Marsheaux: 2004 - 2015

 

Marsheaux is a Greek synthpop duo formed in Athens in 2003. The group is composed of vocalists,

songwriters and keyboardists Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. The name Marsheaux is derived from the first syllable of each band member's name. Both members sing almost exclusively in English. Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) said about this band: "I do have a soft spot for Marsheaux I have to say. They have a certain sort of wispy, melancholic charm". 
                      

Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou were born in Thessaloniki, Greece. In 2000, they

moved to Athens and founded Marsheaux in 2003 to further their appreciation of electronic pop music. Marsheaux came to national prominence in Greece with their debut single, a cover of Gershon Kingsley's "Popcorn". The single received extensive airplay in Greece and mainland Europe. They continued to gain international recognition for their remixes of "Will I Ever" by In Vox featuring Andy Bell of Erasure. 
                                      

Now signed to Undo Records, Marsheaux released their debut album E-Bay Queen in June 2004.

The album played heavily on Marsheaux's stated influences, which include OMD, the Pet Shop Boys, Sparks, John Foxx and Depeche Mode. E-Bay Queen was critically well received internationally. In December 2006, Undo Records released Sophie and Marianthi's follow up album Peekaboo. The single "Hanging On" was released in 2007.
                                  

In July 2009, the band released their third album, Lumineux Noir, at Undo Records/Out of Line. It

is reminiscent of 1980s synthpop with tracks that have been compared to Ladytron, The Chemical Brothers and Client. Two singles supported the album: "Breakthrough" and "Summer". In May 2011, Marsheaux released a new song, "Can You Stop Me?". In May 2012, the band issued the compilation of mostly unreleased material and rare songs, E-Bay Queen is Dead. 
                           

A fourth album, Inhale, followed in 2013, along with a compilation drawn from all four studio

albums, Odyssey. In 2015, Marsheaux released their fifth studio album A Broken Frame, a cover album of Depeche Mode's 1982 LP of the same name.  In May 2016, Marsheaux released a new single "Safe Tonight", that includes original and extended versions of the song and remixes by Nikonn and Fotonovela. This single is from their sixth studio album Ath.Lon, released on 16 June 2016. 
                               

01. MARSHEAUX - E - BAY QUEEN 2004
                                               

Marsheaux - E-bay Queen
Label: Undo Records – UN001-CD, Undo Records – KUCD001
Format: CD, Album
Country: Greece
Released: Jun 30, 2004
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Electro, Synth-pop, Indie Pop

TRACKS

                       

01. M.a.r.s.h.e.a.u.x.    3:17
02. Flash Lights    3:44
03. Shake Me    3:55
04. Pure    3:53
05. Play Boy    4:45
06. Computer Love    3:46
07. Tonight    3:36
08. The Game    3:39
09. Analyze    3:39
10. Όλα Γυρίζουν    3:47
11. Hands On Me    3:28
12. Pop Corn    4:14

LINE - UP

Vocals, Synthesizer, Programmed By [Loops, Samplers] – Marianthi Melitsi, Sophia Sarigiannidou
Written-By – Marsheaux (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 9, 11)

Flac Size: 315 MB

02. MARSHEAUX - PEEK A BOO 2006
                          

Marsheaux - Peek A Boo
Label: Undo Records – KUCD006
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition
Country: Greece
Released: Dec 28, 2006
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro, Synth-pop

TRACKS

                            

01. Hanging On    4:21
02. Wait No More    4:18
03. No Sence    3:52
04. Promise (Vocals – Vassilikos) 3:49    
05. City On Lights    3:49
06. Dream Of A Disco    4:00
07. What A Lovely Surprise    3:46
08. Home    3:46
09. What Don't You Like    3:40
10. Love Under Pressure    4:05
11. People's Mind    3:52
12. Regret (Written-By – New Order, Stephen Hague)   3:56    
13. Heaven    3:47

Flac Size: 355 MB

03. MARSHEAUX - LUMINEUX NOIR 2009
                              

Marsheaux - Lumineux Noir
Label: Out Of Line – OUT 362 | 363, Out Of Line – OUT 362, Out Of Line – OUT 363
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition
Country: Germany
Released: Jul 10, 2009
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

TRACKS

                       

