In Conversation: October Dance

It was October 2012 when we first got in to the music of October Dance. It was a lovely autumn electro dance affair of "Houses Falling" that caught our attention back then....and yes it happened in October somehow! It still remains as one of the most memorable songs for this year. Soon after, band's universe started to grow. They secured the first record deal, released first EPs and their fanbase has been growing since that. It hard to describe their music in one genre; it has its roots in art pop and it is dance music inspired by variety and diversity of 70's disco, 80's sytnh-pop and 90's house-pop. This year, they have also been performing on the Roskilde festival for the first time and got big plans for the future. Find out more about October Dance's early influence, music video releases and much more.

Very Special Thanks to Tobias Kiel Lauesen!

In Conversation: People at Parties

 People at Parties came as one of the best discoveries in 2014 and we are already thinking about naming them as our newcomer of the year. Very impressive, prolific and brilliant what these girls managed to deliver this year. A real new wave music inferno combining influences from both sides of the Atlantic. People at Parties are LK Naps (Vocals) Kelly Harris (drums) and Becky Kupersmith (synths). The bands first official full length self titled release came out November  2013 in digital form with official vinyl release in February 2014. Their debut album which combines dirty lo/fi electro with underground synth pop has certainly been a great soundtrack for our 2014 and we do hope to hear more of them in 2015. About this and more, find out in this exclusive interview below.

2014:  Edna Leshowitz

In Conversation: Minuit Machine

Minuit Machine have already been introduced to our blog during the last month. Hailing from France to some they might be new comers and to the other already a familiar name in Darkwave waters. We decided to catch up with the girls and find out something more about their sound machine. As already mentioned, the duo took shape in 2013 when they released their debut EP. This is a big year for them as they have released their debut album 'Live and Destroy' and they are currently touring an promoting it. Let's see what Hélène and Amandine have to say about Minuit Machine, past, present and future following the link below.

In Conversation: Violence

Earlier this month we posted a special feature where we introduced the Canadian Visage Musique in our label spot. Out of the great line up of artist we would like to present you Violence. Based in Montreal and on Visage Musique since 2013, when they released their debut EP, Violence have developed their own unique electronic music formula. Their sound reflects an aesthetic of a discourse where no additional description is needed, words are shapes, music is the ultimate medium of expression. This year they released their enigmatic debut album 'Erlebnis' which is one of our top records in 2014. Ahead of their small tour which starts this October, here a small interview with the band.
Hear the words, experience their music, sense Violence.

 1. There is hardly any info about Violence on the internet. Are you trying to keep your musical profile low-'fi' and does the music as the main result tell the story of Violence or is there something more you would like to tell us about yourself? 
 V: We do indeed wish that the music retains a strong enough narrative value so that it can speak by itself. A type of discourse that we find interesting is the dialogue between the listeners and the music, which we think should be free of contamination from our own interpretation.

 2. The music of Violence reveals some great electronic shapes. What influenced your music the most and looking into future, what would be your vision in music? 
 V: Nice that you refer to a certain visual aspect of sound, which has been a driving force in this project since its initiation. We often accompany our live performances with visuals made of shapes and pictograms that we draw ourselves image by image on a very primitive device. It would be too long to enumerate our musical influences, but let's just say that we appreciate "la beauté baroque", past and future.

 3. You released your debut album ‘Erlebnis’ this year on Visage Musique. It is certainly one of our favorite music albums here on Burning Flame for this year. Were you approached by the label and if yes, did this label have any influence on your musical style? 
 V: Thank you. Yes Visage Musique previously released our self-titled EP in 2013, which they probably heard through mutual friends. The aesthetics of Violence already suited well that of VM, which is quite broad but at the same time nicely coherent we think.

 4. How would you describe your musical style on ‘Erlebnis’ and why did you pick the German name as the album title? Is the term ‘Violence’ in any aspect related to your music? 
 V: "Erlebnis" has several meanings; our intent was to refer to the inner experience of listening to music, i.e. its psychedelic properties. This inner experience is seldom quiet - the name Violence is no stranger to that.

 5. Do you hang out and tour together with other artists from Visage Musique?
 V: VM is a collaborative effort by great people driven by the love of music and the urgency to facilitate its diffusion. We often find ourselves playing and attending the same concerts and events in Montréal.

