The high-water mark of post-punk. Looking at the bill of the four nights at the YMCA in Central London during August 1979, its hard to deny that assertion. Final Solution’s bill brought together Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, Scritti Politti, Clock DVA, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle and Rema Rema.

For Cassette Culture, the particular night on 3rd August with TG, Cabaret Voltaire and Rema Rema is a nexus in our story: where paths met, bands were formed, tapes were exchanged.

Linking back to our catalogue of artists in the “tapes received” listings of TG’s Industrial News, we speak with Kevin Thorne of Third Door From The Left and We Be Echo, and Dorothy Max Prior, drummer with Rema Rema and Psychic TV.

Matt Johnson continues in the second part of our conversation, covering his later releases in the mid-80s and a notable big budget video project with Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson in the Amazon.

Hinging on that night where they all met in Central London, we follow the Rema Rema story with Dorothy Max. Max had known Gen and Cosey Fanni Tutti since 1976, when she was working at the ICA during COUM Transmissions’ Prostitution show. The friendship carried on after Throbbing Gristle split, through a brief stint in the mail room for Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth and a tour as drummer for Psychic TV.

The touchstone compilation “The Men With The Deadly Dreams”, curated by Geoff Rushton and released on White Stains, returns as another nexus, with two live Rema Rema tracks (recorded at Acklam Hall in April 1979). Martyn Bates (Eyeless In Gaza) tells more of this story in our previous episode, Mind Bomb. https://cassetteculturepodcast.com/mind-bomb-the-the-eyeless-in-gaza/

Rema Rema continued to pick up attention and just as they were about to implode, Ivo Watts-Russell seized on the band as “one of the best things he had ever heard” – The debut recordings The Wheel In The Roses EP (BAD 5, 1980), came out as the first release of his new 4AD label. The vinyl arrived after the band had already split, with “Send no flowers” scratched into the run-out grooves.

Guitarist Marco Pirroni joined Adam and the Ants, Gary Asquith went on to Renegade Soundwave, and Mick Allen and Mark Cox became The Wolfgang Press, a 4AD fixture for years. Max toured as drummer for Psychic TV in the mid 80s.

This episode completes our journey through the Tapes Received list, and with it Season 2.

DISCOVER THE VIDEO

You can find videos of cassette tapes, artefacts and unboxings from the cassette underground on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@CassetteCulturePodcast

IN THIS EPISODE

VOICES
Matt Johnson,
David Dent,
Kevin Thorne,
Dorothy Max Prior,
Martin Franklin

MUSIC

“This Is Concrete” The Happy Citizen (theme)
“People On Site”,
“My Vymura”,
“Lazy Finger Shake” The The, See Without Being Seen (Cinéola, 2019)
Throbbing Gristle, Live at the YMCA, 3 August 1979, IRC22
“Pause” Third Door From The Left, Face The Firing Squad (Chamber Music, 1981) “Christopher” Rema Rema, The Men With The Deadly Dreams (White Stains, 1981)
“Land Of Birds” Culturcide, The Men With The Deadly Dreams (White Stains, 1981)
Rema Rema, live in London, 1979
“Feedback Song” Rema Rema, Wheel In The Roses (4AD, 1980)
William S. Burroughs, Burroughs + Brion Gysin + P.Orridge (Cold Spring, 1989)
“Entry” Rema Rema, Fond Reflections (Extended Wheel In The Roses) (4AD, 2019)

THANKS Jerry Kranitz, co-host for all interviews recorded in the series. Richard Rupenus, research and series advice. Dorothy Max Prior, David Dent, Kevin Thorne and Matt Johnson.

Episode art photo of Rema Rema: Paul Stahl.

LINKS
The The (https://thethe.com)
Rema Rema at 4AD (https://4ad.com/forewords/rema-rema)
We Be Echo (https://webeecho.bandcamp.com)
Dark Eyes of London (https://darkeyesoflondon.blogspot.com/)
Sex Is No Emergency, Dorothy Max Prior (https://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/publications/sex-is-no-emergency)
Wild Planet, Sounds, 7 May 1983, scanned by Cultural Amnesia (https://culturalamnesia.com/misc/wild_planet)

FURTHER VIEWING

Trailer for What You Could Not Visualise (2022), Marco Porsia’s documentary on Rema Rema.

FIND US
https://cassetteculturepodcast.com

SUPPORTERS
Help us keep Cassette Culture alive! This podcast is enabled by generous supporters who contribute toward the costs of researching, producing and publishing each episode. Get early episode access, extras, free Bandcamp digital catalog at: https://cassetteculturepodcast.bandcamp.com/subscribe

Mind Bomb: The The & Eyeless In Gaza brings the first part of our conversation with Matt Johnson, with Martyn Bates on Migraine Inducers and the story of how The Men With The Deadly Dreams came together.

Tapes Received: Industrial Music for Industrial People opens the Tapes Received run with Industrial Records’ Industrial News and the artists who sent tapes to Throbbing Gristle, with Val Denham, Philip Sanderson and Richard Rupenus.

Under the Westway: 1979 Portobello Punks tells the story of F*ck Off Records and the Portobello Road squat scene in the same year Rema Rema were recording in their cellar nearby.