Clock DVA

Clock DVA are an industrial music, post-punk and EBM group from Sheffield, England. The group was formed in 1978 by Adolphus "Adi" Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name was inspired by the Russian-influenced Nadsat of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange;^[1] Dva is the Russian word for "two".

History

1978–1981: White Souls in Black Suits and Thirst

Newton had previously worked with members of Cabaret Voltaire in a collective called The Studs and with Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware in a band called The Future. He formed the first lineup of Clock DVA in 1978 with Judd Turner (bass), David J. Hammond (guitar), Roger Quail (drums) and Charlie Collins (sax, clarinet).

Clock DVA was originally known for making a form of experimental electronic music involving treated tape loops and synthesisers. Clock DVA became associated with industrial music with the 1980 release of their cassette album White Souls in Black Suits on Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records.^[2]

Paul Widger joined on guitar. The LP Thirst, released on Fetish Records, followed in 1981 to a favourable critical reaction,^[3] knocking Adam and the Ants' Dirk Wears White Sox from the top of the NME Indie Charts, by which time the band had combined musique concrète techniques with standard rock instrumentation. "4 Hours", the single from Thirst, was later covered by former Bauhaus bassist David J on his 1985 solo EP Blue Moods Turning Tail.

The band split up in 1981, with the non-original members of the band going on to form The Box.^[2]

Turner died in late 1981 due to an accidental drug overdose.^[4]

1982–1984: Advantage

In 1982, Newton formed a new version of the band. First releasing the single "High Holy Disco Mass" on the major label Polydor Records under the name DVA, the band then released the album Advantage (with singles "Resistance" and "Breakdown") under the name Clock DVA. After a European tour in 1983, however, the band split acrimoniously. Adi Newton went on to form The Anti-Group or T.A.G.C.^[3] They released several albums continuing in a similar vein to the early Clock DVA, yet more experimental.

1987–1994: Buried Dreams, Man-Amplified and Sign

In 1987, Newton reactivated DVA and invited Dean Dennis and Paul Browse back into the fold to aid Newton's use of computer aided sampling techniques which he had been developing in The Anti Group. They released Buried Dreams (1989), an electronic album which received critical acclaim as a pioneering work.

Browse left the group in 1989 and was replaced by Robert E. Baker. The album Man-Amplified (1992), an exploration of cybernetics, was the next release. Digital Soundtracks (1992), an instrumental album, followed.

Following Dennis's departure from the group, Newton and Baker produced the album Sign (1993).

1995–2007: Hiatus

After the release of Sign and related singles, Clock DVA toured Europe (line-up: Newton & Baker with Andrew McKenzie and Ari Newton) and Newton relocated to Italy. However, their Italian record label at the time, Contempo, folded which caused a number of problems.

Collective, an anthology album and a box set was released in 1994. Newton began working on new material with Brian Williams, Graeme Revell (from SPK) and Paul Haslinger but continued problems with record labels eventually caused Newton and Clock DVA take a long break from the music scene.^[5]

In 1998, Czech record label Nextera released a reissue of Buried Dreams, sanctioned by Dean Dennis and Paul Browse but not by Newton.

2008–present: Reactivation

Adi Newton reactivated Clock DVA along with his creative partner Jane Radion Newton in 2008.

Since 2011 Clock DVA has performed at several electronic music festivals and venues throughout Europe ^[6][7][8] with a new line-up consisting of Newton, Maurizio "TeZ" Martinucci and Shara Vasilenko.^[9]

In November 2011, a new Clock DVA track "Phase IV" was featured on Wroclaw Industrial Festival compilation album.^[10]

In January 2012, German record label Vinyl on Demand announced Horology, a vinyl box set compilation of early (1978–1980) Clock DVA material.^[11]

A historical overview exhibition of Clock DVA (photographs, video and audio) took place at the Melkweg cultural centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands in February/March 2012.^[12]

In July 2013, a new Clock DVA album called Post-Sign was released on Anterior Research. It was produced and composed by Adi Newton in 1994–95 as an instrumental companion album to Sign, though it remained unreleased at that time due to problems with record labels.^[5]

According to Adi Newton, Mute Records were set to re-release the eight Clock DVA albums remastered in a box set in 2012.^[5]

In 2013 Clock DVA will play the Incubate festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Discography

References

External links

• Anterior Research/Clock DVA/T.A.G.C. Official website
• Anterior Research/Clock DVA Official US website at the Wayback Machine (archived August 3, 2008)
• The Clock DVA on Myspace
• Last.FM group
• Review on TrouserPress