 6. Can you share some impressions from your first live performances, how was the energy, atmosphere in general? 
 V: Around 2010 we left Canada to establish ourselves in Oxford UK, that's where we started composing music as Violence. We've played our first concerts in loft parties when returning temporarily to Montreal. The atmosphere was quite unique, with friends doing performance art, video projections, etc... Almost everyone attending these parties would have prepared some kind of performance, making those dancing nights very unique and inspiring.

 7. How good are you in remixing music, any plans of doing some remixes for other artists. Do you also do DJ shows? 
 V: We sometimes do remixes, which can be refreshing. We DJ in private parties but up to now never had the time to really invest in this art.

 8. What music are you listening to when you are not recording your own? 
 V: We listen to a lot of music composed by our friends, including Automelodi, Low Factor, Ambrose, as well as some who don’t have any desire to make it public.

 9. What was the first record you bought with your own money? Is it still with you? 
 V: Eric: I bought “Sigue sigue sputnik - Flaunt it!” when I was around 10 years old, which was one of my first contacts with electronic music. I still have it but to be honest it very rarely lands on my turntable...

 10. What are the future plans for Violence, further releases, tours outside Canada? Europe maybe? V: We'll be doing a short European tour at the end of October, really looking forward to it. We'll be releasing new material in January, but may leak a song or two by then.

 11. Where can fans gain access to your music?
 V: Vinyls on VM: http://visagemusique.tumblr.com/
Digital on bandcamp: http://violence.bandcamp.com/
News/shows: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Violence/182111595174108

Very special thanks to Eric Trottier for this interview!

In Conversation: Echö

One of the great things about surfing the internet is that you just never know what or who you might stumble upon. Yes, there are some things you wish you had never found. Though, that wasn't the case when i came across the Soundcloud page of  Echö. I felt as if i had struck audible gold. After induling myself in the synthesized infection of their track "Daydream" i had to hear and know more. I immediately got in touch with vocalist, Mickaël (aka Mika) to inquire about the possibility of an interview. At that particular time, the band was on the verge of releasing their debut EP of the same name. He promised me an interview once their release plans were a bit more stable. This was close to 2 years ago and i honestly had forgotten about our talk and the pending interview. True to his word and to my delight, Mika got back in touch with me this past September. He let me know that the band was about to release their second EP, "Intangible Pupa" and to see if i was still interested in doing an interview. Of course i said yes! How could i not?!

The two man outfit comes to us from Barcelona / France and is comprised of Mika and Alexandre Portils Torner. Again, they released the delightfully awesome "Intangible Pupa" EP on September 30 of this year. Doing the release honors is Belgian based label Romance Moderne who, in my opinion, are the perfect vehicle in presenting Echö to the masses. So now, let's find out more about the band, shall we? Here are a few questions I happily whipped up for Mika.

In Conversation: Terror Bird

A while back when I was cruising through the Night People Records catalogue, I discovered Terror Bird. Two or three songs and I was on the Terror Bird boat. The DIY aesthetic, Nikki's voice and  the indie synth pop beat made Terror Bird's music becoming an instant part of my daily airplay. Originally from Canada, based in Europe, Terror Bird is Nikki Nevver's musical projects which also involves other artists. Since 2009, Terror Bird has released several albums and been on tour through out Canada and Europe. She has released a brand new album this year entitled All This Time. More about this, the early starts and future plans in this special interview.

In Conversation: INHALT

 The gentlemen of the San Francisco based trio, INHALT, are currently locked away and hard at work on their upcoming EP titled "Occupations". This being the follow up to their "Vehicle" EP. A fine and entrancing four song vinyl collection of pulsing, vibrant, rhythmic, and sometimes a bit abstract electronic craftsmanship. I remember being absolutely smitten after just one listen to each of the one minute samples. I desperately needed to hear them in their full glory and finally got the opportunity  upon the official release. In fact, it was one that made it into our Top 20 EP's of 2012 list; rightfully so and well deserved.

Matia Simovich, Bryan Gibbs, and Philip Winiger incorporate the best bits and pieces of their early and current musical influences into their own songwriting. That said, they ultimately put their own personal spin on things. There is no blatant rehash to be heard here and that's something that's difficult to come by these days. The aforementioned three took some time out, from their recording, to answer a few questions i had. Here is what they had to say.

In Conversation: Andy Oppenheimer

Andy Oppenheimer, a multi-talented individual based in the UK, wears many hats as an explosives expert, author, artist, and musician. In the realm of music, he's notably recognized as the co-founder, singer, and songwriter of the electronic duo Oppenheimer Analysis, formed with Martin Lloyd in the early 80s. Their influential album 'New Mexico' has experienced multiple resurgences, becoming a touchstone for the new DIY generation of electronic artists, thanks to the reach of the internet.

