Showing posts with label Blancmange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blancmange. Show all posts

Monday, April 3, 2017

Next Wave: Fader

Neil Arthur from Blancmange has teamed up with Benge of Wrangler and John and The Maths fame to create music as Fader. Together, they have put several songs resulting in the their first album entitled 'First Light'. As it is announced, the album will be "a twist of electronic Songs with haunting atmospheres". The songs were recorded and mixed at Benge's MemeTune Studios while Arthur recorded his own vocals in his home studio. The album will contain 11 studio tracks and it will be out on June 23rd.
   

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Blancmange to Release a New Album this March

Blancmange have announced the release of a brand new studio album this year. The album will be entield 'Semi-Detached' and it is Blancmange’s 5th album to date, but the first without the involvement of Stephen Luscombe, Neils long term collaborator. As it is reported the album will retain Blancmange's characteristic humour but will also include some of the old ticks and mannerisms to create an edgy, pared down and deeply personal record, getting the balance absolutely right between grit and light, the domestic and the cosmic, despair and joy. 'Semi Detached' will be available on four formats – CD, Ltd Edition Deluxe Double CD, Vinyl LP and digital download and it will oficialy be released on March 23rd. on Cherry Red Records. 

  www.blancmange.co.uk

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Minimal Wave to Reissue Blancmange Debut EP Irene and Mavis

Minimal Wave have announced the release of Blancmange seminal debut EP 'Irene & Mavis' in November, 2013. This EP was originally recorded in 1979, released in 1980 and it was a different sound and not exactly representative of what Blancmange later went on to become. The D.I.Y. sound of the EP fits right in there with the early output of Soft Cell, the Human League, and Cabaret Voltaire. It stands out as an important record, capturing the mundane with modern electronics and remains as an artifact representative of the band before they went on to reach pop chart success. 
 The Irene & Mavis EP has been newly remastered and will be released as a numbered limited edition 10” EP in November. A digital release will follow.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Blancmange Announce 'The Very Best Of' Compilation for July

Blancmange have announced the release of their new greatest hist compilation 'The Very Best of ' for July 16, 2012. This bumper collection, which follows their recent sell-out UK tour, has been designed and compiled in consultation with Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe. It includes all their UK hits, plus some rare John Peel sessions and an airing of a track from a forthcoming project. The two CD compilation which also includes 12" versions of the songs will be out Music Club Deluxe. 

 http://www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk/

 

Friday, September 9, 2011

Sinner's Day Festival 2011

The Belgian retro festival 'The Sinner's Day' comes with its third edition this year. It will be held on October 30, 2011 in Hasselt, Belgium and it will feature some great names from the world of New Wave and post-punk. The line-up includes Blancmange, John Foxx and the Maths, Visage, The Psychedelic Furs and Recoil and many more. To get all the details visit www.sinnersday.be.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Retrovision: Blancmange- Blind Vision

"Blind Vision" won the Burning Flame February poll for the best Blancmange song. The song was originally released in 1983 and it reached number 10 in the UK charts. This is the official video for the song.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Blancmange Interview

Blancmange have announced the first single from the new Blancmange album 'Blanc Burn'. "Drive Me" is available now on iTunes and will soon be available from all other good download stores. The track features the Indian percussionist Pandit Dinesh. Find out more about Blancmange and the upcoming album in the interview by John Doran for Quietus Magazine. Also be sure to catch the guys on BBC 6 Music.

Blancmange Interview



Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Retrovision: Blancmange- God's Kitchen

"God's Kitchen" performed by Blancmange on the Tube show in December 1982. The song was released in the same year as a double a-side single with the songs "I've Seen the Word"

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Blancmange

Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur and instrumentalist Stephen Luscombe. The duo released one EP, three albums and several singles during early-mid eighties. They were among the synth-pop pioneers of that time a long with Human League, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode who made edgy but accessible synth-pop for wider audience. Almost 25 years after their last record release, they are back with a new album.


During the late 70's, Neil and Stephen were in a variety of alternative rock bands. In 1978 they decided to join forces with Neil on lugubrious vocals and guitar and Stephen on keyboards. Their motto was “anything goes” and it showed, what with their use of Tupperware and tin foil for percussion, tape loops and borrowed synth equipment. Following a mad moment during which they toyed with the idea of calling themselves A Pint of Curry, Blancmange were born.


