Chanson Deux - Hinter Den Dingen (1986)

Here we have a long sought-after LP from Germany. It contains the well-circulated track "Der Staat" and, not surprisingly, a few other gems. Unfortunately this isn't the best rip, but I tweaked it as well as I could... so it'll have to do for now. Other faves from this one would be "Où", "To Je Pravda", "Je Suis Seule", and "Masse Mensch". I've gotta run for now, have a nice Sunday, everyone. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Masse Mensch
A2 - To Je Pravda
A3 - Der Staat
A4 - Mirrors
B1 - Je Suis Seule
B2 - Play For Love
B3 - Où
B4 - Hinter Den Dingen

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Collage - Mit Den Puppen Tanzen (1984)

Oh my, I've really been slacking haven't I? [Yes, you have, what kind of crappy blog is this?] Sorry about that! Lots of nice things right around the bend, I promise.

I finally had enough time to drop the needle on this 12" tonight. Deutschland: the gift that keeps on giving! This one is particularly interesting to me as it involves members of Stahlnetz and Schwarze Bewegung. Up-tempo tanz beats throughout, lots of synths and female vocals. A great Friday night record. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Mit Den Puppen Tanzen
A2 - Schwarze Nacht
B1 - Niemals Zurück
B2 - Harter Film

Download (updated 7/17/2013)

The Parapluies - The Parapluies (1984)

Excellent tape from Germany, on one of the best labels for German minimal synth: P.A.P. I would like very much to hear all of the releases from that label, wink wink, nudge nudge. Here's one of them. You won't regret checking out that gem, trust me on that. As for this little nugget, you are likely familiar with the brilliant track "Necessities", which is by no means the only worthwhile song on the tape. It's quite good throughout, with female vox flowing across waves of bass and synth. The lead-off track starts out a bit on the corny side, so soldier through that and you'll hear the goodies that follow it. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Bruno
A2 - Fallen Dream
A3 - Necessities
B1 - Heart And Facts
B2 - Stranger In Paradise
B3 - Leaving You

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Die Idole - Self-titled (1982)

Check out that sweet pants & boots combo! Ahem, sorry, the music inside this cover is pretty great as well. One more from Deutschland before I retire for the weekend. Really great NDW that was summarized perfectly by the legendary bX when he said, "like Abwärts going synth". No other releases that I'm aware of outside of a 7" single that contains 2 tracks already found on this LP. They have one other song called "Neue Zeit" on an unofficial v/a CD-r from 2003 that I wouldn't mind hearing, if anyone happens to have it. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

A1 - Alles Oder Nichts
A2 - Nova Kultura
A3 - Hautnah
A4 - Sorglos
B1 - Grossstadtleben
B2 - Pfahl Im Fleisch
B3 - Helden
B4 - Langeweile

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Fix & Fertig - Wie Der Lichte Tag (1984)

Really nice minimal weirdness from Deutschland. Both male and female vocals set against droning, pulsing minimal beats and clashing percussion. Plenty to enjoy about this peculiar obscurity. There's a band by the same name on Discogs, but nothing other than coincidence would lead me to believe they're related, as the style and sound surely aren't... I suppose it's possible they changed their sound from uber kalt awesomeness to corny garbage, though. Who knows? Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Cube Carrelage Blanc
A2 - We Shall Overcome
A3 - Les Gammas
B1 - Eingesperrt
B2 - Duck Duck

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Moresque Foray - Long Distance Sex (1989) +

This is a pretty slick 12" from Germany with a very club-friendly sound to it. I know very little about the band, other than the fact that this is not their only material. You may have also heard this song (from 1986, I think) at a wave party/club. It's definitely the winner of the bunch for me. Anyway, like I was saying this one feels most at home in the club atmosphere, and hopefully you'll start hearing it there. Strange Shock is pretty nice and I definitely prefer the alternate mix of Real Command -- sick synths for the time. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Strange Shock
A2 - Real Command
B1 - Real Command (Long Distance Mix)

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Pas De Deux - Axe Ends (1983)

Not much time for a description today. I assume the band needs little introduction as it is, after having other released posted on several blogs already! This is a wonderfully rare german-released LP by the Belgian group, and features my favorite PDD track, "Cardiocleptomanie" which was featured a while back on Crispy Nuggets Vol. 1.

Tracks A4 and A5 are connected by "lock groove" and were ripped as one mp3. Enjoy!


Track List:

A1 - Rendez Vous
A2 - Lits Jumeaux
A3 - Take A Cigarette 1
A4 - A5 - Cold Turkey / Axe Ends
B1 - A Million Miles
B2 - Little Danny
B3 - Cardiocleptomanie
B4 - Lonely Guys
B5 - Wavin'

Download (link removed by request, due to upcoming Minimal Wave release)

Cunning Toy - Searching (1987)

I'm quite proud to present one of my favorite 12" records ever. Outstanding German synthpop that feels way ahead of its time. These gems are brought to you by a few of the same guys that created the ultra great New Scientists LP and 12". You can grab those from my earlier post, here. Needless to say, this record is extremely rare.

