Leeds-Detroit-Berlin-New York
May 4, 2018 2:01 AM   Subscribe

Ahead of their time? Probably. Influential? Another one of those that inspired more than sales would suggest. Timing is everything. You might know Age of Chance for their cover of Prince’s "Kiss" but you had a hard time remembering because the video was posted without sound for years, and other posted versions were often taken down. For many years there was little trace of them but started showing up again with the reissue of their catalogue in 2009.

Their self described Sonic Metal Disco sound (mixing rock, industrial, dance, samples, hip-hop) featuring a DJ (an unknown thing for a rock band at that time) meshed with the just starting out Designers Republic graphics and clothing based around bicycle wear was like a bastardized offspring of Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Frankie Goes To Hollywood that many couldn't wrap their head around, but quickly ushered in and influenced groups like Pop Will Eat Itself, Carter USM, EMF, Jesus Jones, and others that would overshadow them with a more accessible take on it.

They busted out with "Kiss Crush Collision" EP in 1986 followed by the album "One Thousand Years of Trouble" in 1987, their crowning moment. But it all came apart pretty quickly with the sudden departure of their singer, addition of a new singer, and a follow up album "Mecca" in 1990 made under pressure in a drastically different style that confused most, though may also suffered from bad timing.

Their "Kisspower" remix was certainly something new, and hard to find as a result as the record company didn't know what to do with it and pressed very few copies.

Here’s a short video interview,

and here’s some music;

"Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Noise"
"Take It"
"Don’t Get Mad Get Even"
"Disco Inferno" (Trammps cover)
"We Got Trouble"
"This is Crush Collision" (Where Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis took the Sly Stone sample used in "Rhythm Nation" from instead of the original)
"Be Fast, Be Clean, Be Cheap"
"Motor City" (pre Crush Collision style)

Here’s a good article at The Guardian, but I don’t need to link you to a bunch of articles because their official site does that.
posted by bongo_x (9 comments total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
I don't know how I, a 17 year old in New Hampshire at the time, ended up owning One Thousand Years of Trouble, but man did I wear that album out. And I didn't realize until after I became a Designers Republic fanboy thanks to Wip3out that they were responsible for the graphic design. The aesthetic was spot on, and the music was indeed ahead of its time. Great post, thank you!
posted by schoolgirl report at 6:32 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]


Oh, and One Thousand Years of Trouble is on Spotify.
posted by schoolgirl report at 6:33 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]


Love love LOVE this band! They were a thunderclap to my ears at just the right time. Great look and great sound. Amazing sleeve art too. Thank you!
posted by erebora at 7:48 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]


These guys released One Thousand Years of Trouble when I was in my junior year of college, and man, I wore out that record in my dorm room. I ended up picking up their previous EP and a bunch of 12" remixes too. That led me to Renegade Soundwave, Pop Will Eat Itself and a bunch of other awesome stuff.

I happened to be at a Christian college at the time. I'd like to think I was a positive influence on my fellow students.
posted by vverse23 at 8:38 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]


AOC is still one of my favorite bands and "1000 Years..." is still one of my very favorite albums, which I've owned in one form or another since the day it was released. I still groove to the album at least a few times a month.
posted by brokeaspoke at 10:32 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]


You know how, sometimes, when you’re a kid, there are certain “adult” concepts that you just “get” even though you don’t necessarily yet have the associated vocabulary? Well, I didn’t fully understand irony at age eleven, but I almost immediately glommed onto the idea that Age Of Chance were simultaneously mocking AND paying tribute to Prince with their “Kiss” cover, and oh, MAN, did I love that. Still one of my all-time favourite covers.

And Designers Republic ruled, too.
posted by tantrumthecat at 7:37 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]


It's interesting to go back to things from that time because we didn't have the internet so there were a lot of holes in the information. I got Crush Collision and was blown away, then PWEI, and besides the music that was one of the few times I paid enough attention to artwork to find out who did it. I was convinced at that point the Designers Republic must be the biggest, coolest design firm in the world. I didn't know until decades later those were some of the first things they ever did.

Things also look different in retrospect. There were a lot of cool new things in the air then and people fed off each other, but now just listening and watching the two bands it's pretty obvious the direct influence AOC seems to have had on PWEI. Things happened quickly.
posted by bongo_x at 8:04 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]


This brings back memories of dressing so badly that I am glad digital cameras didn't exist when I was young.
posted by srboisvert at 8:05 PM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]


This brings back memories of dressing so badly that I am glad digital cameras didn't exist when I was young.
posted by srboisvert at 8:05 PM on May 4 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]


I’m very grateful that there is so little photographic evidence of my teen years.
posted by tantrumthecat at 7:18 PM on May 5, 2018


« Older The Lambda Method for Catching Kangaroos   |   If I could turn back time Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments