Zoviet France

Infobox Musical artist
Name = :zoviet*france:


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Years_active = 1981 – present
Origin = Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Genre = Industrial music, Ambient music
Label = Charrm, Red Rhino Records, Staalplaat, DOVentertainment, Soleilmoon
Background = group_or_band
URL =
Associated_acts = Reformed Faction, Rapoon, Dead Voices on Air
Current_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 prolific 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 1981, and remaining largely anonymous [Interview with Brent Banbury, CBC Radio, 2 May 1991] , 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.

Their music often consists of droning textures set against fractured rhythms and fleeting dissonant melodies and their earlier recordings have been described as "evoking a cross between musique concrète and tribal music". [cite web |url=http://www.scaruffi.com/vol4/zoviet.html#dig |title=Zoviet France |publisher= Piero Scaruffi |accessdate=2008-03-31 ] Neglected sound sources are frequently used, such as obscure radio broadcasts, toy instruments, and field recordings, often heavily processed or looped. Over time, they have increasingly added electronic elements but without adopting computer based composition techniques. In describing their approach to making music, the group has been quoted as saying:

The packaging of their early works was extraordinary with records released in hessian (burlap), roofing felt (roofing shingles), and aluminium foil, amongst other materials. Their CDs weren't often so unusually packaged, but felt, decorative pins, and wood veneer have been used with some releases.

Discography

*"Garista" - (Soviet France, 1982; Singing Ringing, UK, 1985; Charrm, UK, 1990)

* (generally known as "hessian", "the burlap album", or "OK Boys") - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1982; Red Rhino Records, UK, 1985; Charrm, UK, 1990)

*"Norsch" - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1983; Charrm, UK, 1990)

*"Mohnomishe" - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1983; Charrm, UK, 1990)

*"Eostre" - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1984; Charrm, UK, 1990)

*"Popular Soviet Songs and Youth Music" - (Singing Ringing/Red Rhino Records, UK, 1985; Staalplaat, Netherlands)

*"Gris" - (No Man's Land, West Germany, 1985)

*"Misfits, Loony Tunes and Squalid Criminals" - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1986; Charrm, UK, 1995)

*"Gesture Signal Threat" - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1986; Charrm, UK, 1995)

*"Loh Land" - (Staaltape, Netherlands, 1987)

*"A Flock of Rotations" - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1987; Charrm, UK, 1995)

*"Assault and Mirage" - (Red Rhino Records, UK, 1987; Charmm, UK, 1995)

*"Shouting At The Ground"1988 edition: (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
1990 edition: (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Charrm, UK

*"Just An Illusion"1990 edition: (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands
1995 edition: (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands

*"Look Into Me"1990 (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Charrm, UK

*"Shadow, Thief of The Sun"1991 (CD) DOVentertainment, Canada

*"Vienna 1990"1991 (CD) Charrm, UK

*"Collusion"1993 (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

*"What Is Not True"1993 (CD) Charrm, UK

*"Digilogue"(Soleilmoon, USA, 1996; Soleilmoon, USA, 1998)

*"in.version"1996 (CD) Charrm, UK

*"Feedback"1996 (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands

*"The Decriminalisation of Country Music"2000 (CD) Tramway, UK

*"_utdrag"2003 (3 inch CD in 10 inch clear vinyl sleeve) amino, UK

*"Music For A Spaghetti Western"2005 (CD) Klanggalerie, Austria

*"shteirlel"2008 (8 inch square clear polycarbonate record hand cut by King Worldwide) alt.vinyl, UK

Tracks released on compilations

*"Ram" on " Lands End" and subsequently on " Collusion"
1985 ("Lands End") (audio cassette) Touch, UK; 1993 ("Collusion") (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

*"Sprey" on "Bad Alchemy nr 4" and subsequently on "Collusion"
1986 ("Bad Alchemy nr 4") (cassette/magazine) Bad Alchemy, West Germany; 1993 ("Collusion") (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

*"Le Mur Mûr Nu" on "Fight!" (Cathexis Recordings), subsequently on "Absolute" (Parade Amoureuse and Soleilmoon), and subsequently on "Collusion"
1986 ("Fight!") (LP) Cathexis Recordings, UK; 1989 ("Absolute") (CD) Parade Amoureuse, West Germany; 1993 ("Collusion") (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, US

*"First Vigil" on "A Classic Guide To No Man's Land" and subsequently on "Collusion"
1988 ("A Classic Guide To No Man's Land") (CD) No Man's Land, West Germany; 1993 ("Collusion") (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, Soleilmoon, U.S.

