“I sensed a profound need to preserve this music for future generations”
As Minimal Wave nears its 20th birthday, Veronica Vasicka tells us how her fascination with obscure synth and experimental pop from around the globe created a record label and defined a new genre.
When New Yorker Veronica Vasicka launched Minimal Wave in 2005 her sole goal was to shine a light on long lost (or just plain ignored) analogue synthesiser music. From unheard recordings made by bands who never made it out of their bedrooms, to obscure releases from household names, Veronica has shown a rare dedication in tracking down lost gems from the most unlikely of places. Elegiac synthpop from the Channel Islands? Proto industrial sounds from Greece? Electro punk from the Californian suburbs? Veronika has unearthed them all, and then released them on lavish limited vinyl editions.
“The raw, DIY essence of minimal wave and experimental electronic music captivated me,” she says, “It resonated with a punk ethos, consistently edgy, personal, and expressive. I admired how many artists crafted these songs in their bedrooms or home studios, adding to the authenticity and intimacy of the music. The music felt spontaneous, with a distinct lack of artificiality and a greater sense of creativity in my eyes.”
At the start of the millennium Veronika was the program director for East Village Radio (EVR), an early pioneer in online radio in New York City. Every Sunday she hosted her own show, presenting lesser-known European and British new wave and minimal synth tracks. It was her obsession with one of these tracks, ‘The Devil’s Dancers’ by obscure UK-based Oppenheimer Analysis, that kick-started the label
“I’d play it frequently, both on air and out DJing. One night I dropped it in a small club and the crowd erupted into a frenzy, dancing on the bar and letting loose. That moment sparked a revelation – this 1982 cassette find from Brighton deserved a revival. Thus, Minimal Wave was born.”
With almost two decades of releases behind it, the label will soon be celebrating its 20th birthday.
“It feels surreal looking back,” says Veronika. “I launched the label primarily to release Oppenheimer Analysis, and I didn’t have a grand vision for its future. I was aware of a wealth of material waiting to be shared, yet I never anticipated the enduring interest that would carry on two decades later.”
Here Veronika talks us through 12 Minimal Wave releases that tell the story of her label, while giving you a list of bands you may never heard of, but will definitely want to check out.
Oppenheimer Analysis Oppenheimer Analysis EP (12” MW001 2005)
Once I’d located Andy Oppenheimer and explained that I wanted to reissue his music, he reconnected with the other half of the band, Martin Lloyd and they dug up their old recordings. They’d initially bonded over sci-fi, 1950s graphic design, Cold War aesthetics, and bands like the Human League. Throughout the early ‘80s, they were active in the burgeoning Futurist and New Romantic scenes, and by 1982, they’d begun writing and recording together, and performing as Oppenheimer Analysis at various venues. Their demo tapes, sold at gigs and via mail-order, received attention in music magazines and established them as pioneers in the electro-music scene. I launched Minimal Wave in order to release a 12” EP featuring four tracks from Oppenheimer Analysis’ 1982 New Mexico cassette. I personally distributed copies to Other Music, a now defunct shop that was on 4th Street, and various shops globally. The EP was an instant hit, selling out quickly. We celebrated the label’s 18th anniversary last December with the fifth edition release of the EP, proving the enduring appeal of their timeless and evocative music.
Linear Movement On The Screen (LP, MW013 2008)
I’ve always been enamoured by synth music from Belgium, particularly the releases from Peter Bonne and Geert Coppens’s Micrart Group label. Their music resonates with beauty, emotion, energy, and a touch of darkness. The pair first met in school, and they later teamed up with Peter Koutstaal to form Linear Movement. Initially, their music was purely acoustic, captured on a simple 2-track tape in Peter’s bedroom, but they soon incorporated a Yamaha CS30 synthesizer, a staple in their early recordings known for its distinct sequencer and monophonic sounds. Progress was gradual, with the band often relying on borrowed or rented equipment, until Peter made a significant purchase – a TR808, which was a novelty in Belgium at the time and was famously lent to Marvin Gaye for a while.
In 2006, I featured tracks from Linear Movement on the first Minimal Wave compilation, The Lost Tapes (2006), and was inspired to create a ‘best of’ the band. When I reached out to Peter about the idea, he was enthusiastic and provided me with a treasure trove of archive material, including previously unreleased tracks the band recorded as teenagers. I selected nine tracks for the album, On The Screen, designed a cover inspired by Vasarely, and released it on vinyl.
