Cindytalk
Encyclopedia
Cindytalk is an experimental music group fronted by Gordon Sharp
Gordon Sharp
Gordon Sharp is a Scottish singer, musician and producer who has led several music projects over the last 33 years.-Biography:...

, a Scottish performer who has been the only constant member since its inception in 1982.

History

Cindytalk was formed in 1982 by Gordon Sharp
Gordon Sharp
Gordon Sharp is a Scottish singer, musician and producer who has led several music projects over the last 33 years.-Biography:...

 (Vocals) and David Clancy (Guitar, Keyboards) from the ashes of Edinburgh based punk/new wave band The Freeze
The Freeze (UK)
The Freeze was an Edinburgh punk band that lasted from 1976–1981. Wanting to do something darker and noisier, Gordon Sharp and David Clancy took ideas from The Freeze to a greater extreme; the result was the formation of Cindytalk in 1982.-History:...

.The Freeze (1976–1982) released two 7 inch singles, recorded two John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

 sessions and played extensively around the UK supporting many big name bands of the time.

After re-locating to London in 1982, Cindytalk began to work towards their debut album Camouflage Heart
Camouflage Heart
Camouflage Heart is the 1984 album from Cindytalk released by Midnight Music. There are two versions of the LP: the first copy has the "figure in the woods" image on the cover and comes with a lyric sheet; the other version has a picture sleeve and the originally intended cover of Gordon Sharp...

, with a newer, darker and more fractured sound that drew much from post-punk and early European industrial music. In 1983 Sharp and Clancy were joined by John Byrne who proved to be a crucial component in Cindytalk's deliberately disintegrating sound.

Also in 1983 Sharp recorded a John Peel session with fellow Scots Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...

 (contributing to "Hazel" and "Dear Heart", available on some versions of Garlands
Garlands
For other uses, see Garland Garlands is the 1982 debut album of Cocteau Twins. It is the only album with original bassist Will Heggie.-Track listing:#"Blood Bitch" – 4:34#"Wax and Wane" – 4:04#"But I'm Not" – 2:45...

 as well as BBC Sessions) which led to a meeting with 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...

 founder Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the English indie record label 4AD. He has also produced several records, himself preferring to use the term "musical director" to explain his role in the creation....

 who invited him to appear on This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...

's 1983 debut EP Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust
Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust
Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust in an EP released by This Mortal Coil, a supergroup on the 4AD label, headed up by label founder and president Ivo Watts-Russell. It was released in 1983, after Ivo had tried to convince Modern English to record a medley of "Sixteen Days" and "Gathering Dust," two of...

. He was also one of three featured singers on the debut This Mortal Coil album It'll End in Tears
It'll End in Tears
It'll End in Tears was an album released in 1984 by 4AD using the name This Mortal Coil as an umbrella title for a loose grouping of guest musicians and vocalists brought together by label boss Ivo Watts-Russell. When released in late 1984, the album reached #38 on the UK Albums Chart...

(1984), contributing vocals to "Kangaroo" (which was released as a single and became an instant indie hit), "Fond Affections" and "A Single Wish".

Simultaneous to that release, Camouflage Heart also appeared to some critical acclaim in the UK music press. Shortly after Camouflage Heart David Clancy left the band and was replaced by brother/sister team Alex and Debbie Wright. The colossal In This World
In This World (album)
In This World is the 1988 album from Cindytalk released by Midnight Music. Released as two different LPs under the same name. The CD contains all the tracks from both LPs in order. The LPs and the CD all feature different covers from the same image series. "Janey's Love" features an uncredited...

was recorded over the next three years ... two albums of the same name released simultaneously, featuring cover art by Kathy Patterson. The first of the albums, a broken and noisy affair, the second, an album of creaky ambience featuring Sharp's improvised piano experiments. In This World also featured an uncredited collaboration with feminist punk writer Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...

 (Janey's Love).

During this period Cindytalk had begun working in tandem with performance artist and film maker Ivan Unwin, providing sound for some of his short pieces. This led Cindytalk to scoring Unwins' "Eclipse: An Amateur Enthusiasts Guide to Virus Deployment", the record of which was released on Midnight Music in 1990 under the title The Wind Is Strong...
The Wind Is Strong...
The Wind Is Strong... is the 1990 album from Cindytalk released by Midnight Music. From the sleeve notes: 'A Cindytalk diversion: Originally recorded as a soundtrack for the film "Eclipse".' Eclipse has never been officially released...

, the album, following on from the second of the In This World albums, was based on piano improvisations and abstract/concrete experiments. At the time Sharp described it as "Ambi-dustrial" fusing his love of the early ambient releases on the EG
E.G. Records
E.G. Records was a UK-based artist management company and independent record label, mostly active during the 1970s and 1980s. The initials stand for its founders, David Enthoven and John Gaydon. The pair signed on as managers of King Crimson in early 1969, during the formative stage of the band and...

 label with the above-mentioned European Industrial music. Sharp was joined on this release by Ivan Unwin and long standing co-producer/engineer David Ros who became a more active member of the band at this time. Matt Kinnison and drummer/percussionist extraordinaire, Paul Middleton also provided sounds and ideas to this mix. Secrets And Falling
Secrets and Falling
Secrets And Falling is the 1991 EP from Cindytalk released by Midnight Music. "Empty Hand" differs slightly from the versions on Wappinschaw and the Sound From Hands compilation. Features images and samples from the film El Espiritu De La Colmena by Victor Erice. Midnight Music folded shortly...

