Thursday, 16 January 2014

5XOD - "The Dada Computer" (Quick Stab Productions - Prod 13) 1981




This staggeringly otherworldly shadowy cousin to Kraftwerk's 'Computer world', is probably the best computer composed collection of music I have ever had enter my shell-likes.Made by the even shadowy-er figures behind 5ive Ximes of Dust or 5XOD,Mark Phillips and Robert Lawrence.
Unlike Kraftwerk's magnum opus, this actually sounds like a computer, albeit one of those cheap 1980's family computers;- not everyone could afford an IBM in 1981. This is more like computer reality in 1981, and in 2014 it sounds like an alien broadcast from a past future.
There's even a claim to the invention of 'house' in the track 'Computer bank', beating Manuel Gottsching's "E2-E4" to the punch by three years........although Gottsching had recorded that in 1981! Although this is not something to be proud of, it was not then a crime, and not danced to by legions of lagered-up townies/trendies, swinging their white hand bags and stiletto's.
The voices that appear on this tape are convincingly cyborg-like, and provide the most entertaining moment when a slightly effeminate cyborg voice volunteers a fey sounding rendering of the song title to 'Computer Violence'; which repeats softly above a fuzzy rumble of a backing track; very strange indeed.

Track Listing:


A1
Missile Logic T

A2
Automation

A3
Fear Of Programming

A4
Girl With A VDU

A5
Multinational

A6
Computer Bank

B1
Construct Z/45

B2
Module

B3
Punchcard Sex

B4
Production Line (No Human)

B5
The Dadacomputer

B6
Computer Violence

DOWNLOAD Dada to your Computer HERE(original cassette version)!
or
DOWNLOAD the DADA-digitally remastered vinyl version HERE!

6 comments:

  1. Hey, could you please re-upload this one? Thanks!

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  2. hi, yep, i will do it laters. I have two versions now.A digitally remastered one, and the original cassette rip.I'll upload them both.

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  3. Mere words can't do justice to the majesty of this recording.

    Cheers,

    Nathan

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  4. You have describe this Master very well. I just wonder what a VDU is on track 4. Thanks for re-uploading it again.

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  5. VDU = Visual Display Unit. Which was what they called a 'monitor' in the old days of computing.

    ReplyDelete