Zorch Factory Records – Label - France

To shake up the usual content I decided to write something about a concept that is very dear to my heart, Net Labels. And the most interesting one, in my opinion, is Zorch Factory Records.

It was founded by Manu/Zorch how was involved in Projects and Bands like Camp Z, Sleeping Children, Zorch Factor and The Vertigo Smile. But besides being a platform to promote his own stuff, he opened it up for other Projects and bands to. The Label features bands from a lot of different genres, some more and some less prominent.

The Thing that I appreciate and respect the most about this Label is the fact that they publicize the music under the creative commons license. This 'basically' means that it’s free to download the music from the homepage.
(See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for more information)

The reason for my love for little projects like this is based on my whole (maybe naive) concept that music is art, and that art should be accessible for everyone. This (mostly) young and struggling Bands can use a platform like Zorch Factory Records to get their work out in the open, to make a name for them self. Being an idealist, when it comes to that, I just have to respect any band that provides their music for free.

But to get back to the actual Label, you will find work from artists like:

Joy/Disaster
Camp Z
The Red Crayon Aristocrat Club
Acid Bats
The Cementary Girlz
Crimson Muddle
General Decay
Los Carniceros Del Norte
Monozid
Droserae
T.S.O.L.
and many more…

I highly recommend this Site for anybody that is interested in given new Bands a chance. There is a whole bunch of great stuff to discover there.

And if for nothing else, you should at least go there to check out the Crimson Muddle EP. (Expect a whole article about this wonderful Band very soon.)

http://www.zorchfactoryrecords.com/

Nichts 81-83 Germany (Reunited 2009)

Nichts

Nichts was one of this German Bands that came up just when this awful NDW (Neue deutsche Welle) was picking up momentum. Thanks to the fact that it was created by two Members of the legendary Punk Band KFC it was far from this Euro-Trash that floated around the Record-Stores around this time. Nichts may have borrowed a few things from what was going on in the music scene in Germany back then, but kept it’s Punk flavor.

Their first Demo Tape “Made in Eile” was picked up by the local Record-label “Schallmauer-Records”. It became a surprise success. After some ridicules controversy about releasing a single over CBS Records, they released their second album “Tango 2000” in 1982. The song “Tango 2000” became a huge hit, and is what the Band is most remembered for. This second album is still fun, but at least feels a lot closer to the dreaded NDW then their first one. After the release the base and the guitar player decided to leave the Band. In 1983 the Album “Aus dem Jenseits” was released, played by a new lineup.

In my opinion the very first Album/Demo Tape is still the best, it carries the strong punk vibe that seemed like a leftover from the KFC days.

If you are interested in German music that was sold under the Flag of NDW but in reality was a beast of it’s own, you should really give it at least a try.





01 Radio
02 Eingeschlossen
03 Hallo Kartoffelsalat
04 10 Bier zuviel
05 Allein zuhaus
06 Scheisse
07 Wer du bist
08 Made in Eile
09 Nichts

DOWNLOAD

In 2009 they reunited with a new lineup (yet again) and are playing gigs again. Hopefully with the same rough chaotic force they were famous for when they started in 1981.

MODERN ENGLISH- 1st & 2nd PEEL SESSIONS (UK)

No intro is needed for these 4AD label pioneers. Here are some small but great offering from John Peel.

1st and 2nd Peel sessions

1st Peel Session:

1. Some One Calling


2. Being Peeled


3. Face of Wood

2nd Peel Session

1. Sixteen Days


2. Mesh and Lace


3. a Viable Commercial

Here is the complete BBC radio recording which has a few extra tracks not on the peel sessions release.

SIAM (Israel)

One of the best things to come out of Tel-Aviv during the Israeli new wave scene. Very unique wall of sound complete with echoey guitars, synths and electric violins. At times brings to mind U2, Simple Minds and Killing joke during their ' Brighter Than a Thousand Suns ' period. Many, Many Thanks to Hanoch for introducing me to various bands from Israel and most of all SIAM a few years ago, I can never get tired of them. Below is a compilation of their complete discography stuff taken from their live 12" Saiam from '86, War and Piece And Inbetween LP '89, and some unreleased material.

SIAM-COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY

+Tracks Listing +
01. Siam-Instrumental
02. Intro/You
03. Evening Falls
04. In The Realm Of...
05. Changing(Live)
06. Don't Want To Understand
07. You Are Siam
08. Choices
09. Private Jokes
10. B.R.O. Theme
11. When Love Gets Out Of Hand
12. The Outsider
13. Hard Time
14. I Believe
15. Siam(Instrumental 2)
16. In The Realm(7even Remix)

LEGION UK - HELL SPITS BLOOD (UK)

It was a bit difficult to really find any info at all on this unknown UK band, but what I do know is that they started back around 1981 and went through a couple line up changes with a few different female singers and a different Chris on Bass. Then in '85, Steve moved from guitar to take over vocals and Paul took over Guitar, Chris on Bass and Azzy on Drums, with a new lineup in order they decided to make a few recordings. Which are now made available on this compilation called Hell Spits Blood, that has various recorded material from 1986 thru 1987.
Legion's sound is post punk driven with references to The Chameleons and the boy-band appeal of Flesh For Lulu, but loaded with tons of energy and attitude. Give them a listen and join the league of loyal LEGIONAIRES !

