American band
Information Society
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Information Society, 2014: (from left to right) Kurt Harland, Jim Cassidy, Paul Robb
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Origin
| St. Paul
,
Minnesota
, U.S.
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Genres
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Years active
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Labels
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Members
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Past members
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Website
| informationsociety
.us
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Information Society
(also known as
InSoc
) is an American
electronic
band from
Minneapolis?St. Paul, Minnesota
, initially active from 1982 to 1997, primarily consisting of
Kurt Harland Larson
,
Paul Robb
, and
James Cassidy
; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with
Christopher Anton
as lead
vocalist
, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by 2008.
The group's breakout single was 1988's "
What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)
", a
dance
song which spent 39 weeks on the dance chart, going straight to number one and would also peak at number three on the Hot 100 pop chart. The track included a vocal
sample
of
Mr. Spock
(
Leonard Nimoy
) from
Star Trek
, saying "pure energy".
The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the
Minneapolis
nightclub
First Avenue
,
[3]
recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.
[4]
Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.
[5]
History
[
edit
]
Founding, influences, and initial albums (1982?1992)
[
edit
]
The band was formed in Harland's dorm room in Dupre Hall at
Macalester College
in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
, in 1982,
[6]
and they performed
avant-garde
electronic music
with flourishes of
hip hop
,
dub
, and
electro
. The name was chosen partly after
Ingsoc
, the
newspeak
term for English socialism in the dystopian novel
Nineteen Eighty-Four
.
[7]
The group were initially influenced by acts such as
Kraftwerk
,
Gary Numan
and
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft
(D.A.F.), thereafter developing an admiration for the likes of
Pet Shop Boys
,
Duran Duran
and
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
(OMD).
[8]
In 1983, the band independently released
The InSoc EP
and
Creatures of Influence
.
Two years later it released "
Running
", the group's first single, which became a hit popular in
New York City
Latin
dance
clubs and put them on the map. The extended seven-minute song was written and sung by Murat Konar, who left the band soon afterward. It was released on the Twin Cities-based label Twin-Tone Records, which was known for rock music rather than dance music. Its growing success led the group to move from its native
Minneapolis?Saint Paul
to
NYC
, and the ensuing revenues and contacts, as well as the addition of keyboardist
Amanda Kramer
to the lineup, led the group to record its proper debut album for
Tommy Boy Records
, which bought out the group's Twin-Tone contract because of its expertise in street-oriented music.
InSoc was the only Tommy Boy act to have all of its albums released through major-label distribution channels rather than independent distribution, since the label, a former subsidiary of
Warner Bros. Records
, had that option available to it throughout its years as a Warner subsidiary. In this case, Warner sub-label
Reprise Records
was the distributor. The group's 12-inch vinyl singles, however, were distributed through independent channels.
In addition to "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)", the group's
self-titled
major release debut
Information Society
(1988) also produced another Top 10
Billboard
entry in "
Walking Away
" which reached number five on the dance chart and number nine on the Hot 100 chart. Kramer left the band shortly after. A third single, the ballad "
Repetition
" managed to reach number 76 on the Hot 100 also. The fourth single from the album was a
cover
of
ABBA
's "
Lay All Your Love on Me
" which reached number 23 on the dance chart and number 83 on the Hot 100.
The
audio
samples
from
Star Trek
were authorized for use on the album partially thanks to the efforts of
Adam Nimoy
, fan of the band and son of
Star Trek's
Leonard Nimoy
. The album sold out its initial
pressing
in the United States in two weeks.
Information Society
peaked at number 25 on the
Billboard
200
, and was certified gold within five months of its release in the US. The disc was one of the few to use
CD+G
, which included digital graphics on the
compact disc
version in addition to the music. The graphics for the CD+G portion can be seen on the Information Society Web site along with computer-based information which has been included on other releases. The songs "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" and "Walking Away" were used in a sampler disc bundled with the
Sega CD
to showcase the console's CD+G capability, using the same graphics as the album.
During this time the band released an anonymous single (composed of two tracks from their forthcoming second album) under the name Think Tank. Years later, Robb would release tracks under the name Think Tank through the formerly-fictional record label
Hakatak
.
They also had a song ? the instrumental track "Hit Me" ? placed on the soundtrack to the film
Earth Girls Are Easy
. By 1989 Information Society joined the "
Club MTV
Tour" which also included
Paula Abdul
,
Milli Vanilli
,
Tone Loc
,
Was (Not Was)
and
Lisa Lisa
.
The second release,
Hack
(1990), was not as successful, but had a top 40 entry with "
Think
", which also went to number five on the Dance Club/Play Songs list.
