Visage - S/T LP

Label: Polydor (Germany); Year: 1980; Format: Vinyl LP

Back in 1980 I turned 10 years old and was too young to understand the complex and culturally interesting background of Visage and the emerging New Romantic scene. Music just grabbed me and when I liked something I liked it and I think my parents understood that as for some reason every Christmas and Birthday I would get a record as a gift. I come from quite a poor and working class immigrant family background hence I never had much as a kid, and what I did have I cherished endlessly. Visage somewhat unexpectedly landed a huge hit with "Fade To Grey" in 1980 and it was either that year or 1981 that my parents bought me their first LP. By that point I was a typical little kid loving AC/DC and Iron Maiden but somehow Visage got through to me and ever since I've always had an open mind for electronic music even though I never fully immersed myself in it. But, even more importantly and historically of importance is the fact that Visage very much came out of the punk rock scene with some rather intriguing connections. I think what some people might not realize is how much punk rock opened the doors for musicians and artists in general to pursue their own vision of what they wanted to create, which wasn't always just three chords. Scottish born musician Midge Ure (nee James Ure) for instance has been involved in bands since the early '70s and in 1975 landed a big hit with Slik's "Forever and Ever". With the booming punk scene at the door step Ure's Slik decided to go in a different direction and changed their name to P.V.C. 2 releasing a punk rock single on Zoom Records (to be reviewed in the future). In late '77 Ure moved to London and briefly joined Glen Matlock's Rich Kids. After having left Rich Kids but with a newly acquired Yamaha Synthesizer Ure along with former Rich Kid drummer Rusty Egan set out to find someone who would share their passion to create something different than punk rock, but not a million miles away. They found the right man in Steve Strange (RIP) who would become the singer and along with former members of Magazine Visage expanded the line-up in 1979. Visage's first single released on Radar Records was not successful but as mentioned above "Fade To Grey" now on Polydor got them the breakthrough and the rest is history as they say. With Steve Strange and Rusty Egan aka DJ Egan setting up the Blitz Club in London New Romantic took off and just like punk rock a few years prior transitioned from a subculture into the mainstream. Visage's first self-titled LP is at least in my opinion a milestone when it comes to electronic music, synth-pop, new wave or however you want to brand it. It's an album with a beginning, a middle and an end encouraging the listener to have a full listening experience which back then was the absolute norm as the way music is consumed has changed over the decades since. I sat down this morning with my coffee and listened to the album and couldn't tell you a weak song on it. The title track "Visage" starts you off and is the perfect track for a new decade enabling to see with the benefit of hindsight how well positioned Visage were on their path to Synth-Pop stardom. It truly was the sound of the future and for things to come, that much is for sure. Personally I love "The Dancer", an absolute cracker of an instrumental. It's a well executed album that doesn't sound outdated in 2023, forty-three years after its release, and that means something. 

Kafka Prosess - One Day Son All This Will Be Yourz (Split w/ Disorder) and Ingen Fattige, Ingen Rike LPs

Label: Disorder Records; Year: 1986; Format: Vinyl LP

My introduction to Hardcore Punk from Norway arrived via a Mix-Tape in 1987 that a friend of mine made for me. The bands I remember being on said tape were Malinheads, HDQ, Rattus, Bluttat and a whole lot more, but more importantly one of my favorite tracks on the tape was "Mentalt Ute Av Balanse" by Kafka Prosess. Said song I will forever associate with the arrival of a cold fall breeze and with me blasting it through my walk man riding my bike to god knows where. It brings back memories of gigs from that time, of people going wild to the loud blasts of European Hardcore and togetherness through a common spirit. When it comes to Hardcore Punk from the European North then bands from Finland and Sweden definitely top the list while Norwegian bands tend to be sadly overlooked. I wasn't any different and it wasn't until I learned about Kafka Prosess and shortly after So Much Hate that I realized that I should probably pay more attention to what was coming out of Norge. It must be said though that Norway never gifted us with the amount of records the other two countries did, and on top of that they tended to be hard to get in Central Europe where I was living at the time. The Kafka Prosess/Disorder Split was an easy find though as I was visiting London in late '87 if I remember correctly and found a copy of the Split at the Tower Records right next to Piccadilly Circus setting me back a whole 3.99 in UK Sterling, no more than the bands had asked for (see sticker on my copy pictured above). But who gives a damn about a sticker hence let's move to the music on this record. The six songs on the Kafka Prosess side of the record are without doubt some of my favorite tracks when it comes to '80s Hardcore from Europe. The Norwegian bands had a very unique and different approach to the sound compared to their comrades from Sweden or Finland. A heavy Discharge influence can be heard in many bands from Sweden or Finland but not so much with the Norwegians. Kafka Prosess came out of the ashes of Svart Framtid and Bannlyst and played a relatively melodic style of Hardcore Punk, equally influenced by bands such as HDQ, Instigators and/or "Lo Spirito.." era Negazione. All songs are well structured with great hooks, changes in tempo and brilliant backing vocals. Out of the six songs I couldn't really tell you which one I like the most as they are all European Hardcore Punk master pieces in their own way. As for Disorder I can attest that I have never been a big fan of this Bristol outfit but they are quite an important part of '80s UK Punk history and shouldn't be frowned upon. As a matter of fact they struck up a friendship with Kafka Prosess and ended up moving to Oslo in the Mid-80s for some time and this Split surely was a collaboration as a result of that. I must say though, and much to my surprise, that at least to a degree I enjoyed listening to their chaotic and hectic songs today as I remember being rather turned off by their contribution to this Split, at least musically. Their songs don't even come close to the quality of Kafka's but in their own way they are a good laugh and delivered in typical Disorder style, if you know what I mean. Kafka Prosess disbanded in 1987 and singer Gunnar went on to form So Much Hate, a band I saw live and will write about at another time here, so stay tuned. 

Label: Skuld Releases; Year: 2000; Format: Vinyl LP

Thanks to people like Kleister who ran Skuld Releases until his death in 2015 (RIP) bands like Kafka Prosess get to be heard by people who missed them back in the day. I picked up a copy of "Ingen Fattige, Ingen Rike" when it came out as it collects all Studio Tracks Kafka have ever recorded aside from the tracks for the Split w/ Disorder (see above). It shouldn't come as a surprise that those tracks are equally strong as the band was just a force to be reckoned with. Kafka Prosess were a truly integral part of a blossoming European Hardcore Punk scene during their existence from 1984 through 1987 and have contributed to Tape Compilations, toured twice in Germany and at least once in the UK while also running the important X-Port Plater label. The song quality on some of the songs on this record is sadly not up to the standard of the Split LP songs, but it sure as hell doesn't take anything away from the quality of the songs. Apparently there are also tracks to be found on here that were originally planned to come out as an EP, something that never came to fruition due to the bands break-up. As mentioned above Gunnar went on to form So Much Hate and many other bands thereafter his relocation to Karlsruhe, Germany while one of the guitar players, Nils, joined Raga Rockers, a relatively big name in Norway. Get this one even if you already have the Split-LP.