Andy's commitment to music persisted over the years, and in recent times, he has been notably active. Collaborating with Mark Warner on 'Touching The Void' and with Mickey Clarke on 'Major Impact' are among his recent projects. However, the focal point of this interview lies in his collaboration with Mahk Rumbae and the emergence of Oppenheimer MkII. Dive into the interview to explore the latest musical endeavors and the evolving world of Oppenheimer MkII. Enjoy the insights!

In Conversation: Actors (Jason Corbett)

As promised, we bring you more news about the Canadian retro outfit Actors. Last month we featured the video for their brilliant single "Nightlife" and we wanted to find out more about the band and got in touch with the lead singer Jason Corbett. Here is what Jason told us about his band, inspiration and influences and their plans in music in 2013.

 

In Conversation: WAZU

Back in September we introduced the Australian/American industrial pop duo WAZU. Since their formation in 2010, they were building up their distinctive music style which tends to be alternative and pop at the same time mixing electro and rock with high level of a dark tones. Earlier this week, on Halloween they released their debut album 'Robobo' and they  are currently touring the USA. On top of all this, here is our very special WAZU interview where they reveal more about the band, their influences, their debut album and more. Enjoy!

In Conversation: Xiu

Back in October i did a short feature on Milan based musician Xiu. At that moment she was on the verge of releasing a limited edition, 55 copy cassette of her official debut EP. Now that it's sold out but still available in a download version, i wanted to know more about the woman herself. It must be said that her sounds have captured my entire being in a way that very few have this past year. With that in mind, i decided to get in touch with her about the possibility of answering a few question. To my sheer delight she said yes and here it is.

In Conversation: Detachments

Detachments is the creation of London-based musician and songwriter, Bastien Marshal. Along with drummer, Peter Dawson, and a cast of musicians and producers, Marshal has been the driving force behind the band since the mid-2000's. The sound is an intoxicating blend of 80's post-punk, synthpop, new wave, and even hints of darkwave in some places. Not to be clumped in with the wave of bands recreating these sounds as of late, Marshal and company do it very well and with an ultramodern feel in tow. The listener is mentally, physically, and rhythmically drowned in mood, atmosphere, and all that tugs at the heartstrings. Following a string of singles, the band released their self-tilted debut LP in September of 2010. 
Largely produced and performed by Marshal, Dawson, and producer James Ford ( Simian Mobile Disco), it offered more synth driven reworkings of previous singles as well as new and unheard tracks. Since that release, Marshal and Dawson have been touring, intermittently, to further promote the album and band while gaining many a new fan along the way. On September 3, 2012 the digital release of the "Fade EP" saw the light of day on UK-based Hacienda Records. The label has mainly been a vehicle for the output of Peter Hook (New Order / Joy Division) and are now taking on the task of releasing the work of new and established artists. With a follow up LP in the works, where will we see the band go from here? Who better to ask than Marshal himself? He kindly agreed to answer a batch of questions that i happily whipped up for him.

In Conversation: Featureless Ghost

Featureless Ghost is an Atlanta based synth-pop duo consisting of Matt Weiner and Elise Tippins. Performing and recording music together since 2007, Matt and Elise relocated from Brooklyn to Atlanta and spontaneously formed "Featureless Ghost. The music of Featureless Ghost gives a new landmark to the dark electronic synth-pop with their retro futurstic sound driven by analogue synthesizers and electro beats complemented with visual aesthetics and vintage collages.
The prolific duo has released 2 full lengths, 3 singles, and an EP. They have releases on Crash Symbols, Ruralfaune, and Double Phantom Digital and just released a cassette EP on Night-People. This will be followed by a vinyl LP this summer (2012), also on Night-People records.
Find out more about Featureless Ghost and hear what Elise and Matt said about their musical influences, live performances and future plans in music in the Q-A below.

In Conversation: David Hewson (Poeme Electronique)

David Hewson, a prominent British composer renowned for his exceptional scores in television and film, is equally recognized as the founder and creative force behind Poeme Electronique, a musical endeavor he established in the early 80s. While many associate Poeme Electronique with their debut "Echoes Fade" released in 1982, the resonance of their impact has endured, and now, Poeme Electronique makes a triumphant return.

