Brigade Internationale - Regard Extreme (LP, vinyl rip, 1984 recordings). 2009.

This is one of the best darkwave (or "coldwave") records that France gave to the world! 

Recorded in 1984 and published in tape, remained a legendary piece of art and very hard to find untill 2009, when the greek record label Ειρκτή records re-mastered the songs and released this wonderfull vinyl record (500 copies only).

The name of the band comes from the international revolutionary brigades that came to Spain to fight against fascists in the civil war (1936 - 1939). 

Brigade Internationale was an excellent band. Their music is based in bass and keyboards that create beautifull melancholic melodies. The use of trombone gives a specific character to the personality of the band. The result is cold and dark soundscapes that make this band special and this LP one of the best records of the so-called "coldwave" scene of France.

A true 80's diamond!

Enjoy

Greek darkwave - 5 vinyl singles from the past!

Into The Abyss - International Comedy - Clown - Fear Condition - Ding An Sich.
Some new - some re-uploads.

   Into The Abyss - La Soeur D' Icare / Banner of the fray (7" single, vinyl rip). 1994.
Into The Abyss was a greek/german gothic band active through the '90's and the '00's, based in Frankfurt - Germany. They released 3 excellent albums. The man behind the band was the singer and guitar player Yanis Kalifatidis (great voice!). Today Yanis Kalifatidis plays with Penny Dreadfull. This vinyl single was released in 1994 and contains two of their best songs in different version.

Fly  

 International Comedy - No Escape / It's obvious (recorded in 1985, 7" single, vinyl rip). 2012. Plus 3 songs from the 1984 compilation "Sounds and noises of the SKG". 

This is the hidden diamond of the greek dark scene of the 80's. 

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Clown - Clown / Lefka Kelia (7" single, vinyl rip). 1983. 

I guess you can find this in other blogs too, but i really love this single! It was the only record from this minimal synth trio, re-released by Ειρκτή records in 2012. Two anxious songs - a glorious moment of the past of the greek underground!

Download here

Ding An Sich - And.../Wandering... (7" single, vinyl rip). 1989.

Ding An Sich is one of the best greek bands, active since the '80's. This single is their fιrst vinyl, released in limited copies in 1989.

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Fear Condition - One flew over the cuckoo's nest / Living in fear (1985 recordings, 7" single, vinyl rip). 2012.

The legendary 80's darkwave band from Thessaloniki. Two excellent songs. Sax and tribal drums!

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All the songs are ripped from the vinyl record to wav for better sound quality (except International Comedy which is mp3 - 320 bitrate). All the files contain all the artwork! Enjoy!

Venus In Furs - Dead Europe (LP, vinyl rip). 2012.

This is the second and most recent LP by this amazing Greek darkwave band. They formed in the middle '80s when the darkwave was turning into gothic and they became a legendary band. Their first record was released in 2010 including the songs from the '80s and in 2012 another LP was out with new songs.

Their unique talent in making deeply melancholic excellent songs is still there! With the originality of the past and the technology and ideas of now, this is one of the best "gothic" records of 2012.

These songs were released in vinyl only by B-other side records (only 300 copies) so all you vinyl lovers can order your record in the label's site.

Tracklist

01. Kingdom of nothing

02. Paradox visit

03. Gravity shatters

04. Dead Europe

05. Under my house

06. The gift

Take it  here

The Birthday Party - The Bad Seed (EP 12", vinyl rip). 1983.

   This EP, together with "Mutiny", was recorded in 1982 but released in 1983 and they are the last releases from The Birthday Party. All the blood and the pain and the fun is still here but this time there's something new...the blues!

   

Two of the songs here ("Deep in the woods" and "Wild world") are coming straight from the swamps of Mississippi - filtered of course by the maniac spirit of the band.

"Mostly featuring songs written by Cave and Harvey together, "Bad Seed" forecasts the imminent future of Nick Cave as a solo artist and Mick Harvey as his right-hand man in more than just title. Now down to a four-piece following the departure of Calvert, the Party weren't any less confrontational than before; the opening sounds one hears is Cave yelling, "Hands up, who wants to die?"!" (from Allmusic)

Tracklist

01. Sonny's burning

02. Wild world

03. Fears of gun

04. Deep in the woods

Download here

"The You and What Army Faction" - the music of the crisis!

