Featuring Vision Video, Double Echo, Summore, Solomun & Isolation Berlin, Yello and Play Dead.
Chapters
0:00:12 Welcome to The Infected – A Mysterious Discovery
0:03:47 Vision Video: Stark Divide between the Haves and Have-Nots in America
0:06:07 Visiting the Glittering Tunnel in Los Angeles reveals Sad Reality
0:11:47 Double Echo: Danceable Post-Punk with Distant Vocals
0:16:20 Summore: Dark, Existential Bops with Contrasting Themes
0:20:30 Creative Resilience in the Face of Challenges
0:27:02 Solomun – A Collaboration
0:29:35 Solomun & Grand Theft Auto
0:35:05 Oh Yeah: Embracing the Beauty of the Moon
0:37:38 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Inspiration for Music Exploration
0:40:47 Yello: A Long-standing Relevance in Music
0:45:17 A Great Find: Play Dead – Goth Rock
0:48:01 Win a Deluxe Backpack by Sharing and Tagging
0:50:56 A Mysterious Encounter
Brief Summary
In this episode of The Infected, we discuss our eye-opening trip to the United States, highlighting the stark divide between the privileged and the vulnerable as we feature Vision Video’s “Normalized” and recommend our previous episode with Dusty for more on their music. We introduce Double Echo, a band offering a fresh take on post-punk. We share an exclusive interview with Summore on their album “New Pain.” We explore DJ Solomun’s collaboration with Isolation Berlin. We delve into the backstory of Yello’s iconic track “Oh Yeah” and recommend their anthology albums. We highlight Goth Rock band Play Dead and invite listeners to a social media contest.
Vision Video – Normalized (2023)
We’ve kicked off this show with ‘Normalized’ by Vision Video. As you know, I have just returned from a trip to the United States, having visited Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York. I was travelling with my 19-year-old son, and 3we had a great trip, but what struck him the most about America was the immense divide between the haves and the have-nots. Being European, we were stunned by the number of people we saw on the streets with badly healed medical conditions and the staggering number of homeless people. Truly, something that’s not meant to be.
We saw so many people who clearly have no hope and live among others who just pass them right by, completely ignoring them as if they are invisible. Even though Christian conservatives stop at nothing to fight for their right to bear arms and to defend their Christian values like communion and compassion, we see little compassion on the streets. The exploitation of poverty has been completely accepted and normalized in America; people just close their eyes.
That is what this song ‘Normalize’ is about: the normalization of the atrocities happening before your very eyes in the streets. This is expressed in the chorus with these lyrics;
All our blood is running over,
While we’re drowning in the streets,
Drowning in the streets,
As they say
Don’t look, close your eyes,
Make believe that everything’s alright,
Don’t look, close your eyes,
These atrocities are normalized,
Normalized.
Now we have long been fans of Vision Video, featuring them on this Podcast even before they released their first album, but this is probably one of their finest songs, also from a musical perspective. The song combines the urgency of its theme with a powerful, driving beat, piercing lead guitar work and a chorus that is catchy as hell while delivering its grim message. The lead singer, Dusty, is on a mission, and that is when he’s at his best.
If you like Vision Video, you should check out a previous The Infected episode. It’s the one called ‘Shouting into the Void’. In this episode, we sit down with Dusty and discuss the band as well as his personal background and view on music, and we play some of his influences and favourite tracks.
Again, it’s called ‘Shouting into the Void,’ And is a previous episode from January 2021. As promised, here is the link to the episode with Dusty from Vision Video: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qeLlzMHNHUnOavcRBBjwD?si=0cc572e78d6e4f31
Play Dead – This Side of Heaven (1985)
I was looking for some records a few weeks ago in a store and bought this maxi single on a gamble because the band name sounded cool. Sometimes that’s the fun of buying records on a hunch. It turned our it’s a nice and catchy Goth Rock track.
After some research I found out that Play Dead was formed in 1980 in Banbury England and stopped in 1985. A short lifespan.
The band consisted of 4 members and were discovered by John Peel in 1982. They released 3 albums and some singles and they toured a lot. Also as a support act for Killing Joke, The Cult, Sisters of Mercy and more.
But for the most part this is another band that remains one of the best kept secrets of the 80’s if you ask me. They do have an updated website and I found out they just released the John Peel sessions as a record with 10 tracks that were recorded in 1982.
https://www.companyofjustice.com/
A new Pain – Summore (2023)
Julie + Justin are the couple that form Summore. We’ve interviewed them and you can read the whole story on our site, I’ll share some of the highlights here;
Their musical journey began as a private expression among friends, a cool outlet for their emotions. Surprisingly, it wasn’t their initial intention to share it with the world, but the encouragement of their close circle changed their minds. their unique style, delivering dark, existential bops that ignite both the body and mind. Sometimes, it’s the music that sparks their inspiration, while other times, it’s the lyrics that lead the way. Occasionally, it’s simply a mood they aim to capture.
Their music is a blend of contrasting themes; even the darkest tracks carry hints of optimism, while brighter sounds often harbor deeper meanings.
