- Minny Pops
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Minny Pops Origin The Netherlands Genres Post-punk, electronic, new wave, art punk Years active 1978–1985 Labels Factory Records
LTM Recordings
PlurexAssociated acts Smalts, Streetlife Website http://www.minnypops.com Past members Wally van Middendorp (vocals, drum machine)
Frans Hagenaars (bass)
Peter Mertens (guitar)
Stephen Emmer (guitar)
Dennis Duchhart (guitar)
Willem (Wim) Dekker (keyboards)
Leon van Zoeren (bass)
Gerard Walhof (guitar)
Pieter Mulder (bass)
Orpheus Roovers (drums)
Pim Scheelings (guitar)Minny Pops were an Amsterdam-based new wave/electronic/art punk band, associated with the Ultra post-punk movement in the Netherlands and the Factory Records label in the UK.
Contents
Vocalist/songwriter/programmer Wally van Middendorp formed the band in 1978, taking their name from a primitive Korg drum machine, the Mini Pops.[1]Minny Pops, which van Middendorp originally intended to be a project lasting just three performances, featured an initial lineup of van Middendorp, bassist Frans Hagenaars, guitarist Peter Mertens, and two dancers, including van Middendorp's older brother, Rob.
The band's first commercially-released recording was the "Kojak" single[2] (b/w "Footsteps" and "Nervous") (Plurex 005), issued in 1979 on Plurex, the independent label founded by van Middendorp in 1978.
Minny Pops' first full-length album, "Drastic Measures, Drastic Movement" (Plurex 900) followed later in 1979.[3]
After opening for Joy Division in Eindhoven and Den Haag in January 1980, they were brought to the attention of Factory Records by Rob Gretton, Joy Division's manager.[1]
Their first single for Factory, "Dolphin's Spurt"/"Goddess" (FAC 31) was produced by Martin Hannett and recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport. It reached number 23 in the UK Independent Chart.[4] Further releases for the label included the single "Secret Story"/"Island" (FAC 57), the flexi single "Een Kus" (FACBN 13), the single "Time"/"Lights" (FBN 11) and the full-length album "Sparks in a Dark Room" (FACBN 15), which was released in 1982.[3]
The band made their first live appearance in England at the Beach Club, a Manchester venue associated with Factory.[3] They would go on to share further bills with Joy Division (and, after Ian Curtis' death, New Order), as well as appearing with A Certain Ratio, Scritti Politti, the Au Pairs and Comsat Angels. In 1980 Minny Pops undertook a seven-date North American tour[1] that saw them play with Suicide in New York.
In 1980 they would become the first Dutch band to be invited to record a Peel session for BBC Radio. A lineup of van Middendorp, Dekker, van Zoeren and Walhof recorded "Dolphin's Spurt", "Mono", "Jets" and "Ice Cube Wall"; the session was broadcast on 12 November 1980.[5]. Minny Pops' final live performances were in December 1981.
In November 2011, Wally van Middendorp confirmed in an interview with the Dutch national public broadcaster VPRO's 3Voor12 programme that Minny Pops would perform their first gigs in 30 years in early 2012, and that a live CD/DVD package, "Standstill to Motion", would be released via LTM Recordings in January 2012.[6].
Discography
Albums
- Drastic Measures, Drastic Movement (1979), Plurex; (re-released 2003, LTM 2384, LTM Recordings)
- Sparks in a Dark Room (1982), Factory; (re-released 2003, LTM 2351, LTM Recordings)
- Secret Stories (2003), LTM 2353, LTM Recordings
References
- ^ a b c Nice, James (2010). Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records. Aurum. ISBN 9781845135409.
- ^ Kellman, Andy "The Minny Pops Biography" http://www.allmusic.com/artist/minny-pops-p143981 AllMusic, retrieved 2011-07-17
- ^ a b c Kellman, Andy "The Minny Pops Biography" http://www.allmusic.com/artist/minny-pops-p143981 AllMusic, retrieved 2011-07-17
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1998) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-95172-069-4, p. 149
- ^ BBC - Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/1980s/1980/Nov12minnypops/
- ^ Walraven, Christiaan "Legendarische Minny Pops terug na 30 jaar podiumstilte" http://3voor12.vpro.nl/artikelen/artikel/45269318/
Further reading
In English
- Nice, James. Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records London: Aurum, 2010. ISBN 978-1845135409.
In Dutch
- Rijven, Stan (1987). "Alles wat je echt wilt kun je verwezenlijken: Interview met Wally van Middendorp", in Tachtigers: glimp van een generatie, ed. Boudewijn Klap, Stan Rijven and Paul Rutten (Hilversum: Anthos/Ikon) pp 175–184. ISBN 90-6074-241-9
External links
Categories:- Dutch musical groups
- Musical groups established in 1978
- Post-punk music groups
- Factory Records artists
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