The release garnered immense acclaim, sparking requests for live performances, so Linear Movement returned to the stage to play several European festivals last year to great success. Currently, we’re in the process of remastering the band’s archives for a double LP release, and they’re scheduled to play in New York later this year, promising an unforgettable experience for fans old and new.
Das Ding H.S.T.A. (LP, MW019 2009)
Back in the early 2000s I was dedicated to scouring record fairs for anything in the realm of minimal synth. This was how I first stumbled upon Das Ding, on a compilation called Trans Atlantic Overdub (1985) that caught my eye. It was put out by the Dutch collective De Fabriek, and the cover art alone intrigued me. Then, in 2007, I came across two Das Ding cassettes on a blog run by Frans de Waard called No Longer Forgotten Music, and what I heard blew me away. I made it my mission to track down the mastermind behind Das Ding Danny Bosten. Eventually I did, and he generously shared digital archives of his Tear Apart Tapes cassette label, including all the artwork. It was a revelation – the raw graphic design and the mesmerizing tracks resonated perfectly with the kind of music I had been championing on Minimal Wave. I approached Danny with the idea of curating an LP, and he was on board. Thus, the anthology Highly Sophisticated Technological Achievement (H.S.T.A.) was born, named after his first 1982 tape. The title track, with its thick bass-synth, aggressive bursts of car horns, and rickety synth lines, quickly cemented its place among the classics of minimal synth.
With the renewed interest in his music after the 2009 release, Danny returned to recording and releasing music. And like other Minimal Wave acts, he’s graced the stage at important festivals such as New Forms in Vancouver and Dekmantel in Amsterdam.
Turquoise Days Further Strategies (2 x white LP, MW072 2019)
Back in the early 2000s, when I was spinning tracks in bars and hosting my EVR show, I often played the ‘Grey Skies’ 7” by Turquoise Days. Both the title track and B-side ‘Blurred’ consistently electrified the crowd. I was so captivated by their sound that I needed to delve deeper. I learned that Turquoise Days originated from Jersey in the Channel Islands and was formed by Luciano Brambilla and David Le Breton in 1981.
The pair first met at Jersey’s only alternative club Waves, on the surfer-friendly St. Ouens beach, and they soon started playing gigs there, accompanied by their own light show. Chris Petra, initially their sound engineer, eventually joined as a bass player, adding depth to later tracks such as ‘Scattering Seeds’ and ‘Feed The Flame’. They self-released several cassettes and the aforementioned 7”, a copy of which recently sold for over £500 on Discogs.
Minimal Wave released a kind of ‘best of’ called Alternative Strategies (2009) and due to the demand for more material, we released the double LP Further Strategies in 2023. Turquoise Days have also begun to play live again and their resurgence has been a joy to witness, bridging the gap between new listeners and those who’ve admired their work since those early days in Jersey.
Futurisk Player Piano (LP MW023 2010) and Recordings 1980-1982 (3 x 7” box set MW077 2021)
The story of Futurisk really captures my imagination. Back in 2003, I picked up their Player Piano 5-song mini EP at the WFMU record fair and instantly fell for their sound. That very year, Futurisk’s ‘Push Me Pull You’ was featured on a mix CD by Marie Branelec and James Murphy, released through a now-defunct Parisian fashion shop called Collette. Curious to learn more, I reached out to frontman Jeremy Kolosine on Myspace and he was thrilled when I mentioned doing a retrospective of his old band’s work.
Jeremy was originally from Dalston in London before his family moved to Deerfield Beach, Florida. You can only imagine the culture shock, swapping the bustling East End for sunny, American suburbia. He quickly put up flyers in local music shops looking for bandmates, drawing influence from Kraftwerk, Bowie, Roxy Music, and Devo. This led him to form Futurisk with Jack Howard and Richard Hess, and they soon became a key part of the emerging synth-driven music scene, known for blending electronic instruments with punk’s raw energy. They gained local fame, even featuring on cable TV, and they released two 7” singles before disbanding, their cult status intact.
Jeremy visited New York and handed me the original reel-to-reel recordings for Player Piano, which we have released in various formats over the years, including the Lonely Streets remix EP featuring mixes by Chris Carter. Although Futurisk never reunited, Jeremy stayed active in the underground synth and 8-bit music scenes, and they’re still celebrated for their unique sound today.
