Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Presents; Jass

The Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project presents, Jass;

I don't actually know very much about this band but their music is perfect for soundtracks. Jass were apparently a Shefield based band from the early to mid 1980's and part of the same scene as Cabaret Voltaire and Clock DVA and they tread similar ground to the Cab's circa "Three Mantras" and "Red Meca" era. Albeit in a more minimalistic and trance-like way. One of their tracks ("Trap Drip Drop") also shows some influences from Steve Reich's tape-loop works "Come Out" and "It's Gonna Rain". Their entire recorded output seems to consist of an album of demos recorded in 1985-86 and a live album from 1987 and that's it. Needless to say the videos I made are the only ones for this band. Incidentally the group's name comes from the original 1900's spelling of the of the word "jazz".

JASS ~ "OLD FILM LIFE";


For this video I used an early French Pathe film "Sculptures Moderne" which features some crude stop-action animation.

JASS ~ "FRONTIER JUSTICE";


This one uses another Pathe stop-action film.

JASS ~ "SUNKEN SOLDIER BONES";


For this track I used a 1960's silent op-art short made for the Fluxus Art Collective by George Maciunas.

JASS ~ "TRAP DRIP DROP";


This track uses another art film made in the 1960's for Fluxus, this one a series of performance art films made by Frenchman Ben Vautier

JASS ~ "UNTITLED LIVE TRACK NO.2"


This track off the live album uses another film by Ben Vautier although this one is essentially a home movie

Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Pres; Killing Joke

This week on my Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project; Killing joke.

Killing Joke's 1980 first album practically invented Industrial Rock. There had been Industrial bands since the mid seventies with groups like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and Destroy All Monsters. But these groups largely rejected traditional rock & roll lineups, riffs and song structures, aside from a few exceptions like Cabaret Voltaire's "Nag Nag Nag" or their cover of the Seeds' "No Escape'. Killing Joke however were clearly a rock and roll band with punishing riffs and pounding drums.

KILLING JOKE ~ "CHANGE";


For this song off the second 1981 album I used footage from the end of the 1916 German Expressionist Horror film "Homunculus". Although little known now this film was one of the influences on later horror films like "Frankenstein".

KILLING JOKE ~ "BLOODSPORT";


This instrumental off the first album uses an early American film "Fire".

KILLING JOKE ~ "$0.36";


This one, also off the first album, uses an earlier fireman film, Edwin S Porter's "Life Of An American Fireman from 1903. I also used this film for a Siouxsie & The Banshess film but decided to keep both versions.

KILLING JOKE ~ "TOMORROW'S DREAM";


Another song off the first album, this time using a short art film "Bad Burns" by Paul Sharits from 1982 made of spliced together strips of over-developed film. Note I had some sound problems on this one. Note also this is not a cover of the Black Sabbath song.

KILLING JOKE ~ "THE FALL OF BECAUSE";


This song off the second album uses a French Pathe film

KILLING JOKE ~ "HARLEQUIN";


This one is off of the fourth album, "Fire Dances", and uses a British film that features some early claymation

The Throwback Thursdays Retro Video Project Presents; Siouxsie & The Banshees (pt.1)

More from my Throwback Thursday Retro Video Project. This week; Siouxsie & The Banshees. I always though their music had a cinematic quality.



SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ~ "CARCASS";


Happily this track off the first album about festishizing "dead pork" turned out to be perfect for this weird French film

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ~ "SUBURBAN RELAPSE";


Here's another song from the first album using an early French film from Pathe;

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ~ "RED OVER WHITE";


This song originally appeared as the flipside to the "Israel" 45. This second, more lush version, appeared on "The Thorn" ep. The video is a collection of fan dancers from the 1900's. Some of the footage are of Loie Fuller, an American who invented the style and became very popular, especially in France. The others are various imitators from France and America including American Chrissie Sheridan, filmed by Thomas Edison. This may be my favorite video.

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ~ "PLACEBO EFFECT";


Another song off "The Thorne" the original version of which on the second album, this one using a film by Segundo De Chomon

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ~ "OVERGROUND";


Another song off of "The Thorn" this time using a fairly obscure silent film "A Daring Crime".

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ~ "MELT";


A song off the 1982 "Kiss In The Dreamhouse" album using an abstract film by German experimental film-maker Walter Ruttman; "Opus 2" from 1921.

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ~ "GREEN FINGERS";


Another song off of "Kiss In The Dreamhouse" using a short art film, "Tails" from 1976, by Paul Sharits. This film spliced together the faded, underdeveloped ends of other films, hence the title. I used this same film for songs by Cabaret Voltaire and Simple Minds song but couldn't decide which version I liked better so I kept them all.

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ~ "CITIES IN DUST";


This video shows Berlin shot from the air in the 1920's, it's only a fragment but it suited the sunject matter so perfectly that I couldn't resist.