave” / “minimal synth” of the early 80s. Songs recorded as a duo, cheap synthesizers and drum machines from the same ilk, all the melodies carried by post (no) disco, suggesting further that United Throbbing Gristle period post-punk groups Mars and DNA, Dark Day draws its air falsely nice, filled with a dark interior, like the most elegiac The Metal Benders, distracting the aesthetics of Kraftwerk minimalism to a cold wave, industrial, putting the old vice where it is: between the lines. The pieces are also inspired by some artists that I fiercely Cocteau, Man Ray … Some pink dirty, blackened deep, somehow. Good idea for this new edition is to have added a pocket with screen-printed fanzine, containing the group’s history, at the time, with photos and documents: a double work of exhumation successful. If you do not find in stores (Bimbo, the Breath Continuous, Gibert, etc..), Thereby try: http://www.darkentriesrecords.com/
From Tamworth Herald
80s band hits the right chord with DJ
ONE of the leading groups in the famous 1980′s Tamworth music scene has had their first album released – all thanks to an American disc jockey who fell in love with them after hearing one of their songs in a night club in New York.
Those Attractive Magnets, whose original line up split in 1983, were unaware their synthesizer-based music had travelled across the Atlantic until founder member Rikk Quay was tracked down by top American DJ Josh Cheon.
Mr Cheon heard the band’s limited release single, Nightlife, being played in the famous Batcave nightclub and was so excited by what he heard he then sought the band out via the Tamworthbands.com website. And 12 months later he has now proved his commitment to the group by releasing a nine track collection on vinyl on his own Dark Entries record label.
The album – Electro Magnetic Pulse – is initially limited to 500 promotional copies but has already attracted interest stateside. And will be distributed to DJs, clubs and 80s electronic specialists in Europe.
For Rikk, the former vice-chairman of the Tamworth Rock Festival and a barman for many years at the Tavern In The Town pub, in Corporation Street, the fact that the band has been ‘discovered’ more than a quarter of a century after they split is a source of delight and bemusement.
“I knew that copies of our only single – Nightlife – were being sold for quite a lot of money on eBay but I have no idea how the single ended up in New York. When I heard it was being played in nightclubs over there I couldn’t believe it. Josh was so impressed when he first heard it he went to the Tamworth bands website – run by Edward Ian Armchair – and Ed put us in touch. That was 12 months ago and it is amazing to see what has happened since.”
Those Attractive Magnets originally began as a two piece electronic outfit featuring Rikk and Andy Baldwin but other musicians later joined including Gary Overton, Clive Starkey, Paul Killick and John Higgins. All of them are featured on the album as is another Tamworth music scene favourite, Clifford ‘Chippy’ Chapman, who played bass on the original single.
All the tracks were recorded between 1980 and 1983 at the Tamworth-based Steve Adams Studio but have been remastered again by Rikk and the Dark Entries team. The music has been compared to the Human League, Soft Cell and Kraftwerk.
Rikk, who now lives in Scotland, admits he is pleasantly surprised by how it has all come out.
“I hadn’t listened to some of this stuff for a very long time so it was great to hear it all again. Some of the tracks sound very fresh but others are clearly of their time. That’s fine though because people are still very excited about 80s electronic stuff and are always looking to discover music like this.” The band may even reform to play in Tamworth.
To order a copy of the record go to; http://www.darkentriesrecords.com/.