   I didn't know this band. They sound like every music i love and i'm happy that "raggedy" informed me about their work.     They come from Athens and everybody who's in love with the dark scene and no wave of the '80's should be happy that such a band is around. 

   Luckily for them they're not try to imitate some other band and allthough you can detect elements from no wave and the greek dark scene of the '80's, the personality of the band is strong enough to create a special sound which only belongs to them.

   They had a full album ("Fix") and an EP ("Vent") and now a 7" vinyl record called "Silk" is out with three new songs - twisted as their previous work! 

 

As i told the guys, i feel that they deserve a place in that long line of greek bands who created great dark experimental music since the beginning of the '80's.

It's not pleasant music for your ears but it's music that reflects all the paranoia of today's greek society and thus it's modern music.

i just remembered the title of an old work by some great greek artist and it seems to me that it can describe this band's music;     Backroom's Hell!!!

Visit their website  here
Also check the label's site (GAB Productions) here 

The Reporters - Computer world / I wanna know (7" single, vinyl rip). 1982.

   This is the 4th release of legendary Creep Records. The Reporters were the side project of Kostas Pothoulakis who at the same time was playing for Villa 21. 

   Faraway from the raw dark sound of Villa 21, The Reporters were much more "new wave" - wide use of synthesizers and melancholic atmosphere. They released this single and an LP ("Bare Hands", 1983) both under the Creep label.
Kraut rock and english darkwave are the leading influences but the band managed to create a distinctive sound due to Kostas vocals and the use of synthesizers.
You can download the "Bare Hands" LP in this blog and i suggest you to do it now!

   Both records are dark synth/wave masterpieces with all the originality of the '80's.

 A magical single from a magical era!

Download  here

International Comedy - No Escape / It's Obvious (7" single, 1985 recordings, 2012.) + 3 songs from "Sounds and Noises of SKG" compilation (1984)

   International Comedy is the big hidden secret of the greek dark wave scene!

   It's the first group of the famous guitar player Asklepios Zampetas (after International Comedy he played for The Mushrooms and later for Trypes, the most succesfull greek rock band ever - and one of the best of course).

   But in the early '80's, in Thessaloniki, Asklepios had formed a mind blowing darkwave band! 

   In some way they were the perfect group for the legendary Creep Records - in fact the Creep asked International Comedy to participate for a compilation - unfortunately  soon after that both the label and the band stopped working!

   This year Lotus recordshop released two songs taken from the 1985 tape compilation "Give bees a chance" in vinyl only - limited edtion.

   You all know how great Asklepios's guitar work for The Mushrooms was, so imagine it in a dark wave band!

 

 I thought that i could complete the presentation of this great band by including in the file the three songs that they had recorded in Thessaloniki for the compilation LP "Sounds and Noises of the SKG"  in 1984. Unfortunately i don't have the vinyl record so i downloaded these 3 songs from the net and added them to the file.

I'll say it again - this band is the big hidden secret of the greek darkwave scene of the '80's!

Download here

Stained Veil - Livin on Leavin (LP, vinyl rip). 1986.

   Excellent greek darkwave with a touch of punk! 
   Stained Veil was an '80's group from Thessaloniki and they released only this record in legendary Smash records. 

 This label released only three LP's (Fear Condition - 'till night comes again, Yell O Yell - XIII and this one here) but the three of them are now considered to be three milestones for the '80's greek rock and are very rare and expensive.

  This record begins with a punk rock feeling and distorted guitars but gradually it ends up to melancholic songs with fascinating melodies.

      Download  here

Fear Condition - One flew over the cuckoo's nest / Living in fear (7" single, 1985 - 1986 recordings, vinyl rip). 2012.