[9]
"How Long" went to number 20 on the Dance Club/Play Songs list.
[10]
The album managed to sell quite well in late 1990, staying on the
Billboard
charts for 14 weeks, peaking at number 77.
[11]
Music videos were produced for those two tracks, but only "Think" got video
airplay
; the
Adam Ant
-directed spot for "How Long" was put aside as nobody involved was happy with it. A third single, "Now That I Have You", was remixed and sent out to DJs but was never released. In January 1991 the band performed at the Rock In Rio II festival in front of 190,000 fans at the Maracana Stadium.
The group's third release,
Peace and Love, Inc.
(1992), proved to be more powerful and critically acclaimed, although its label failed to do much to promote it despite featuring production by
Karl Bartos
of German electronic music band
Kraftwerk
. The first single, "Peace & Love Inc.", reached number 10 on the
Billboard
Dance Chart. A
music video
was produced for the track, but
MTV
declined to play it.
[
citation needed
]
The
album
is also notable for being perhaps the first album ever produced to contain a track of
modem
tones, which, when played into a telephone connected to a computer, resulted in a bonus message from the band. To promote the album, Information Society embarked on a club tour in fall 1992 with
Cause and Effect
, but the tour was canceled when Cause and Effect frontman
Sean Rowley
died of complications from an asthma attack during their soundcheck in Minneapolis on November 8, 1992.
[12]
Don't Be Afraid
and Cleopatra Records (1992?1999)
[
edit
]
In 1997 the band released a fourth album,
Don't Be Afraid
(1997). Written and performed by
Kurt Harland
alone and produced by
Steven Seibold
, DBA was more
industrial
-driven than previous
albums
and reflected more of what Harland wanted to do during most of his tenure with InSoc.
Cleopatra Records
released the album, but ? like Tommy Boy Records ? did little to promote it. Harland's love of computer-related materials continued to be evident, as the album included a
CD-ROM
filled with bonus material, not yet a common occurrence in 1997. The disc included a selection of
digital
samples used in the
album
's production, miscellaneous works of art by InSoc fans,
[13]
a program to generate the distinctive border
graphics
used on the
album's cover
, and the
music video
of "Peace & Love, Inc."
There was also a carefully orchestrated digital
scavenger hunt
culminating in the discovery of a bonus track called "
White Roses
". The scavenger hunt began with decoding a modem's signal recorded at the end of the audio CD, resulting in a text message from Harland which pointed the way to a
Web site
where the search began. There is also a cover included of
Gary Numan
's "
Are 'Friends' Electric?
". Also included is "Ozar Midrashim", later used as the main theme for the videogame
Soul Reaver
. The album eventually went out of print, but it had a second release in a remastered version in 2008, this time with "
White Roses
" included as an audio track.
A
remix
album,
InSoc Recombinant
(1999), was produced, featuring vocals to the band's earlier hits remixed by various artists. The vocals to songs pre-
Don't Be Afraid
were not the originals, they were new versions re-recorded by Harland alone specifically for the remixers' use. Included on a bonus, unadvertised CD-ROM were digital copies of most of the band's officially-produced promotional videos, including a copy of the "Peace and Love Inc." video of higher quality than that distributed with
Don't Be Afraid.
This CD-ROM, however, did not feature the "How Long" video.
Compilations and
Bands Reunited
(1999?2005)
[
edit
]
In 2001,
strange haircuts // cardboard guitars // and computer samples
was released including all the hits from 1988 to 1992.
In 2004,
Cleopatra Records
released a compilation titled
Pure Energy
. The release consisted of tracks from
Don't Be Afraid
and
InSoc Recombinant,
supplemented with a slightly altered mix of "Are Friends Electric?" and two new remixes of "What's On Your Mind", one by
Effcee
, and one unattributed mix labeled "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" which attempted to emulate the original Tommy Boy version of the track. Robb called the album "an insult to both the band and the fans". Harland, despite being credited as producer in the
liner notes
, had nothing to do with the release; and while declining to either "endorse or un-endorse" the album, he did take particular issue with the cover art, both for its low quality and for its portrayal of him holding a gun.
[4]
The group was featured in an episode of
VH1
's
Bands Reunited
in November 2004. As broadcast, it appeared that
Aamer Haleem
(host of the show) got every member to agree to reuniting. However, Kurt had declined to appear in the planned concert, for reasons he later detailed in
a post on the band's official website
. The post also details his experiences behind the scenes of the production, and how they differ from the portrayals in the episode as broadcast.
The VH1 show was followed by a period of relative quiet, although Harland, Cassidy, and Robb gave two performances at a weekend music festival in
New York City
on August 20?21, 2005.