From Still Single tumblr
Dark Day – Window LP (Dark Entries)
Following his departure from DNA (complaints that the music was getting stale), Robin Crutchfield started up Dark Day, a group that aligned more closely to his artistic sensibilities. I say this from empirical data only, as Dark Day’s earlier efforts have eluded me to this day. This version of the group teamed Crutchfield with Bill Sack, a music school grad working at the Strand bookstore, who specialized in toy instruments, the only musical gear in his price range while living the life of a poor artist in early ‘80s NYC. Between the tricked-out Bee Gees brand drum machine, the consumer-grade keyboards, and Crutchfield’s gently chilling vocals, this album fits in well with the other minimal synth reissues on Dark Entries. Window was scheduled for release on the Lust/Unlust label, but when things went south for that seminal NYC no wave imprint, the tapes were pulled from the studio by the distributor and pressed up, without fanfare, on the Plexus label, making this release a rarity from the get-go. This reissue contains a newsprint zine, packaged in an austere silkscreened sleeve, that chronicles Crutchfield’s entire history as an artist, which should sweeten the deal. 500 numbered copies. (http://www.darkentriesrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
From Aquarius Records
THOSE ATTRACTIVE MAGNETS – Electromagnetic Pulse LP
Where does Dark Entries find all this stuff? Sure, Dark Day was certainly a known quantity; but before the label reissued the Eleven Pond LP, had any one really heard “Watching Trees?” Ditto for the Second Decay album? Those Attractive Magnets were a band that the world forgot, except for the discerning ears over at Dark Entries, who compiled this album from a handful of tapes produced in the late ’70s and early ’80s. And yes, it’s another great piece of archival synth-wave! This primitive synth driven / new wave outfit was from small village of Tamworth, located in the English midlands, but their heart seemed to be directed north to Sheffield where the likes of the Human League, The Future, Clock DVA, and Cabaret Voltaire were blossoming at the same time. Those Attractive Magnets revolved around the charismatic duo of Rikk Quay and Andy Baldwin, who had been inspired by the punk class of 1977 but wanted to channel that spirit through electronics. Joined by a couple of like-minded musical partners from Tamworth, Baldwin and Quay propel their urgent tunes along surprisingly catchy minimalist synth melodies, whose darkened atmospheres were amplified in futurist bleeps and alien bloops; but it’s Baldwin’s voice that is really key to making the band work, as he does what he can to emulate an early Phillip Oakey (of the Human League) without sounding too smug or contrived as Oakey was want to do. Recommended for any and all keen on the resurgence of the minimal wave aesthetic!
Like all Dark Entries releases this is limited to a pressing of 500 and comes with an 11×17 poster of artwork, lyrics and liner notes.
From Still Single tumblr
Those Attractive Magnets – Electromagnetic Pulse LP (Dark Entries)
Dark Entries seems to be taking some of the slack from Europe for minimal synth-oriented reissues, and that’s probably a good thing. Most of the players responsible for curating what we are given to hear are known for shaking down the dozens of Belgians responsible for the tapes that make up the excavation efforts, but too often the effort embitters those on the hunt, and we end up with the colder, bleaker side of that music. So a hats off to the prevailing sentiment of releasing music where raw enthusiasm matches technique, to make something special, instead of another bleak, arid staredown with the void. Those Attractive Magnets was the multi-year project of Rikk Quay, hailing from Tamworth in the English Midlands. While the liner notes explain that Quay’s drive to make synth pop may have come from wanting to challenge the notion of traditional rock & roll in technology’s first blow against the fat, longhaired hegemony that punk stood up against. These songs are very busy, with lots of worthwhile interplay and impassioned singing – not hard to see these guys in suits, though from the photos present on the insert, Quay and company look mostly like ordinary guys. There’s a distinct Human League influence at play – both sides of that influence, in fact – that helps the process of creating something at once danceable, gripping, and present-day appropriate. My favorites are the dark mechanics of “Love Crimes,” and the collection’s closer “Radio Weeps, Television Cries,” which subs out the Rhythm Ace for a live drummer, playing for his life against a sequencer set to “chest pains.” That track in particular threw me for a loop, and it’s a wonder why there aren’t many bands mining a similar lineup today. Sounds like Agent Orange if they traded in their guitars for calculators, really great. 500 numbered copies, and I like a few of these tracks so much that I’m going to see about getting the warps taken out of this copy, and report back on how that whole process works out. Cross-country LP mailing in the summer tacos records if you’re not careful. (http://www.darkentriesrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
From OTHER MUSIC Update
DARK DAY – Window (Dark Entries)
Only a year after its inception, San Francisco’s Dark Entries is quickly becoming one of the most exciting reissue labels of obscure synth records. The imprint takes a big step forward with the re-mastered, vinyl-only reissue of this highly coveted piece of wax: Dark Day’s Window, hands-down one of the best US minimal synth LPs of the early 80s.
Dark Day was the project of Robin Crutchfield, a New York City-based performance artist and co-founder of the pioneering no wave band DNA, appearing on their first 7″ and the No New York compilation. Crutchfield’s solo effort differed from the art-damaged cacophony of his contemporaries, though, by focusing on the ghostly, outsider-pop potentialities of the analog synthesizer. No stranger to the downtown scene (Dark Day had a rotating cast of musicians and artists including members of Mars, Ut and, at one time, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch), Crutchfield used the scene’s DIY ethos to construct an eerie, claustrophobic world that was utterly his own a number of years before synthesizers would come to dominate the new wave era.