           
01. Exit    4:06
02. Breakthrough    4:07
03. Summer    3:58
04. Stand By    4:19
05. Radial Emotion    4:02
06. Loss Of Heaven    4:23
07. Destroy Me    4:32
08. Faith    4:05
09. Ghosts    4:13
10. It's Fine Now    4:49
11. Thousand LEDs    4:14
12. So Far    4:33
13. Sorrow    4:17

NOTES

Producer – Fotonovela, Marsheaux
Written-By – Marianthi Melitsi, Sophia Sarigiannidou

Flac Size: 399 MB

04. MARSHEAUX - A BROKEN FRAME 2015
               

Marsheaux - A Broken Frame
Label: Undo Records – RCDUN52
Format: CD, Album
Country: Greece
Released: Apr 2016
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

TRACKS

                       

            
01. Leave In Silence    5:11
02. My Secret Garden    5:05
03. Monument    3:42
04. Nothing To Fear    5:04
05. See You    4:30
06. Satellite    5:11
07. The Meaning Of Love    3:49
08. A Photograph Of You    3:25
09. Shouldn’t Have Done That    4:21
10. The Sun And The Rainfall    4:42
11. Now This Is Fun (Featuring – James New)   4:10
12. Oberkorn (It’s A Small Town)    4:36

Flac Size: 378 MB

05. MARSHEAUX - E - BAY QUEEN IS DEAD (COMPILATION) 2012
                    

Marsheaux – E-bay Queen Is Dead
Label: Undo Records – MCDUN35, Undo Records – CDUN35, Undo Records – 5099940400525
Format: CD, Compilation, Marianthi Cover
Country: Greece
Released: Apr 29, 2012
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Electro, Synth-pop, Alt-Pop,Indie Pop

TRACKS

                                       

01. Bizzare Love Duo    4:23
02. Fischerprice    4:03
03. Now And Never    4:09
04. Eyes Without A Face    4:46
05. Inside    4:14
06. Do You Feel?    4:40
07. Ghost / Hammer (Smash Up)    5:00
08. Empire State Human    3:22
09. Sadly    4:13
10. How Does It Feel?    4:24
11. Regret (Version 2)    2:17
12. She's Leaving    3:58
13. Fly Away    1:19
14. Cosmogirl    0:27

NOTES

Compilation with hard to find and previously unreleased material from 2003-2012.
Primarily made to be sold at the 2012 Marsheaux concerts, and in limited quantities through Undo's site.
1.000 copies were produced (500 with Marianthi on the cover and 500 with Sophie, both in THE SMITHS' "The Queen Is Dead" cover aesthetic).

Flac Size: 365 MB

John Foxx: Metamatic 1980 (Deluxe Edition 3CD 2018) + The Garden 1981 (1993)

 

John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh; 26 September 1948) is an English singer, musician, artist, photographer, graphic designer, writer, teacher and lecturer. He was the original lead singer of the new wave band

Ultravox, before leaving to embark on a solo career in 1980 with the album Metamatic. After several changes of name, including Fire of London, The Zips and The Damned, the band became Ultravox! in October 1976. The group's style fused punk, glam, electronic, reggae and new wave music.
At the same time, Leigh adopted his stage name of John Foxx. Once the band signed to Island Records, they released three albums during 1977–1978.
                                 

The debut Ultravox! single, "Dangerous Rhythm", backed with "My Sex", was released on 4 February

1977. Their first album (the self-titled Ultravox!) was released three weeks later on 25 February 1977, produced by Steve Lillywhite and the band, with assistance from Brian Eno. It was followed by their second album Ha! Ha! Ha! in October 1977, which included the single "ROckWrok", although both were commercial failures.
                 

After signing to Virgin Records, Foxx achieved two top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart with his first solo singles, "Underpass" (No. 31) and "No-One Driving" (No. 32). Its parent album Metamatic

was released on 17 January 1980, and peaked at No. 18 in the UK Albums Chart.Foxx played most of the synthesisers and "rhythm machines", as they were listed on the sleeve. One of the album's songs, "Metal Beat", takes its name from a CR-78 drum machine sound used on the record. Virgin released the album under the imprint name Metal Beat Records, which was used for Foxx releases throughout his contract with them.
                