, a 4-track e.p. culled from the Wappinschaw
Wappinschaw
Wappinschaw is the 1995 album from Cindytalk released by Touched Recordings. "The first time ever..." is a cover of a Ewan MacColl song. "Wheesht" includes a reading by Alasdair Gray from Lanark. "Traumlose Nächte" means "Dreamless Nights". On the CD, "Muster" is appended to "Hush" after about...

sessions was released in 1991. At this point the band had become more of a collective, drawing on musicians from the current line-up as well as the past, John Byrne returned and was joined by Kevin Rich and Darryl Moore (Soul Static Sound).

Midnight Music folded in 1992 and prevented the recently finished album Wappinschaw from being released until early 1995 (on Sharp's own label Touched, distributed through World Serpent). Wappinschaw features a collaboration with Scottish artist and writer Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray is a Scottish writer and artist. His most acclaimed work is his first novel Lanark, published in 1981 and written over a period of almost 30 years...

, who reads from his acclaimed novel "Lanark
Lanark (book)
Lanark, subtitled A Life in Four Books, is the first novel of Scottish writer Alasdair Gray. Written over a period of almost thirty years, it combines realist and dystopian fantasy depictions of his home city of Glasgow....

" (Wheesht). By 1993 Cindytalk had gone through more changes and were preparing to play live for the first time. Sharp, Middleton and Ros were joined by Paul Jones, Andie Brown, Mark Stephenson and Simon Carmichael to record and release 1994's "Muster"/"Prince Of Lies" 7 inch (Touched/World Serpent).

In early 1996, Cindytalk toured the US. They played two shows in Boston — one a "secret" show at the start of their tour under the name "Lucinder", and one at the end. In between, they played, Washington DC, Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, Portland OR, Seattle, Santa Clara, San Francsisco, Corona CA, Tempe AZ, Baton Rouge, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte NC and New York City. Bowery Electric
Bowery Electric
Bowery Electric was an American indie band formed in New York's East Village in 1992 by Lawrence Chandler and Martha Schwendener.-Music:Bowery Electric's music defies easy classification...

 and Trance to the Sun were opening acts at multiple dates.

Bambule

An electronic side-project, Bambule
Bambule
Bambule, a term of German prison sociolect, originally refers to a form of mostly non-violent prison protest, typically effected by banging hard items against the cells' metal bars. The term is derived from the African dance Bamboule or Bamboula....

, was started in 1994 by Sharp and Carmichael, inspired by underground techno parties such as Dead By Dawn and VFM. Carmichael left the band on the eve of Cindytalk's extensive US tour (1996) and by the time the first Bambule record was ready Carmichael had taken control of the project and it's connection to Cindytalk had receded. London's Praxis label released the 8-track vinyl double-pack (originally titled "Songs From The Motherbomb" ) as Cunning Meets Bambule (Praxis 19). Bambule followed this up in 2000 with a 4-track 12 inch called "Vertical Invasion" (Praxis 29) which featured Sharp alongside new Cindytalk cohort Richie Young, Tymothi Loving and Dale Lloyd & Stuart Arentzen from Seattle band Lucid (both Sharp and Young would also collaborate with Lucid's alter-ego After The Flood on tracks for the ATF2 release). The Vertical Invasion 12 inch also, included two remixes by Welsh electronic wizards Somatic Responses (as Photon Emissions). By this time Sharp had moved to the U.S. and had become involved with various techno collectives (ele_mental in Columbus, Ohio, Candlelight (with dj Deadly Buda) and Darkmatter Sound System in Los Angeles.As of 2010, Sharp still uses the Bambule moniker for dj'ing purposes, playing recently at parties in such disparate places as Edinburgh (at a Cindytalk event), Kobe (Japan), Cherbourg (France), London (at Hardcore event Antagony) and the Wroclaw Industrial Festival in Poland.

2003 until now

Realising that his involvement in soundsystem culture took him away from Cindytalk, Sharp got down to recording new music which resulted in 2003's Klang Galerie 7" release Transgender Warrior / Guts Of London
Transgender Warrior
"Transgender Warrior" is the 2003 7-inch single from Cindytalk released by Klang Galerie. It is a limited edition of 150 numbered copies. The cover drawing is by San Francisco based artist Lisa Onomoto....

 which saw Cindytalk move into even more abstract areas, taking a closer look at the rhythms, tones and melodies of noise. Sharp relocated to Japan in 2004 and has been working on various projects, including the recently released Cindytalk album The Crackle Of My Soul, a work of sound poetry which attempts to put the experiment at the centre of the idea, leaving any melodies to be found shimmering around the edges. In the summer of 2005 Cindytalk was invited to use tracks from "The Crackle Of My Soul" as musical score for the UK independent film "Madrigal" (Rabblewise Films). In summer 2006 and again based in London, Cindytalk started working on a new (band) album provisionally entitled "In A World Without Hope", the current line-up for this album is also in rehearsal for future live shows in and around Europe. In January 2007 Cindytalk signed a licensing deal with Italian distributors Abraxas through a sub-label Wheesht, who were to re-issue the entire back catalogue. However, this deal appears to have gone awry with Abraxas releasing the first two Cindytalk albums Camouflage Heart and In This World without complying with the contract. Legal action is being taken by Cindytalk. Sharps' own label touchedRAW is in the process of releasing two records; Cindytalk's FieryPlanetEyes and Matt Kinnison's Evenings Of Ordinary Sand.