Employing cheap synths and toy electronics, Window could almost be the soundtrack to a deranged children’s program (perhaps on the same network that would also broadcast Videodrome later in the evening) — though to call the album childlike or simplistic would be a misnomer. Instead, this is minimal synth at its absolute finest; basic, metronomic drum patterns move under discordant synth lines while Crutchfield’s deadpan monotone floats over the cold landscape like an ominous specter. One listen to the album’s standout track, “The Metal Benders,” and Crutchfield’s vision becomes clear: this is music about a feeling or an experience in a world that is something like our own but is different in subtle, disturbing ways. An absolute must-have LP for fans of this genre. Highly recommended! [CPa]
From Still Single tumblr
Zwischenfall – Heute 12” EP / Second Decay – La Decadence Electronique LP (Dark Entries)
In the time of Imperial China, from the Five Dynasties and just beyond, landscapes were considered a form of painting held in such high regard that they supplanted the format and medium altogether. Masters reproduced fields and looming mountains in heavy calligraphic style for three hundred years. Flash forward a half-century, and Mao Tse Cold Cave unleashes an inverse Cultural Revolution, shining the harsh light of the culturally bourgeoisie on the faithful, happily toiling in the People’s square wave mines.
It has been said that there is no scene more navel gazing than minimal synth, so if you’re a true believer expecting me to pick up on the subtleties and musical reference, I can promise you I did NOT. But I did totally enjoy these re-issues created by one year old Dark Entries label out of San Francisco.
Zwischenfall’s Heute is a reissue of the German group’s 1983 debut 12” plus two demo tracks, and it has all the signifiers that carried throughout the genre, while retaining a number of elements of the post punk their sound grew out of. They employ some acoustic instruments, like some wild trumpet and human played bass, and these qualities as well as the analog glissandi give the music a cinematic, Goblin-esque sheen. It’s mechanical and Teutonically impersonal, but the human touches, and Iben & Martin’s vocals, are rich enough to foster a bold, loud set of sounds that aren’t all that “minimal.” Their “Tausend Jahre” is a party starter.
Second Decay’s LP is a reissue from 1987, and represents a codification of those sounds. If Zwischenfall used their synths and machines to try and create a robust warm sound, Second Decay sculpts a frozen monument to their machines and the parameter of genre. Their gear is listed by brand and model in the liner notes, and the music doesn’t stray far from the expectations such classifiers tend to set. While ostensibly dance music, it’s bleak and burbling, punctuated with stern German lyrics and vocal delivery. The songs are stripped down, usually built around a handful of tones, drum programming, bass and lead synths, and vocals, occasionally embellished with robotic effects, used to great effect on “Chromatic.”
Both LPs are hand numbered editions of 500, and have a great sound courtesy of George Horn. Heute sounds particularly good and comes with a booklet of reviews (in German) and a bio. Dark Entries opens strong and I hope they can maintain this level of curatorial insight. The label and these releases are well worth your time. (http://www.darkentriesrecords.com)
(Killedbyjeff)
From IGLOO MAGAZINE
Dark Day :: Window (Dark Entries)
San Francisco based Dark Entries is back with another release, this time focusing on home soil with Dark Day and their Window LP. After being briefly part of DNA, New York based Robin Lee Crutchfield founded the pioneering electronics project: Dark Day. The group came into being in the late 1970′s, with their debut release hitting stores in 1979; a no wave ensemble of industrial and electronic experimentation. The tracks still had some traditional elements, such as guitars played by Nancy Arlen and Nina Canal. Arlen and Canal soon left the project leaving Crutchfield to seek new like-minded pastures, which he found the form of Bill Sack. The Dark Day sound took a turn with Sack on board, moving down a much more synth centric route. In 1982 the Window LP was the culmination of this collaboration, originally, and serendipitously, being released on Plexus Records, now resurfacing on Dark Entries.
The album has a wonderful juxtaposition to it, meshing deep tones with an almost childlike innocence. Crutchfield and Sack were interested in what they could do with electronics, sadly finances would only allow certain measures of abstraction.
