Zoviet France (also known as :$OVIET:FRANCE:, Soviet France, :zoviet-france: and latterly usually written as :zoviet*france:) is a prolific ambient industrial music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England. While often dissonant and made of industrial textures, their music is also of a distinctly ambient music bent. Formed in 1981, the group has had a variety of members, presently it consists of co-founder Ben Ponton and Mark Warren. Former members included Robin Storey, who now records as Rapoon, Mark Spybey, who now records as Dead Voices on Air, Peter Jensen, Andy Eardley, Paolo Di Paolo, Lisa Hale and Neil Ramshaw. In 2005 Storey, Spybey and Eardley formed a new group, Reformed Faction.

Their music, often consisting of droning textures set against fractured tribal rhythms and fleeting dissonant melodies, is frequently made from neglected sound sources: obscure radio broadcasts, toy instruments, field recordings, and other odds and ends, often heavily processed or looped. Over time their sound has increasingly incorporated electronic elements but without adopting computer based composition techniques. In describing the approach to making their music, the group has been quoted as saying: ?All audio equipment distorts sound to some degree and, eventually through mechanical and electrical failure, fucks it up. Since indeterminacy as a compositional parameter has been a constant in our work, this often produces what we regard as interesting new developments Soleilmoon Recordings press release, December 2007

The packaging of their early works was extraordinary - records were released in hessian (burlap), roofing felt (roofing shingles), and aluminium foil, amongst other materials. Their CDs weren't as often so packaged, but were occasionally quite unusual, including felt, decorative pins, and wood veneer.

Discography

GARISTA

• 1982 (audio cassette) Soviet France
• 1985 (audio cassette) Singing Ringing, UK
• 1990 (CD, 12 inch vinyl LP, audio cassette) Charrm, UK

' (generally known as 'hessian', 'the burlap album', or 'OK Boys')

• 1982 (12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1985 (12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1990 (CD, 12 inch vinyl LP) Charrm, UK

NORSCH

• 1983 (12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1990 (CD) Charrm, UK

MOHNOMISHE

• 1983 (2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1990 (CD) Charrm], UK

EOSTRE

• 1984 (2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1985 (2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) (re-mastered) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1990 (CD) Charrm, UK

POPULAR SOVIET SONGS AND YOUTH MUSIC

• 1985 (2 x audio cassette) Singing Ringing/Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1994 (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands
• 1995 (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands
• 2004 (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands

GRIS

• 1985 (10 inch vinyl LP) No Man's Land, West Germany

MISFITS, LOONY TUNES AND SQUALID CRIMINALS

• 1986 (12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1995 (CD) Charrm, UK

GESTURE SIGNAL THREAT

• 1986 (audio cassette) Red Rhino Records, [UK
• 1995 (CD) Charrm, UK

LOH LAND

• 1987 (audio cassette) Staaltape, Netherlands
• 1992 (CD) Staaltape, Netherlands

A FLOCK OF ROTATIONS

• 1987 (12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1995 (CD) Charrm, UK

ASSAULT AND MIRAGE

• 1987 (audio cassette) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1995 (CD) Charmm, ]]

SHOUTING AT THE GROUND

• 1988 (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Red Rhino Records, UK
• 1990 (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Charrm, UK

JUST AN ILLUSION

• 1990 (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands
• 1995 (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands

LOOK INTO ME

• 1990 (CD, 2 x 12 inch vinyl LP) Charmm, UK

SHADOW, THIEF OF THE SUN

• 1991 (CD) DOVentertainment, Canada

VIENNA 1990

• 1991 (CD) Charrm, UK

COLLUSION

• 1993 (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, U.S.

WHAT IS NOT TRUE

• 1993 (CD) Charrm, UK

DIGILOGUE

• 1996 (12 inch vinyl LP) Soleilmoon, USA
• 1998 (CD) Soleilmoon, USA

IN.VERSION

• 1996 (CD) Charrm, UK

FEEDBACK

• 1996 (CD) Staalplaat, Netherlands

THE DECRIMINALISATION OF COUNTRY MUSIC

• 2000 (CD) Tramway, UK

UTDRAG

• 2003 (3 inch CD in 10 inch clear vinyl sleeve) amino, UK

MUSIC FOR A SPAGHETTI WESTERN

• 2005 (CD) Klanggalerie, Austria

Tracks released on compilations

• Ram

on Lands End and subsequently released on Collusion
1985 (Lands End) (audio cassette) Touch, UK; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, US

• Sprey

on Bad Alchemy nr 4 and subsequently released on Collusion
1986 (Bad Alchemy nr 4) (cassette/magazine) Bad Alchemy, West Germany; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, US

• Le mur mur nu

on Fight! (Cathexis Recordings), subsequently released on Absolute (Parade Amoureuse and Soleilmoon), and subsequently released on Collusion
1986 (Fight!) (LP) Cathexis Recordings, UK; 1989 (Absolute) (CD) Parade Amoureuse, West Germany; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, US

