This day 43 years ago Jean-Michel Jarre released the electro-ambient masterpiece known as Oxygène (5 December 1976, Les Disques Motors / Polydor).

It was the French-composers first release which was not intended as a soundtrack, a front-runner in electronic music, the album which brought Jarre into the mainstream almost overnight was also overlooked in certain parts of the world upon release, as it coincided with the surge in the punk-movement but unmistakable in the delivery and synth advances.

Though it did go on to sell fifteen-million copies, a remarkable feat for an album without a singer, lyrics or even a guitar, in the nineteen-seventies this was almost unheard-of, Kraftwerk had incorporated guitar, drums and violins into their work as to did Tangerine Dream, then again these are bands and Oxygène was composed, constructed and produced by a single individual.

The modern-day Mozart created a landscape of sound embedded with his own unique charm, created through the VCS synthesizers, mellophonium, mellotron and programmed rhythms it was a complete electronic production unlike those of his counterparts such as Mike Oldfield, this was a record relying solely on technical advances. However, the studio used to record the album was Jean-Michel Jarre’s own kitchen in his apartment using an eight-track recorder,

Without a track-list as such only a breakdown of six-segments (Parts I-VI) the most famous of course the dance-floor filling “Part IV” released as a single in 1977 and going top-ten in most European-territories, this joyous crescendo is another instantly recognized piece of music.

The inspiration for the album came from a painting by Michel Granger, that painting adorns the album cover, instantly recognized , a precursor to the climate-change movement revealing death as the earth is ravaged, as resounding an image as it is, Jarre also foretold the future in the very-fresh sounding album.


Oxygène (Original 1976 Track List)

Side One
Oxygène (Part I) – 7:40
Oxygène (Part II) – 7:39
Oxygène (Part III) – 3:20
Side two
Oxygène (Part IV) – 4:03
Oxygène (Part V) – 10:26
Oxygène (Part VI) – 6:22

DISCOGS

This month it’s 35 years ago Canadian industrial act Skinny Puppy released their very first EP Remission, a six track record, on Nettwerk Records (December 1984). In 1986, after their first full album Bites was released, Skinny Puppy released a cassette version of Remission with additional tracks expanding the release to a full-length album. In 1987 both albums Remission and Bites ended up together on one single CD album called Bites And Remission containing 17 tracks while the European PIAS version named Remission & Bites had only 14 tracks on it.

Besides the already recognizable and typical Skinny Puppy style the EP is filled with vocal samples taken from, amongst others, the 1943 Hitchcock movie Shadow Of A Doubt and even a sample of president Ronald Reagan’s speech about pornography as art.

The original release already contained some of Skinny Puppy’s classics songs like Smothered Hope, Far Too Frail and Solvent, tracks that still can be heard at many underground parties today.

Remission (original 12" vinyl version)

Back (Side A)
A1 Smothered Hope
A2 Glass Houses
A3 Far Too Frail
Side B -

Forth (Side B)
B1 Solvent
B2 Sleeping Beast
B3 Brap...

DISCOGS

Jah Wobble & The Invaders Of The Heart have announced a UK Tour throughout January, February and March 2020.

The legendary bass player and his band begin the dates at The Cavern in Liverpool on the 16th of January before ending up in the Norwich Art Centre on the 21st of March. The seventeen show run will include a London date at the Jazz Café in Camden Town on Thursday the 23rd of January 2020.

Wobble's most recent album 'Realm Of Spells' was recorded with Bill Laswell and saw the two musical pioneers collaborate on a joint long player for the first time since the release of 'Radioaxiom: A Dub Transmission' in 2001. Released on limited edition vinyl, CD and available digitally, the current album captures perfectly the sound of the coming together of post punk London and the avant garde of New York's no wave movement of which the two were very much key.

The live shows will see the original PIL bassist and The Invaders Of The Heart line up of Marc Layton-Bennett (drums & percussion), George King (keyboards) & Martin Chung (guitar) perform a set of new tracks together with some of his finest solo, Invaders Of The Heart and Public Image Limited output from an incredible and genre bursting career that spans over forty years.

LIVE DATES:

JAN 16TH THE CAVERN, LIVERPOOL
JAN 17TH CLUB ACADEMY, MANCHESTER
JAN 18TH BRUNDELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS
JAN 23RD JAZZ CAFÉ, LONDON
JAN 24TH PATTERNS, BRIGHTON
JAN 25TH ARTS CENTRE, COLCHESTER
JAN 30TH THE GLOBE, CARDIFF
JAN 31ST THEKLA, BRISTOL
FEB 01ST THE BROOK, SOUTHAMPTON
FEB 06TH THE CLUNY, NEWCASTLE
FEB 07TH LA BELLE ANGELE, EDINBURGH
FEB 08TH GARAGE 2, GLASGOW
FEB 13TH THE PHOENIX, EXETER
FEB 14TH HARE & HOUNDS, BIRMINGHAM
FEB 15TH RESCUE ROOMS, NOTTINGHAM
MAR 06TH PUBLIC HALLS, HARPENDEN
MAR 21ST ARTS CENTRE, NORWICH

jahwobble.com

This month it’s been 32 years since the English Electro / EBM heads from Nitzer Ebb unveiled maybe one of their most famous and biggest dance-floor classics, Murderous! A bomb of a song that turned out to be the advance single from what would become maybe THE NEB album of all time, That Total Age! An album we still had to wait for until May 1987 and which still can be found on various top-lists of the best industrial albums ever.
The B-side of this 7 "single had the up-tempo track Fitness To Purpose while the 12 "version had also the 'Repetition' version of Muderous pressed on it.

So, where is the youth?

Enjoy!

Murderous (Lyrics)
Where is the youth
Youth
Youth
Youth
Youth
Youth
Youth
It's time to know
It's time to live
It's time to know
It's time to live
Shout golden shouts
Shout golden shouts
Lift up your hearts
Shout golden shouts

Discogs

They became an integral part of the Future Pop scene. They played the big festival stages of M'era Luna, WGT, Amphi and Out Of Line Weekender and both were convincing as Blutengel support. THEY are Ashbury Heights and Massive Ego – going on a dream team double headliner tour.

With their current album "The Victorian Wallflowers", Ashbury Heights proved that they were able to further improve their skill of writing super-catchy melodies. Massive Ego marked their spot with "Church For The Malfunctioned", a fire starter of melodies sticking in your head with a very unique character.

Being united on one tour, both bands will spur each other on taking their colourful performances to the max. And if this was not enough, Ashbury Heights will have a very special highlight: original member Yasmine will be taking over the female vocals, making the Persistent Illusions Tour something really special. So be there, because these evenings will be unforgettable!

Thu, 23/01 Nachtleben, Frankfurt
Fri. 24/01 Matrix, Bochum
Sat. 25/01 Headcrash, Hamburg
Thu. 30/01 Kranhalle, München
Fri. 31/01 Erfurt - Zughafen
Sat. 01/02 Sumpfblume, Hameln