In Trance 95 Cities Of Steel And Neon (LP MW029 2011)
In Trance 95 was a pioneering electronic music duo from Athens, Greece, formed by teenagers Alex Machairas and Nik Veliotis in 1988. Their debut 7” single, the double A-sided ‘Desire to Desire’ / ‘Brazilia’, released in December 1988, stands out as one of the few synth pop and cold wave records from Greece during the 1980s. Their music, which featured a blend of industrial, goth, and synth pop elements, resonated with similar trends I admired while growing up in NYC, where bands like Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb shaped the music scene.
The first time I encountered their work was the ‘Desire to Desire’ single and its accompanying video, shot on 35mm film. I was deeply impressed and eager to explore more of their music, so I reached out to vocalist Alex, which sparked a friendship that lasts to this day. In 2010, we compiled the Cities of Steel and Neon album, with Peter Miles designing the cover, perfectly capturing the Minimal Wave aesthetic beloved by the band.
Their electronic and trance-like sound was forward-thinking and somewhat unusual for the Greek music scene at the time, and paralleled trends in other parts of Europe. Although they struck a balance between experimental electronic elements and accessible pop sensibilities, In Trance 95 remained mostly an underground act, although their legacy continues to be celebrated. We are currently working on a double LP of their material, that was recently unearthed post-pandemic.
In Aeternam Vale La Piscine (yellow 12” MW041 2012)
I came across Laurent Prot, the mastermind behind In Aeternam Vale, around 2004 by way of a split 12” with another French artist, Le Syndicat Electronique. He had already recorded over 500 tracks and had established his own cassette label, Garde Au Sol Production, in the 1980s to distribute his work. His approach resonated with me deeply; he not only created songs that served as almost daily journal entries, but he also designed the artwork for each cassette. He began to share his extensive archives with me, and thus began our enduring collaboration. We kicked off with a self-titled compilation of his early works in 2009, followed by the release of the ‘Dust Under Brightness’ LP and a 12-inch in 2012, and ‘La Piscine’ later that same year, along with several other 12-inch records. ‘La Piscine’ stands out as this beautiful, monumental 14-minute techno track from 1989, with its progressive and compelling nature. For its cover, I chose a photo of girls performing handstands in a swimming pool, which was a perfect match. These releases significantly boosted his profile, leading to performances at numerous electronic music festivals and venues globally. Currently, we are preparing an LP featuring hidden treasures he recorded in the 1990s, set to be released later this year.
Ohama The Potato Farm Tapes (Red LP MW038 2013)
Tona Ohama’s journey into the music world is as intriguing as it is unique, rooted in his family background of Japanese potato farmers who immigrated to Western Canada. Raised on their potato farm, Tona’s life took a pivotal turn one day after judo practice during his teenage years when he spotted a synthesizer in a shop window. Captivated by its unconventional sounds, he bought it on the spot. His musical direction was further solidified after discovering John Foxx’s music, prompting him to invest in a 1/2″ 8-track reel-to-reel tape recorder and set up a studio in a shed on the farm. In the early 1980s, under the moniker Ohama, Tona began releasing music on his self-founded label, Midnite News Music, distributing his work through local shops and magazine ads to an international audience. His live shows across Canada, characterized by the use of a reel-to-reel tape player and provocative props, coupled with a self-produced music video for ‘My Time’ that aired on Much Music, propelled his first full-length LP I Fear What I Might Hear (1984) up the Canadian alternative music charts. In 2005, after a period of relative quiet, Tona and his son visited New York and I interviewed him for my EVR show. Tona shared insights into the electronic music scene of the 1980s, and how global the community was at that time, even pre-internet. The following year saw the release of the Ohama Box, an 18CD & 2DVD set, which provided a comprehensive retrospective of his early days as an electronic musician. And in 2013, I released the Potato Farm Tapes LP, a retrospective of Tona’s 1980s music, which not only celebrated Tona’s musical legacy but also the interconnected nature of the electronic music scene.
Blancmange Irene & Mavis EP (10” MW050 2013)
Blancmange, a British synth-pop band, originated in the late 1970s with founding members Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe in Harrow, London. The band carved a niche for themselves with their unique blend of electronic synthesizers and Eastern musical elements, a distinct sound during an era that also saw the rise of groups like Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, and Human League. It was during my teenage years in early ‘90s NYC that I first encountered Blancmange’s tracks ‘Living On The Ceiling’ and ‘Game Above My Head’ amidst the vibrant new wave and indie scenes at places like the Limelight.
