Five Times Of Dust

Five Times Of Dust

  • 1980

  • United Kingdom

  • Rob Lawrence
    Mark Phillips

Five Times 0f Dust [5X0D] is a British electronic band whose personnel is MAP and Rob Lawrence (and Suisse for a while). In 1981, MAP answered an advert that Rob had placed in a record shop in Bristol UK. They both both had cassette labels - Maptapes (MAP) and Quick Stab Music Products (Rob). As the early 80s progressed, Rob returned to Cardiff, but carried on releasing tapes for a couple of years and then in 1983 finished Quick Stab Music Products whilst MAP remained in Bristol and did similar with Maptapes. They travelled to visit each other, continuing to working together on weekends, and they continued to use the postal system to carry on creating their 5X0D music.

Their main cassette releases were:

1. THE DADACOMPUTER [1981] (C60 - Maptapes / QSMP)
2. 5IVE XIMES OF DUST [1982] (C60 - Unreleased)
3. DOGCHILD [1982] (C30 - Quick Stab Music Products)
4. THE BLACK TAPE [1983] (C60 - Quick Stab Music Products)
5. YUM YUM MUSIC [1984] (C60 - Unreleased in UK. Released by StichtingStopcontact in Netherlands).

Dadacomputer information:
Rob (aged 22 at the time) used KORG MS20 Synth and Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine. Possibly Casio VL Tone. Also old reel to reel machine and AKAI reel to reel to record backings on. MAP (aged 23 at the time) overdubbed using a double cassette tape machine and arranged the tracks - adding vocal, guitar, stylophone, toy xylophone, sawing, etc. The uses and misuses of computers eg. Missile Logic - computer Controlled Weaponry, T - point of destruction - touchdown….
They continued to develop a strong love for the music of the Japanese techno-pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra (Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi) and also Sandii and the Sunsetz, Akiko Yano, Yello, Telex, Logic System, Kraftwerk, Can, Holger Czukay, Neu, Der Plan, The Residents etc and many other experimental musicians and bands from all around the world. Previous influenced had been Throbbing Gristle, Chrome, Krautrock.
They embraced the advent of affordable home computing for music making. They also embraced the beginnings of affordable sampling - the Casio SK1 and 5 allowing them to digitally manipulate sounds in a lo-fi fashion.
In the 1990s MAP continued his prolific music creation in solo and group form but at this point, after 15 years, Rob stopped making music and in 1992 took up a career as a keyboard and piano teacher!
MAP and Rob lost touch with each other at the beginning of the new Century. But happily, in 2007, MAP sent a postcard to Rob and we got back in touch through the internet, creating their 5X0D myspaces and going on to create and release the CD INCENSE IN THE MIDDLE FRIDGE OF BIRTH [2009]. This time the music was sent via internet rather than post and this recording is available to listen to on this very site. The tracks use samples of our sounds from the 80s, but rebuilt into new computer age compositions by MAP. The Vocaloid 2 program Hatsune Miku sings on many of these tracks to add a cool 21st Century Japanese vibe!
In 2011 a track of ours called COMPUTER BANK, from The Dadacomputer cassette [1981], was released on THE HIDDEN TAPES, a compilation LP and CD release on the Minimal Wave label.
Rob continues to teach and MAP continues to be prolific with his latest project, SLAVEWELT.
So they still do try to make original electronic music - with an emotional resonance - using both analogue and digital technology, hopefully seeking a way to reach people’s hearts and minds.