Minimal Wave / Minimal Synth

Severed Heads are one of the longest standing bands to have emerged from the Australian post-punk and experimental scene. They began in Sydney in 1979, and were an early outfit to incorporate elements of 'industrial' noise-generation, tape cutting & looping and electronic sound synthesis. As the project developed, song-structures and vocals were employed in a more-or-less recognizable mutant electro pop style. After many line-up changes featuring Gary Bradbury and psychedelic guitarist Simon Knuckey, Severed Heads became the solo vehicle for composer Tom Ellard. 
In 1983 they released a C-60 cassette called “Since The Accident” that grabbed the attention of Ink Records, a subsidiary of Virgin in the UK.  Ellard added a throwaway track at the last minute to fill out the cassette, not wanting to leave an unseemly gap on a C60 tape. This track, “Dead Eyes Opened” was catchy enough to get a lot of airplay on the main non-commercial radio station in Sydney. The band was asked to make this song into a 12” single. For this extended version, Tom Ellard and producer Patrick Gibson went to M Squared studio and passed the multitracked recordings through various EQ's and delays. “Dead Eyes Opened” features samples from a radio program narrated by Edgar Lustgarten, a crime journalist from England, referencing a double murder case that occurred in 1924. The rhythms are made by a TR-808 drum machine and an SH-1 synthesizer. A KORG PolySix was used for strings and additional atmospheric elements. The lead solo was a Casiotone run through an Octaver foot pedal. On the B-side are two solo compositions “Bullet” and “Mount” that Ellard recorded at Terse Tapes in 1982. 

All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring the iconic photograph of a girl with a painted face wrapped in some cloth by Juilee Pryor. Each copy includes a fold-out newsprint poster with a large photo of the band wearing Art Unit skull shirts on one side and liner notes and press clippings on the other. 30 years later Severed Heads are still paving the way for powerful, imaginative, and challenging music.

Severed Heads - Dead Eyes Opened extended 12" mix

Neon Storm

Party fears two

Party fears two (in the style of The Associates)

Demain est une autre nuit

Retox

Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics Vol. 1

Watching Trees

Night in June

New Mexico

The Devil's Dancers

Metamorphose

Palais D'Amour

Retrouvez les titres diffusés dans la salle d'écoute de l'exposition Lyon capitale du rock 1978-1983 (15 mai-21 septembre 2019)

Deux - Felicita

Minimal Wave proudly presents a full length double album entitled “Further Strategies” by synthpop band Turquoise Days. Hailing from Jersey, Channel Islands, Turquoise Days was formed in 1981 by Luciano Brambilla and David Le Breton shortly after meeting at a nightclub in St Ouens called Waves. They used Roland synthesizers and drum machines, as well Yamaha synthesizers and Fender guitars along with tape effects and vocals. Throughout the 1980s, they self-released many cassettes, as well as the renowned masterpiece Grey Skies / Blurred 7” single. They were selected for the Radio Luxembourg song contest in 1985 and received press for their releases and appearance there. Their music can be described as melodic, emotive new wave. The music featured here includes the songs from the long sold out Alternative Strategies release from 2009, remastered, along with a a collection of previously unreleased material. The release is limited to 999 hand-numbered copies. The records are pressed on 160 gram white vinyl and come in a matte heavyweight gatefold jacket designed by Phil Yamada, featuring unpublished photographs of the the band inside the gatefold. Further Strategies will be available for pre-order soon, with a release date in early November.
https://minimalwave.com/articles/article/turquoise-days-further-strategies-2lp

Further Strategies

Turquoise Days - Grey Skies

Watching Trees

Eleven Pond

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