Primarily associated with electronic synthesizer music, he has also pursued a parallel career in graphic design and education. Andy Kellman of AllMusic described Foxx as an influential cult figure whose

"detached, jolting vocal style inspired mainstream and underground artists across the decades". His icy synths and sophisticated song structures, as well as his surrealist lyrics and detached, jolting vocal style, have inspired mainstream and underground artists across the decades, from synth pop superstar Gary Numan to electro-techno duo ADULT. Initially known as the original lead singer of new wave pioneers Ultravox, he left the band in 1979 and released his fully electronic solo debut Metamatic at the beginning of 1980.
                

The groundbreaking album reached the top 20 of the U.K. album chart and contained two top 40 hits,

"Underpass" and "No-One Driving." His subsequent albums were more ambitious and incorporated a diverse array of electronic and acoustic instruments. In June 2014, it was announced that Foxx was to receive an honorary degree from Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire. He was made an honorary Doctor of Philosophy during the ceremony at the university on 21 July 2014.
              

John Foxx and the Maths composed the soundtrack to the York Theatre Royal's production of E.M.

Forster's short story The Machine Stops. A digital-only EP drawn from a live performance based on the material, The Bunker Tapes, appeared in 2016, and full album The Machine was released in 2017. Foxx contributed to two songs on the Belbury Circle's 2017 album Outward Journeys. In 2019, the Maths returned to the studio, this time with former Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon, and the full-length Howl arrived in 2020.
               

JOHN FOXX - METAMATIC (DELUXE EDITION 2018)

                            

One of the best albums of all time and revolutionary for electronic music. John Foxx deservers more

credit and attention for sure! One of the must have albums for early electronic music. Forget Midge Ure and the latter Ultravox, it is Foxx that is the true genius of that time, in this particular genre of electronic music.
                 

              
Foxx's solo debut after leaving Ultravox!, Metamatic, achieves the same emotional transcendence as his

previous group's early highlight, Systems of Romance, despite a new reliance not just on synthesizers, but on a musical framework dependent on them. On Metamatic, Foxx cultivates a curious air of disinterest that never seems truly bored, but is much more extreme than even his unarguably distant vocal style for Ultravox!. It holds up as one of the peaks of the early-'80s fascination with emotionless, Kraftwerk-inspired synth pop.
                      

John Foxx – Metamatic
Label: Metamatic – META63BX
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Box Set, Deluxe Edition May 30, 2018
Country: UK & Europe
Released: 1980
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave, Electro, Synth-pop

CD1.

                     

01. Plaza    3:56
02. He's A Liquid    3:02
03. Underpass    3:57
04. Metal Beat    3:01
05. No-One Driving    3:50
06. A New Kind Of Man    3:41
07. Blurred Girl    4:19
08. 030    3:18
09. Tidal Wave    4:17
10. Touch And Go    5:44

Flac Size: 252 MB

CD2.

              

01. Film One    4:03
02. This City    3:10
03. To Be With You    4:23
04. Cinemascope    3:27
05. Burning Car    3:16
06. Glimmer    3:39
07. Mr. No    3:19
08. Young Love    3:10
09. 20th Century    3:08
10. My Face    3:21
11. Underpass (Radio Edit)    2:49
12. No-One Driving (Single Version)    3:47
13. Like A Miracle (Alternative Version)    3:56
14. A New Kind Of Man (Alternative Version)    4:32
15. He's A Liquid (Alternative Version)    3:00
16. Plaza (Extended Version)    4:48
17. Underpass (Extended Version)    4:24
18. Blurred Girl (Longer Fade Version)    4:42

Flac Size: 410 MB

CD3.

             

01. A Frozen Moment    1:28
02. He's A Liquid (Instrumental Dub)    2:06
03. Mr. No (Alternative Version)    3:23
04. The Uranium Committee    2:17
05. A Man Alone    2:59
06. Over Tokyo    2:10
07. Terminal Zone    2:33
08. Urban Code    0:40
09. A Version Of You    1:30
10. Glimmer (Alternative Version)    3:42
11. Fragmentary City    2:31
12. Metamorphosis    2:22
13. Approaching The Monument    3:50
14. Critical Mass    4:36
15. Alamogordo Logic    1:04
16. Touch And Go (Early Version)    5:34
17. Miss Machinery    3:28
18. No-One Driving (Early Version)    3:57
19. Burning Car (Early Version)    2:45
20. Like A Miracle (Early Version)    4:00
21. No-One Driving (Alternative Version)    3:59

Flac Size: 300 MB

LINE - UP

John Foxx – vocals, rhythm machines (mainly Roland CR-78), synthesizers and keyboards
John Wesley Barker – additional synthesizers and keyboards
Jake Durant – bass guitar
Gareth Jones – engineer

Keyboards used on the album include the Minimoog, ARP Odyssey, clavinet, Elka Rhapsody 610, piano, Farfisa string synth, and Hammond organ.

