First a disclaimer, eeh, i was not yet born when these things happened so if you people think “eey! that guy doens’t know what he is talking about!” youre probably right
anyways, what was the best year for the minimal wave genre? this is a thing a think a lot about and in fact i think it’s kind of interesting! and i would emphasize the word ‘was’ here, as i really think it has passed although this statement could be argued untrue.
My personal favorite years are 80, 81, 82 but i cant decide which i like most
Lets start with 80:
i think 1980 has a distinct primitive touch, with stuff like l’aventure imaginaire, neural circus, Xex, but definitely minimal in a naive brap ( skinny puppy terminology ” to get together, hook up electronic instruments, get high, and record.” ) kinda way.
81:
This year has probably the best potential IMHO, with everyone getting together with a “hey! i want to make another speak and spell myself!” attitude. Not as naive as 80 but still immature in a positive sense! personal favs: ende shneafliet - animals from outer space, snowy red - s/t and of course transparent illusion lends to a darker tone, in the music compared to earlier years
82:
For the german minimal-synth-punk-deutshe-welle stuff i would say 82 and this is perhaps the reason id pick 82 as all time high with all its kassettentäter-ndw madness but people with more insight here are encouraged to add to this! . Personal favs. gorilla aktiv- nur für erwachsene, sugalo - die märchen, die frauen von avignon, . And this years has stuff like nine circles - s/t and solid space - space museum and silvia - s/t, hard to beat!
But i’ll probably change my mind about this as time goes by
maybe as a technical note, it is worth mentioning that in the genre(s) we are discussing in this forum the use of a (certain) drum machine had a major impact on the overall sound.
in 1980 and also 1981, there were mainly the Boss DR-55 and the Korg KR-55. many groups were forced to create their own percussive sounds on their synthesisers.
in 1982, the Roland TR-606 and TR-808, Korg KPR-77 came up and changed the sound, in my opinion going away from sounding so very rough (especailly the 808).
in 1983, the Boss DR-110 for example was used by many of the numerous UK groups.
while i think there were not really ‘many’ bands around in 1980, there were hundreds, maybe thousands (?) in 1982/83 ... therefore i think there was much more interesting material coming up around 1982/83.
my personal favourite year is maybe 1982 - and, of course, my all-time favourite album was released then (Rational Youth - Cold War Night Life, YUL Records, Canada). this for me is THE perfect electropop album.
The early years 79 - 80 were the adolescent years where the genre is hesitantly defining itself. It’s still raw and unadulterated. Then in 82 it turns HUGE and every lad and his little sis start recording in their bedroom. So much good and obscure material. Some of it still waiting to be discovered.
Around 84 - 85 the sound matures and synthpop starts to diverge noticably from the minimal and coldwave. but then there are the kids like circuit 7 that dont give a damn and continue to record great synthpop tunes. Also, a retarded child that shakes it’s body in violence is born in Belgium.
In the later eighties every musician and his dog seem to give up on analogue aesthetics and DIY ethics. But a few rebels like Tara Cross remain and refuse to bend with the new winds. Until those last little straws break under the extatic floods that crossed the Atlantic.
Me too I’d go for 1982 if I had to choose one - simply because that’s when it exploded and everyone and his dog tried to make a decent “post punk synth pop minimal wave cold underground whatever” record. There’s just soo many great records from that year!
Also, although I must admit I’m not sure when the PCM keyboards and MIDI really started, but in general I like the sound of 82 better than what came after - analogue synths and drum machines, as opposed to more elaborate sequencers, programming and sampling. -Or a better way of putting it would be, that I like the New Sound of every year until and including 1982, from the beginning of synths until the end of analogue… Well you get the idea.