Oscillator
,
Synthesizer
, and
Modulator
releases (2005?2009)
[
edit
]
In 2006, it was announced that
Paul Robb
and
James Cassidy
had decided to reconvene Information Society without
Kurt Harland
's full participation in the recording process.
From Kurt:
Harland's absence in the studio line-up was cited as being due to family and work obligations. Harland ultimately contributed lead vocals to one track, "Seeds of Pain".
The new lineup included
Christopher Anton
as lead vocalist on
Oscillator
and
Synthesizer
and co-wrote several tracks on each including the title track of the latter. They were also joined by Sonja Myers who played additional keyboards and provided a return to female background vocals.
Christopher Anton
performed live as the lead singer for Information Society throughout 2006?2008, including shows in California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. By mid-2007, the band began to return to its original lineup of Harland, Cassidy, and Robb, who performed on July 21, 2007, at the Freestyle Reunion 2 Concert at Madison Square Garden. After the release of
Synthesizer
, the trio performed a series of concerts in
Philadelphia
,
Seattle
,
San Francisco
and
Austin
. The concert in Philadelphia was filmed for a forthcoming DVD.
On 19 March 2007, Information Society self-released an
EP
titled
Oscillator
, first as an Internet-only release ? their first commercial release in over six years. This EP was later released in CD format with an extra audio track and a bonus CD-ROM video track. It includes remixes by the Brazilian duo Kain & Arvy for "I Like The Way You Werk It" (only on CD version) and "Back In The Day" (on both releases). This was followed by a new album,
Synthesizer
which was released on October 9 in North America and October 5 in Europe on
Dancing Ferret Discs
. The album was released digitally in North America and Europe on September 4, 2007. Several live shows in the US followed the album's release.
Information Society commissioned chiptune/micromusic artist
8 Bit Weapon
to remix "I Like the Way You Werk It". 8 Bit Weapon remixed the song using both a
Commodore 64
computer and a
Game Boy
Classic handheld console. The remix was titled "I Like the Way You Werk It ? 8 Bit Weapon Remix". "I Like the Way You Werk It" was also remixed by LA-based indie promoter and electronica artist Jon Hershfield. The remix is titled "Werk It V.2." Both Robb and Anton have been guests on Hershfield's internet radio program Isgoodmusic.com.
Modulator
, an EP of remixes from
Synthesizer
, was released in digital-only format in September 2009. It was also included in its entirety on the "25 Years of Information Society" DVD released later that year. Notable remixers on the
Modulator
EP included Dave Aude and Tommie Sunshine.
Modulator
also included a live version of "Wrongful Death" and a brand new song, "Don't Touch The Devil" with Kurt on vocals.
Reformation of classic lineup and subsequent material (2009?present)
[
edit
]
In September 2014, Information Society released their first album of new material featuring the old Harland/Cassidy/Robb line-up since 1992,
Hello World
. Robb and Harland worked on this album throughout 2013 and the first half of 2014, as well as another project, still unannounced as of October 1, 2014.
[14]
This album, with Harland back at Lead vocals, brings the band closer to its classic sound, yet with a modern edge. Much like the Easter egg on the last track on
Peace and Love, Inc.
,
this album also has a secret track, when rendered using a spectrogram provides a URL and login credentials (now defunct) to 3 bonus tracks.
Information Society released the aforementioned project,
Orders of Magnitude
on March 11, 2016, again featuring the old Harland/Cassidy/Robb line-up. The album features numerous covers, including "Dominion" by
The Sisters of Mercy
, "Beautiful World" by
Devo
(Featuring
Gerald V. Casale
on vocals), and "Don't You Want Me" by
Human League
. Other Guest artists include
Vitamin C
,
Ayria
, and
Leila Mack
.
The single "Nothing Prevails" was released on the Tommy Boy Records label on June 29, 2018. Two versions were made available: one with vocals in English, and one with vocals in German. A video was also released, featuring mostly still art but with some slight animation.
The singles "World Enough" and "Bennington" were released on the Tommy Boy Records label on January 11 and May 17, 2019 respectively.
In August 2021 the band released
ODDfellows
, their eighth album, in both a standard mix and in THX Spatial Audio, optimized for headphones.
[15]
Side projects
[
edit
]
Information Society's members
Kurt Harland
and Murat Konar's brother Mithat collaborated under the name A.K.A. They recorded two songs ("Cruel Lovin'" sung by Mithat, and "All You Ever Told Were Lies" sung by Harland) that were produced by Harland.
Band members
[
edit
]
Information Society is a musical collective which has been recording and performing since 1982.
