Needle Time

  Information Society - Information Society [TB-5179-1 USA 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Tommy Boy Records have decided to repress the first album by Information Society on clear vinyl. It was never released in the UK and I happened upon this new pressing in a large well known record store on the West Coast recently.  I was first introduced to Minneapolis act Information Society by my brother who was a huge hip-hop fan in the mid-eighties. It was the track Running which grabbed my attention with its European synthpop beats, melancholic lyrics and moody vocal style (kinda like early Depeche Mode meets New Order). The single was a big hit in the New York clubs in 1986 for Tommy Boy, some time after it had been originally self-released in 1983. I may have featured a rip of that single once or twice over the years. Other singles followed including the wonderful Leonard Nimoy-sampled What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) , which was eventually released in the UK following a deal with Lo...

The Information Society - Insoc [MNQ 053 DEU 2014 24-Bit FLAC] This reissue EP on splatter vinyl represents the earliest recordings from Minneapolis five piece, Information Society. Originally released in 1983 on their own Information Records label - most copies were lost or destroyed due to poor sales, however the record became highly sought after when the band broke the pop charts with a succession of popular US singles. These are formative electronic works much in the same vein as early Human League - very different to what was to come ....and consequently highly recommended. A1 Bacchanale A2 Fall In Line A3 Growing Up With Shiva B1 Get Up Away From That Thing B2 Can You Live As Fast As Me B3 Charientism

Information Society - Running [TB 877 USA 1986 24-Bit FLAC] A bit of an upgrade from my original 2010 blog post. I used to rip and post mp3s from my vinyl, however after a while, I saw sense. My original vinyl copy is a bit worn, so courtesy of a Discogs seller in Germany, here is a new 2019 rip from a near mint copy of the 1986 Tommy Boy release. It never amazes me how a band can release one brilliant single, then for the next 20 years submit us to mostly absolute drivel (I do have a few other Information Society records though). I'm not going to go on too much about how bad Information Society became, but I can tell you that I still love this record. Virtually unknown in Europe, my well worn and very expensive Tommy Boy 33rpm 12" import was totally irreplaceable ...until now. When this came out, they referred to this music as freestyle Latin hip-hop, utter bollocks! This is minimalist electro with simple keyboards and melancholy (almost British) vocals - thin...