Sunday 18 September 2016

Software - Men Without Clothes -1981- (Tape, Bugle Records), UK


So apparently some really rare cassettes are being handled with museum prices. Sometimes it makes you think that they must be the most interesting ever or contain that secret gem which would wipe out anyone's music collection. I know maybe ten copies of them exist... but we stick to the DIY ethics through which it was created and no, we don't drive these prices through the roof.

Software were an excellent UK experimental minimal synth group belonging to the UK DIY cassette culture. They released this one album on the Bugle Records label which a.o. published the music of The Astronauts. It was one of the many iconic labels pushing the authentic post-punk sound from early eighties Britain. I could name numerous UK post-punk or minimal synth labels from the time, but we all know where to place this music. This is some great stuff.

Men Without Clothes showcases great inventiveness of synthesizer manoeuvres sometimes reminding me of Vice Versa, The Gadgets or more primitive Legendary Pink Dots. The typical cynical empty yet humoristic post-punk is combined with more synthetic dance tracks and primitive DIY guitar usage. A truly authentic example of the English synth underground in its prime in 1981. Does this need a reissue? Yes. 

Finally some more very rare Minimal Synth music from oblivion!

Get it HERE

9 comments:

  1. Hello Bence, it is possible to post somewhere that "article in Knik about your blog and other strange music blogs and their importance..."? You´ve mentioned it in Trumpett's Play & Dance Choir post.
    I would like to read it. Thanx

    Mišo/MUZIKA-KOMUNIKA blog

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Mišo! You can find the article over here. I'm planning on writing a new one in January when Mutant Sounds reaches its 10 year anniversary. Maybe it would be interesting also to have several people with blogs write something about this in an interview format.

    http://occii.org/knik/filing-the-underground/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for article Bence. Here is my old interview with "none" from 433rpm / No Longer Forgotten Music blog. I know my English is so-so, but maybe it will be interesting for someone.

      http://muzika-komunika.blogspot.sk/2010/02/http433rpmblogspotcom-interview.html

      Delete
  3. Please-please, can you re-up this one ?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unearthed a beautiful gem. Thanks my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Any contact with any of the band members? Would be really interested if so

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've got this cassette, had it since art school in 1981. Do Bugke records exist any more / Who would have the original tape to re-release it ? Does anyone know of their whereabouts

    ReplyDelete