This actually sounds quite similar to how DM sounded around the same time. Maybe it's just a coincidence... In any case, it really captures and defines the sound of German synthpop from the mid/late 80s into the very early 90s. Certainly amongst the best of the bunch. I promise, you don't want to miss this one. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Searching
B1 - My Submission
B2 - Kiss Of Life

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Angela - Fantasy (1984)

I thought that if I were going to post one of the worst album arts ever (see last post), I might as well follow it with one of the best album arts ever.

Angela (Werner) had a few releases between the years 1981 and 1984, almost all of them being rather elusive. This being no exception. She was also involved in another project with a similarly simple title called "Jyl". You can check that out here. There's something really great about this woman's voice. I absolutely love it.

This particular single was released on 7" and 12", with 4 separate tracks scattered between them. I just ripped the 7" and so happen to have the other songs from the 12" on hand, and will post them below as well. The most well-known song here is "I Gotta Little Love", but I think you'll like all of them, as I do. Enjoy.

Track List:

A - Fantasy
B - Kites

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and the 2 extra tracks from the 12":

Painted Love and I Gotta Little Love (mp3s on request)

Dusk To Dawn - Places You Will Never See (Cassette) (1994)

I don't often dig up items from the 90s, but sometimes they're worth it. I know some of you want nothing to do with anything that falls outside of the decade beginning in 8, but bear with me on this... I'll get back to feeding your sweet tooth soon.

This is the 2nd and last cassette released by the band, I've never heard the first (if anyone wants to be a pal and share it --- UPDATE: Now posted here on Kentucky Fried Wave). These Germans make a brand of synth-driven, semi-goth rock that really appeals to me. The tracks "Fading" and "Far Places" are the standouts that I seem to keep coming back to on this particular release. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Separation
A2 - Fading
A3 - Out Of Sight
B1 - Deception
B2 - Hearts Lied Open
B3 - Far Places

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Videoclips - Roboter Ramona (1982)

Don't have a lot of time to say much about this. It may be fairly well-known, but less well distributed. Great 7" single from Germany that comes from the band's sought after LP. Which, if anyone out there owns, a rip would be more than appreciated! Enjoy.

Track List:

A - Roboter Ramona
B - Husky

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Pitch Yarn Of Matter - Discography (93-95)

I thought it was about time to upload something from the southern hemisphere, for a change. Who better than PYM, as you'll come to find (if you're not already familiar with them). The band was a project of the possibly more well-known Nude's Marcelo Gallo. Based out of Brazil, originally, they released a demo cassette in '93 called "Bounds", which naturally has more of a DIY feel to it than the later 2 CDs, which were produced in Germany in 1995. Listen to them in order and it'll seem like every song gets better and better and better. "Strange Body" is probably my favorite of the bunch. Barely. Excuse the particularly weak album art on SIOM, heh-heh. Lots of good stuff here, my friends.

Oh, and to further wet your palette, they were produced by Andreas Sippel who also produced Second Decay. The 2 CDs were released on Subtronic Records, which has released other mega greats such as: Zwischenfall, Data-Bank-A, Beborn Beton, Twilight Ritual, Advanced Art/Two Witches... to name a few....

So, without further ado...

Pitch Yarn of Matter - Bounds (demo) (1993)

Track List:

A1 - The Poet
A2 - Lips Of Tragedy
A3 - Make Part Of Nothing
A4 - Signs In Our Minds
A5 - Safe & Sound
A6 - Senseless
B1 - Merely Human
B2 - Full Of Nothing
B3 - High
B4 - Man
B5 - Brave's Tear
B6 - Alles Schwarz (Pym V1.0)

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Pitch Yarn of Matter - Signs In Our Minds (1995)

Track List:

01 - Sometimes (Intro)
02 - Pain
03 - Signs In Our Minds
04 - Flies
05 - Shadows Of Time
06 - Interchange
07 - Safe And Sound
08 - The Old Man
09 - Observer
10 - Inspired By Love
11 - Man
12 - These Eyes
13 - The Reason Right

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Pitch Yarn of Matter - Strange Body (1995)

Track List:

01 - Brother Sun, Sister Moon
02 - So Tired
03 - Rare And Real
04 - Looking For
05 - Lonelyness
06 - Strange Body
07 - Gray Scale
08 - Father
09 - Channel 6
10 - To Be Born Again
11 - Fairy Tale

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As a bonus, get a much cleaner version of "Alles Schwarz", here. Enjoy!

