Zoviet France

Zoviet France ( alt. spellings: $ oviet France: $ oviet: France: Sophie & Franz: ,: Zoviet * France: ,: Zoviet France: ,: Zoviet * France: Zoviet -France: Zoviet -france: , : Zoviet France: , Soviet France, Zoviet vs France, Zoviet -France Zoviet * france and lately mostly: Zoviet * france :) is a decidedly experimental music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. Musically, this project is attributed to the post-industrial, but can also be counted for ritual or (Dark) Ambient due to its complexity and variance.

History

The group was founded in 1980 by Ben Ponton (1980 to present), Peter Jensen ( 1980-84 ) and Robin Storey ( 1980-1992 ) as an artist collective. According to Robin Storey the establishment in 1979, but was held. According to Storey was Zoviet France when he two members of a punk band met through mediation by Lisa Hale, who had musical alienated from the punk and searched for new forms of expression .. The first recordings took place back in late 1979, the first studio album Hessian was then taken up in January 1980, but not published until later.

Currently there Zoviet France from Ben Ponton and Mark Warren (1995 to present). In addition, several other musicians were temporarily members, including Lisa Hale ( 1980-81 ), Paolo Di Paolo ( 1984-86 ), Mark Spybey ( 1987-89 ) and Andy Eardley ( 1990-95 ). Spybey, Storey and Eardley formed a new music group called Reformed Faction in 2005. Mark Warren, in turn, published in the meantime some of the works under the name penumbra.

The individual members of Zoviet France talking in their publications as individuals consciously in the background. Attributions on the recordings did not take place, photos of the members were not printed. Equally rare were live performances, interviews, or a response to written questions. For years, the group took part in any sampler. This conscious differentiation from the music business led to the initial image of a down elusive, mysterious group, which brought them in the eighties a certain cult status.

Around 1990, the group found itself in a crisis, when anonymity was abandoned and Ben Ponton presented itself as a leading musical head in Zoviet France. Spybey and Storey then left the band to pursue their own (solo) projects: Mark Spybey under the names Dead Voices on Air and Propeller, Robin Storey as Rapoon

From the early to mid nineties, the number of publications took then also noticeably, it appeared only sporadically live recordings such as Vienna, compilations such as collusion, compilations and reissues. Instead, was working on soundtracks in the foreground. The first CD of new studio material was then Digilogue, 1996.

Style

Initially played Zoviet France in the wake of Punk, New Wave, Krautrock and Industrial still with guitars and drums. The band then turned quickly but more experimental sounds to and initially refrained from doing entirely on computer-generated music. Instead, it was improvised with traditional, ethnic and home-made musical instruments, as well as with tape loops and lo-fi effects. In principle came every object that can produce a sound as a tool in question. Another stylistic device it came alongside instruments for example, distorted acoustic field recordings, African tribal chants, or recordings of radio broadcasts used. Then came Over the years, more and more electronic elements, such as sampling, added.

"What really drives us is the interest in sounds and noises. It is not our intention to dominate a particular instrument particularly well, we are concerned with the sound as an abstract, raw material with which you can work, thereby creating music. "

The music consists mostly of scraps of language and word groups, which are incorporated into an experimental sound collage with times repetitive, sometimes broken rhythmical structures. Other tracks, however, are kept very minimalistic, with monotonous sounds and almost without any rhythmic variation. After the impromptu recording individual voices were isolated, alienated and re-edited until they pop up in a new arrangement in a completely new context and not the original acoustic environment can be assigned. In this way, for the post-industrial quite unique style emerged.

The first publications from Garista (1982 ) consisted almost exclusively of harsh, dissonant noise collage. Mohnomishe on (1983) and Eostre (1984), then began to more melodic sounds the turn. From Misfits, Loony Tunes and Squalid Criminals (1986 ) the music of Zoviet France changed itself then towards atmospheric, meditative pieces with numerous loops. This includes Zoviet France of the pioneers of ambient music.

Charrm

Charrm was a record label that operated from 1980 to 2002. Behind Charrm Limited of Newcastle upon Tyne was Zoviet France, which marketed in this way their own recordings. Were published mainly reissues of the records of the 1980s on CD. It published 20 CDs with the codes CHARRMCD01 to CHARRMCD28. Some numbers were not awarded, which is why 20 publications go to paragraph 28. In addition, four LPs, a cassette, and a maxi were produced. Codes were here according CHARRMLP and CHARRMTC and CHARRMT. 2001 published a single and a double CD that deviated from this pattern, since it is a collaboration of Zoviet france with locus. Almost all other recordings are of Zoviet France itself, except for one LP ( CHARRMLP03 ) of the Hafler Trio, as well as a sampler ( CHARRMCD28 ).

Discography

The first publication Garista was recorded in 1982 and released as a cassette. Characteristic of Zoviet France in the eighties was the special design of the cassettes, records and CDs: Instead of normal envelopes of cardboard or plastic can be edited and partly painted materials such as aluminum, plywood, roofing felt or jute used. In particular, the records were packed in a way, tapes and CDs often. This meant that the sound recordings were named partly after their packaging: The second publication name thus became the Hessian or Juteplatte. Originals of these plates are now sought-after collectibles.