experimental music
Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...
group formed by musician Gary Mundy in 1982. The current line-up of the band includes Gary Mundy, Anthony di Franco and Stuart Dennison. Originally a part of the English
power electronics
Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power.
The first high-power electronic devices were made using mercury-arc valves. In modern systems, the conversion is performed with semiconducto ...
and industrial music scene in early 1980s, Ramleh experimented with a more traditional rock format in their later releases.
History
The group was formed by Mundy in 1982 as a part of the power electronics scene in early 1980s, which included artists such as
Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to:
People
* Charles S. Whitehouse (1921-2001), American diplomat
* Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor
* E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883-1965), American diplomat
* Elliott Whitehouse (born 1993) ...
and Sutcliffe Jügend. The band's ''21/5/62/82'' cassette was released in 1982 and was titled as a reference to the execution of Nazi war criminal
Adolf Eichmann
Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ,"Eichmann" '' Ramleh recorded four more cassette releases in 1982: ''Onslaught'', ''Live to Theresienstadt'', ''Live New Force'', and ''Live Phenol''. ''Live McCarthy'', ''Live at Moden Tower 12/10/1983'', and ''Live at Prossneck 1/10/83'', A Return to Slavery and The Hand of Glory EPs were added to the band's catalogue in 1983. This was followed by a string of cassette releases in 1983. Although Ramleh disbanded in 1984, Mundy's own record label Broken Flag continued releasing Ramleh material.
After releasing ''Hole in the Heart'' cassette and a few records under the Ramleh alias in 1987, Mundy reformed the band in 1989 with
Philip Best
Philip Neil Best (born 15 June 1968) is an English industrial musician, visual artist, and author. A pioneer of power electronics, he formed the band Consumer Electronics in 1982 at age 14.
Best joined the group Whitehouse, in 1983. After a nin ...
. The reunion was followed by ''Grudge for Life'' LP in 1989. Inspired by Mundy's
experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...
band Skullflower, the band began to incorporate rock influences in their records, starting with ''Blowhole'' in 1991. After releasing ''Caught From Behind'', a split with Italian artist M.T.T, and ''Crystal Revenge'', the band added Skullflower members Anthony di Franco on bass and Stuart Dennison on drums to its line-up. The new line-up released ''Homeless'' in 1994. The band continued releasing rock records in late 1990s, which included ''Adieu, All You Judges'' and '' Be Careful What You Wish For'' in 1995, and ''Works III'' in 1996. After releasing ''Boeing'', Mundy disbanded Ramleh for the second time.
In 2009, Mundy and di Franco reformed Ramleh with drummer Martyn Watts. In that year, the band also returned to its original power electronics aesthetics with ''Valediction'' LP, although Mundy states that the band will be performing in both rock and
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
genres. In 2015, Stuart Dennison returned to drum with Ramleh and played on the US west coast tour in January 2016.
Musical style and imagery
Early recordings of Ramleh were labeled as power electronics and noise music. Nevertheless, in the 1990s, the band started to experiment with more traditional rock music structures. The band's more traditional works were commonly labeled as "
noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extrem ...
." Frances Morgan of
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quietu ...
described the band’s music during this era as "a brutal, abject strand of dark
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
," while albums such as ''Works III'' and ''Boeing'' were labeled as "heavy psych-noise rock." Skullflower and
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...
were influences on these works. Ramleh's first album after the 2009 reunion expressed a revival of the band's original power electronics genre and was compared to the works of Japanese noise musician
Merzbow
is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists.
The name Merzbow comes from the German dada ...
, while the band retained its rock music instrumentation during this era, performing on both genres.
In its early days, Ramleh flirted with
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
and
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
imagery for its shock value, like other bands in the industrial music scene. Nevertheless, Mundy and Best since discontinued this practice and disavowed it, denying any affiliations with hate groups.
Band members
;Current members
* Gary Mundy – vocals, guitar, keyboards, electronics (1982–1984, 1987, 1989–1997, 2009–present)
* Anthony di Franco – bass, keyboards, electronics, vocals (1993–1997, 2009–present)
* Stuart Dennison – drums (1993–1997, 2015–present)
* Martyn Watts – drums (2009–present)
;Past members
* Bob Strudwick – vocals, bass, electronics (1982–1983)
* Jerome Clegg – vocals, electronics (1983–1984)
* Stefan Jaworzyn – guitar (1988)
* Matthew Bower – guitar, electronics (1987–1988)
*
Philip Best
Philip Neil Best (born 15 June 1968) is an English industrial musician, visual artist, and author. A pioneer of power electronics, he formed the band Consumer Electronics in 1982 at age 14.
Best joined the group Whitehouse, in 1983. After a nin ...
– vocals, keyboards, electronics (1989–1997, 2019)
* Stuart Rossiter – second guitar (1994–1995)
* Sarah Froelich – keyboards, electronics (2019)
Discography
;Studio albums and LPs
*'' A Return To Slavery'' (1983, Broken Flag)
*'' Grudge For Life'' (1989, Vis-A-Vis)
*''Blowhole'' (1991, Shock)
*''
Caught From Behind
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground.
If the ball ...
'' (1990, Minus Habens)
*'' Crystal Revenge/Paid In Full'' (split LP with Mtt) (1991, Minus Habens)
*''Shooters Hill'' (1992, Shock)
*''Homeless'' (1994, Freek Records)
*'' Adieu, All You Judges'' (with Skullflower) (1995, Broken Flag)
*'' Be Careful What You Wish For'' (1995, Sympathy For The Record Industry)
*'' Works III'' (1996, Dirter Promotions)
*''Boeing'' (1997, Majora)
*'' Too Many Miles'' (2002, Dirter Productions)
*''Valediction'' (2009, Broken Flag)
*'' Live Valediction'' (2013, Broken Flag)
*''Circular Time'' (2015, Crucial Blast)
*''The Great Unlearning'' (2019, Entropy)
;Cassette releases
*''Onslaught'' (1982, Iphar)
*''31/5/62/82'' (1982, Broken Flag)
*''Live To Theresienstadt'' (1982, Broken Flag)
*''Live New Force'' (1982, Broken Flag)
*''Live Phenol'' (1982, Broken Flag)
*''Live Prossneck, 1/10/83'' (1983, Broken Flag)
*''Live At Moden Tower, 12/10/983'' (1983, Broken Flag)
*''Live Mccarthy'' (1983, Broken Flag)
*''104 Weeks'' (1984, Broken Flag)
*''As I Have Won'' (1984, Broken Flag)
*''Awake!'' (1985, Broken Flag)
*''Nerve'' (split with Ani-Tow) (1986, Broken Flag)
*''Hole in the Heart'' (1987, Broken Flag)
*''Pumping'' (1987, Broken Flag)
*''Tomorrow We Live'' (split with Irritant) (Sound of Pig Music)
*''A Penis Tense Not Penitence'' (split with Nails Ov Christ) (Strength Through Awareness)
*''Soundcheck Changeling'' (1994, Broken Flag)
*''Airborne Babel'' (1995, Broken Flag)
*''Live 1983'' (1995, Broken Flag)
;EPs and singles
*''The Hand of Glory EP'' (1983, Broken Flag)
*"Slammers/Black Moby Dick" (1990, Shock)
*"Loser Patrol/Tracers" (1992, Dying Earth)
*"Say Fuck/Slack Jaw" (1993, Dying Earth)
*"8 Ball Corner Pocket/Trapped Aircraft" (1993, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
*"Welcome/Pris" (1994, Broken Flag)
*"Dicey Opera/Night Hair Child" (1995, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
*"Switch Hitter/The Machines of Infinite Joy" (2009, Black Rose Recordings)
*''Guidelines EP'' (2011, Broken Flag)
;Compilations
*''We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol. I'' (1995, Pure)
*''We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol. II'' (1995, Pure)
*''We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol. III'' (1995, Pure)