JOHN FOXX - THE GARDEN 1981 (1993)

                            

John Foxx is somewhat of an underdog in both the Post-Punk and Synth-Pop scenes. After dropping

from his duties in Ultravox, Foxx felt completely comfortable to indulge himself in the emerging Electronic scene that was sweeping England. Metamatic was closer to what Gary Numan and Cabaret Voltaire were doing, than more Pop oriented groups. But after the robotic futurism of Metamatic, Foxx took his talents and created an album that was just as much as a dystopia as his solo debut, but enveloped New Romantic and Neo-Classical influences.
                          

John Foxx – The Garden
Label: Virgin – 07777 87778 23, Virgin – CDV 2194, Virgin – 263 368
Format: CD, Album, Reissue Apr 19, 1993
Country: Europe
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Synth-pop

TRAXS

                          

01. Europe After The Rain    4:02
02. Systems Of Romance    4:06
03. When I Was A Man And You Were A Woman    3:39
04. Dancing Like A Gun    4:12
05. Pater Noster    2:35
06. Night Suit    4:26
07. You Were There    3:53
08. Fusion / Fission    3:50
09. Walk Away    3:57
10. The Garden    7:11

BONUS TRAXS

11. Young Man    2:55
12. Dance With Me    3:33
13. A Woman On A Stairway    4:30
14. The Lifting Sky    4:46
15. Annexe    3:07
16. Wings And A Wind    5:19

LINE - UP

Duncan Bridgeman – synthesizer, bass, percussion, bongos, cymbals, tom-toms, sequencer, brass, piano, the Human Host
Jake Durant – bass
Jo Dworniak – bass
John Foxx – synthesizer, piano, guitar, vocals, drum programming, tom-toms, the Human Host
Gareth Jones – percussion
Philip Roberts – drums
Robin Simon – guitar

NOTES

Producer – Gareth Jones (tracks: 11 & 12), John Foxx (tracks: 1 to 11, 13 to 16), Zeus B. Held (tracks: 12, 13 to 15)
Written-By – John Foxx
Tracks 11 to 16 are bonus tracks (although the rear artwork states tracks 12 to 16) and differ from the 2001 remastered edition The Garden.

Flac Size: 635 MB

Fad Gadget: Gag 1984

 

Francis John Tovey (8 September 1956 – 3 April 2002), known also by his stage name Fad Gadget,

was a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both new wave and early industrial music, fusing pop-structured songs with mechanised experimentation.
                                 

As Fad Gadget, his music was characterised by the use of synthesizers in conjunction with sounds of

found objects, including drills and electric razors. His bleak, sarcastic and darkly humorous lyrics were filled with biting social commentary toward subjects such as machinery, industrialisation, consumerism, human sexuality, mass media, religion, domestic violence and dehumanization, often sung in a deadpan voice.
                              

For all intents and purposes, Frank Tovey was best known as the man behind Fad Gadget, one of the

most significant cult acts of the post-punk boom. As Fad Gadget, Tovey and his revolving door of conspirators released several singles and four full-length albums that stretched the boundaries of pop music during the late '70s and early '80s. And after Tovey started making records under his own name in the mid-'80s, he continued to remain as unpredictable as ever, working within the realms of Cajun, blues, and folk, in addition to furthering his journey into experimental electronics.
                        

Humorous, dark, strange, puzzling, wild, honest, confrontational -- these adjectives exemplify Tovey's lengthy body of work and his legacy of daringly physical performances. (Tovey's stage antics included

numerous acrobatic feats and a penchant for shaving his copiously foamed body.) While Fad Gadget's contemporaries included the likes of Cabaret Voltaire, the Human League, Wire, the Normal, and Soft Cell, Tovey and company's records never quite achieved the underground notoriety or the chart success enjoyed by his peers. Regardless of the level of recognition, Tovey's unique contribution to electronic music is undeniable, and so is his influence upon it. As the years go on, the recognition continues to gather steam.
                           

