Los Angeles: Industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle released just a handful of singles throughout their lifetime, and while not one of them escaped the lower reaches of the UK independent charts, nevertheless they all were staples of the UK club scene in the early 1980s. And none so much as “Discipline,” recorded live in late 1980, and released on 12-inch single the following year.
Even among those people who found Throbbing Gristle’s music unlistenable, "Discipline" was as irresistible as it was inescapable, close to 10 minutes of electro-percussive chant that was both utterly divorced from anything else on the turntables at the time, and wholly representative of the direction in which dance music was headed. Catch the band live, and it could sometimes stretch to 30 minutes
“Discipline” lived on, too. Marc Almond and Friends recorded it for a giveaway flexidisc single with Flexipop magazine; and performed it live, as well. On at least one occasion, an extended version of "Discipline" devoured his entire live set.
“Dr Mabuse” hitmakers Propaganda recorded a version during early sessions for their 1985 A Secret Wish album; Boyd Rice’s NON alias covered it for a Throbbing Gristle tribute album.
It was elsewhere, however, that “Discipline” made its greatest impact, as it slipped into the playlist on the gay club circuit, and remained there for years to come - a tribute, of course, to TG founder Genesis P Orridge, but an acknowledgement, too, of the subversive sexuality that was the song’s deepest message.
Thus, when Leæther Strip mainman Claus Larsen was gathering favorites for the latest, ninth, volume in his Æppreciation series of covers, “Discipline” - released as a single today - was a total shoo-in.
SINGLE: https://orcd.co/ls_discipline
Claus explains, “With this edition of my Æppreciation series, I wanted to pay tribute to some of my favorite LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ+ friendly artists and songs. They have all been a huge inspiration for me and shown me that there was a place for me to express myself with my own songs.”
Tracks originally recorded by Man 2 Man (“Male Stripper”), Peaches (“I U She”), Chris & Cosey (“Sin”),, Coil (“Heaven’s Blade”) and Boytronic (“Trigger Track”) illustrate the sheer depth of this collection, as Claus is swift to point out.
“The whole industrial/electronic genre has from the very beginning been represented by the Queer community in a big way, so I feel it time to wave the flag for these amazing artists.”
That his selection here delves deeper into period club culture than any of the preceding volumes only adds weight to its assertion - particularly in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the era most heavily represented on the album, the burgeoning industrial scene was one of the truly “safe spaces” around.
Clubs like The Church in Dallas, TX (subject of the Cleopatra DVD/bluray Dark Sanctuary: The Story Of The Church), Heaven in London, Snax in Berlin and the Limelight in New York remain legends for precisely that reason and, placing Appreciation IX on either the turntable or the CD deck is like walking into any of those clubs, or the myriad others that operated at the time, and knowing there was nothing to fear.
Releasing on July 24 on both CD and startling black/red splatter vinyl, Æppreciation IX is an exquisite addition to what long ago proved itself to be one of the most intriguing, and alluring, series of covers albums ever conceived; it is certain, too, to awaken fresh interest in its eight predecessors - an unbreakable bloc that shines an affectionate, yet wholly unique light upon some of the greatest music of the eighties and nineties. All are available now from Cleopatra Records.
CD/VINYL: https://cleorecs.com/search?q=leaether+strip+ix
DIGITAL: https://orcd.co/leatherstrip_appreciationix
Track listing
Sin
Dark Allies
Male Stripper
Sulk
Run From Love
I U She
Discipline
Heaven’s Blade
Trigger Track
Joy