*"White Dusk" on "A Bead To A Small Mouth" and subsequently on "Collusion"1989 ("A Bead To A Small Mouth") (LP) Barooni, Netherlands; 1993 ("Collusion") (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

*"Something This Beautiful" on "Mouvements" and subsequently on Collusion
1990 ("Mouvements") (CD) La Legende des Voix, France; 1993 ("Collusion") (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

*"Voice Print Identification" on "Objekt 4"1990 (CD) Ladd-Frith, U.S.

*"Fugitive" on "Death of Vinyl" and subsequently (extended version) on "Collusion"1990 ("Death of Vinyl") (CD) DOVentertainment, Canada; 1993 ("Collusion") (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

*"Spike" on "Bad Alchemy nr XX"
1992 (cassette/magazine) Bad Alchemy, Germany

*"I Felt The Breath Of My Assassin" on "Sky Flowers & Horse Eggs"1992 (CD) Hypnagogia, UK

*"Soft and Close By Me" on "Melt"
1993 (CD) Work In Progress, UK

*"False Witness" on "Total 2"1993 (CD/book) Total, UK

*"Daisy Gun" on "Isolationism"1994 (2CD) Virgin Ambient, UK

*"With Us Today" on "Earth"1996 (CD) DOR, UK

*"Eleven Drops" on "unentitled"1996 These Records, UK

*(untitled) on "Concept: A Compilation"1997 (CD) Double Space, Netherlands

*"Improvisation" (with Evan Parker) on "Resonance Radio Issue"1997 (CD) Resonance/London Musicians Collective, UK

*"On the edge of a grain of sand" on "In Memoriam Gilles Deleuze"1998 (2CD) Mille Plateaux

*(untitled) on "RRR 500 - Various 500 Lock-Grooves By 500 Artists"1998 (12" vinyl LP) RRR Records, U.S.

*"Temple Attic" on "Marconi Point"1999 (CD) Iris Light, UK

*"Sifr" on "Absolute Zero"2000 (CD) Charrm UK

Remixes

*"IPA| [ʊːʈ ɶ] " a remix of "hôte" by Beefcake, on "hôte", (CD), m-tronic, France, 2002

oundtracks

creen based productions (film and video)

*"Loud Visual Noises"A film by Stan Brakhage (U.S. 1987). Includes an excerpt from "Cair Camouflet" from the album "Look into Me". Released on the video "4 Sounds Films by Stan Brakhage" (Joel Haertling, U.S. 1990).

*"Transients #1"A video production by Mark Mushet (Suture Productions, Canada, 1991). Includes excerpts from the album "Shadow, Thief of the Sun".

*(untitled)A video production by :zoviet*france: (UK, 1991). A promotional video for the album "Shadow, Thief of the Sun" produced for television broadcast only.

*"T-City"A video production by Karas (Japan, 1993). Includes excerpts from the album Shadow, Thief of the Sun.

*"En Scooters Sous Les Mers"A film by Jacques Cousteau, soundtrack commissioned by Ian Helliwell for the "Soundtracks for Super-8" film programme (UK 1998).
Commissioned soundtrack title: "Silence Des Mers Avec Scooters".

* "Tyneside Journey"A film by Ravi Deepres (UK 2000).

*(untitled)A video production by :zoviet*france: (Nuit Et Brouillard, France, 2001). Featured on the "Deadly Actions Live Retrospective 1994-1996" video compilation of bands that performed at Deadly Actions festival in France.