+favorite track'Twist The Knife'full album link below+

HELL SPITS BLOOD- 1986-1987

1. HELL SPITS BLOOD
2. SEEDS OF LOVE
3. INNOCENCE
4. TWIST THE KNIFE
5. SEX ATTACK
6. HELL SPITS BLOOD (REMIX)
7. TASTE OF EVIL
8. WASTED SIN
9. SEEDS OF LOVE (REMIX)
   

Violet Indiana - Roulette 2001

Debut full length Album from 2 gem's of the DreamPop world Featuring Cocteau Twin's Robin Guthrie and Mono's singer Siobhan De Marie. This album is filled with dreamy, sultry, and hypnotic tracks like 'Sundance', 'Air Kissing' and 'Poison Gorgeous' that seems to echo around in your head long after you have heard them. Definitely worth a listen!

+our favorite track'Sundance'full album link below+


Roulette (2001)

Tracklisting

1. Air Kissing
2. Busted
3. Sundance
4. Powder River
5. Little Echo
6. Angel
7. Poison Gorgeous
8. Hiding
9. Rage Days
10. Liar
11. Feline Or Famine
12. Killer Eyes
    

*Update 12-3-2011 * New download link added

Big In Japan

One of Liverpool's first punk outfits that was very short lived and who's members went on to bigger and better things after disbanding sometime in '78. Singer Jayne Casey shortly after started Pink Military, that eventually evolved into Pink Industry and Holly Johnson who would become the frontman of Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Budgie who would soon drum for Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Ian Broudie who later formed The Lightening Seeds. Shortly after their initial split, they decided to put out an Ep on their own created label, Zoo to pay off some debts. Zoo would later on release some of the first recordings from early liverpool scene greats like Echo and the Bunnymen and The TearDrop Explodes. Besides the EP their only known release, they did do a Peel Sessions. I've been trying to get my hands on these, so if anyone has them please contact me. Finding stuff from Big In Japan isn't the easiest task, so after a few requests and some conversations about them inspired me to compiled a short list of tracks. I've taken from their "From Y to Z" Ep and The Zoo:Uncaged Compilation. I also do have a handful of demos that are not the greatest of quality, but if anyone is interested I will be more then happy to post them!


+our favorite track"S.C.U.M" full album link below+

Big in Japan Compilation

++++Tracklisting++++
Big In Japan
Nothing Special
Cindy and the BarbiDoll
Suicide a Go Go
Taxi
Match of the Day
Society for Cutting Up Men

Strange Dolls Cult (Austria)

It’s not very easy to describe the Sound of this fairly young Band from Austria, some may just describe it as the typical style of the recent Deathrock revival, or in other words ‘just another Christian Death Clone’. Doing that is far too easy in my opinion, of course there are similarities to Christian Death, but it’s Deathrock, you will always find similarities to Christian Death. But enough about me rambling on about how much I hate people that have preconceptions about newer Deathrock Bands only because a few of them became popular (and we all know how ‘uncool’ that is).

Strange Dolls Cult was formed in 2005 and they released a 7” in 2007 titled ‘Puppets Dance’ which got a pretty good review from Mick Mercer (http://mickmercer.livejournal.com/696679.html). On this single you will find ‘Puppets Dance’ and ’Ruins of Western Civilisation’. Beside some releases on Samplers and a Demo Tape floating around the Internet , they didn’t released another EP or Album yet. With the latter one in production at the moment. (In the last mixing stages to be exact)

The first thing you will notice when listening to the 7” and especially the first song ‘Puppets Dance’ is that everything is there as expected, a solid Base, good percussions and nice Guitar Riffs. But then it goes further, the vocals come in, and you go on a nightmare trip through a manic brain. Music and Vocals work together to evoke this strong and powerful atmosphere that became so rare in Deathrock over the past few years. (You can listen to ‘Puppets Dance’ at their Myspace page)

What made me fall in love with them was that you can actually hear this guys (and girl) were really having fun just performing (It reminded me a bit of the 'fun-attitude' you hear when listening to Anorexic Dread… and that always gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling), this only became more obvious when watching live clips.







+favorite track'PUPPETS DANCE'+

So if you are up to give something new a try, get the 7” and help a really promising new band to some well deserved fame.

http://www.myspace.com/strangedollscult
http://www.strobelight-records.com

Deception Bay - My Color Flag (1991) USA

Deception Bay is definitely one of those bands where you tell yourself..."damn why didn't I discover them sooner"!?. This has to be one of my favorite bands/albums that have come across my path within the past year. Many thanks to DJ Delecti who was eager to play for me some freshly new acquired goods in his apartment one drunken evening. Thus was presented to me 'My Color Flag'. The first Track 'fortune days' immediately sucks you in with thunderous drums, basslines,distorted guitars and atonal vocals and the rest of the album never falling short. Dark, guitar oriented post punk that references Savage Republic and Joy Division.

This was there 3rd and final release off of Independent Project records known to have release such bands as Savage Republic, Kommunity FK, Red Temple Spirits, For Against, and Autumnfair.

A raw and subtly powerful album, sure to not disappoint!

My Color Flag -(2001) on Independent Project Records (limited press 2,000)

Fortune Days
All My Future
Fence and Flag
On My Side
Where Am I Now
The Place I’m Going
It’ll Be My Day
Getting Scared

There is also a Myspace page www.myspace.com/deceptionbays