Lister - Innlysende Samtaler Og Forutbestemte Avtaler -1984- (Tape, Self-Released), Norway

Originally from Oslo, Stein Inge Larsen, better known as André Lister, moved to Trondheim in the mid-70's with the intention of becoming a primary school teacher. However, once in contact with the city's music-driven scene he became a central part of it.

The lack of music press in Norway at that time instigated the creation of the first fanzines, that actually originated in Trondheim due to its vibrant punk and hard rock community. The first one to appear was Asfaltfilla, an anarchist fanzine which shared a lot of the common elements that could be found in similar counter-cultural publications at the time. André Lister was one of the heads behind it and an avid rejector of punk's intellectualization. Asfaltfilla would eventually result in the creation of the punk music fanzine Rockefilla.

André Lister had been part of many bands such as Sjolord, but ultimately distanced himself from punk and started to lean towards sonic experimentation and the use of synthesizers and drum machines, as it became apparent in some of his solo projects as Lister, while also forming Norwegian experimental cult rock band Det Elektriske Kjøkken. As a result, and as way to publish their albums, the band decided to start the label Oh Yeah! and its sub-label Oh No!

Innlysende Samtaler Og Forutbestemte Avtaler (Obvious Calls And Predefined Agreements) is one of Lister's first solo projects in which he pursues further the electronic domain combining long swirling synthesizer sounds with prog-like bass and guitar riffs as well as the occasional use of rhythm machines without losing its home-made DIY feel. You can expect a soothing psychedelic trip with some recording imperfections all along the tape (the first track suffers from a technical default that turns mono at some point), enjoy! 

André Lister died in 2016 in Tanger at the age of 63 where he decided to live the rest of his days. 

- Juan Vacas

* The information made available above is an adaptation from the information retrieved from his obituary in a Norwegian newspaper and the book "Sid's Norwegian romance: Sex Pistols exiled in Trondheim 1977" (2012).

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Pablo A. Gimenez - The Work In Progress -1988- (Tape, STI: Sindicato de Trabajos Imaginarios), Spain

I'm very happy and enthusiastic that I can announce the first guest contribution to Archaic Inventions by a fellow traveller in music and music selector Juan Vacas, who is also one of the representatives of the Madrid based music collective Real No Real. Some rarities from the Spanish tape culture (and perhaps beyond) will be occasionally presented by him to the blog. Starting with this incredible one! -

Pablo A. Giménez is still one of the great unknown Spanish composers of the 1980’s. He was predominantly based in Zaragoza, with an occasional stay in Paris. During the early 70’s he was involved in a group dedicated to the study of electronic music (Estudio de Música Electrónica) along with Luis Fatás, M. Medalón and Luis Colomer. While in Paris, where he studied philosophy and sociology, he refrained from making music for a few years. Short time after his return, his reconciliation with music began after he was offered to compose for amateur film works. Far from having studied at a conservatory, Pablo A. Giménez belonged to the band Casablanca during the late 70’s. Casablanca was described to be something like the band of a hippie commune that established itself for several years in Logroño. The band was composed by more than seven members and generally leaned closer to progressive rock but with numerous influences which ranged from salsa to jazz, being heavily influenced by bands like Gong, Frank Zappa or Hawkwind. 

Casablanca live in the 70's, Gimenez on sax

Several years after the dissolution of the band, Pablo A. Giménez started working with magnetic tapes, he became interested in the use of computers and eventually worked with simple low budget machines (not that he seeked for this cheapness in any way, but for a lack of better mediums) mixed with professional saxophones. Among his influences, it is easy to highlight great figures of the contemporary music world like Edgar Varèse or musique concrete pioneers Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry.

His works have been, for the most part, published by the Zaragoza based label STI (Sindicato de Trabajos Imaginarios, translated: Syndicate of Imaginary Works) that during the 80's mainly focused on avant-garde and homemade music, ranging from noise, to sound poetry or industrial music as well as being involved in mail art projects and run by Javier Cinca. His three first albums vary from more electroacoustic compositions, to more pop and dreamy sounds as well as darker sides mixed with spoken word.

The Work In Progress is his first album published on cassette by STI where he reveals bright saxophone melodies intermingled with subtle drum machines and electronic sequences on the first side, and more abstract compositions during the second half. - Juan Vacas

Pablo A. Gimenez

"Perseguidos por las sombras
caminamos apresuradamente
hacia el olvido..."

Get it HERE