“We couldn’t afford drum machines, sequencers or real synthesizers, and were reduced to emulating them on cheap portable and affordable keyboards.”
Nevertheless, economic restrictions did not limit Dark Day. The shoestring budget adds to the duo’s sound giving it the D.I.Y. quality that is synonymous with most of the best minimal synth and cold wave. The tracks of Window have a rawness as well as a playfulness to them, like the despondent, yet uplifting, “Don’t Bother.” “The Metal Benders” has a much more sullen aspect to it, reflecting man’s mechanization as the computer age begins to peer onto the factory floor. Crutchfield lends his vocals across the album, soft broody lyrics layered over sharp snare and subtle synth-lines. The metronomic “Sleep” toes a minimal twilight, slow and staggering along instrument and vocal solitude. Like so many cold wave and minimal synth tracks ‘Window’ is full of strangely catchy pieces, such as the absorbing staccato tones of “Dancer/Danger.” Experimentation hits fever pitch, and undoubtedly some of those bargain basement synths were pushed to their limit, with the ultimate piece: “Eternal Return.” Chords are turned in on each other, with vocals being abused and molested through distortion and contortion to produce a haunting final piece.
Window is a symbiotic meshing of man and machine, not in a well groomed Kraftwerk way but in a more tactile and cobbled manner. The tracks have an inert roughness to them, one that distances and welcomes the listener. Crutchfield manages to pour his fascination with mechanic percussion and contemporary culture into a unstably cohesive structure; like a modern day Tower of Pisa which proudly flaunts its askew tilt. Dark Entries have taken a record that disappeared into the void almost thirty years ago and rescued it back from the brink, and collector’s bedsits. Another piece of music history wonderfully brought back to life.
Window is out now on Dark Entries.
(Robbie Geoghegan)
From Aquarius Records
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!
From IGLOO MAGAZINE
Zwischenfall :: Heute EP (Dark Entries)
(April 2010) Some records make you grimace; any music zealot has been there. You hear a snippet, Youtube, in a mix, wherever, and immediately fall head over heels for it. A b-line for Discogs.com uncovers it’s $200. The patient eBay rummaging route is a possibility, but that can take years. It seems that this must have record will never be had. Or will it? Zwischenfall’s Heute EP is one of “those” records. Thankfully a record label has seen fit to re-issue this new wave gem, Dark Entries.
Zwischenfall are of that new wave elite. The group had only two releases and by the time the second was released their sound had become studio polished, losing the power and energy of their first. Heute was released on Front 242′s short lived Mask label. The 12″ opens with “Atemlos.” The track is a blend of upbeat snares and downbeat vocals with arching synthlines creating an apprehensive juxtaposition. “Heimatlose” is a quirky post punk piece. Light key taps and brass blend over rippling lyrics. “Millionen” is arguably one of the tracks of the EP. Powerful and uncertain the track is emblematic of how before their time this 1982 outfit were. Cutting lyrics slice through synthesizer and snare leaving the listener in the mood for more. Thankfully the b-side doesn’t disappoint. “Flucht” is an equal contender for the track of the EP, some might remember it from Intergalactic Gary’s Sistema Intergalactico. A synthesizer rawness exists throughout with guttural lyrics. It is a piece that epitomises the downtrodden energy of the early new wave artists. The track would later be completely revamped for Zwischenfall’s second EP, losing almost all of its positive aspects in the clinical production process. Dark Entries have managed to secure two unreleased tracks for the 12″ too. The first, “Tausend Jahre,” is a measured blend of guitars and electronics. The production of the original has been cleaned up by George Horn at Fantasy Studios but keeps old of the grit of the original sound. The final track on the 12″ is a really nice addendum, “Katastrophe;” the demo of “Flucht.” The synthlines are there, but pitched down with different vocals, always interesting to see the birth and early development of a great piece.
Sadly my German isn’t up to much. Zwischenfall, depending on context, translates into either an event or an accident. It’s interesting to look at the group bordering these antonymous lines, as their sound is along such boundaries of non-definition. Zwischenfall were trailblazers though they more than likely never wanted to be. They are a group endemic of great music at the cusp of new wave. Their music was, to a great extent, made without insider influence, mainly because their weren’t many influences out there. Patrick Codenys of Front 242 probably saw this, and that’s why the EP saw the light of vinyl. It has been twenty seven years since this visionary 12″ was released. It sounds even more groundbreaking today.
