By popular demand... from that one person.

"Lucky" was one of Basic Elements' first original songs. This recording features David Youssefi on guitar and is from a session recorded at "The Tree House" in 1988(?) engineered by Joseph Jakob. 

Producers are still searching for the legendary original 4-track recording of this song from an '87 session in "The Shed." That recording was engineered by the band's original guitarist, Ken Dunipace, and despite the lo-tech equipment, it remains one of the best recordings the band ever produced. 

Rumors of the original masters residing with bassist, Bill Bowling, or Lisa Hornung, who was the love of Ken's life, remain unconfirmed. If you or anyone knows the whereabouts of said masters we would love to upload them here.

LUCKY (Treehouse Session)

"Hide" is the first original song written and performed by the band, and this recording was captured on a single-mic mono cassette deck during a rehearsal in The Shed on October 12, 1985. It is the first of 16 recorded songs that night and features the raw brilliant guitar-work by the late Ken Dunipace. Some of you guys may have been hanging out with us that night. If you were, we'd love to know. We don't remember much. More to come on the 27th anniversary of that night... in The Shed.

Hide (from your leader)

Scream for Love

New You

One Golden Crown

Shakin'

This or That

Appropriately written in 1984, "Hide" is an anti-Orwellian fight song in the spirit of early U2. The band's first original song, it may have been written 35 years ago by a bunch of rebellious teenagers, but its dark,  anti-authoritarian lyrics feel more relevant than ever. Stay tuned for the official release... and Hide (from your leader). 

Produced by Ed Buller
Recorded at Glenwood Place Studios
Mastered by Brian Lucey
Cover art by Todd Alcott. 

All rights reserved "Basic Elements Publishing"

HIDE (nite mix)

A 4-minute time-machine back to one of the greatest years in musical history: 1984. Brand new, vintage feel-good music.

Originally written on a Juno-60 and Korg DDM-110 drum machine, the tech has been upgraded but the song remains the same. Love. Consciousness. Positivity. A scream for love.

Scream 4 Love

If you always look at the bright side love, loss and yearning, this is the track for you. Tear-jerking verse. Cathartic chorus. Powerful drop. This is 3rd act stuff.

Lucky

Produced by Ed Buller (Suede, Pulp, Psychedelic Furs) Basic Elements is a project 35 years in the making. We're not an '80s throwback band. We ARE an '80s band. A cross between Simple Minds and Tears for Fears, B.E. made a name for themselves in the unheralded ‘80s Arizona music scene playing alongside local legends like Gin Blossoms, Gentlemen After Dark and Caterwaul (to name just a few). They also opened up for larger (yet maybe forgotten) '80s acts like The Bolshoi and Gene Loves Jezebel... all while maintaining an average age of just 17-years old. 

While most high-schoolers were going to homecoming, the guys in B.E. spent their weekends writing songs and playing gigs, but after 6 years and hundreds of shows, B.E. disbanded in 1990 — well before any of them were old enough to legally enter a bar.

Over the past three decades, members of Basic Elements have moved on to become a sculptor, a TV producer, an attorney, a real-estate agent and a graphic artist. Despite their individual successes, the band's legacy has been confined to still photos, warped cassettes and faded memories -- until now. 

In 2019, Basic Elements played a reunion show before a capacity crowd at the legendary Mint in Los Angeles. Their music delivered a much-needed jolt of nostalgia, but it wasn't enough. That October, the band went into the studio to properly capture their sound. Recording five of their earliest songs with Mercury Prize-winning producer (and synth legend) Ed Buller. 

Written in the ‘80s. Recorded today. The result is a euphoric mix of nostalgia and discovery. A mainline hit of pure, uncut 1985. We are here to deliver positive vibes that bridges the gap between the first generation who grew up listening to new wave and the "Stranger Things" crowd who are now just discovering it. Thank you for listening (and hide from your leader).

BasicElements

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