More spacious,and suspiciously funky, Post-Punk from Dutch/German pre-Schlaflose Nächte group, Suspect.This time captured in an unknown live setting, playing a flawless set in an acoustically alive environment.
Tracklist:
A1 Brass Or Stone
A2 Same Mistake Twice
A3 Company
A4 All The Past
A5 Favour
B1 No Mention
B2 One Life On Earth
B3 Black Steady Wind
B4 Barracuda
Before Schlaflose Nächte were Schlaflose Nächte, they were another Dutch/Kraut hybrid band, playing in a standard British Post-Punk style; which is infinitely preferable to the sterile Industrial Funk they ending up playing as Schlaflose Nächte.
Suspect sound as if they could have come from Bristol or Croydon rather than from Rotterdam and West Berlin.
Rather good.
DOWNLOAD without suspicion HERE!
By 1983, Dutch/Kraut combo Schlaflose Nächte, were well and truly victim of that 1983 Industrial Funk sound popularised by 23 Skidoo and 400 Blows; but a considerably less funky version. Lots of sterile digital effects bounce around in the dark spaces, including that infamous eighties signature effect, the 'Gated Reverb'(Yuk!). Of course there's a solitary Trumpet and the obligatory cymbal-less electronic drums too. All sounds like a terrible recipe doesn't it? Its all so very dated compared to these far more organic times, where we know how to do digital subtly.
Virtually all of bessie mates, Einsturzende Neubauten guest on this recording by the way.
Tracklist:
A1 In A Hurry
A2 Attempt
A3 The Angel Will Not Come
A4 Shiver
A5 Boy/Word
B1 Muscle Contraction
B2 Stimme Frisst Feuer
B3 Zerrissen
B4 Forced Labour
Fittingly, James Last was the last German featured in the short Die Or DIY? trip around post-punk Germany......not that the King of Schlager has anything to do with post-punk in the slightest. He did however do a tune called "Schlaflose Nächte" on one of the myriad of albums that he produced in his lifetime. I get sleepless nights (English for Schlaflose Nächte) thinking of all those empty land-fill sites that James Last products could have filled adequately;and the billions of tonnes of natural resources that could have been saved had he not existed......but then we wouldn't have had the "Silver Machine/Children of the Revolution/Schools' Out" medley would we?
I first heard the words "Schlaflose Nächte" on the John Peel show, and I thought, 'Ah, another of those German groups innit?'.....but no, they were apparently Dutch? Singing in German(maybe because they had German members?), and having an unhealthily large amount to do with everything German.Hanging out with Einsturzende Neubauten, recording in Berlin, but slowly turning to the trendy British style Industrial Funk of the 400 Blows, and 23 Skidoo variety.
This British released single, is a good example of where they were creatively in '81, its very post punk funk with an industrial smell about it. Pretty good indeed.
DOWNLOAD and cure those sleepless nights HERE!