Heute EP is out now on Dark Entries.
From Aquarius Records
ZWISCHENFALL Heute (Dark Entries) lp
“While revered by hardcore fanatics of ’80s synth/dark wave sounds, none of us here were familiar with Zwischenfall, an early ’80s band out of Germany with a Danish lead singer who made some totally engaging and compelling synth based sounds back int he day. What’s striking us the most about this record which originally came out in 1983, is how organic it all sounds. Yes they were very interested in synthesizers and used them with amazing results, but they also incorporated acoustic and electric guitar, trumpet, and bass, years before others really grasped how to intertwine the use of electronics and more traditional instruments in a very fluid and moving way.
Some of the tracks come off like a less stiff Tuxedomoon or an electronic version of 23 Skidoo (the untrained post-Cosey trumpet blurting on “Heimatlose” lends to that reference). We are also reminded of Fad Gadget’s synthetic quirkiness, and the early albums of Front 242, which makes sense as Patrick Codney of Front 242 was one of the band’s biggest cheerleaders and producers.
There is a dramatic and emotional quality that makes us really fall hard for the songs of Zwischenfall. The emotive vocal delivery of Martin Urban was even compared to Klaus Nomi back in the day (we don’t really hear that so much though) but it is for sure a strong and forceful presence that sometimes makes us think of the same kind of drama that folks like Japan were able to communicate through their music. Like all the great releases on Dark Entries the album is lovingly packaged, this time with the bands original press kit, and is quite limited, only 500 copies… so act fast! “
From Insound.com Stuff We Like
Death Domain – Ethidium Bromide
Firstly, I come to find that judging a record by its cover plays out quite in my favor on many an occasion, this being one. I was clueless as to what music would be coming off of this 7″, but I couldn’t not get a record with such a cool cover – layered screen printing of bits of scientific text books with no reference point to decipher the subject matter from … too too too cool.
After playing it for the first time, this release begged for thick fog, low red lighting, and knee high doctor martins – this took me way back. There seems to be quite an influx of ‘cold wave’ acts, and I can never be in the slightest unhappy with that. In fact, I just can’t get enough. I’m a complete “cold wave” glutton I suppose. Much like Led Er Est and Xeno and Oaklander, this is ultra minimal, ultra robotic, Cabaret Voltaire-esque danceable goth/industrial throwback. The synths and drum machines feel like cold metal on bare skin, and the jackhammered tempos and slightly Ian Curtis-like vocals force you into fighting off a pseudo-seizure.
The only real letdown is that I only have two songs to listen to. I need more isolation from anything remotely human, maybe by the time I’ve finished putting in my blue-black hair dye, and applying my Siouxsie Sioux eye make up, they will have a full length release.
(Richard Elias)
From IGLOO MAGAZINE
Death Domain and Second Decay :: double review (Dark Entries)
(February 2010) Despite beginning, and growing, across the UK and Europe in the 1980′s, New Wave is having its renaissance in America. Of course there have been pioneers of the sound based in the US, Experimental Products to name but one, but it is indisputable that the sound was forged by the post war generation of Europe. One label that has surfaced in recent times is Dark Entries, an imprint based in San Francisco.
Just before the start of the new decade Dark Entries brought out a 7″ by Adam Stroupe, aka Death Domain. The two tracker opens with “Ethidium Bromide,” an homage to a fluorescent mutagen. The track skids the divide between punk and new wave, but just leans towards the latter bordering into EBM. The lyrics have an infectious un-emotive quality that run into the B-Side, “Programmed Cell Death.” It soon becomes clear that Death Domain is a microbiology and chemistry nut, utilising this cellular and molecular world to inspire his work. “Programmed Cell Death” lowers the tempo a touch and settles into more of an EBM sound. The synthline is unnervingly catchy, with its simple snares punching through analogue reverberations to produce an amazingly addictive composition. The halted vocals mirror the sounds of The Normal or even a more minimalised Anne Clark.