Ting Voice - Ting Voice (1989)

Nice scarce 12" here, released on Konkurrenz, the same label as quite a few great acts, including Bale Paré, Exkurs, Die Kapazität, and Matthias Schuster (who is featured on this record, although I do not know his exact role). You'll definitely hear familiar sounds on this. Female vocals and plenty of synthwave goodness. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Les Mots
A2 - Slow 3D Pad
B1 - Allez, Allez
B2 - Ting Voice

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Plugpoint Music - Last Chance (1987)

Well, I know Phil from the incredibly great blog A Viable Commercial has been looking for this one for quite a while. So, I guess I couldn't help myself. It doesn't hurt that it's a quite outstanding minimal synth gem. A private release out of Germany, the exact release year doesn't seem to be posted anywhere, so perhaps if someone out there knew they could share? (Update in comments below). Seen this pop up on eBay a few times now, and hasn't gone for terribly unreasonable prices (whatever that means), so if you're looking for it, keep an eye out. Until then... enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Maybe It's Love
A2 - Sunny Days Are Holidays
A3 - Lonely Is The Night
A4 - Forever Wind Forever Winter
A5 - Fire In The Street
A6 - In The Deepest Throat
B1 - Flowers And Wimen
B2 - Requiem For A Lonely Soul
B3 - Whatever You Need
B4 - Samba Transistora
B5 - Sadness In Your Eyes
B6 - Classical Thing

Download (link removed 11/30/2020 per request of Minimal Wave Records - you can purchase this reissue soon at: https://minimalwave.com/releases)

Partner Eins - Warum Müssen Autos Fahren? (1983)

Ah, first post since the holiday break. Hope everyone had a nice time, and Happy New Year! I've got a few things lined up for the blog, mostly of the French variety, so stay tuned for those.

As for tonight's post, it's a piece of German synth wave that has a nice smooth sound to kick off the new year. Female vocals and solid synth textures. Pretty great album art, too... Enjoy!

Track List:

A - Warum Müssen Autos Fahren?
B - So Verliebt

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Vision Factory - Bird From Fez (1990)

Nice and somewhat weird gatefold 7" from Germany, hot off the needle. If you're a fan of Lisfrank type vocals (like I am), you'll probably like these. The music is a bit more strange and experimental, but still quite good. Enjoy.

Track List:

A - Bird From Fez
B - Tremendous Mates

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New Scientists - The Storm (1986) +

Great synthpop 12" out of Germany, featuring 2 tracks from the band's LP, as well as the track "Side By Side", which can only be found on this record.

+ The LP rip can be found kicking about, but with the file names & tags mixed up, so I uploaded an organized version here.

Track List:

A1 - What Will The Future Bring
A2 - Tell Me When Your Heart Beats
A3 - The Storm
A4 - Southafrica **
B1 - Shame On You **
B2 - Atomic War **
B3 - Why Don't You Stay
B4 - Watch Out
B5 - I Miss You

** really love these

+ The members have been involved in several other projects, including the band Cunning Toy in 1987. I have uploaded that record here. Uwe Kallenbach went on to join the group, Syntec. Rene Bachmann is a member of the band Oomph! and is now known as "Flux".

Track List:

A1 - The Storm
B1 - Side By Side
B2 - Watch Out

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Supportez Les Mineurs - To Whom It May Belong (1988)

Had to rip this one -- first because I absolutely love it, but also because it seems to be fairly unknown. I hope that will now change. This LP comes from Germany and, unless I'm mistaken, is the only release by this great band. This record shows a masterful command of instrumentation, with brilliant beats and basslines, melodic male & female vocals, all backed with haunting synths that set the mood of each song perfectly. Pretty great all the way through, hard not to love this one. Last track is a masterpiece. See for yourself. ;-)

Track List:

A1 - No More Than A Word
A2 - Why?
A3 - Isn't It Religious?
A4 - Silent Tears
B1 - I Can Even Wait
B2 - The Starvation
B3 - Tortured Soul
B4 - Lovin' In '91

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Infam - I Won't Loose My Faith (1990)

Infam are a German synthpop band that first formed in 1985, but did not release a single until this one, in 1990. Infam continues to release music to this day. There is definitely similar styling to early 90s synthpop bands like Beborn Beton, And One, De/Vision, etc (which may or may not sit well with you)... certainly in the title track... but it's the B-side that I really like from this one. It could just be me, but I really hear a similarity to the Eleven Pond vocalist here. Anyway, Enjoy!

Track List:

A - I Won't Loose My Faith
B - The Way Of Pleasure

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El Deux - Best of (1982, Remaster)

Another great synthpop/new wave release of the non-English variety (I'll get back to English soon enough!). This is a curiously named release by a band that had one LP with one single, which essentially means everything they've done is their best, and I suppose no one can argue that! It is indeed an enjoyable listen throughout. Most of these tracks are from their Nur Für Mädchen LP, hold the final track "Video King", which was the b-side to their "Gletscher" single.

Track List:

01 - Computer-Mädchen
02 - Mädchen (Lass Das Sein)
03 - Mein Ding
04 - Ich Möcht' Ich Wär' 1 Millionär
05 - 50 Jahr, Blondes Haar
06 - Gangster Tscha Tscha
07 - Gletscher
08 - Wir Tanzen
09 - Spieglein, Spieglein
10 - Video King

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