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Zoviet France

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Zoviet France

Zoviet France (also known as :$OVIET:FRANCE:, Soviet France, :zoviet-france: and latterly usually written as :zoviet*france:) is a prolific music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. While often dissonant and made of industrial textures, their music also falls into the ambient music category. Formed in 1981, and remaining largely anonymous[1], the group has had a number of members; presently it consists of co-founder Ben Ponton and Mark Warren. Former members included Neil Ramshaw, Peter Jensen, Robin Storey (who now records as Rapoon), Lisa Hale, Paolo Di Paolo, Mark Spybey (who now records as Dead Voices on Air) and Andy Eardley. In 2005 Storey, Spybey and Eardley formed a new group, Reformed Faction.

Their music often consists of droning textures set against fractured rhythms and fleeting dissonant melodies and their earlier recordings have been described as "evoking a cross between musique concrète and tribal music".[2] Neglected sound sources are frequently used, such as obscure radio broadcasts, toy instruments, and field recordings, often heavily processed or looped. Over time, they have increasingly added electronic elements but without adopting computer based composition techniques. In describing their approach to making music, the group has been quoted as saying:

All audio equipment distorts sound to some degree and, eventually through mechanical and electrical failure, fucks it up. Since indeterminacy as a compositional parameter has been a constant in our work, this often produces what we regard as interesting new developments.[3]

The packaging of their early works was extraordinary with records released in hessian (burlap), roofing felt (roofing shingles), and aluminium foil, amongst other materials. Their CDs weren't often so unusually packaged, but felt, decorative pins, and wood veneer have been used with some releases.

Discography

  • (untitled) (generally known as hessian, the burlap album, or OK Boys) - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1982; Red Rhino Records, UK, 1985; Charrm, UK, 1990)
  • Norsch - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1983; Charrm, UK, 1990)
  • Mohnomishe - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1983; Charrm, UK, 1990)
  • Eostre - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1984; Charrm, UK, 1990)

1988 edition: (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
1990 edition: (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Charrm, UK

1990 edition: (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands
1995 edition: (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands

1990 (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Charrm, UK

1991 (CD) DOVentertainment, Canada

1991 (CD) Charrm, UK

1993 (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

1993 (CD) Charrm, UK

(Soleilmoon, USA, 1996; Soleilmoon, USA, 1998)

1996 (CD) Charrm, UK

1996 (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands

2000 (CD) Tramway, UK

2003 (3 inch CD in 10 inch clear vinyl sleeve) amino, UK

2005 (CD) Klanggalerie, Austria

2008 (8 inch square clear polycarbonate record hand cut by King Worldwide) alt.vinyl, UK

Tracks released on compilations

1985 (Lands End) (audio cassette) Touch, UK; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

  • Sprey on Bad Alchemy nr 4 and subsequently on Collusion

1986 (Bad Alchemy nr 4) (cassette/magazine) Bad Alchemy, West Germany; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

1986 (Fight!) (LP) Cathexis Recordings, UK; 1989 (Absolute) (CD) Parade Amoureuse, West Germany; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, US

1988 (A Classic Guide To No Man's Land) (CD) No Man's Land, West Germany; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, Soleilmoon, U.S.

1989 (A Bead To A Small Mouth) (LP) Barooni, Netherlands; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

  • Something This Beautiful on Mouvements and subsequently on Collusion

1990 (Mouvements) (CD) La Legende des Voix, France; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

1990 (CD) Ladd-Frith, U.S.

  • Fugitive on Death of Vinyl and subsequently (extended version) on Collusion

1990 (Death of Vinyl) (CD) DOVentertainment, Canada; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

  • Spike on Bad Alchemy nr XX

1992 (cassette/magazine) Bad Alchemy, Germany

1992 (CD) Hypnagogia, UK

  • Soft and Close By Me on Melt

1993 (CD) Work In Progress, UK

  • False Witness on Total 2

1993 (CD/book) Total, UK

1994 (2CD) Virgin Ambient, UK

  • With Us Today on Earth

1996 (CD) DOR, UK

  • Eleven Drops on unentitled

1996 These Records, UK

  • (untitled) on Concept: A Compilation

1997 (CD) Double Space, Netherlands

1998 (2CD) Mille Plateaux

  • (untitled) on RRR 500 - Various 500 Lock-Grooves By 500 Artists

1998 (12" vinyl LP) RRR Records, U.S.