Their latest album, “New Pain,” is a the narrative of a really traumatic event—an encounter with a drunk driver in 2022, who hit them as they were eating a late dinner in a parking lot. The album delves into the moments before, during, and after the tragedy, creating a hauntingly repetitive and trance-inducing atmosphere in some songs. It’s a daring expression of their suffering, not tailored for short attention spans, but a powerful testament to their resilience and their yearning for inner and outer peace.
Despite facing challenges in performing since the accident, their resilience shines through. I think it’s an amazing way to deal with adversity, and the album is really, really worthwhile. Read more here!
Solomun featuring Isolation Berlin– Kreatur der Nacht (2020)
Solomun is a Bosnian-German DJ who mostly makes electronic music. Isolation Berlin is a post-punk band from Germany. The collaboration between these two results in what you would expect: a synth filled, moody track with a danceable and energetic beat. This track was played before Mareux took the stage a few months ago in Utrecht, which is how I heard it first.
Solomun’s musical roots are in hip-hop, soul, funk, and R&B. His sound has been described as “house music, but with deep, funky basslines, melodies and emotionally charged vocals”.
In 2015, he was holding two residencies on Ibiza, at night-clubs Pacha and Destino.
Very interesting that this track came out of this collaboration. Very refreshing and I also like the screaming vocal “Ich hab keine angst mehr” which means “I’m not afraid anymore”. It’s also produced in a crystal clear way with deep low frequency bass.
A fun fact: Solomun played himself as a residence DJ in the videogame Grand Theft Auto Online, as part of the After Hours Download pack.
Late one night in 1985, Boris Blank was hard at work on the album Stella, crafting a funky bass line that grooved with infectious rhythm. He added drum patterns and voice percussion, the base of what would become Yello’s signature track. He sat back. No doubt about it, it was a masterful blend of elements. Finally, with the bass line, drums, and melodies intertwined to his satisfaction, it was time to add the talents of his counterpart in Yello, Dieter. He gave him a call.
Dieter was a wordsmith who worked with lightning speed. Once called to the studio, Dieter would listen to the rough track and would immediately start tapping away on his typewriter, conjuring lyrics out of thin air that danced effortlessly with the rhythm of the music. An idea for the song would take shape in mere minutes, and after that, he’d head straight to the waiting microphone, ready to breathe life into the words.
And yet, Dieter struggled with a lack of inspiration for this track. A creative void that seemed insurmountable. They both knew the magic of creativity was not always immediate. If the first take didn’t match the soaring expectations, tension could creep into the studio, making it challenging to navigate the delicate terrain of suggesting changes without losing the song’s essence. It was a tightrope walk, a dance of precision.
But Boris, a masterful storyteller, came to the rescue. With words that painted vivid pictures, he said, “Dieter, imagine yourself in the Caribbean. There you are, the king of Tonga, standing regally at sunset, a perfect drink in hand and a gentle breeze whispering secrets through the air.” The scene was so enchanting that Dieter was swept away in the tale’s allure. Boris asked him, “Can you imagine yourself in the moment? If you were there, what would you say? Dieter smiled, and his answer was simple: “Ooooh Yeah”.
Boris’ vision for this particular track took a refreshing turn away from convention. Instead of the traditional verse-refrain structure, he suggested they would embrace a daring choice: there would be no other lyrics. Just repetitive exclamations of ‘Oh yeah.’ A stroke of luck that would prove pivotal.
And still, Dieter didn’t like the song. He had reservations about the seemingly nonsensical nature. Boris had to work hard until Dieter felt the essence was worth preserving. Dieter’s lyrical touch about the sun and the moon added celestial imagery, elevating the beauty of the surroundings to cosmic heights. In this imaginative moment, the spark of creativity was ignited, the birth of their future hit song.
As the unconventional song took shape, it became Yello’s signature piece, a three-minute tropical vacation that resonated with audiences far and wide. To this day, requests for its use in commercials and films pour in, cementing its relevance and, to this day, commercially fuelling the band in an era when physical record sales have waned.
Looking back, that fortuitous day stands as a turning point, delivering the lucky punch that propelled Yellow’s signature track to the forefront of musical greatness. It’s a testament to the power of artistic exploration, taking bold leaps of creativity and perseverance, which is why I like it.
Oooooh yeah.
Double Echo – Darkroom (2012)
Another recent track I discovered through our buddy Andreas from the Band Staatseinde, whom we covered a few episodes back. Double Echo is a band from Liverpool and New York. They started in 2012 as a studio collaboration between producers Chris Luna (San Diego) and Ash Lerczak (Liverpool, UK) that set out to re-mystify the forgotten practices of post-punk like so many other bands that started around that time. But… They have a fresh take on the genre and have a modern sound instead of copying the early 80’s.
The first live show they did was in Liverpool year in Liverpool UK. Determined not to just bring some laptops on stage, Chris and Ash performed alongside a tape machine and a Roland TR626 drum machine, while smoke, weird projections and an extremely loud amplifier created a fitting atmosphere. The show convinced local label EDILS to release their album “Phantomime” on CD and cassette. A lot more releases followed and they are also available with most (not all) of their music on streaming platforms.
The Infected 