Dark Entries are not just about the new generation, but look back to the dusty analogue annals to unearth some lost artists. In 1992 Christian Purwien and Andreas Sippel, aka Second Decay, decided to release a CD of their take on new wave. The CD only release, La Décadence Électronique, has finally returned some seventeen years since its digital inception onto vinyl. The tracks on the record are from the duo’s musings between 1988 and 1992. The LP stretches its limbs with the synthesizer medley of “Labortium I,” before the fast paced new wave pop piece of “A Kind of Dream” enters. “The Emerge” follows in a similar tempo, but has an element of lost love placed on top of the analogue chords. “Poisoned Water” is a tortured new wave work, writhing with physicality whilst its successor, “Chromatic” turns to a down-tempo work of cold isolated computer music. The tempo is raised for the upbeat “Grateful Vision” with its clever synthesizer movements before the cold calculated tones of “The Machine” makes their way in. Once more the beats rise with “Die Antwort,” the only track in German on the album. The track has a wonderful, almost crashing, synthline with the lyrics crippling the snares in their emotive pulses. “Enclose My Heart” is the unrequited new wave love track of the album. The synth composition is infectious and keeps running with tempered beats and an ache. “Interlace/Disconnect” is a slow lumbering work of arching analogue waves spinning across desolate vocals and a classic drum beat. John Foxx’s “Burning Car” follows, this time given a Second Decay twist. To those unfamiliar with the original it is of Foxx’s minimal synth sound, inter-spliced with the artist’s disillusion and uncertainty with Thatcherite Britain. The synthlines are brash and forward with some memorable movements. The vocals are lifeless and dispassionate, mirroring the alienation of, what Foxx saw as, an ultra-modernist world. The record ends as it began, with “Labortium II” and it’s instrumental synth curtain fall.
Dark Entries is starting out as a label. There are two LP’s and a 7″ on the books to date, and to date there seems to be some real quality coming from this West Coast imprint. Some labels spring up and don’t seem to have the background knowledge to actually pull the concept out of theory and into practice; this is not the case with Dark Entries. The label is exploring the past and present, allowing for a diverse stream of aging obscurities and new talent.
(Robbie Geoghegan)
From FADER
Death Domain – Ethidium Bromide / Programmed Death 7-inch
The minimal electronics/cold wave/Wierd world has been talked about quite a bit in Freak Scene. Adam Stroupe’s Death Domain adds a purely inhuman touch to the oeuvre. Here’s another example of the charms of this world. The dead pan, affected British accent vocals, the analog synths, the dance not dance music – it’s all here. The lyrics are about cells and biology, things most people are not particularly good at in school. They are also about death too, whoa. Examples include “Red is your color, you kill like no other.” There’s no emotion on this record and that’s the point, I think? It definitely adds to the whole vibe of the 7-inch. Two super quick, icy cold songs, both meant to make you wonder whether or not you should be dancing to these inhuman chants and rhythms but finally deciding, after a few drinks, that it’s time to let your personal anguish out and just dance. Maybe you’ll put your arms in the air too, who knows. Stroupe avoids overwhelming layers of synth upon synth, allowing him to focus on speed and bleakness, perhaps two of the most crucial traits of the cold wave world. If comparisons are necessary, then it’s easy to see that these two Death Domain songs are more aggressive than the melodrama of Xeno & Oaklander, more contained than the kooky mania of Led Er Est, and more isolated than the anguished Cold Cave. And Stroupe would probably shudder at all of those comparisons. Absolute Body Control (and Death Domain covered ABC with Cult of Youth too) and Cabaret Voltaire and all that stuff also come to mind, if we need to re-establish “cred” here. Grip it from Dark Entries HERE.
(Jamie Johns)
From Still Single tumblr
If I gotta jam some coldwave synth minimalism, I tend to like it like this: fast, severe, robotic. Solo project of one Adam Stroupe, formerly of Atlanta synth-punk band SIDS. I never liked SIDS too much, and still don’t, but these aren’t very much alike. Both tracks sound human in name only, processed words that read like if a science textbook could become sentient and write poetry, and breakneck tempos. Frigid and sterile, paranoid of germs … slip this chromium goose in and watch partygoers contract frostbite. 400 numbered copies, silkscreened sleeve. (http://www.darkentriesrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
From Aquarius Records
“Dark Entries made their debut as a label several months ago with the awesome reissue of the Eleven Pond LP and with that single release we knew we were witnessing the birth of a an awesome reissue label, one with its heart set on finding obscure synth-pop and darkwave and and shining the spotlight on records that never got the love, attention or distribution they deserved the first time around.