   Fear Condition.... One of the best dark wave bands of Greece. They formed in Thessaloniki and they soon gained the attention of the greek rock community due to their unique sound (tribal drums, saxophone, excellent vocals). They were influenced by bands like Bauhaus, Killing Joke, Joy Division.

   They had only one LP ("...till night comes again") in 1986 - the vinyl record is hard to be found today and quite expensive and the songs never re-released in cd. 

   You can download this milestone for the greek darkwave in this excellent blog.

This year Lotus recordshop released two live recordings from the old times in vinyl in a limited edition - 300 copies only. 

   "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" was included in the LP but here it is played live at  studio in 1986.

 "Living in fear" is an unreleased song and it is played live at the Selini club in 1985. It's a fantastic song proving that Fear Condition had a lot more to offer.

Respect!

Download here

Lydia Lunch / Rowland Howard - Some velvet morning (EP, 12", vinyl rip). 1982.

   Two of the most inspired musicians of the last decades meet in this cover of the classic Hazelwood's psych pop masterpiece "Some Velvet Morning".

   Lydia Lunch had some of her best moments collaborating with Rowland Howard. One year before "Honeymoon in Red" LP (with the participation of Nick Cave, Thurston Moore, Tracy Pew,etc.) they released this 12" EP, with Barry Adamson on the double bass, Mick Harvey on drums, Genevieve McGucking on piano.

              "I fell in love with a ghost", a haunted creepy melody, is on the b side.

               "I fell in love with a ghost - he's just a shadow of his former self..."

                                  This was released by 4AD records in 1982 .

                                                   Download here

The Danse Society - Somewhere (E.P. 12", vinyl rip). 1982.

  During the first half of the eighties The Danse Society released two wonderful LP's, "Seduction" in 1982 and "Heaven is waiting" in 1983. Their music is kind of typical darkwave of the time, but they always had strong melodies supporting the evocative, dark sonic environment.

  Last year they reunited releasing "Change of skin".

  This EP was released in 1982 by their own label Society Records. It contains three songs, "Somewhere", "Hide" and the epic "Theme" - 10 minutes long, no vocals, just the drums rolling while the guitar and the keyboards create waves of melancholy.

                                              Download  here

The Hands of Cain - The Only Sound (1983 - 1985 recordings/vinyl rip). 2009

   The Hands of Cain were Dimitris Chorianopoulos (vocals, bass), Spyros ‘S. Adam’ Floros (drums), Costas Papakitsos (synthesisers) and Dimitris Stamatiou (guitar) from Athens, Greece.

    In 1983 the HANDS OF CAIN evolved from of one of the first groups of the Greek punk scene of the early 80’s called Ausschwitss when their music was gaining a darker shade and their lyrics were changing to English. 

    Unlike their former group, The Hands of Cain had very little public exposure, but built their reputation amongst the lively Athenian dark wave/post punk scene of the time with a few live gigs in clubs like ‘Skylab’ and ‘Pegasus’. They finally split up in November 1985, and although none of their recordings was ever released their fame lived on.

 

 An end was put to this local hidden secret 

when Dimitris ‘Profitis’ Petrou sent Annalogue records two tracks in Autumn 2007, “Two Steps to the End” and “The Dagger in Me”. Anna was blown away by those tracks and couldn’t believe they have remained unreleased. Of course, this had to be changed. The quality of HOC’s song writing is amazing, these are just strong compositions, and without any doubt, this album will perfectly line up with the best ever goth/dark wave albums being so close to Christian Death’s first recordings as well as the best songs by Bauhaus. 

Their tracks are pure mid 80’s despair and melancholy, typical of the goth/dark wave scene of the time, although such terms as goth or dark-wave had not yet been invented by journalists back then. The material was (more or less) preserved on dusty 8mm reels and worn-out cassette tapes – it is thanks to Dave Hewson, who digitally transferred and restored these tracks that this fascinating music escaped oblivion.

 Prepare yourself for a milestone not only in Greek music history, but also in goth/dark wave history!

 (from Annalogue records official site)

         Vinyl rip. The file contains the 10 songs of the LP, the three songs of the 7" record and the artwork.  