In an exclusive interview, David shares insights into his early musical journey, the inception of Poeme Electronique, his diverse range of musical projects, and exciting plans for the future. Join us as we delve into three decades of music with David Hewson and discover the compelling story behind Poeme Electronique's enduring legacy. Enjoy the interview!

In Conversation: Clive Pierce (hard Corps)

In the wake of the recent news regarding Hard Corps' reissues on Minimal Wave Records, we had the opportunity to connect with one of the founding members of the group, Clive Pierce. He graciously agreed to share insights in an exclusive interview for our blog.

The genesis of Hard Corps dates back to 1983, emerging from years of musical experimentation. The trio of Clive Pierce, Hugh Ashton, and Rob Doran laid the foundation, later joined by the French-born singer Regine Fetet. Their inaugural single, "Dirty," debuted on Survival Records in 1984, followed by two sessions on Richard Skinner's Radio One show. Martin Rushent and Daniel Miller subsequently approached them, collaborating on several singles released in 1985.

Throughout their musical journey, Hard Corps had the privilege of supporting renowned acts such as the Cure and Depeche Mode during their 80s tours. In 1990, the group disbanded after releasing a compilation featuring a diverse array of tracks. This compilation, available on both vinyl and CD with slightly varied track lists, encapsulates most of their discography, including remixes and rare b-sides.

For an in-depth exploration of Hard Corps, including lesser-known facts, influences, details about the recent reissues, and much more, stay tuned for the interview below.

1. How did things start off with Hard Corps, when was the band formed and what other musical projects were you involved before?

hard CORPS naturally evolved through the disintegration of a group called Craze around 1979/80 who in turn had morphed from a punk group called The Skunks. I joined The Skunks towards the tail end of of their life as a drummer. This is where I met Hugh Ashton and Robert Doran, bass player and sound engineer respectively for The Skunks. The Skunks were very fortunate to have access to studio facilities that were in the basement of a house in Brixton that Hugh owned and when the studio was not being hired out to groups wanting to record demos etc, we would make very good use of the time either rehearsing, recording or just experimenting with the equipment there. Unlike many other groups who would just hire a hall or room to rehearse in, having access to this equipment made us fearless of embracing new technology that later would see us using the studio as the instrument rather than the instruments we had stood or sat behind previously on stage. 

Punk was a becoming a parody of itself by this time and to continue going round being angry at everything was not being felt as strongly anymore. Here we were, surrounded by these incredible pieces of studio equipment that commanded something more cerebral from us than just barking at a world from behind a guitar...a drum kit.. or a microphone and we were more than curious to drop everything to find out more. To coincide with this new awakening and to signify a clean start a name change was put in place. The Skunks were now known as Craze. The sound was a lot more refined but never without some of the grit and dirt still ingrained in us from the Punk days. That never entirely leaves you if you have experienced that for real. More of the environment we were surrounded by came much more into play too. Brixton, in a suburb of London had and still has a very large Black community and Reggae in all it's forms was all around us and we could not fail to be influenced by it. Not blatantly plagiarising it but embracing the ethics within it. For example never being afraid to stay on a groove to explore it inside out and back again with out becoming fidgety and plagued by the traditional verse, chorus, middle eight prison most chart groups found themselves in. Craze continued for a year or two being signed to Cobra Records an EMI subsidiary label and had two singles "Motions" and "Lucy" released and an album "Spartans" which we recorded but was never released before falling into obscurity by the later collapse of Cobra Records. The two other members of The Skunks and Craze, Gerry Lambe and Franco Cornelli, decided that enough time had been invested in trying to make a living out of music and decided to reluctantly part company and go find fame and fortune elsewhere. 