*"Spadeadam"A video production by Louise K Wilson (UK, 2003).

*"The Shop Floor"A video production by Francis Gomila (UK, 2003). Soundtrack taken from "Amber", from the album "Digilogue".

*"Euphony"A video production by Louise K Wilson (UK, 2005).

*"Tremor"A film by Ravi Deepres (UK, 2005).

*"Runner"A film by Ravi Deepres and Michael Baig Clifford (UK, 2006).

*"Deadly Cargo"A film by Camcorder Guerillas (UK, 2008).

Performance works and events

* (untitled) - A performance by John Smith (UK, 1996)

* "in:edit" - A contemporary dance production by Saburo Teshigawara and Karas, (UK, 1996)

* "Except That I Would Like To Be Rid Of It" - A contemporary dance production by Zero Visibility Corp (Norway, 1997)

* "The Millennarium" - A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 1997)

* "Hunt Out (Reprise)" - A contemporary dance production by Zero Visibility Corp (Norway, 1999)

* "Aeon" - A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000)

* "net/work Narrative(s)" - A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000)

* "Telenoia" - A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000)

* "The Trilogy Installation" - A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000)

* "" - A contemporary dance production by Zero Visibility Corp (Norway, 2001)

* "A Tree Full of Monkeys - A collaboration with Simon Armitage commissioned by BBC Radio 3 as a poetry performance to celebrate the opening of Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, (UK 2002)

* "WOW Festival" fireworks display - Fireworks display soundtrack (North Shields, UK, 2003)

* "Designer Body" - A contemporary dance production by balletLORENT (UK, 2007)

* "The Making of Doubt" - A contemporary dance production by Colette Sadler (UK, 2008)

Notable live performances

*1 June 2000: A specially invited live performance as part of the celebratory event marking the re-opening of the Tramway arts centre, Glasgow, UK

*4 April 2003: All Tomorrow's Parties 2003 curated by Autechre, Camber Sands, UK (opening act). [cite web |url=http://www.atpfestival.com/archive/line_up.php?archive=1&p=&rp= |title=All Tomorrow's Parties Archive 2003 |publisher= All Tomorrow's Parties |accessdate=2008-03-31 ]

*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. [cite web |url=http://www.avfestival.co.uk/programme/events/variations |title=Variations VII |publisher= AV Festival |accessdate=2008-03-31 ] [cite web |url=http://www.balticmill.com/whatsOn/past/ExhibitionDetail.php?exhibID=97 |title=JOHN CAGE 29 February - 2 March 2008 Variations VII |publisher= Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art |accessdate=2008-03-31 ]

Selected exhibitions

*"Resist the Factory", Kulturhuset (LAVA), Stockholm, Sweden, 4 January 1999 - 28 February 1999A group exhibition featuring album covers by :zoviet*france:.
*"Return To Sender", Waygood Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 14 May 2004 - 3 June 2004 Waygood Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, UKA group mail art show featuring "Return To Sender" by :zoviet*france:, a physical and audio remix of Elvis Presley's recording of the song Return to Sender.

*"Harry Smith Anthology Remixed", alt.gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 9 May 2007 - 4 August 2007An exhibition which brought together the work of 84 leading artists and musicians, who were invited to make a visual artwork in response to a chosen track from the album release the Anthology of American Folk Music, an anthology edited by New York artist, musicologist and experimental filmmaker Harry Smith, first published by Folkways in 1952. Featured "According To Joe" by :zoviet*france: [cite web |url=http://altgallery.org/exhibitions/harry_smith_past.html |title=Harry Smith Anthology Remixed |publisher= alt.gallery |accessdate=2008-03-31 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Zoviet+France discogs.com] Zoviet France on discogs.com, a community-built database of music information
* [http://www.pooky.u-net.com/Jim/zoviet/ Jim's Music Pages: :zoviet*france] , a fan site with discography
* [http://www.the-edge.ws/zoviet/ The Edge discographies - :zoviet*france:] a fan site with discography and information