                                      Download  here

Rehearsed Dreams - Trip (E.P. - 1985 recordings). Vinyl rip. 2011

   Rehearsed Dreams was one of the darkest bands ever! 

   They formed in Athens, Greece, in 1985 and they released their only record "Repulsion" in the legendary Creep Records the same year. Their music is influenced by Bauhaus and darkwave generally, but Rehearsed Dreams tried to push it as far as possible!
    They created a sound reflecting all the despair and melancholy someone can feel...

    Piano was playing key role in their music which is also characterised by the excellent vocals.

    Band's members were John Schrei (Giannis Papaioannou) - vocals, keyboards, bass, piano, saxophone, Spy Spider (Spyros Faros)- guitar, fretless bass, cello, piano and Billy SS - drums, but they had the help and collaboration of Fill Scars from Yell O Yell.

    After the release of Repulsion Rehearsed Dreams started working on new material with the participation of Fill Scars. They recorded 5 songs but they never made it to continue because the group disbanded.

These tapes were lost for all these years (!) untill last year some great guy found them somewhere in Spain! So, the Inner Ear record label finally released three of these songs in this E.P. on vinyl only and limited copies (250 only - sold out of course).

The songs are written by Spy Spider and John Schrei and the musicians are John Schrei (vocals, Roland SH-101, piano, saxophone), Spy Spider (fretless bass, cello, piano), Fill Scars (electric guitar, backing vocals on "Trip") and Andreas F. (drums).

P.S. I have to warn you. This is really dark...

Download here

Peter Murphy - Deep. (1989)

  In 1983, Bauhaus broke up and Peter Murphy went on to new projects not involving Bauhaus members. After some brief dabbling with acting and dance - including a slightly odd televised performance to Bauhaus song "Hollow Hills" - he formed Dali's Car with Mick Karn, the bass player from Japan. The group recorded only one album.

   Murphy's solo career over time became more varied than Bauhaus, ranging from pseudo-pop to haunting ballads that showcased his deep and complex vocals, with lyrical themes that are often metaphysical or religious.
  This third album is the perfect example and maybe his best solo work. It includes the hit single "Cuts you up" and also two of the best songs he ever wrote, " Marlene Dietrich's Favorite Poem" and "A Strange Kind of Love", a striking love song, with acoustic guitar and plaintive Paul Statham (ex B-Movie) keyboards supporting one of Murphy's strongest lyrics and performances.

   He's even comfortable enough to do an open rewrite of bauhaus song "In the Flat Field," renamed "The Line Between the Devil's Teeth"; it has almost the same verse structure, definitely some of the same lyrics, but still, it's something he could have only done in his solo days.

   "Deep" showed Murphy balancing mass appeal and his own distinct art with perfection. 

                                                    Download   here

ACHMI (Nick Sebekopoulos)

Nick Sebekopoulos was playing guitar for The Drops - a 90s darkwave band from Piraeus, Greece. They had one 7" single (Fatal Fall, 1994) and one LP (Suicide in Heaven, 1995).  The band created beautifull soundscapes of melancholy and they remained a legendary name till today.

You can visit their website here

There is an excellent presentation of The Drops and you can also download their work in this blog

 "Suicide in Heaven" was their last recording and band's members played for some other greek bands. Guitar player Nick Sebekopoulos played later for Ding an Sich, but in 2001 or 2002 (im not sure about that) released, in limited copies, his solo work (voice and electric guitar only) in cd form, by the name ACHMI (Silver). I was lucky enough to Know Nick and meet him sometimes back then and he gave me one of the copies and here it is!

It's a collection of dreamy and melancholic songs in greek language. The guitar creates beautifull melodies and the voice sings some "strange" but fascinating lyrics.



Take the trip  here

The Birthday Party - Mutiny! (1983)

Birthday Party was the most impressive thing that happen to rock after the punk explosion and Joy Division! Their music was a cry from deep within - punk in its own unique way!

  They found little commercial success during their career. Though often indirect, their influence has been far-reaching, and have been called one of "the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s." 