In 2013, techno DJ Karl ‘Regis’ O’Connor introduced me to their debut release, 1980’s Irene & Mavis EP, which featured six songs on a 7" record. This captivated me as it represented the nascent phase of the band with its DIY, minimal, and punk-influenced production. Although the band didn’t have the original tapes, we managed to create a high-quality master from a pristine vinyl copy, which Neil felt sounded even better than the original. We reissued this as a 10” in 2013, and though these copies are now sold out, the digital version is still available on streaming services. This project was not only a rediscovery of an overlooked piece of Blancmange’s history, but also a cherished personal milestone in celebrating their legacy.
Martin Dupont The Complete Collection 1980-1988 (5 x LP box set MW068 2018)
The first time I encountered Martin Dupont was their track ‘Just Because’. It appeared frequently on mixtapes, featured on the Facteurs d’Ambiance : Essai (1988) compilation, and was a staple in the early 2000s New York minimal synth scene, including my EVR show. A conversation with a collector friend from Miami revealed that Alain Seghir, the band’s lead singer, had become a surgeon. Intrigued by this career shift, especially since my father was also a doctor, I was curious about his motivations and whether he might return to music. In 2005, I interviewed Alain at his home near Cherbourg, France, marking the beginning of our extended collaboration. He shared numerous intriguing Martin Dupont demos and recounted the band’s origins during his medical school days in Marseille.
The band formed in 1980, with Alain joined by Brigitte Balian, Beverley Jane Crew, and Catherine Loy. Their music – vibrant, sensitive, yet also tinged with melancholy – reflected a unique synergy enhanced by their distinct personalities. Though often labelled as a new wave band, their sound transcended traditional genre boundaries, and included guitars and clarinets, capturing both light and dark elements. Despite some mainstream exposure, opening for acts like The Lotus Eaters, The Lounge Lizards, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, they never aimed for commercial success. Their process was spontaneous and organic, with songs quickly recorded and eagerly shared among friends.
Minimal Wave released the Lost And Late (2008) LP, comprising tracks primarily from cassette releases. Realising the band’s enduring appeal, we compiled a comprehensive box set in 2018. This sparked a significant revival of interest, culminating in successful tours across Europe and the US, with sold-out shows in NYC and LA. Today, the band is actively performing, with Alain delighted to have music at the forefront of his life once again.
Jyl Jyl (LP MW075 2020)
I first heard Jyl’s ‘Computer Love’ on the Tribute to Flexi-Pop Vol.8 (1998) CDR compilation, a series dedicated to 1980s synth-pop, minimal wave, and new wave music, known for featuring rare tracks and mixes. Jyl’s self-titled LP, originally released on synth pioneer Klaus Schulz’s Inteam GmbH label in 1984, is an intriguing blend of synth-pop, new wave, and electronic music. The album is known for its atmospheric soundscapes and innovative use of synthesizers, which were quite ahead of their time. Jyl Porch, the artist behind the project, collaborated with Ingo Werner, a former member of the band Mythos, who produced the album along with Schulze.
Around 2010, I managed to track Jyl down, and we hit if off instantly. She reconnected with Ingo in Germany so that we could get the LP masters for our reissue. Jyl’s album is a sonic journey marked by ethereal vocals floating over a minimalistic yet infectious electronic backdrop. Tracks like ‘Mechanic Ballerina’ embody a unique fusion of cold wave chill and synth-driven energy, a rarity in the early 80s. Lyrically, the album explores themes of love, emotion, and technology, echoing the sentiments of electronic artists grappling with the intersection of humanity and the digital age during the era. Songs like ‘Silicon Valley’, ‘Computer Generation’ and ‘Electric Lady’ are other highlights that still feel relevant right now. The sound can be seen as a precursor to later developments in electronic and synth-pop music, making Jyl’s LP a cult favourite among enthusiasts of the genre.