Hugh, Rob and myself decided to continue but had no desire to form a new group at the time. We would again when the studio was not working use that time to just jam with each other often for days on end into the early hours of the morning. It was like a drug. Not having a vocalist the things we were coming up with were sort of epic length cinematic soundscapes. I remember one particular night we went on to about 3 am in the morning...the only thing that finally stopped me was when I just blacked out and fell off the chair. Thing is the other two didn't even notice I had stopped playing let alone notice I was on the floor. I think they carried on for another hour before finally realising something was amiss. After a while some structures started to appear in these jam sessions and this was around the time that Hugh to his great expense decided to spend his life savings or at least part of them on a Roland MC4 Micro Composer and some Roland System 100m modules. This was a seminal moment for us all. A way of recording yourself and then getting inside each note's timing and length was just staggering at the time. This didn't come easy though and would take hours of numerical editing to get what you wanted along with the sheer terror that if someone accidentally switched them off or there was a momentary power cut, days of work would be lost forever. You see they had volatile memories. There was an optional cassette dump machine that went with them which we acquired later on when these complete losses of whole chunks of your life were too painful to bare any longer. The same with the System 100m modules....you could spend a day getting the sound you wanted only to find that the next morning someone had moved a fader and your sound was gone forever. The only time you could really relax was when your sounds were committed to tape. We were lucky that we possessed a Tascam 16 track 1inch tape machine. By default and necessity we re-discovered the merits of the vocoder. Up until that time we had been using it to process the CR78 drum machine but Rob took it upon himself to brave the problem of putting the human or rather sub human sound of vocals on the faceless instrumentals we had been coming up with. For a very self conscious personality I must say he deserves credit for the bottle he showed in trying to resolve the missing brick in the sound. 

At the time we were friends with a chap who used to hang around us when we were with Craze ,David Porter, and he always had aspirations of being in a group. Not really being that interested in him as deep down we knew he was not a natural vocalist, in fact, he couldn't sing at all really, we never encouraged him to join us however one day he came to see us with a clutch of Gay Disco and Ital Disco 12 inch tracks he wanted us to copy to create a backing tape for him that he could use to do some PA's with on his own. So here we were note for note copying Bobby O tracks and Kano tracks and Patrick Cowely tracks....it was odd but great fun and a great learning exercise. The results were rather good I must admit and the week after we had finished them he had somehow managed to get his first ever gig at the famous Marquee club in London on the strength of them. He said would we want to come along for the laugh as his backing group. What the hell we said and just turned up with the keyboard controllers from the Roland System 100m...they made no sound in themselves...we didn't even plug a cable into them to create an illusion that they worked. We only had two of them and Rob had to pretend to play his parts on top of a Teac cassette deck that was playing the Metal tape backing tracks. We made no illusion that we were miming and thought that the audience would see the funny side of it too. They did until after the last track was mimed out with David Porter singing live vocals. No sooner had he said thank you and good night the microphone was snatched from his hand from an irate Fish from Marilion...why he was there that night I have no idea...a closet Ital disco lover...who knows....anyway he announced to the audience that we were nothing but a sham...a bunch of fakes..a disgrace to music..he missed the point completely and anyway we found it rather rich coming from him. His song Kayleigh has had me running for the sick bowl or the off button whenever that came on many a time I can tell you. So anyhow this little incident sort of forged a deeper bond with David as we admired his guts and guile that night regardless of how badly out of tune he was. We told him to go off and try and write some lyrics for some of the tracks we had and he came back with two. "Sacred Heart" and "It will make me Happy" Now it was a complete nightmare to record a decent performance off him as his timing was all over the place and his tuning was non existent but he had something in his lyrics and oddball vocal melodies that struck a chord with us. This was a layman not a pro singer and some of the unorthodox natural of his performances fitted very well with the oddball music. We continued for a while with him until he too found our way of working too frustrating to his plan of being the next pop sensation his patience and he decided to call it a day to become a London Taxi driver of all things. 

So again we were without a vocalist...not that we really cared. Then one day and I can't personally recall how Regine turned up at the door. Apparently a friend of Hugh's told him there was this French girl who sings but everyone she knows that has a group thinks she is not very good. Can we give her a chance. So Regine came along armed with this tape of her in her flat warbling away and hitting objects in the room with stick or something to create a primitive backing. It was unexpected a bit of a shock really and was rather hard not to just laugh as this was almost Monty Pythonesque to the extreme. But beneath the initial shock you would have been blind not to see that there was something special here in front of us. Not a polished muso...but something wild, raw and exciting...an urban fox had just turned up on our doorstep and hard CORPS had found their vocalist. 

2. Which bands, musicians or artists have influenced the music of Hard Corps the most?

That is always a difficult one to answer as aren't we all influenced by everything we encounter. The ones that I suppose influenced us the most were the dross acts that permeated the charts in the eighties. Without mentioning any names these were the groups and artists that we just despised so much that some evenings when gathered round the TV to watch a music programme it was very hard not to just get up and put you boot through the TV screen to get rid of some of anger. If anything these "artists" were the ones to get us back down the basement studio as quickly as we could to make sure whatever we composed was nothing like that we had just witnessed on TV.