Tovey made his first public appearance as Fad Gadget in July of 1979. Two months after that, the first

Fad Gadget single, The Box, was issued.  Fireside Favourites, was released by the end of 1980. While Tovey did the lion's share of synth work on the album, percussionist John Fryer, bassist/guitarist Eric Radcliffe, drummer Nick Cash, and synthesist Miller chipped in with contributions. The albums Under the Flag and Gag were released in 1982 and 1984, respectively.
                                    

The move into dance and soul-influenced territories -- along with relatively traditional production values for the time -- resulted in lighter and less urgent music, but Tovey's lyrics steadfastly refused to

approach anything resembling mundane or fantasy-based. Tovey was more likely to be compared to Bob Dylan than Gary Numan, as his lyrics favored the everyman over machines and aliens. Personnel-wise, Under the Flag featured guest vocal turns and saxophone blurts from Alison Moyet (Yaz), and Gag included some guitar work from Rowland S. Howard (the Birthday Party).
                          

In his later years, Gadget began to perform at festivals and also supported his former colleagues and

Mute label-mates, Depeche Mode, on their European tour. He was working on a new album at the time of his death. Fad Gadget suffered from heart problems since childhood, and died of a heart attack on 3 April 2002 at the age of 45. In 2006, with the Pyros and family, he has two movies dedicated to him, Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey and Grand Union: A Documentary.

                             

His album Gag was ranked #76 in Treblezine's list of "The Top 100 Best Post-Punk Albums".

Fad Gadget – Gag
Label: Mute – CDSTUMM15
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue
Country: UK
Released: 1991   
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: New Wave, Electro, Experimental

TRAXS

                        

01. Ideal World  (Guitar – Rowland S. Howard)   5:39
02. Collapsing New People  (Producer – Daniel Miller)   4:22
03. Sleep  (Vocals – Morgan Tovey-Frost)   3:25
04. Stand Up    3:30
05. Speak To Me    3:23
06. One Man's Meat    4:06
07. The Ring    3:53
08. Jump      4:09
09. Ad Nauseam  (Guitar – Rowland S. Howard)   6:32

Double Bass, Guitar, Synthesizer [Bass] – Dave Rogers
Piano, Synthesizer, Organ, Celesta, Marimba, Performer [Tuned Bottles] – David Simmonds
Producer – Frank Tovey, Gareth Jones
Vocals – Barbara Frost, Frank Tovey
Voice, Viola – Joni Sackett

AD NAUSEAM   LYRICS

 
            

Tarred and feathered like a gutted chicken
Stuck in a rut out of luck Ad Nauseam
Sew up my lips and cut my throat
I choke on the gag but I don't get the joke

Spineless and fish-like, I swim in the mire
I swear like a saw-tooth, fin-flap and gill
Scrap this ludicrous chain of events
Tear away from book-form and screen-time

Scream 'till I hoarse and strapped to my carriage
I bite on the bit of spittle and white bait
Cloven hooved I scratch at my thorax
Yelling I loathe you and smelling a rat
The price that I paid in suicide notes
Sighing and screwing and fucking about
Name a disease that's not out to tease me
Spike through the tongue and eyeballs are razored

Snap your teeth on concrete and order
Don't say what you feel if it stinks of disorder
So tell me that you hate me
And I will feel good
The price that I pay is measured in years
Sucker on the exhaust of crime lights
So sew up my mouth and then slit my throat
I choke on the gag but I don't get the joke

                  

Tarred and feathered like a gutted chicken
Stuck in a rut out of luck Ad Nauseam

 

                  

Sew up my lips and cut my throat
I choke on the gag but I don't get the joke

Spineless and fish like, I swim in the mire
I swear like a saw tooth, fin-flap and gill
Scrap this ludicrous chain of events
Tear away from book-form and screen-time

So tell me that you hate me
And I will feel so good
Sew up my mouth and then slit my throat
I choke on the gag but I don't get the joke

Sucker on the exhaust of crime lights
Sucker on the exhaust of crime lights

Sew up my mouth and then slit my throat
I choke on the gag but I don't get the joke

MP3 @ 320 Size: 92 MB
Flac  Size: 260 MB

Fad Gadget: Incontinent  on Urban Aspirines HERE