Vicious Pink Unexpected (Bottle clear LP MW082 2024)
I’ve always had a fondness for Vicious Pink, particularly for their tracks ‘My Private Tokyo’ and ‘Cccan’t You See’. The group, a dynamic synth-pop duo composed of Josephine Warden and Brian Moss, first crossed paths in a Leeds nightclub in 1979. They initially formed under the name Vicious Pink Phenomena and soon found themselves providing spontaneous and quirky backing vocals for their friends Soft Cell. From 1982 to 1986, they released seven singles, all of which climbed the UK dance charts, blending artfulness with an edgy catchiness. Around 2018, I discovered that Brian was uploading some of Vicious Pink’s rare tracks to his YouTube channel. I got in touch with Brian and expressed my enthusiasm for releasing these tracks on Minimal Wave. Both Brian and Jose were excited about the idea, leading us to organize the release of the double compilation album West View (2022), which received a phenomenal response. About a year later, Brian sent over more unreleased tracks. These new finds, to my delight, sounded even more innovative than those on West View. We mastered these tracks and discussed potential titles for the new LP. In our emails, I mentioned how this release felt so unexpected, to which Jose suggested, “Let’s call it Unexpected!” So we did. And in a way it’s discovering the unexpected that has driven Minimal Wave for the past 20 years. I’m still intrigued and excited by this forgotten music, and I sense a profound need to preserve it for the benefit of future generations.
For the full Minimal Wave catalogue visit minimalwave.com
Generation Z
I’ve written before about not being a passive music fan and the importance of getting out and supporting emerging artists and grass roots venues. So last night I did just that and went to see Jopy launch their debut EP at Brighton’s Hope and Anchor. Released on local label Goo Records, the six-track EP is written, played and produced by wunderkind Jo Parnell, and is a refreshing mash of glam indie pop with rockabilly overtones, that is a great showcase for Jo’s songwriting chops and musicianship.
Live though, they’re a different beast altogether. With drummer Louis Relf and bassist ‘Clown Baby’, the three piece put the ‘power’ in power trio, and then some. Halfway though their first tour, and the corner space of this busy pub could barely contain them. Jo’s Bolanesque-with-bite vocals give her tales of growing up trans – via a filter of schlocky horror tropes – a fierceness that’s matched only by her incendiary guitar playing. Think Rowland S Howard if he played for The Cramps, or Kid Congo Powers if he was in the B-52s. You get the idea.
Add to that the relentlessness of the rhythm section and the general kinetic energy coming off the three of them, and you’ve got a band that are obviously ready to move up a level. Which is such a great thing to see and more proof that, yes, there are good bands out there, you just need to put a bit of leg work in finding them.
There are still a few dates left on Jopy’s tour and they’re playing Brighton’s Mutations Festival in November. And you can get a lovely purple vinyl copy of the Planet Zombie EP from Bandcamp.
You heard it here first
So we finally have a release date for The Cure’s new album Songs Of A Lost World; the long gestating LP, their first for 16 years, will finally see the light of day on 1 November 2024.
As if to celebrate this fact, Facebook (yes, I’m still on Facebook) sent me a memory highlighting that it’s been two years since I edited a Record Collector special edition on the band, which rather optimistically had the new album’s title on the cover. The mag took a couple of months to pull together, in which time the album’s release went from ‘definitely in time for the tour’ to ‘probably after the tour’ to ‘dunno’. It’s to writer David Pollock’s eternal credit that despite the album’s release date slipping away, he still manage to pen a 2,000 word feature on a record that was, let’s be frank, still just a bunch of jams at that stage.
It’ll be fascinating to hear how the finished versions of those embryonic songs they played on the 2022 tour ended up when Songs Of A Lost World comes out in six short weeks. I’ll be listening to it with my fan’s head on rather than my reviewer’s one, which I’m actually quite looking forward to.
As for the Record Collector Presents The Cure magazine, you can still pick up a copy from Amazon should you so wish.
For those who read to the end…
Thanks as always for reading and subscribing, especially those who have opted for a paid subscription. As a paying subscriber you get access to everything I’ve posted this year, and it really helps with covering the costs of putting this all together. There are various options available, but even a couple of quid would be most welcome.
And it’s great to get feedback so please feel free to leave a comment, and do tell your friends about what I’m doing here. I’m currently finishing off another book, so with the best will in the world, there won’t be another Dancing Architect missive until mid-October. But once I’ve escaped from deadline purgatory I’ll be back on it – see you on the other side!
Thanks for putting me onto Minimal Synth..
Got it playing now :)