Dark Entries

Dark Entries digs deep into the UK Goth underground to unearth The Danse Society 'Demos Vol. 1.'

The band formed in Barnsley, England in 1980 from the remnants of local post-punk bands Y? and Lips-X. Between 1980 and 1982 the band released a handful of 7' and 12' EPs and the debut album 'Seduction' on their own independent label, Society Records. The band also recorded several sessions for Radio 1, including a John Peel session, and topped the Independent Charts with the single 'Somewhere.' Their commercial debut, 'Heaven Is Waiting' was released in February 1984. They released two further singles and the album 'Looking Through' before breaking up in 1986. After 24 years three original band members reunited to record the new album 'Change of Skin,' released in July 2011.

1983 was The Danse Society's year. Playing sold out tours and the success of 'Seduction' won them a recording contract with Arista Records. Spending their advance on new equipment the band recorded an album's worth of demos in one day at Greenhouse Studios, London in May 1983.

The line-up for this session was Steve Rawlings (vocals), Paul Nash (guitar), Lyndon Scarfe (keyboards), Tim Wright (bass) and Paul Gilmartin (drums). Doom laden guitar riffs, swirling synthesizers, crushing drums, driving and disembodied vocals, characterize the distinctive Society sound. 'Demos Vol. 1' is the closest you'll get to The Danse Society live experience. You can almost taste the dry ice, feel the power coming through the monitors, and become entranced by the strobe-induced madness this album embodies. The Danse Society operate in a raw, atmospheric realm less campy than many of their Goth Rock peers, unconcerned with pop charts or commercial appeal. These aren't songs, they are commands.

This 11 track collection includes an early version of the single 'Wake Up,' 5 demos that would make the cut for 'Heaven Is Waiting,'3 songs that would later become B-sides and 2 unreleased instrumentals. All songs have been remastered from the original tapes for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. Each LP includes a fold-out, double-sided newsprint poster with photos, lyrics and liner notes by original drummer Paul Gilmartin and music journalist Mick Mercer. 28 years later these demos capture a band at the height of their confident, powerful and haunting glory.

Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Come Inside
3. Wake Up
4. Seduction
5. Heaven Is Waiting
6. The Sway
7. Valiant To Vile
8. Seen The Light
9. The Hurt
10. Arabia
11. Outro

Van Kaye + Ignit is the Dutch duo of Ed Van Kasteren (Van Kaye) and Ignatine Bekken (Ignit), who joined forces in the city of Arnhem during early 1980. While at university, Van Kaye was the singer of The MoNoMeN, a local new wave band. By the end of 1979 he had become more interested in the use of electronics and rhythmic industrial patterns. In April 1980 he released a demo cassette with 30 minutes of his own work titled 'A Slight Delay'.

While experimenting with synthesizers and developing extreme sounds, he met Ignit, who had previously worked in the fields of art and performance. Together they recorded their first 4 songs with guest musician Williem Wisselink (Wizzkopf) in the summer of 1981, and released the 'Picassos on the Wall 7' later that year on their own Ding Dong label. Van Kaye + Ignit then began work on their debut 60 minute cassette album, 'A Slight Delay.'

Like the 7', all songs were recorded and mixed by Van Kaye at his home studio on a TEAC A-3440 four-track recorder. Self-released in 1981, the album pairs conceptual sophistication with disarming naïveté in a way that has been difficult to replicate since the formative years of bedroom'electronic music. Both members handle vocals (or non-vocals), and songs feature everything from new wave riffs to slowly shifting oscillator buzzes and eerie electronics over mechanical rhythms.

This reissue includes the entire 11-track original c-60 cassette 'A Slight Delay', as well as all 4 tracks from the 'Picassos on the Wall 7' spread across two vinyl discs. For the first time ever, the original 1/4' master tapes have been transferred and remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley.

The jacket is a replica based on the original 'A Slight Delay' cassette artwork, which was designed by the Van Kaye, with a hand-colored textured photograph resized and laid out by Eloise Leigh. Each album includes an 8O?14 double sided insert with photos, lyrics, liner notes by the band, and a fold-out poster.

Bay Area Retrograde (BART) Volume 2 is Dark Entries' second compilation of underground music from San Francisco (and the greater Bay Area) made between 1978-1983.

Towards the end of the 70s, San Francisco's experimental music scene clashed with the aftermath of punk and gave birth to a vibrant underground. By the early to mid 80s the DIY music scene of the Bay Area was a hotbed for experimental and quirky new wave, post punk, and synthpop, quite similar to New York's No Wave scene and Berlin's Neue Deutsche Welle.

This compilation connects the (transit) lines between these varied musical offerings and tells the secret story of eleven forgotten Bay Area bands. BART Volume 2 features slow, dystopian horror from pioneering industrial group Factrix; crushing, motorik noise from acid punks Chrome; amphetamine-driven synth punk from Red Asphalt; an early demo, never released on vinyl, from legendary post punk band Tuxedoomon; chilling atmospheric drone from Ki Di Me; leftfield new wave from Indoor Life featuring Patrick Cowley on synths;  Los Microwaves more sinister side project Baby Buddha; gay drag icon Timmy Spence delivering an unknown camp classic, a pure instrumental electro-pop workout from Human Being Men; TR-808 fueled synth pop from Menlo Park duo Wonders of Science, and a poetic yet somber and haunting song from the mysterious Zru Vogue. All tracks have been carefully remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley.

Each LP is housed in a large 6-panel, 2-sided fold out poster designed by Eloise Leigh, featuring original photos and fliers from each band's personal archive plus a 36x24 print of a photograph by Ruby Ray from1978. BART is the acronym for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the main rail transportation system for the San Francisco Bay Area.

This LP is by no means a definitive compilation but merely opens the tunnel to the underground of the Bay!

Side A:
Factrix - Night To Forget
Chrome - Meet You In the Subway
Red Asphalt - Red Asphalt
Tuxedomoon - Day to Day
Ki Di Me ' Islamatic

Side B:
Indoor Life - Gilmore Of The Fillmore
Baby Buddha - Little Things
Timmy Spence - Brand New Dance
Human Being Men - Human Dub
Wonder's Of Science - Let's Start A Rumor
Zru Vogue - Nakweda Dream