  • Temple Attic on Marconi Point

1999 (CD) Iris Light, UK

2000 (CD) Charrm UK

Remixes

  • "[ʊːʈ ɶ]" a remix of "hôte" by Beefcake, on hôte, (CD), m-tronic, France, 2002

Soundtracks

Screen based productions (film and video)

  • Loud Visual Noises

A film by Stan Brakhage (U.S. 1987). Includes an excerpt from Cair Camouflet from the album Look into Me. Released on the video 4 Sounds Films by Stan Brakhage (Joel Haertling, U.S. 1990).

  • Transients #1

A video production by Mark Mushet (Suture Productions, Canada, 1991). Includes excerpts from the album Shadow, Thief of the Sun.

  • (untitled)

A video production by :zoviet*france: (UK, 1991). A promotional video for the album Shadow, Thief of the Sun produced for television broadcast only.

  • T-City

A video production by Karas (Japan, 1993). Includes excerpts from the album Shadow, Thief of the Sun.

  • En Scooters Sous Les Mers

A film by Jacques Cousteau, soundtrack commissioned by Ian Helliwell for the Soundtracks for Super-8 film programme (UK 1998).
Commissioned soundtrack title: Silence Des Mers Avec Scooters.

  • Tyneside Journey

A film by Ravi Deepres (UK 2000).

  • (untitled)

A video production by :zoviet*france: (Nuit Et Brouillard, France, 2001). Featured on the Deadly Actions Live Retrospective 1994-1996 video compilation of bands that performed at Deadly Actions festival in France.

A video production by Louise K Wilson (UK, 2003).

A video production by Francis Gomila (UK, 2003). Soundtrack taken from Amber, from the album Digilogue.

A video production by Louise K Wilson (UK, 2005).

  • Tremor

A film by Ravi Deepres (UK, 2005).

  • Runner

A film by Ravi Deepres and Michael Baig Clifford (UK, 2006).

  • Deadly Cargo

A film by Camcorder Guerillas (UK, 2008).

Performance works and events

  • Aeon - A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000)
  • net/work Narrative(s) - A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000)
  • Telenoia - A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000)
  • The Making of Doubt - A contemporary dance production by Colette Sadler (UK, 2008)

Notable live performances

  • 1 June 2000: A specially invited live performance as part of the celebratory event marking the re-opening of the Tramway arts centre, Glasgow, UK

Selected exhibitions

A group exhibition featuring album covers by :zoviet*france:.

A group mail art show featuring Return To Sender by :zoviet*france:, a physical and audio remix of Elvis Presley's recording of the song Return to Sender.

  • Harry Smith Anthology Remixed, alt.gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 9 May 2007 - 4 August 2007

An exhibition which brought together the work of 84 leading artists and musicians, who were invited to make a visual artwork in response to a chosen track from the album release the Anthology of American Folk Music, an anthology edited by New York artist, musicologist and experimental filmmaker Harry Smith, first published by Folkways in 1952. Featured According To Joe by :zoviet*france:[7]

References

  1. ^ Interview with Brent Banbury, CBC Radio, 2 May 1991
  2. ^ "Zoviet France". Piero Scaruffi. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  3. ^ Soleilmoon Recordings press release, December 2007
  4. ^ "All Tomorrow's Parties Archive 2003". All Tomorrow's Parties. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  5. ^ "Variations VII". AV Festival. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  6. ^ "JOHN CAGE 29 February - 2 March 2008 Variations VII". Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  7. ^ "Harry Smith Anthology Remixed". alt.gallery. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
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