3. During your musical career, you were associated with great producers Daniel Miller and Martin Rushent. What do you think was missing for the music of Hard Corps to get wider audience it really deserved?

Well thank you for that comment. I think the main barrier, again, not that we ever considered it to be one at the time, was to be found lurking inside us all. It was a conscious unwillingness to comply with what was considered the tried and tested way to do things. You know we could have made it a lot easier for ourselves if we had found an English vocalist for a start. but hard CORPS was never about making easy music....it was about finding another way to do things that took us places we wanted to be and not the places others expected us to turn up at. Working with Martin Rushent and Daniel Miller was a real privilege but it was also rather painful for me at times when somebody picks up your baby and starts bouncing it around in a manner you wouldn't dare do yourself. You have to keep telling yourself "this bloke knows what he is doing...let go ,relax and trust. Retrospectively I can now really appreciate what a fantastic job they both did for us, but at the time, being so close to it all, l I really wasn't at all comfortable about letting the baby go to any stranger regardless of who they were.

4. According to some sources on the Internet, during one of your support concerts for Depeche Mode, Regine took of her shirt and sang topless. What was your reaction back then and how do you feel about it today?

Well that is true to a certain extent, actually it was her coat not her shirt. My reaction to it was rather indifferent. If she wanted to do it, that was her prerogative. Of course we debated the merit, morality and ramifications of it in private but ultimately Regine had to be allowed to be herself. I'm sure she had thought long and hard about it too and decided it was something she felt she needed to do.

I don't know whether many people know that to make ends meet she used to work as a peep show dancer in Soho, London and a good deal of her lyrics were born out of her experiences during that time...so when she sang on stage about Desolation Land, For Pleasure etc I can't really blame her for wanting to getting into character to lend those lyrics a greater realism. Mind you we did suffer the consequences for her actions and were replaced by Nitzer Ebb for Depeche Mode's USA leg of The Music For Masses Tour. Martyrs or fools?....both probably.

5. What do you consider as a highlight in the music of Hard Corps?

If you mean which track I consider to epitomise hard CORPS the most, I would have to say Metal and Flesh...as it's linear format and structure really was totally free spirited and intuitive.

6. Where are Hard Corps today, do you still keep in touch with the other guys from the band?

Very sadly Regine is not with us anymore. She passed away in 2003 after battling ironically with breast cancer. Hugh still resides in his fantastic Victorian house in Brixton, the spiritual home of hard CORPS. After hard CORPS Hugh was in SunKings. Rob now resides in Peterborough and enjoyed success penning advertisement music most notably for Castrol GTX oil amongst others. I live in Reigate and have been working for the last 20 years in the exhibition industry. By night you will find me in my studio at home or on location somewhere locked away in a hotel room polishing up my latest gem.

7. Are you still involved in making music?

Yes very much so. It is not something that can ever leave you. I always question what the motive and driving force is that keeps me up to the early hours in my home studio when I should be sleeping. I think I know now and I think most people if they can be honest with themselves do too. It is the quest to leave behind sound trinkets that will be proof of my/our existence on this planet long after we have left in body and soul. Just a small object of beauty, just one little golden nugget for someone to discover one day. Right now I am part of a project called Medora.. Not a group but an environment in which to unite grass roots, raw soul and passion ....We go and find these gems from either resources close to home or by trawling the Internet absolutely anywhere to locate and take them back to Medora where we endeavour bring out a little more brilliance in them and hopefully hone them into a something even more magnificent. You may be forgiven if you think I may have a slight mental issue the way I talk about gems, treasure, beauty etc....but for sure it out there just waiting to found. I know so as I have found several gems already....The girl who sings into her I-phone on her lunch break, in the bathroom, in the kitchen and just before going to bed. She sings from deep in her heart and with such passion I have sat and cried tears of joy listing to her. She is not a wannabee...she is just an enthusiast. So natural and unforced Then there is the Greek dentist....this chap just churns out riffs so against the grain and in a way so unique he doesn't even know how good he is. He is not a professional musician... and that is what sets him apart from the rest, what he comes up with has an honesty and an oddball edge that I champion. Then there is Ona/She.....She is not a vocalist but she can still make a compelling sound and atmosphere when ever she opens her mouth. Her first ever vocal was the remake of For Pleasure, she had never ever sang before.....Then there is Phen...Trucker by day music maker by night. He has never made a record in his life but by god has he taught me a lot, Then there is Jaymes Fenda....a pop singer from 1964. He is retired now......like hell he is....he can still croon whenever called into service. The list goes on and will continue to grow. We definitely are living in a fantasy world, but that is what music is all about isn't it? We proudly call our fantasy world "Medora".