Second Decay were a German electronic-pop group who formed in the late 1980′s dedicated to the sound of analog synthisizers, the album’s back cover proudly remarks ‘This album was produced without MIDI. It is dedicated to our beloved synthesizers.’ And there is no doubt these guys had deep love for the sounds of synthesizers as they used them to craft very infectious, dark new wave with full on pop chops. While there have been tons of reissues and attention paid to the amazing music that was made in Germany in the 70′s it’s really cool to see someone digging up some of the gold in a post-Kraftwerk Germany as Second Decay have a sound that brings Neue Deutsche Welle to mind (e.g. Grauzone, Liaisons Dangereuses, etc.) and the more dark tinged blasts of electro-pop that folks like Depeche Mode and The Human League were making on their early records, or even early 80′s Cabaret Voilatire, and of course you can tell they were WAY influenced by the mighty Kraftwerk. We also hear a cool similarity to the recently reissued Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras record Catholic, which kind of makes perfect sense as the man behind Dark Entries was instrumental in saving and preserving the cache of Cowley tapes from which that record was culled.
With new bands like Cold Cave and Xeno & Oaklander grabbing our attention lately with their awesome updated version of that classic vintage synthwave sound, it’s pretty rad and perfect timing to hear a lost classic from folks who were making that sound almost twenty years ago. Limited to just 500 copies all screen printed and with an amazing remastered sound thanks to the work of the legendary George Horn at Fantasy Studios. This will make you want to wear all black and dance all night. Minimal wave/gothpop at its best! “
From Aquarius Records
“Dark Entries has only a couple of releases under their belt, but the aesthetic of the label is firmly dictated by those releases: darkened post-punk electronics and dour new wave. Obscure reissues seems to be the focus for Dark Entries, but then there is Death Domain, a contemporary one-man band out of Baltimore, who might as well have been releasing work in Belgium circa 1983. The two tracks here fall between two somewhat obscure sounds — Kas Product (who you might recall doing the title track to the So Young But So Cold compilation of French coldwave from the ’80s) and Leather Nun (in particular the Slow Death single recorded for Industrial Records way back when). Death Domain have the aggro rhythms of Kas Product cranked through the most primitive of drum machines, and the life-support system synths that Leather Nun provided for that one single. All together, it’s pretty damn good. Yeah, Cold Cave again rears their oh so influential of late head here, but think Cremations, not Love Comes Close. Limited to 500 copies, with glow-in-the-dark silkscreened covers! “
From Still Single tumblr
Genteel, as-is reissue of a dark synth/New Romantic band from Rochester, NY. Eleven Pond sprung to life with this full-length around 1986, and it’s pretty easy to pick apart their bases of influence: A Flock of Seagulls, the Cure, early R.E.M., the roots of EBM, Aztec Camera; ostensibly a clearinghouse of what all the devastatingly handsome, isolated people skulking around college campuses and high school art classrooms were checking out. The band had a lithe, supple sound that weaves a unified personality out of all these styles, despite the trainhopping at play here. Their lack of a live drummer and the preponderance of FM synths and flanged guitars support these chameleon-like tendencies, at the expense of whatever edge these gents might have been cultivating. When they’re at their best, they are brooding and looking downwards (closer “Ask (Jealousy),” with its noble acoustic guitar lead and cloud-cover bass beds, is an example of that success), and it’s in these moments, about a quarter of the overall record, where Eleven Pond showed a bit more promise outside of being what was likely RIT’s only Goth band. First release on the Dark Entries label, and its hand-numbered, silkscreened sleeve suggests this release as a passion project for someone, but more likely an ideal debut release for a reissue label that’d put stock in something like this. (http://www.darkentriesrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
From Insound.com Stuff We Like
NEW BAND OF THE WEEK! Insound staffers seek out new music constantly. Between the hundreds of music submissions we get per week and the new bands and labels we’re always reaching out to, we stumble upon some really great stuff. Each week, we will be picking one lesser-known band that we particularly love. This week, John goes all “best new reissue” on us with coldwave synthpoppers Eleven Pond.