[16]
[17]
[18]
Current members
- Paul Robb
? keyboards, percussion
(1982?1993, 2004?present)
- Kurt Harland
? vocals, keyboards, percussion
(1982?1999, 2008?present)
- James Cassidy
? bass guitar, vocals
(1983?1993, 2004?present)
Session/touring members
- Christopher Anton
? vocals
(2004?2008)
- VJ Falcotronik ? video producer
(2008?present)
- Michael Wimer ? percussion
(2008?present)
Former recording members
- Pamela Tzara/Brustman ? keyboards, percussion
(1982?1983)
- Kristin (Kaerlin) Leader ? keyboards
(1983)
- Murat Konar ? vocals
(1984?1985)
- Amanda Kramer
? keyboards, percussion
(1986?1988)
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Former touring members
- Heather LeFay ? keyboards
(1982)
- Shawntelle Martin ?
(1984)
- Belinda Beasley ?
(1984)
- Chris Little ? keyboards
(1984?1985)
- Lisa Tonra ? keyboards
(1984?1985)
- Mithat Konar ? keyboards
(1985)
- Sally Venue-Berg ? percussion
(1988?1989)
[19]
(died 2015)
[20]
- Ed Potokar ? percussion
(1989?1991, 2007)
[21]
- Ed Wozniak ? percussion
(1991?1994)
- Sherry Heart ? percussion
(1991)
- Will Loconto
? keyboards
(1992?1996)
- Kristoffer Larson ? percussion
(1993?1996)
- Liam Hart ? trumpet
(1994?1996)
[22]
- Maria Nocera
? backing vocals, keyboards
(1989?1991)
- Sonja Myers ? percussion
(2007)
[23]
- Jon Siren
? percussion
(2014)
|
Timeline
[
edit
]
Discography
[
edit
]
Articles and reviews
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Johnny Loftus.
"Best of Information Society"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
19 July
2022
.
- ^
"Kurt Larson of Information Society Talks Trek Cruise II"
.
Star Trek
. 25 July 2023.
- ^
"The Stars"
.
First Avenue & 7th Street Entry
. Archived from
the original
on 2020-04-18
. Retrieved
2020-05-10
.
- ^
Bream, Jon (2019-05-03).
"10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show"
.
Star Tribune
. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
. Retrieved
2020-05-10
.
- ^
Marsh, Steve (2019-05-13).
"First Avenue's Star Wall"
.
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
. Retrieved
2020-05-10
.
- ^
"Minnesota Historical Society | Minneapolis Music Collection | Band Histories"
.
Mnhs.org
. Retrieved
January 22,
2020
.
- ^
"The Official Information Society (InSoc) site"
. July 8, 2007. Archived from
the original
on July 8, 2007
. Retrieved
January 22,
2020
.
- ^
Belter, Matthew (21 July 2021).
"Paul Robb of Information Society, the TVD Interview"
.
The Vinyl District
. Retrieved
20 August
2022
.
- ^
[1]
[
dead link
]
- ^
[2]
[
dead link
]
- ^
[3]
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Sean Rowley"
.
Variety.com
. 17 November 1992
. Retrieved
13 September
2019
.
- ^
"Google Groups"
.
Groups.google.com
. Retrieved
2017-12-03
.
- ^
"Minnesota-bred Information Society's still making music ? on its own terms"
.
Twin Cities
. 2015-04-15
. Retrieved
2024-03-19
.
- ^
"Information Society's
Oddfellows
is a creative marvel"
.
PopMatters
. 16 August 2021
. Retrieved
2021-09-30
.
- ^
"The Official Information Society (InSoc) site"
.
www.insoc.org
. Archived from
the original
on October 13, 2006.
- ^
"Information Society FAQ v2.0"
.
Music.hyperreal.org
. Retrieved
January 22,
2020
.
- ^
"Information Society Discography v3.1"
.
Music.hyperreal.org
. Retrieved
January 22,
2020
.
- ^
"InSoc vs. TV!"
. December 30, 2007. Archived from
the original
on December 30, 2007
. Retrieved
January 22,
2020
.
- ^
@InSoc (5 June 2015).
"RIP, Sally Venue Berg"
(
Tweet
) – via
Twitter
.
- ^
"Information Society ? Kurt Harland Interviews Ed Potokar"
.
YouTube
.
Archived
from the original on 2021-12-12
. Retrieved
January 22,
2020
.
- ^
"Correio do Povo"
(PDF)
.
Hemeroteca.ciasc.sc.gov.br
. Retrieved
January 22,
2020
.
- ^
"New Information Society Revealed"
. Archived from
the original
on 2014-07-14.
External links
[
edit
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Studio albums
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Compilations
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Extended plays
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Singles
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Related
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International
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National
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Artists
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