Minny Pops is a Dutch, Amsterdam-based new wave/electronic/art punk band, associated with the

Ultra adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by breaking high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park ...

post-punk movement in the Netherlands and the

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Durutt ...

label in the UK.

History

The vocalist/songwriter/programmer Wally van Middendorp formed the band in 1978, taking the name from a primitive

Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, t ...

drum machine, the Mini Pops. Minny Pops, which van Middendorp originally intended to be a project for just three performances, had an initial lineup of van Middendorp, bass guitarist Frans Hagenaars, guitarist Peter Mertens, and two dancers, including van Middendorp's older brother, Rob. The band's first commercially released recording was the "Kojak" singleKellman, Andy
"The Minny Pops Biography"
AllMusic, retrieved 17 July 2011 (b/w "Footsteps" and "Nervous") (Plurex 005), issued in 1979 on Plurex, the independent label founded by van Middendorp in 1978. Minny Pops' first full-length album, ''Drastic Measures, Drastic Movement'' (Plurex 900) was released in 1979. After opening for

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after att ...

in Eindhoven and Den Haag in January 1980, the band was brought to the attention of Factory Records by Rob Gretton, Joy Division's manager. Minny Pops' first single for Factory, "Dolphin's Spurt"/"Goddess" (FAC 31) was produced by Martin Hannett and recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport. It reached number 23 in the UK Independent Chart.Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 149 Further releases for the label included the single "Secret Story"/"Island" (FAC 57), the flexi single "Een Kus" (FACBN 13 - later reissued as 7" vinyl on

LTM Recordings LTM Recordings (originally les temps modernes) is a British independent record label founded in 1983, and best known for reissues of artists and music from 1978 to the present day, as well as modern classical and avant-garde composition. The la ...

with "Son" on the B-side), the single "Time"/"Lights" (FBN 11) and the full-length album (FACBN 15), which was released by Factory Benelux in 1982. ''

Sparks in a Dark Room ''Sparks in a Dark Room'' is the second studio album by Dutch experimental electronic post-punk/ ultra band Minny Pops. After signing to Factory Benelux in 1982 following their "noisy" and "goofy" debut album ''Different Measures, Drastic Movem ...

'' The band's first live appearance in England was at the Beach Club, a Manchester venue associated with Factory. They went on to share further bills with Joy Division and, after

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums '' Unknown ...

' death, New Order, as well as appearing with

A Certain Ratio A Certain Ratio (abbreviated as ACR) are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 in Flixton, Greater Manchester by Peter Terrell (guitar, electronics) and Simon Topping (vocals, trumpet), with additional members Jez Kerr (bass, vocals), Martin ...

, Scritti Politti, the Au Pairs and

Comsat Angels The Comsat Angels were an English post-punk band from Sheffield, England, initially active from 1978 to 1995. Their music has been described as "abstract pop songs with sparse instrumentation, many of which were bleak and filled with some form ...

. In 1980, Minny Pops undertook a seven-date North American tour during which they played with

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

in New York. Curiously, the original line-up of Minny Pops never performed live in Brussels, despite their close association with the Factory Benelux label, based in that city. In 1980, they became the first Dutch band to be invited to record a

Peel session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

for BBC Radio. A line-up of van Middendorp, Dekker, van Zoeren and Walhof recorded "Dolphin's Spurt", "Mono", "Jets" and "Ice Cube Wall"; the session was broadcast on 12 November 1980. Minny Pops' final live performances were in December 1981. Van Middendorp and Dekker subsequently recorded two dance singles for Factory under the name Streetlife. Between 2003 and 2004, the bulk of the Minny Pops studio back catalogue was issued on remastered CD by LTM. In November 2011, van Middendorp told an interviewer with the Dutch national public broadcaster

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more so ...

's ''3Voor12'' programme that Minny Pops would perform their first gigs in 30 years in early 2012, and that a live CD/DVD package, ''Standstill to Motion'',Raggett, Ned
"
AllMusic, retrieved 28 February 2012 would appear via LTM in January 2012.
/ref> In 2012, the band (original members van Middendorp, Dekker and Mulder, with guitarist Mark Ritsema) performed to some acclaim in Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and London.Robinson, John
Guardian Guide Live Picks
''The Guardian'', retrieved 28 February 2012 This lineup, augmented by programmer/keyboard player Thomas Myrmel, also recorded a double A-sided 7" single, "Waiting for This To Happen" / "Glistering", for Tim Burgess (artist), Tim Burgess' label O-Genesis, which was released in November 2012. During the course of 2012, Minny Pops also performed in Brussels and participated in live multimedia events in the Netherlands organised by the revived Ultra group. A recording of a complete live performance at the Melkweg in Amsterdam on 7 April 2012 was included as a bonus disc with the 2014 reissue of ''Sparks in a Dark Room'' via Factory Benelux. As of 2014, they are back performing and have played in the UK.

Discography

Studio albums *''Drastic Measures, Drastic Movement'' (1979), Plurex; (re-released 2004, LTMCD 2384, LTM) *''

'' (1982), Factory Benelux; (re-released 2003, LTMCD 2351, LTM and 2014, FBN 15 CD, Factory Benelux) Compilation album *''Secret Stories'' (2003), LTMCD 2353, LTM Live album *''Standstill to Motion'' (2012), LTMCD 2566, LTM - CD/DVD package of live album from Melkweg show on 19 March 1981 (DVD features original source footage from various shows in USA and Europe).

References

External links

Official Minny Pops websiteMinny Pops on MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minny Pops Dutch new wave musical groups Dutch art rock groups Dutch post-punk music groups Dutch experimental rock groups Cold wave groups Factory Records artists Factory Benelux artists Musical groups established in 1978

History

Discography

References

Further reading

In English

In Dutch

External links