Flue- Some-times in Arabia 12''

Here's the final 12'' from Dutch synth band Flue, released in 1987. The fantastic Phoenix Hairpins blog features the band's two full-length LPs, so with the exception of any bonus tracks issued on the One and a Half CD reissue, this should complete their discography. You can get their debut LP here, and their second LP here.

For those unfamiliar with the Flue story, the band was one of the flagship artists on the Torso label, who issued several key LPs from The Cult, Sonic Youth, and The Residents. Several more obscure synth/wave acts such as Mekanik Kommando and Mecano also found their way on to the label. In fact, Flue guitarist Cor Bolten was active in Mecano before joining the band after the release of their 1981 debut. The band's second LP, Vista was recorded with an entirely new lineup.

It would be another four years before the band released their final single, 1987's Some-Times in Arabia, which featured two versions of the title track and one exclusive b-side. Here's the information for the single:



Flue- Some-Times In Arabia 12''
1. Some-Times (In Arabia) (New Version)
2. Some-Times (In Arabia) (Single Version)
3. Legacy

*download it here*

The Essence- Ecstasy LP

Sorry for the repetition lately, but here's another Ecstasy post by request. Keeping in chronological order, here's the band's third album, released in 1988. All information about the band can be found in the previous two posts, so let's get to the upload, shall we?



The Essence- Ecstasy LP
1. Burned In Heaven
2. Only For You
3. Sleeping
4. Like Christ
5. Angelic
6. Jump And Fall
7. Ice
8. The Afterworld
9. So Gorgeously
10. Despair
11. Understand Why
12. One More Wasted Night

*download it here*

Naturally, we've got some bonus tracks here. Tracks 5 and 6 hail from the Only For You 12'', while "Ice" seems to be exclusive to this release, at least according to the band's discogs listing. If anyone knows for sure, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy- and expect some more goodies to follow in the next few weeks.

Edit: I am currently in the process of updating all the divshare links from the first year of the blog, since I've heard that download limits are often exceeded. Kas Product should be live by the end of the afternoon, and the rest will follow as I have time. I also have a few zshare reuploads to handle, so stay tuned for that.

The Essence- A Monument of Trust LP

Real quick post today, folks, but here's the second Essence record, released in 1987 via Midnight Music. The band were still a three piece at this point in time, featuring the same lineup as their debut, so the sound doesn't stray too far. I do happen to prefer this record to Purity though, by a hair!

Otherwise, this particular upload contains two bonus tracks plucked from the A Mirage 12'' (the extended mix and "Lollipop"), as well as "The Happiness" another b-side from the This Cat 12''. Perhaps the band couldn't fit these tracks on one LP record, but it's nice to have them in a cleaner format, for sure! On that note, here's the information for the record. Enjoy!



The Essence- A Monument of Trust LP
1. A Mirage
2. Drifting
3. In Tears
4. Nothing...
5. The Waves of Death
6. The Happiness
7. Lollipop
8. Years of Doubt
9. Fire
10. The Death Cell
11. A Monument of Trust
12. A Mirage (Extended Version)

*download it here*

The Essence- Purity LP

I've got a pair of early Essence records to upload for you folks. Here's the first of the lot, the band's 1985 debut, Purity. The band originally formed as a three piece in 1984, hailing from Rotterdam, a region in the Netherlands. Over the course of time, the band grew in both popularity and personnel, releasing four full length LPs and several 12'' singles before their demise in the mid-nineties. Most of the band's material was released on Midnight Music, the label who also were responsible for Sad Lovers and Giants and The Snake Corps, two of the band's closest sonic peers.

Speaking of which, it's difficult to avoid comparing The Essence to The Cure, as the band walk similar sonic territory, straight down to the melodies, lyrics, and even the chimes in the instrumentation. For those who can't avoid the comparison, the touchstones are close enough to consider it a lost record from The Top/Head on the Door era! Otherwise, it's a rather solid guitar record from the mid-80s, with a hint of gloom and doom thrown in for good measure.

A surprising fun fact about this record: It was recorded in Alaska, of all places! Perhaps it was the allure of the near darkness and hopes of bringing the state's icy edge to the record. Did they succeed? You decide. Here's the information below.