And naturally, there are still superb releases from every year since and many before, but that’s another story
Hello,
browsed through my vinyl collection and found these:
Ami Marie Verrückt nach Glück LP 1981
Anomy TVC 15 / Lone Wolf 7” 1981
Autumn Synthesize / The Third Autumn 7” 1981
Beranek Sound of Danger LP 1981
Bizarre Unit Dancing / Away from the screaming car 7” 1981
Charles De Goal Algorythmes LP 1981
DAF Gold und Liebe LP 1981
Depeche Mode Speak and Spell LP 1981
Drinking Electricity Overload LP 1981
John Foxx The Garden LP 1981
Grauzone s/t LP 1981
Rene Halkett/David Jay Nothing / Armour 7” 1981
Heaven 17 Penthouse & Pavement LP 1981
Jeff & Jane Hudson Worldtrade MLP 1981
Jeff & Jane No Clubs / Dream 7” 1981
Ki Di Me Mother is / Islamtic 7” 1981
Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons Icecream to God 7” 1981
Arnold Lane Book of Sand / No Collar 7” 1981
Mark Lane Love is so aggravating 7” 1981
Last Man in Europe .. a certain Bridge 7” 1981
The Limit Shock Waves/OK Go 7” 1981
The Limit Take it / Do it 7” 1981
Magic Dragon Emotional Landscape 12” 1981
Mekanik Commando It would be quiet in the woods ...LP 1981
The Metronomes Multiple Choice LP 1981
Naked Lunch Rabies / Slipping Again 7” 1981
The Naughtiest Girlwas a Monitor Front 7” 1981
Nausea Vocal Expression / Killing Time 7” 1981
Lee Negin Wired for Sound 7” 1981
Neon Judgement Factory Walk 7” 1981
OMD Architecture & Morality LP 1981
Organized Pleasure AH! / Tropical Stumble 7” 1981
Nick Paine Solid State 6” 1981
A Popular Historyof Signs Crowds 7” 1981
Port Said Indian Ocean, Voyage 2 7” 1981
Rational Youth I want to see the Light 12” 1981
Rescue One Movie Viewers 12” 1981
Schleimer K s/t LP 1981
Science Patrol Bandit Ducks from Outer Space 7” 1981
Second Layer World of Rubber LP 1981
Snowy Red s/t LP 1981
Spencer Spencer I think it´s raining 7” 1981
Stranger Still Solitude 7” 1981
Stranger Station Minutes to Silence / Strangers 7” 1981
Xmal Deutschland Schwarze Welt 7” 1981
Yazoo Upstairs at Eric´s LP 1981
Compilations and items from my wantlist are obviously missing.
Left out also the more Wave stuff by Sound, Sad Lovers, Modern English, Modern Eon and so forth. 81 was massive and 81 rules!
MIDI begins with the Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 and Drumtraks in the latter parts of 1982, but really doesn’t become standardised until 1983-1984 where most every synth manufacturer implemented it….
this transition can be observed most poingantly when listening to Geoegraphy (premidi) and then No Comment (Eprom drum machines, samplers, full of midi, etc.)
From my personal experience bands which use the kr 55, dr 55, dr 110, soundmasters, tr 77, etc. are not working with MIDI…these drum machines preclude the use of midi as they do not possess any slave-able protocols….
That is, not until recent years where companines and individuals have hacked them in an attempt to conform them to modern studio practices…
Thanks for that input!
In my house, Geography is played FAR more often than No Comment, so that’s about right to me.
And hacking the old drum machines? Why would they even want to do that? crazy. Sampling the drums off the old machines and creating rhythms with that would do the same thing, easier and without risking damage to the vintage gear. Hell, even stealing every drum machine intro from your record collection, looping them then making new songs on top of those loops is better than that. But it takes all kinds, right?
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And hacking the old drum machines? Why would they even want to do that? crazy. Sampling the drums off the old machines and creating rhythms with that would do the same thing, easier and without risking damage to the vintage gear. Hell, even stealing every drum machine intro from your record collection, looping them then making new songs on top of those loops is better than that. But it takes all kinds, right?
Not to suggest that hacking or rather modding gear is bad…I know Kraftwerk, for instance, modded alot of stuff, and in some cases improved upon pre-designed machines…My friend has a SQ 10 modded by one of the fellows from Kraftwerk that alows for the triggering of roland/arp synths….
I imagine Vince Clark used quite alot of modded Drum machines, his KR 55, for example
Modding when used to facilitate a live performance, or to broach disparate manufacture’s protocols is fine, even necessary…
But back to the original point, in 1980-1982 the lack of syncronizing resources led many to develop idyosyncratic methods and schemes and for this I prefer the pre-midi period.
1982, hands down for me 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my god… have mercy.
I have a joke about 1982, is when Alu recorded *Gib Dich Nicht (Live)*
in november of ‘82 at the famous. S.O.36, Berlin (Atonal-Festival)
that when Nadja Molt the singer hit the howling screams at the end of the track,
.... the result is that 1982 overloaded with brilliance, and had imploded onto itself and used, Nadja Molt as it’s emergency translator.
Check that Cassette out, Alu - (Geistige Erneuerung)
a SPIRITUAL AWAKENING alright. 8)