I also find myself being frequently asked to remix other peoples tracks which I absolutely adore doing.

8. What is your favourite album from the 80’s decade?

Well aside from Kraftwerk's "Computer World" which was an education, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Brian Eno and David Byrne really was an album I used to always go back to and learn something new from and Grace Jones " Night Clubbing".

9. Do you find time for new music and what do you usually listen to these days?

I must admit I'd rather make music that spend time listening to it, but when I do listen to some then Portishead and Dead Can Dance are never far from hand.

10. Minimal wave records have recently reissued rare and unreleased Hard Corps tracks. Can you give us more info about this record?

Well, it all came about a year and half ago actually quite by chance. I was just minding my own Facebook business when up popped a friend request from a Lorene Simpson on my account that I had just really opened to keep contact with family. She said she was a fan of hard CORPS and also involved in the Minimal Synth community while also being one half of a group called Violet Tremors She told me that hard CORPS tracks were quite often posted up on the Minimal Synth group on Facebook and she suggested it would be beneficial to myself and to people who liked hard CORPS, of which she said there were many, to get involved. I must admit to having never heard of Minimal Synth/ Cold Wave etc nor ever considered myself or hard CORPS as belonging to any specific genre other than the one we created for ourselves all those years ago but when investigating some of the material being passed around could easily see that we were in fact loosely of that ilk. Lorene's introduction into this arena lead to me being contacted by Imi Vegh. During a conversation with him I mention hard CORPS had some unreleased tracks that we planned to release sometime...he said he knew two people who might be interested in that news and would contact them for us. Within the space of 10 minutes we had both parties come in with a strong interest ..one for the hard CORPS back catalogue and the other for the for the unreleased tracks. For a time it did not seem wrong in least to court them both but as things developed so the goalposts were starting to be moved...so much so that at one point they both were almost wanting the same set of tracks. It was an awful dilemma to be in as we liked both parties. We found ourselves having to make a very hard and cold decision as to who we were to go with. Some feelings were badly hurt and it unfortunately looked like we had been playing one off the other. This was never the case as we even suggested, perhaps naively, that they both get together on a deal with us. It was an absolutely impossible situation be in and something we don't want to let happen again. So here we are today and looking forward to the release of "Clean tables have to be burnt" that will feature previously released material plus two tracks that never saw light of day in any format to date.

11. Where can fans gain access to your music?

The album will be available through Veronica Vasicka's Minimal Wave label, we also have "Dirty" our first single available on Minimal Wave Tapes Vol2 . A dub version of Je suis Passee is available on Trevor Jackson's Metal Dance compilation. The original Metal and Flesh album is available through iTunes.

http://www.hardcorps.co.uk/

http://minimalwave.com/artists/artist/hard-corps

In Conversation: Howard Jones

Howard Jones, one of the true eighties icons and godfathers of modern electronic dance music will embark on a nationwide UK tour on Wednesday 11th April at the O2 Academy Bristol. This will be the first time that Howard will perform his first two studio albums 'Human’s Lib' and 'Dream Into Action' back to back, live in their entirety, on a full-scale nationwide UK tour. In this small interview for Burning Flame, he reveals more information about the upcoming tour, career highlights and further plans in music.

Howard Jones Interview

1.Your recent North American Tour turned out to be very successful. The promoters were hoping for 1500 ticket sales but it turned out to be a complete sell out with 2,750 tickets sold. Did you expect this kind of success?
I know from my point of view, the stage that the gigs were well attended and the audiences were really enthusiastic. We played club type venues mainly with people standing. I think this is a great way to enjoy the show.

2.You will embark on a nationwide 8-date UK tour in April. Do you see yourself performing in your home country as a bigger challenge?
I am very excited about taking the HL, DIA tour around the UK. I love touring in the UK you don't have to fly every day and i have such dedicated fans that make it such a pleasure

3.Where do you think your biggest fan base is located?
 I suppose the U.S. is my biggest fan base.

 4.Two years ago, you performed your first two albums in their entirety. They were also reissued for the first time in Europe. Do you wish you could have re-recorded any of the songs? 
November 2010 was the first performance of the DIA/HL tour which we filmed and recorded. This coincided with licensing my first 5 albums from Warner Bros. which meant we could re-master them and get them sounding as good as possible. I have no regrets about the recordings they were the way I wanted them to be at the time and I'm happy with that.