The Essence- Purity LP
1. The Last Preach
2. A Reflected Dream
3. The Cat
4. The Blind
5. Never Mine
6. Endless Lakes
7. Forever in Death
8. Salivation
9. The Waving Girl
10. Purity
11. Confusion*
12. From My Mouth**
13. The Swaying Wind**

*bonus track from The Cat 12'', 1986
**bonus track from Endless Lakes 12'', 1986
both bonus tracks included on the 1996 CD reissue of Purity.

*download it here*

Stay tuned for the band's sophomore record, which I will be uploading shortly!

Störung- The Art of Combining Cassette

Astute fans of minimal wave should already be familiar with Störung, a duo from the Netherlands who released one classic full length record in 1982 (get it here on Mutant Sounds). Their sound combines some of the most striking minimal electronics with dirty guitars, bass, and alternating male and female vocals.

The band formed in 1981, and during their lifespan released both the This is Future LP and the respective Dreadful Dance 7''. Though a recent archival release by Minimal Wave Records (currently available for a meager $8.50!) appeared two years ago, the band had only these releases under their belt, but still had several unrecorded tracks in their repertoire. An unofficial cassette was released by their label, Combinator, in 1983. The bootleg featured several Störung staples alongside a series of unreleased tracks, recorded during one of the band's live sets. These are the only known versions of some of these tracks, and though the quality is a bit warm due to the nature of the release, it still holds up as an additional piece of the Störung puzzle.

Without any further ado, here's the information for the release:



Störung- The Art of Combining Cassette
1. Empire SX
2. Nooduitgang 2
3. Modern Fetch
4. Drums Keep Thundering
5. Europe Calls
6. Radio Lines
7. Onweer
8. This Is Future
9. Siberia
10. Don't Want To Know
11. Warschau Pact

*download it here*

Note: Also posted on the No Longer Forgotten Music blog. Check out his impressive backlogs!

As a further supplement, here's a video for a live performance of "Warschau Pact," recorded in 1983.

Das Ding- Highly Sophisticated Technological Achievement Cassette

Here's a rare cassette release by a band from the Netherlands called Das Ding, one of many in a line of fantastic European minimal synth bands. Not a ton of information to be gathered about these guys, but the cassette is one of three releases, their first appearing in 1982 and the final in 1985. Not sure when this one hails from, but if anyone in the peanut gallery knows, feel free to chime in. Otherwise, here's the information proper:



Das Ding- Highly Sophisticated Technological Achievement Cassette
1. Oradour Sur Glane
2. Sad But True
3. Parental Malpractice
4. H.S.T.A.
5. Jazz
6. Reassurance Ritual


DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED: Click HERE to purchase the reissue LP from Minimal Wave!

Stay tuned next week for a slew of donated materials!

Nine Circles- S/T CD

Some of you may have seen this one on Mutant Sounds*, but if not, here's some classic female-fronted minimal wave for you folks, the lone release by Netherlands based band Nine Circles. The self-titled disc was released in 1996 but is comprised of tracks recorded in 1982. Though the band's material scattered across various compilation appearances, it took 14 years for this collection to surface, and there's little information about this band to be found otherwise.

I have two more tracks by Nine Circles kicking around; 'How About the Aims in Life?' and 'Once In a While' respectively. I know the former dates from a Dutch compilation cassette entitled Colonial Vipers, but not sure about the latter. For now, here's the information for the self-titled collection:



Nine Circles- Nine Circles CD
1. When I Dance
2. Twinkling Stars
3. Here Come I
4. The Rose
5. Something Between You And Me
6. Miss Love
7. What's There Left
8. I'm Deeply Touched

*download it here*

In other news, a few folks have been kind and generous to donate hard-to-find releases over the past few days, so if you're keen, I'll work on posting them up here with all the appropriate information soon. If you're impatient, feel free to scour the comments from the last few entries and pluck 'em out!

*I am admittedly crap about checking every blog to see what's been posted, but in all fairness, Mutant Sounds is a vast ocean, so I didn't realise they tossed this same compilation up until after I uploaded it. Nuts!