 In his lyrics, Nick Cave combined "sacred and profane" things, using Old Testament imagery^, with stories about sin, curses and damnation.

Their 1981 single "Release the bats" was particularly influential in the gothic scene. Some of their material was also qualified as no wave.

                            Mutiny! is the band's final studio recording, released in 1983.

                                                               Download  here

                     "Express yourself! Say something loudly!"

The Creatures - Hybrids (1999)

    The Creatures were a musical act formed in 1981 as a side-project for Siouxsie and the Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie. Their music has been described as "adventurous art rock built around Siouxsie's extraordinary voice and drummer Budgie's battery of percussion".

With the dissolution of Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1996, The Creatures graduated from an occasional side project to a full-time concern. They disbanded in 2005.

The duo released four studio albums: Feast  in 1983, Boomerang in 1989, Anima Animous in 1999 and Hai! in 2003. (from Wikipedia).

Hybrids is the remix album released at 1999.   Some of the band's best songs turn to electronic nightmares and the result is a great "dance" album.

Tracklist

1. Prettiest Thing (Hormonal mix)

2. Exterminating  Angel (No Skool mix)

3. Slipping Away (Tik Tok mix)

4. Say (Radio friendly mix)

5. Pinned Down

6. Guillotine (Off with their heads mix)

7. All She Could Ask For (Dope mix)

8. 2nd Floor (Strawberry Coctail mix)

9. Disconnected (Beloved in a void mix)

10. Turn it on (black smoker mix)

11. Say (4x4 mix)

12. Prettiest Thing (waking dream mix)

Take it here

Marquee Moon - Angst + War (1992)

Founded 1984 in Berlin, Marquee Moon soon developed into one of the driving forces behind German gothic.
The band’s name goes back to the title of the classic debut album of the NY band Television, as well as a line from a song of The Damned.

 In the very same year, Marquee Moon's debut single "Don’t Go Out Tonight" was released.The single was followed in 1985 by their first (mini) album "Beyond The Pale", seeing them go on tour with legendary US punk rockers The Ramones.

Later they toured with X-Mal Deutschland and Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and thus managed to increase their fame.

 In 1992, they were present on the first CD compilation of Berlin-based underground label Dossier.

Their contribution, the track "Angst+War" received very positive feedback, which finally led to the band recording this album on Dossier under the same title. It was their fourth LP.

This is excellent punk/darkwave and it may remind you early Christian Death, with Rikk Agnew on guitar and of course Rozz...

                                                

Here is the official site of Marquee Moon.

Download here

Gew Gaw Stereophonic Dodman - A Gew Gaw Compilation (issue #2)

Gew Gaw is a high quality greek psychedelic fanzine. Some issues came out with a cd compilation icluding great bands and great songs, most of them unreleased! Anyway you can see details about the fanzine here. This is the second compilation that came out along with issue #8.
There is a lot of great stuff here! This isn't '60's pop psychedelia. This is heavy tripping stuff full of echoes of garage, darkwave, psychedelia, space rock and Kraut...
I think this is the first time that this compilation is uploaded for everyone to enjoy!

The cover is designed by Iliana Noea. Her amazing work is almost everywhere in greek independent scene, in records (Purple Overdose's third and fourth record), fanzines, posters, everywhere! I wish somebody who know her, write some things about this amazing artist. You can find nothing about her in greek independent music blogs and i think it's a shame!

Download this rare gem here

ATHAMAY - The Pleasure of Sin

Athamay is an english dark electro band formed in 1995. Their only release untill now (Nightbreed Recordings, 1996) is this fantastic work which became an electro classic and is hard to find today. After this cd they continued as Torture Tekk.
Enjoy this now legendary and hard to find masterpiece

Track list

1. Dreams

2. Eternal torture

3. Kiss the whip

4. Falling

5. Domination

6. She

7. Crucifixion

8. Restrict and obey

9. Caged

10. Hi-Tec Sex

11. Domination (New Alternatives 3 mix)

12. Dreams (Ambient mix)

13. Kiss the whip (Analogue mix)         

Take it here