The maiden aunts of techno brings us their Best Ever selection
Stephen welcome to DMCWORLD towers. It was a major surprise last year when you released your fourth album ‘Blank Burn’ after a 23 year absence all down to a conversation where you decided to give it another go and write a few songs together, which snowballed into a major UK tour including a memorable set at Bestival. So the obvious question, how have you found it after all these years away from the limelight?
“Well it makes little difference to me since being ill precluded me from appearing live. Although doing all the press, radio and other media stuff makes it seem as though we never stopped, it just comes naturally somehow.”
The last few years has seen the likes of Heaven 17, OMD, Soft Cell and even Yazoo reform. Why do you think this is happening to so many bands from the 80s at the moment?
I really don’t know. They must all have different reasons, but the main one is, I suppose, that the time is right. In retrospect, this isn’t the first revival, people were doing nostalgia in the eighties you know!
When the band finished you didn’t walk away from music, you just found a different way of doing it. What have been some of the great projects you have worked on?
“Working with La La La Human Steps from Montreal, Canada – a fantastic avant-dance company with death-defying acrobatic dance moves. A very funny film,by Srivinas Krishna ( also from Canada) called Masala, involving a missing stamp, blown-up airliners, three mad Indian families and a very ancient Lord Krishna directing proceedings. Saeed Jaffrey playng three roles! Working at the National Theatre on a play called ‘Wicked Yaar’ – racism, genies & lamps, and bhangra dancing.Teaching at the National Youth Music Theatre. 40 or so excited teenagers all invading a small Yorkshire seaside town for two weeks one summer. Great fun but I’ll never do teaching again! Working on a whole series of TV docs for BBC on the subject of Indian Railways. Chuff chuff! A series of Channel 4 films based on the Lonely Planet Travel Guides.6 months spent making an album in Bombay n 1990 with Asha Bhosle, Hope Augustus, RD Burman, & Boy George.Management issues made it all go horribly wrong but a great experience, and some lovely choons.
Last week saw the release of ‘The Very Best Of’ on Music Club Deluxe featuring 7 top 40 hits, some killer original 12″ mixes, a new song and 2 John Peel sessions. What are the tracks you hold closest to your hearts…
“‘Feel Me’, ‘The Day Before You Came’ and ‘Hello Darlin’.”
You have been decried as the “maiden aunts of techno” and the “Gilbert & George of electro-pop”, influencing such dance luminaries as LCD Soundsystem, Metronomy and Hot Chip. Have you kept your eye on the dance music world over the years and how your sound is still as relevant as it was yesterday?
“No I haven’t. In fact I’ve not been in a club for years. Time was when you’d find me in Heaven, Kinky Gerlinky’s Cha-Cha’s, Taboo, White Trash, Scandals, etc etc, but not any more. As for relevance, well that’s not for me to say, is it?”
The band was originally a threesome albeit for a very short time. Do you know whatever happened to Laurence Stevens after he left?
“Absolutely no idea!”
Who did you mix with in the 80s, who were the bands you’d consider as mates?
“On the whole I tended to avoid other musicians, don’t know why, although I did knock about with Helen Terry ( Culture Club) for a while, and Neil and I became friendly with Vince Clarke. We all went on holiday to the Canaries one year.”
Many of the bands of that era got sucked into the whole drug side of things – how did you stay away from that particular trapdoor?
“Couldn’t afford it, they were too expensive!”
What was the most incredible event you headlined back in the day?
“Not headliner, but support to Grace Jones in 1981. 3 nights at Drury Lane Theatre, London.”
If you threw a party backstage after a show – what would be the Blancmange Back To Mine Top 10 you’d play us to carry on the party…maybe a selection from the 80s perhaps?
C’est Chic – Chic
Slave to the Rhythm – Grace Jones
Lets Dance – David Bowie
Electricity – Captain Beefheart
Blank Frank – Eno
The Last Time – Rolling Stones
Dance to the Music – Sly & the Family Stone
Fame – David Bowie
The Model – Kraftwerk
What are the biggest differences to the music industry you have noticed now you are back in the charts?
“Not a lot really, apart from Talent Shows on the box. Which brings me to your next question…”
What are your thoughts on the way that the easiest way to become famous these days is getting on talent competitions such as X Factor or The Voice?
“Very sad turn of events. Even for us synthi-poppers, we still paid our dues. Playing for a tenner at obscure little clubs slowly enabled to build up a fan base, and to their credit, many of them are still there. Even though its not my cup of tea, theres still nothing to beat a live audience, even if if it was just Neils dad and a dog.”
Who are the artists that you are listening to at the moment?
“Radio 4 mostly if I’m honest.”
How important has Pandit Dinesh been for you over the decades and all of the releases? What are his qualities?
“Dinesh has been an absolute brick over the last 25 years, couldn’t have done it without him. I have learned so much from him.”
And finally, what are the future plans studio wise from the band?
“That for me to know and you to find out he he he….”
‘The Very Best Of’, out now on Music Club Deluxe. The 2 disc set features 7 Top 40 hits, original 12” extended mixes, plus rare Peel sessions…
CD1
1. Living On The Ceiling 2. Don’t Tell Me 3. I Can’t Explain 4. Feel Me 5. Blind Vision 6. Waves 7. The Day Before You Came 8. I’ve Seen The Word 9. God’s Kitchen 10. That’s Love, That It Is 11. Wasted 12. Lose Your Love (Album Version) 13. What’s Your Problem 14. Kind 15. All Things Are Nice 16. Murder 17. Running Thin (Peel Session) 18. I Would (Peel Session) 19. Making Aeroplanes (Without Victoria) (New Track)
CD2
1. Blind Vision (12” Mix) 2. Don’t Tell Me (12” Mix) 3. Feel Me (12” John Luongo Mix) 4. Game Above My Head (Long Version) 5. That’s Love, That It Is (Remix Extended Version) 6. Vishnu (Short Version) 7. God’s Kitchen (12” Mix) 8. Sad Day (Original Version) 9. Waves (Original Version) 10. Why Don’t They Leave Things Alone? 11. Lorraine’s My Nurse 12. See The Train 13. Don’t You Love It All 14. Living On The Ceiling (Extended Version) 15. Hello Darling