They became "official" in 1980 with the release of their debut EP, "Irene and Mavis", a 1000-copy affair with the image of the nattering old dears on the cover that led Daniel Miller of Mute Records to christen Blancmange the “maiden aunts of techno”. Further exposure came over the next 12 months when they toured as support to eccentric performance artist and multi-instrumentalist Nash the Slash and appeared alongside Depeche Mode, Soft Cell and The The on the celebrated ‘Some Bizzare’ compilation album of new electronic pop acts with their track “Sad Day”. This would attract the attention of London Records and, in 1982, secure the pair a major label deal.


By the following April, they were heading for the charts: the Talking Heads-influenced "God’s Kitchen", the follow-up single "Feel Me" and the supremely infectious “Living on the Ceiling” with its blend of Indian textures and World Music flavors with primitive but powerful electronics which reached number 7 and remained on the charts for 14 weeks. There followed tours with Depeche Mode and Japan and further hits featuring "Waves", "Blind Vision", "That’s Love, That Is", "Don’t Tell Me".


In July ’84, Blancmange made the last of their many appearances on Top of the Pops when they charted at number 22 with an unexpected cover of Abba’s “The Day before You Came”. In September ’85 they had their last top 40 entry with "What’s Your Problem?" and in May ’86 they grazed the top 75 for the final time with "I Can See It". They had released three albums of dark, compulsive electronic pop – 1982’s 'Happy Families', 1984’s 'Mange Tout' and 1985’s 'Believe You Me' – and they realized they had probably taken things as far as they could. Blancmange formally split up in 1987.


They didn’t exactly retire from the music industry after the split. Neil worked on a project called Saturn 5 with Malcolm Ross and David McClymont of Josef K and Orange Juice and reggae producer Dennis Bovell. He began composing music for TV back in the UK and also released solo album entitled ‘Suitcase’. Meanwhile, Stephen collaborated with longtime Blancmange associate Pandit Dinesh as West India Company. He did soundtrack work for film and TV, music for the Channel 4 series Lonely Planet, a score for BBC film The Legend of Leigh Bowery.


Throughout it all, Neil and Stephen resisted offers to reform, although they did communicate regularly and even tentatively worked on new material. Finally, in 2010, perhaps encouraged by the use of Living On The Ceiling on the Berocca TV advert, the Faithless remix of "Feel Me" or the regular citing of Blancmange as an influence by the new wave of electro acts, from Hot Chip to La Roux, they began working on their first album for a quarter century.
The result is 'Blanc Burn', an album of creeping atmospherics, crunching electronics, chart-friendly melodies and lyrics that explore the darker recesses of the human condition. There may have been a 25-year gap between it and the third, but Blancmange’s fourth album is worth the wait in gold.

Source: http://www.blancmange.co.uk  edited version

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Back to Phuture with Blancmange and Mirrors

The new edition of Back to Phuture on BBC 6 Music will feature Blancmange who will release a new album in March after a 25 year break. The duo join Mark to talk about the music which inspired them to pick up electronic instruments, why they've decided to reunite after a quarter of a century apart and what they've been up to in the intervening years. In the last half hour of the show, there's a guest mix from new Brighton-based electro band Mirrors. Having toured Europe with OMD at the tail end of last year, the band play a mix of the 'synthfluences' which have informed their debut album 'Broken By Silence', due out in February. Don't miss it, Sunday, 20:00 on BBC 6 Music.

http://www.bbc.co.uk

Friday, December 10, 2010

Blancmange News

Almost 25 years after the release of their last studio album in 1985, Blancmange will retunrn to the music scene with the brand new album which is due to be released on March 7, 2011. The album is called 'Blanc Burn' and it will be supported by a small tour in the UK. The first track from the album is available as a free download here.

Ticket info

Monday, July 20, 2009

Instant Hit: Blancmange- The Day Before You Came

"The Day Before You Came" is indeed a notable song by ABBA, released in 1982. While it didn't achieve the same level of commercial success as some of their previous hits, it has gained recognition over time for its haunting melody and introspective lyrics. 
Blancmange's cover of the song in 1984 brought a fresh interpretation to the track. With their own style and sound, Blancmange's version added a new dimension to the song. Over the years, Blancmange's cover has gained its own following, with many people appreciating it as much as, if not more than, the original. It's a testament to the enduring quality of the song that different artists can interpret it in their own way while still capturing its essence.


Sunday, March 1, 2009

Blancmange- Drive Me -NEW-

Blancmange have uploaded an new video to their official Myspace page. It is probably a song from their next album which is called "Drive Me". The songs is pretty catchy and reminds a bit of Hot Chip.

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