Subterfuge – Darkland Awakening (MCD 1994)

Country: Australia

Tracklist

1. Darkland Awakening 07:32
2. Haborym 03:44
3. A Prayer For The Kindred 03:06
4. Pre-Dawn Hours 03:52
5. Darkland Awakening (Pray Hard Mix) 07:34

Subterfuge was formed in 1993 by Clifford Ennis along with Rick Mullen and Brendan Toull in Melbourne, Australia.

Although involved musically together since 1987-88 it wasn’t until 1993 that started to take the whole thing more seriously.
They began work on a 4 track demo tape, briefly recruited a 4th member (Jonathan Mee)

and the self-titled demo tape saw the light of day in September 1993.
One gig at a private party for a newly opened record shop in Melbourne called Heartland Records followed

in December before they started working again as a 3-piece band after they discarded with Jonathan’s services.
On the strength of that live show and the demo tape, they were approached by Heartland Records to release a MCD.
In 1994 after a gig that they played as a 3 piece Brendan left the band and Clifford and Rick decided to continue as a duo

and started working on their debut MCD "Darkland Awakening".
Work on the MCD finished in March and it was released the following month to very favorable reviews.
For the remainder of 1994 Subterfuge played live in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane promoting the MCD.
The time was perfect for an album to capitalize on the success, sadly though, a follow up did not eventuate.
Between 1995 and 1997 they sporadically played live around Melbourne while releasing songs on various compilations.
Subterfuge became less active as the years passed, however Clifford stayed involved in the scene.

 In 1996 he created the project Jerusalem Syndrome, a collaboration band with Chris McCarter of Ikon.
He also joined Ikon and played guitar with them and later created the side project Razorfade 

this time with Mark Tansley from UK goth band Suspiria.
In May 2013 a Subterfuge CD album entitled "Reflect<<Rewind" was released on European label, Strobelight Records.
This was a comprehensive collection containing 16 tracks, including unreleased songs and mixes plus some demos.
in 2016 Clifford found himself back in the studio recording brand new material

and in March 2017 a new album entitled "Blind To Reason" was released.
One third of the album is co-written with Rick Mullen thus essentially keeping the 90s duo alive.
2019 saw a return to the studio and a new CD EP entitled "Heat" was released on 2nd April 2020.

Memory

Fabio Fabor – Pape Satan (1980)

Country: Italy

Tracklist

1. Ad Inferos 02:52
2. Acheron 03:06
3. Infernal Galop 03:14
4. La Forgia 03:26
5. Segno Di Fuoco 02:13
6. Caronte 02:58
7. Dies Irae 03:34
8. Stige 03:20
9. Trillo Del Diavolo 02:39
10. Dalle Sirene 03:49
11. V Bolgia 02:33
12. Diabolic Love 02:40

Fabio Borgazzi (24 April 1920 - 3 August 2011), also known as Fabio Fabor,

was one of the most prolific library music composers in Italy between the 1960s and 1980s.
A versatile and multi-talented musician, he explored almost all existing genres, from classical to jazz, 

from pop to electronic music, and released hundreds of records through his own publishing company, Minstrel,

and its numerous sub-labels, such as World, Hard, Flam, Fonovideo and Ring.
"Pape Satan" was originally released on the Hard label in 1980 and has become a cult record,

one often regarded as a groundbreaking exploration of electronic music.
In this work Borgazzi makes extensive use of synthesizers (ARP 2600, ARP 3620, ARP Omni and Roland System 700),

percussion, keyboard instruments (piano, harpsichord, Fender Rhodes) and voices,

developing an abstract and experimental electro-acoustic soundtrack to a dark and infernal environment,

or, as Borgazzi himself explained in the liner notes, an "eschatological-Dantesque environment

caught in its side of transcendent imagination metaphysics and, sometimes, even ironic interpretation.".

Memory

Fumio Kosakai (コサカイ フミオ) – Earth Calling (1987)

Country: Japan

Tracklist

1. Absent Water 05:09
2. Drive To Universe 18:09
3. Look To The Light 22:05

First solo release from legendary artist Fumio Kosakai

that is best known from Japanese noise acts like Incapacitants and Hijokaidan.

In 1987 and 1993, Kosakai self-released two very limited cassettes (about 30 copies each),

of sublime solo electronic minimalism,  "Earth Calling" and "The Warm Garden".

"Earth Calling" was a live recording of a solo performance carried out at the free jazz venue

"Goodman" in Ogikubo, Tokyo, which ran around 1985 - 1986.

For the performance Kosakai used a self-made transmitter, a mini-keyboard Yamaha synthesizer, 

cassette tapes with environmental sounds recorded and a delay-like effect.

For the two first tracks some sounds were overdubbed later on at his home,

while the third track was released as it was on the live performance.

On the track "Look To The Light" Kosakai tried to recreate the infinite repetition

that Terry Riley had performed on his album "A Rainbow In Curved Air".

Also the title of the cassette originates from the first track on the live album "Space Ritual" by Hawkwind.

Memory