 5.What kind of songs do you prefer to record and perform these days? More acoustic or electronic style?
 I'm really enjoying the electronic shows at the moment. I did tour acoustically for quite a while which was fun but I am mad for the electronic shows now.

 6.Do you still get pleasure from the music you grew up listening to? If yes why? If no, why not? 
I like music from all ages and genres. I have 1200 songs on my iPod which covers everything from classical choral music to rap. there is something to enjoy and learn from all music.

 7.Do you miss the days of being famous and a pin-up in teen mags? 
No, my ambition was not to be famous but to be able to do the things I loved, which was writing recording and performing music. I am very happy being known by the people who care about my music, and that suits me very well.

 8.Looking back over your career, can you instantly spot highlights?
Live Aid, headlining Madison Square Garden NY, Jamming with Stevie Wonder, me and him for 30 minutes. Recording Hide and Seek at Abbey Road with a 100 piece orchestra, Doing the Grammy's with a band of Tom Dolby, Herbie Hancock , and Stevie Wonder. Spending 2 hours chatting with Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.

 9.Your last album ‘Ordinary Heroes’ was very well received even though it was a not typical Howard Jones record. Do you think of it as an exception or would you like to continue in this direction? 
I was very pleased with O.H. I think the next album will be very electronic, and will have the electronic touring band in mind.

10.Do you have your own favourite kind of music and is it any different to what you play now? 
I am really into choral music I am the musical Director and writer for a choir "The Glorious Life Chorus "which is a Buddhist choir of about 100 people that meets to rehearse once a month.

11.What was the last CD you bought?
 Light and Gold - Eric Whitacre

12.Have you been up to date to what your contemporaries like OMD, Thomas Dolby and Heaven 17 have been up to in music in the previous two years? 
Yes I try to keep up with my contemporaries

 13.Your favourite Kate Bush song?
 Moments of Pleasure

 14.Which band would you like to see reunited or which musician would you like see releasing new material?
 I'd like to see the surviving members of Japan get together, and Scritti. I wish Paul Buchanan of Blue Nile would release some new things.

 15.Which artist, living or dead would you like to duet with?
Paul McCartney

16.Anything else exciting on the horizon of Howard Jones in 2012, any tour dates around Europe?
Japan in February, South Africa, UK tour in April, another trip to the US in the summer and Autumn. Some new recordings starting in March.

 Howard Jones performs the entirety of his albums “Human’s Lib and “Dream Into Action” in the UK during April 2012. Ticket Hotline: 0844 477 2000, www.ticketweb.co.uk. 

Dates include:
O2 Academy Bristol (April 11) 
O2 Academy Sheffield (April 12) 
O2 Academy Liverpool (April 13)
O2 Academy Birmingham (April 14)
O2 Academy Newcastle (April 17)
O2 ABC Glasgow (April 18) 
O2 Academy Bournemouth (April 20)
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (April 21)

 More info: www.howardjones.com

In Conversation: The Silent Section

The Silent Section is a three piece group from Denmark consisting of Nicolas Calrsen, Morten N. Carlsen and Morten Møllebjerg. Their music is balancing between sensitive and fragile expression to powerful and noisy rhythms. They are one of the finest acts on the Danish label Tryghed & Tristesse through which they released their debut album in 2009. Their brilliant new album entitled 'Contour of A Passing Dream' was released this Autumn. In an exclusive interview for our blog the lead singer Morten N. Carlsen reveals more information about the musical background of the Silent Section, the influences and further plans in music.

In Conversation: Claps

Claps are back! After two great EPs from last year, they have released their fantastic debut album entitled 'Wreck'. They might be the next Experimental Products singing and producing music for modern living in the 00's. A modern take on classic minimal synth. Let's hear what Pat, Sara and Jed said about their music, their influences and more.

In Conversation: A Terrible Splendour

A New Romantic Cabaret outfit A Terrible Splendour which has been featured here earlier this month are back for an interview. Last week they released they released their debut single "The Russians" / "Slaves to the City" and they are working on their first album. Find out more about the band, their upcoming debut CD, influences and a very special ATS style Poncewave. Enjoy the interview!

In Conversation: Petroleum by Product

The Vancouver based trio Petroleum by Product who were featured here on Burning Flame earlier this year have stopped by for an interview. Here is what Vanessa, Sally and Robin told us about their influences, their image, musical style and further plans in music.