inner nerd » 1980

Equipment: 3-2-1 Contact with Suzanne Ciani (1980)

beaker — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:04:19 +0000

Hot damn!

What a wonderful (and sultry) explanation! Geared toward kids, this is a clear and ultimately human view of our relationship with synthesizers.

Embedding was disabled on the higher quality video. Lame.

End of line…

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Robot Rock du Jour: Malaria! – Your Turn To Run (1982)

beaker — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:39:28 +0000

Hot chicks singing over synth punk???!

Sexually charged lyrics, punk angst and synthy goodness earn Malaria! (and others like Honey Bane, The Slits and Pylon) a cherished place in my cybernetic heart. It all happened during a very brief period of time when hot, punk-rocking chicks teamed up with dub producers and took the disco by storm.

SCHEMATIC: A veritable cornucopia of punk disco…

Honey Bane – Guilty (Dub) (1980)

Honey Bane – Guilty (Vocal) (1980)

Pylon – Cool (1979)

The Slits – I Heard It Through The Grapevine/Bassline (1979)

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Robot Rock du Jour: Futurisk – Player Piano LP (2010)

beaker — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:20:36 +0000

Hot off the press!!!

Aptly-named revival label Minimal Wave has compiled Futurisk‘s entire catalog and pressed it on collector-quality 180g vinyl, including this alternate take of their signature track, Meteoright. Destined to be a collectible. At $22, you’d be crazy not to pick one (or two) up.

SCHEMATIC: Need more Futurisk videos??? Get your fix HERE!!!

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Robot Rock du Jour: Zodiac – Zodiac (1980)

beaker — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:42:41 +0000

Communist disco?! YES! This Latvian state-sponsored disco was actually composed in a music conservatory.

Zodiac is some seriously spaced-out synthy disco goodness. The simple composition of this eponymous track from their 1980 debut LP Disco Alliance brings the lush sythscapes and analog textures to the forefront. Loving those live drums. This exceptional track is essentially unknown in NA and generally available for about US$20 + international shipping. And peep that cover art!!

SCHEMATIC: Three more videos and some fantastic cover art…

Mysterious Galaxy is the lead track off the band’s second LP, Music in the Universe released in 1982. This track takes a funkier approach than found on the first album, as evidenced by the Latvians tearing up the parquet.

Provincial Disco is the third track off the Disco Alliance LP. Although clearly weaker than Zodiac, the synths are still highly unusual. I’m sure you’ll pick out quite a few interesting musical elements and a couple skillful transitions (2:15 & 3:36).

Pacific was the second track on the Disco Alliance LP. Again, clearly a weaker track than Zodiac, but pretty funky nonetheless.

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Party Time: Saturday Robot Party @ The Idle Hour (Baltimore, MD)

beaker — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:52:53 +0000

VIGR is in the house. 4+ hour rare vinyl set. Need I say more? Hope to see you there! I’ll try to keep track of the setlist…

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Robot Rock du Jour: La Bionda – I Wanna Be Your Lover (1980)

beaker — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:26:14 +0000

Back in 1980, these Italian brothers gave Daft Punk a blueprint for combining vocoder-laden electronic music, cosmic story lines and robot animé. Be kind, please rewind.

SCHEMATIC: Candid photos, original cover art and record scans…

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Robot Rock du Jour: Aviador Dro (1980 + 1982)

beaker — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:24:22 +0000

I don’t know why I’m on this jamón synth kick lately, but after you peep these vids, I doubt you’ll blame me!

Madrid-based Aviador Dro recorded some of the most leftfield minimal wave synth punk ever made. The following videos are from their obscure period in the early 1980s. Check those pre-acid synth lines! To top it all off, their penchant for industrially-themed costumes gave the music a whack post-apocalyptic feel. Substantially all their music in the 1980s was published on their own label, DRO. Enjoy!

El Nascimiento de la Industria (1982) off the DRO compilation “Navidades Radiactivas”

SCHEMATIC: Four more videos to up your nerd experience points…

Laser (1980) off their first 7″ release “La Chica de Plexiglas”

Nuclear, Sí (1982) off the 12″ release “Nuclear, Sí”

La Televisión Es Nutritiva (1982) off the “Alas Sobre El Mundo” LP

Selector de Frecuencias (1982) off the “Alas Sobre El Mundo” LP

Selector de Frecuencias – Live (1984) broadcast on “El Programa La Edad de Oro Visita”

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Robot Rock du Jour: Ronnie Jones – Video Games (1980)

beaker — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:29:53 +0000

Anybody else spot a Daft Punk Technologic sample in this, particularly once the lyrics kick in around 0:40? The 2+ minute breakdown at 3:48 is some robotic funk video game pinball madness!

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