• First Vigil

on A Classic Guide To No Man's Land and subsequently released on Collusion
1988 (A Classic Guide To No Man's Land) (CD) No Man's Land, West Germany; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, USoleilmoon, US

• White Dusk

on A Bead To A Small Mouth and subsequently released on Collusion
1989 (A Bead To A Small Mouth) (LP) Barooni, Netherlands; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, US

• Something This Beautiful

on Mouvements and subsequently released on Collusion
1990 (Mouvements) (CD) La Legende des Voix, France; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, US

• Voice Print Identification

on Objekt 4
1990 (CD) Ladd-Frith, US

• Fugitive

on Death of Vinyl and subsequently released (extended version) on Collusion
1990 (Death of Vinyl) (CD) DOVentertainment, Canada; 1993 (Collusion) (CD) The Grey Area of Mute Records, UK / Soleilmoon, US

• Spike

on Bad Alchemy nr XX
1992 (cassette/magazine) Bad Alchemy, Germany

• I Felt The Breath Of My Assassin

on Sky Flowers & Horse Eggs
1992 (CD) Hypnagogia, UK

• Soft and Close By Me

on Melt
1993 (CD) Work In Progress, UK

• False Witness

on Total 2
1993 (CD/book) Total, UK

• Daisy Gun

on Isolationism
1994 (2CD) Virgin Ambient, UK

With Us Today on 'Earth'1996 (CD) D.O.R., UK

Eleven Drops on "unentitled"1996 These Records, UK

Untitled on 'Concept: A Compilation'1997 (CD) Double Space, Netherlands

On the edge of a grain of sand on 'In Memoriam Gilles Deleuze'1998 (2CD) Mille Plateaux

Untitled on 'RRR 500 - Various 500 Lock-Grooves By 500 Artists'1998 (12") RRR Records, US

Temple Attic on 'Marconi Point'1999 (CD) Iris Light, UK

SIFR
on Absolute Zero (CD, Charrm, UK, 2000)

Soundtracks

Screen based productions (film and video)

• LOUD VISUAL NOISES

A film by Stan Brakhage (U.S. 1987). Includes an excerpt from Cair Camouflet from the album Look into Me. Released on the video 4 Sounds Films by Stan Brakhage (Joel Haertling, U.S. 1990).

• TRANSIENTS #1

A video production by Mark Mushet (Suture Productions, Canada, 1991). Includes excerpts from the album Shadow, Thief of the Sun.

• (untitled)

A video production by :zoviet*france: (UK, 1991). A promotional video for the album Shadow, Thief of the Sun produced for television broadcast only.

• T-CITY

A video production by Karas (Japan, 1993). Includes excerpts from the album Shadow, Thief of the Sun.

• (untitled)

A video production by :zoviet*france: (Nuit Et Brouillard, France, 2001). Featured on the Deadly Actions Live Retrospective 1994-1996 video compilation of bands that performed at Deadly Actions festival in France.

• SPADEADAM

A video production by Louise K Wilson (UK, 2003).

• THE SHOP FLOOR

A video production by Francis Gomila (UK, 2003). Soundtrack taken from Amber, from the album Digilogue.

• EUPHONY

A video production by Louise K Wilson (UK, 2005).

• TREMOR

A film by Ravi Deepres (UK, 2005).

• RUNNER

A film by Ravi Deepres and Michael Baig Clifford (UK, 2006).

Performance works and events

• (untitled)

A performance by John Smith (UK, 1996).

• edit

A contemporary dance production by Saburo Teshigawara and Karas, (UK, 1996).

• Except That I Would Like To Be Rid Of It

A contemporary dance production by Zero Visibility Corp (Norway, 1997)

• The Millennarium

A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 1997).

• Hunt Out

A contemporary dance production by Zero Visibility Corp (Norway, 1999).

• Telenoia

A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000).

• The Trilogy Installation

A contemporary dance production by Random Dance Company (UK, 2000).

• that cool and immature feeling of total honesty

A contemporary dance production by Zero Visibility Corp (Norway, 2001).

• WOW Festival

Fireworks display soundtrack (North Shields, UK, 2003)

• Designer Body

A contemporary dance production by balletLORENT (UK, 2007)

Selected live performances

1 June 2000 Tramway, Glasgow, UK: A specially invited live performance as part of the celebratory event marking the re-opening of the Tramway arts centre.

4 April 2003 All Tomorrow's Parties 2003 curated by Autechre, Camber Sands, UK (opening act).

Selected exhibitions

• Return To Sender

14 May 2004 - 3 June 2004 Waygood Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: A group mail art show featuring Return To Sender by :zoviet*france:, a physical and audio remix of Elvis Presley's recording of the song Return to Sender.

References

External links

• discogs.com, a community-built database of music information
• Jim's Music Pages: :zoviet*france, a fan site with discography and cover art
• pretentious.net, a fan site with discography and information

Ambient music groupsIndustrial music groupsMusic from NewcastleMusical groups established in 1981Culture in Newcastle upon Tyne

Zoviet FranceZoviet France