Zoviet France
| :zoviet*france: | |
|---|---|
 :zoviet*france: at Norbergfestival, Norberg, Sweden, 2011. Left to right: Mark Warren, Ben Ponton | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Newcastle upon Tyne, UK |
| Genres | Dark ambient, post-industrial, industrial, ambient |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Charrm, Red Rhino Records, Staalplaat, DOVentertainment, Soleilmoon, Mute Records |
| Associated acts | Reformed Faction, Rapoon, Dead Voices on Air |
| Members |
Ben Ponton Mark Warren |
| Past members |
Andy Eardley Lisa Hale Mark Spybey Paolo Di Paolo Peter Jensen Robin Storey |
Zoviet France (also known as :$OVIET:FRANCE:, Soviet France, :Zoviet-France: and latterly usually written as :zoviet*france:) is a music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. While often dissonant and made of industrial textures, their music also falls into the ambient music category. Formed in 1980, and remaining largely anonymous,[1] the group has had a number of members; presently it consists of co-founder Ben Ponton and Mark Warren. Former members included Neil Ramshaw, Peter Jensen, Robin Storey (who now records as Rapoon), Lisa Hale, Paolo Di Paolo, Mark Spybey (who now records as Dead Voices on Air) and Andy Eardley. In 2005 Storey, Spybey and Eardley formed a new group, Reformed Faction.
The packaging of their releases was often unconventional, involving materials such as hessian, tar paper and aluminium foil.
Discography
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1982 | Garista | Self-released |
| 1982 | [untitled] | Red Rhino Records |
| 1983 | Norsch | Red Rhino Records |
| 1983 | Mohnomishe | Red Rhino Records |
| 1984 | Eostre | Red Rhino Records |
| 1985 | Popular Soviet Songs and Youth Music | Red Rhino Records/Singing Ringing |
| 1985 | Gris | No Man's Land |
| 1986 | Misfits, Loony Tunes and Squalid Criminals | Red Rhino Records |
| 1986 | Gesture Signal Threat | Red Rhino Records |
| 1987 | A Flock of Rotations | Red Rhino Records |
| 1987 | Assault and Mirage | Red Rhino Records |
| 1987 | Loh Land | Staalplaat |
| 1988 | Shouting at the Ground | Red Rhino Records |
| 1990 | Look Into Me | Charrm |
| 1990 | Just an Illusion | Staalplaat |
| 1991 | Shadow, Thief of the Sun | DOVentertainment |
| 1991 | Vienna 1990 | Charrm |
| 1992 | Collusion | Mute Records |
| 1993 | What Is Not True | Charrm |
| 1996 | Digilogue | Soleilmoon |
| 1996 | in.version | Charrm |
| 1998 | Mort Aux Vaches: Feedback | Staalplaat |
| 2000 | The Decriminalisation of Country Music | Tramway |
| 2003 | utdrag | amino |
| 2008 | shteirlel | King Worldwide via alt.vinyl |
| 2012 | 7.10.12 | alt.vinyl |
| 2013 | The Tables Are Turning | Soleilmoon |
Notable performances
- 29 February 2008: European premiere performance of John Cage's Variations VII with Atau Tanaka and Matt Wand, AV Festival, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, UK.[2][3]
References
- ↑ Interview with Brent Bambury, CBC Radio, 2 May 1991
- ↑ "Variations VII". AV Festival. Archived from the original on 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ↑ "JOHN CAGE 29 February - 2 March 2008 Variations VII". Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
External links
- discogs.com Zoviet France on discogs.com, a community-built database of music information
- Jim's Music Pages: :zoviet*france, a fan site with discography