C&L's Late Nite Music Club with The Units
By Howie Klein Saturday Oct 20, 2007 10:00pmBack in the late 70's my partner Chris and I were running a little indie label in San Francisco called 415 Records. One of the bands that seemed to be doing something unique and interesting was an electronic trio called The Units. Their music was dubbed electropunk or synthpunk and we released their first album, Digital Stimulation in 1980. More recently the band leader, Scott Ryser has been remixing some of the songs for a compilation coming out on an indie label based in Portland, Oregon. You can find more information on their website, or by reading contemporary articles by Michael Snyder or Susan Klein.
Let's keep this discussion about the music and beats and not try to take it in a political direction. Lucas and I did the video especially for ya.
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The artist known as Jandek wanted to be The Unit at first, totally unaware of this act.
Somebody help me. You made me look at a Michael Snyder article.
Devo - Beautiful World
Not political? Ok, beat me daddy,six to the bar!
Was that the Eunuchs?
The highly underrated Sparks - Angst in my Pants.
Sorry, I can't find a vid for the original, but this is a really good live version.
GonzoD @ 5:
Well it wasn’t the Uniques!
Trying...trying so hard....oh, oh, oh.....FUCK!
This is the best I can do......
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdNnw99-Ic
Nice to see the much neglected, and much maligned, (due to its association with Rave Culture which our government hates so much, they passed some of the most Draconian laws ever against it, and trampled on the 1st Amendment in the process. Which I'll never understand because ravers are some of the healthiest people in the States, since dancing all night does keep the weight off, and if more people did it, without the stigma that's now attached to it, it might make some inroads in our national obesity epidemic), Electronic Dance Music finally get some recognition, outside of being used in car ads.
Without a doubt, EDM is one of the fastest growing musical forms, the world over, but like Soccer, it's yet to break-out and become big in the States in any sort of mainstream way, which is a pity, because there's so much good music and talent in this field.
But what can you expect from us?
Our Burning Man attracts all of 50K people a year, is vilified in the press as being a gathering of freaks in the desert, and is infiltrated by government agents, whereas in Germany, a country a 5th of the size of the USA, they turn over one of the largest cities in the country, Berlin, over to their Love Parade, for a week to be attended by 2 million people, (That would be the equivalent of 10 million people descending on The Mall in DC), and not only does it have the full support of local businesses, but also their local and national government who don't send their cops out to bust people for the crime of having a good time, because that would drive away people who are spending money in the city, which increases tax revenue.
What I wouldn't give to see America achieve some sort of cultural enlightenment like our European Cousins have and get over our Puritanical selves and get to the point where we could throw ourselves a party like this.
Be even better if it happened in my lifetime, but I won't hold my breath.
~nwa
A little reminiscent of Emergency Broadcast Network's "We Will Rock You" with George's dad.
The Mission is Bitchin'. Great Videos during their shows. Had a crush on Rachel, but who didn't? Still own Digital Stimulation.
Fun times. The Units, Dead Kennedys, Romeo Void, Flipper, The Avengers,
The Mutants and on and on.....
I like it alot actually. But I also like mine with some industrial strength distortion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7rhT8Hgn7I - Ministry - Die in a Crash
Their last and final album is one hell of a way to go, the best industrial thrash shit I've heard in a long time. And of course, its politically charged as fuck.
Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
A very cool mix of old and new: M.I.A. - 20 Dollar
I'd like to nominate M.I.A. for the LNMC featured artist. Unique sound and unique perspective.
Postal Service - The District Sleeps Tonight
And I'll end my evening with Radiohead - Idioteque
g'night y'all!
2pac Kiss Your Ass Goodbye Remix (DJ Genius91)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2-fDqR8TLI
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb - Live 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wtiNzci1Wc&mode=related&search=
http://www.bushflash.com/nazi.html
http://www.bushflash.com/brits.html
I have Units vinyl among my 415 Hall of Fame some of which prolly has those super-early Howie Klein computerised form letters. Good stuff.
AF
Go Red Sox, Go!
http://www.bushflash.com/idiot.html
You were one of the guys that ran 415? Wow. Thank you for stuff like Never Say Never and Everywhere That I'm Not; your label made it to the woods of North Carolina back when that was a difficult thing to do. I remember getting copies of Trouser Press secondhand from people who had money to drive to Chapel Hill and seeing 415 stuff like Wire Train on the reviews.
(staying away from politics for this one...)
Down Along The Cove
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzp2aXAdbjg&mode=related&search=Bob%20Dyl...
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F56DHDL_Htw&mode=related&search=Bob%20Dyl...
David Gilmour's There's no way out of here
JJ Cale - Down in Hollywood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=821_T9zMnBI
And here is Bruce Willis doing Down In Hollywood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NbXlhByWvk
for nonny mouse --Heroes and Villains
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sImJoGoaBsY
Those men next to Dead Eye Dick are either extremely brave or extremely stupid to be standing next to him when he's holding a gun.
People should check out Silver Apples of the Moon. Hard to describe. It doesn't really start to rock until halfway through, but then it really goes crazy. There are samples at Amazon.
Pretty insane to hit the RSS feeds today and see someone talking about the Units on a political blog. Those records are going for big money nowadays due to renewed exposure from people like Z-Gun and Terminal Boredom. I dig a lot of that stuff like the Screamers, but I was always more partial to the old SF punk like CRIME. Great to see, though!
Hey Howie or anyone else: do you know what happens to videos that were made but not circulated greatly. The one that I am thinking of is video that I saw once on MTV years ago, 'Without Love' by Tonio K. As far as I know it's the only video he ever made. It's not his best song, he has so many great ones, but for a fan it's a rare treat.
Howie, maybe you can answer me a question. There were some bands in SF that I thought were really interesting back then, but have not heard of them since. One was just called "Bob," an aggressive little new wave group, and one called the "Scarz," which was incongruously a slow, psychedelic-sounding jam band that the actual street elite punk rockers would sit still for. Have you heard of them? Also, check out a very no-wave band from Austin called Culturecide, especially the single "Another Miracle." The should have been signed on Ralph Records, but I think the singer killed himself before much happened for their recording careers. Hey, did you know the Residents are from fucking Shreveport, Louisiana?
Hadn't thought about The Units for years! In the Dallas suburb I grew up in, one of my best friends considered The Units one of his favorite bands in the early 80s. I remember the term "technopop" being used for this sort of music at the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkRKY6K47vA for those who indulge.
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