So first of all, this isn’t really a new release, but a re-issue that came out this year (on Dark Entries Records). And the way this record came about, according to the blogosphinternet, is a great story / new music model example. Self-released in 1986 in upstate NY, in an edition of five hundred copies on vinyl; more recently a blog (A Viable Commercial) ripped the vinyl and a lot of people loved it; original band member also found the tracks online and was psyched more people were hearing the music; blogger’s friend decides to start a record label and re-masters the record (on vinyl again, natch) with beautiful (new) silkscreened art. Everybody wins (and the band even makes money)! It’s basically the same process that got Dave Bixby’s Ode to Quetzalcoatl into my eager little hands, and that’s probably been my favorite reissue of the year (besides Townes, obviously). So what does it sound like? Well, those of you newly (or old-ly) into that dark gothic coldwave sound should be pretty excited. Sweet bass lines, dramatic new romantic vocals, and GREAT synths – very dancy overall. And most importantly when it comes to re-issues, incredibly solid songwriting that certainly deserves to be heard again. Definitely for fans of New Order, The Cure, Depeche Mode, poppier Cold Cave stuff, and probably more precisely a bunch of other obscure likeminded bands that I know nothing about, ha. I’ll throw in a plug for Soror Dolorosa too (more goth), which we don’t carry yet but is SO. GOOD. And hopefully more people out there will take the initiative like Dark Entries did and keep digging up those forgotten gems!
(John Koch)
From Aquarius Records
“What a total gem! An amazing unearthed, ultra obscure album from way back in 1986. Hailing from Rochester, NY, Eleven Pond crafted super infectious dark pop with wonderful synth moments and song writing that has really held up over the years. Some of the production, and much of the overall sound reminds us a bit of Seventeen Seconds era Cure, where basslines lead the tracks and the guitars and synths add such a nice mood and texture. We’re also reminded a lot of another obscure mid ’80s band, For Against, who had the same ability to take Factory/4AD elements and influences and meld them so nicely with classic eighties American college rock, they kind of sounded like this amazing hybrid of Joy Division and R.E.M.
With new romantic vocals that totally tap into vintage Depeche Mode and New Order territory, we also hear echoes of other lesser known yet great bands of this era like Soul Merchants and Jet Black Factory. With so many new bands lately referencing that era and looking to similarly vintage sounds for inspiration, it’s so refreshing to hear an actual relic from that period, too bad it sadly somehow slipped through the cracks, but now we can finally enjoy this set of songs, so worthy of much wider appreciation.
Limited to a pressing of 500, each copy has been silk screened and contains two Eleven Pond postcards as well as a sticker from Dark Entries, the label who mark this as their first release and who we have a pretty good feeling we’re going to be hearing a lot more from in the future. Grab one while you can, as this is highly recommended!”
The first review of Eleven Pond’s “Bas Relief” from A Viable Commercial
“I’ve noticed some bickering and fighting and controversy among the music sharing blogosphere over the past few months. Some people hate the idea of sharing (for free!) this music, as it cheapens the experience of listening to the physical record. To that I say “pish-posh!” (and that’s something I’ve never said before in my life…). Sometimes music blogs CAN make a difference.
For instance, a couple years ago I uploaded the obscure and barely-known LP from Eleven Pond. I occasionally saw copies for sale (I bought one from a local record store and one from gemm.com for mere pocket change), and after sharing the record, everybody wanted a copy. After a while, one of the original band members, Jeff, contacted me via my blog, expressing his joy that his music was reaching a wider audience, despite the fact that it was 20 years after the release, and in digital form only.
My friend Josh took note of this. He had wanted to start a record label for some time, and contacted Jeff to see if he would be interested in a reissue. As it turns out, he was very interested. After a slow start, the record was remastered by the legendary George Horn at Berkeley’s Fantasy Studios. The record was given a new cover (the cover hat Jeff originally wanted way back in 1986), and every copy was silkscreened and hand-numbered for the perfect DIY touch.
This isn’t just a minor reissue, it’s a wonderfully remastered and lovingly crafted piece of music history. Seriously, this is how this record was meant to be heard. The difference is noticeable. The bass is deeper, the drums hit harder, the guitars are louder, the vocals are clearer, and the synths… whoa boy, the synths!
So… where can you get this reissue? Well, from Dark Entries Records, of course!
So, now you can witness how, with the right circumstances, some luck, and a whole lot of hard work (by people other than me), a simple blog post of an old, obscure, forgotten gem of a record can ultimately lead to a reissue. The original band makes money off the record that they never thought they would see, and they finally get the recognition that they deserve. “
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