The Indiana-based label BlueSanct released a Cindytalk 10 inch called Silver Shoals Of Light as part of their 10 year anniversary limited edition ART SINGLES club.

Matt Kinnison died from cancer on Wednesday 7 May 2008.

Vienna based label Editions Mego
Editions Mego
Editions Mego is a non-funded independent record label, founded 1 January 2006 by Peter RehbergIts aims are to maintain the back catalogue and legacy of the Mego label, as well as releasing new works.- Releases :...

 released the Cindytalk album The Crackle Of My Soul in November 2009 with the catalogue number eMEGO 097.A 10 inch vinyl split release in tandem with Robert Hampson
Robert Hampson
Robert Hampson is an English musician and composer, known primarily as a guitarist in the band Loop, which he co-founded in London in 1985 with his then girlfriend Becky Stewart . Loop recorded three albums, the last of which made the U.K...

 was released in early March 2010 featuring Cindytalk's Five Mountains Of Fire and Robert Hampson
Robert Hampson
Robert Hampson is an English musician and composer, known primarily as a guitarist in the band Loop, which he co-founded in London in 1985 with his then girlfriend Becky Stewart . Loop recorded three albums, the last of which made the U.K...

's Antarctica Ends Here with stunning sleeve design by Dave Coppenhall - eMEGO 105. Cindytalk's new album Up Here In The Clouds is due to be released on 30 August, again with sleeve art by Dave Coppenhall (eMEGO 106.) A vinyl double album provisionally entitled The Poetry Of Decay which collates both The Crackle Of My Soul and Up Here In The Clouds will also be released in early November 2010. Early 2011 will see the third album of the trilogy Hold Everything Dear released, also on Editions Mego
Editions Mego
Editions Mego is a non-funded independent record label, founded 1 January 2006 by Peter RehbergIts aims are to maintain the back catalogue and legacy of the Mego label, as well as releasing new works.- Releases :...

.In Spring 2011 Jacob Burns of Lata (and former bass player with Scottish band Damn Shames) has joined up with Cindytalk for a stint doing electronics.Cindytalk were invited by Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...

 of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...

 to play at the Meltdown Festival on London's Southbank (June 2011.)

Current Line-up

  • Gordon Sharp
    Gordon Sharp
    Gordon Sharp is a Scottish singer, musician and producer who has led several music projects over the last 33 years.-Biography:...

     - voice & electronics
  • Gary Jeff - bass & electronics
  • Daniel Knowler - guitar & electronics
  • Paul Middleton - drums & percussion
  • Jacob Burns - electronics

Discography

  • Camouflage Heart
    Camouflage Heart
    Camouflage Heart is the 1984 album from Cindytalk released by Midnight Music. There are two versions of the LP: the first copy has the "figure in the woods" image on the cover and comes with a lyric sheet; the other version has a picture sleeve and the originally intended cover of Gordon Sharp...

    (1984) (UK Indie
    UK Indie Chart
    The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...

     #22)
  • In This World
    In This World (album)
    In This World is the 1988 album from Cindytalk released by Midnight Music. Released as two different LPs under the same name. The CD contains all the tracks from both LPs in order. The LPs and the CD all feature different covers from the same image series. "Janey's Love" features an uncredited...

    (1988)
  • The Wind Is Strong...
    The Wind Is Strong...
    The Wind Is Strong... is the 1990 album from Cindytalk released by Midnight Music. From the sleeve notes: 'A Cindytalk diversion: Originally recorded as a soundtrack for the film "Eclipse".' Eclipse has never been officially released...

    (1990)
  • Secrets And Falling
    Secrets and Falling
    Secrets And Falling is the 1991 EP from Cindytalk released by Midnight Music. "Empty Hand" differs slightly from the versions on Wappinschaw and the Sound From Hands compilation. Features images and samples from the film El Espiritu De La Colmena by Victor Erice. Midnight Music folded shortly...

    (1991)
  • Prince Of Lies (1993)
  • Wappinschaw
    Wappinschaw
    Wappinschaw is the 1995 album from Cindytalk released by Touched Recordings. "The first time ever..." is a cover of a Ewan MacColl song. "Wheesht" includes a reading by Alasdair Gray from Lanark. "Traumlose Nächte" means "Dreamless Nights". On the CD, "Muster" is appended to "Hush" after about...

    (1995)
  • "FieryPlanetEyes" unreleased (1996–2002)
  • Transgender Warrior
    Transgender Warrior
    "Transgender Warrior" is the 2003 7-inch single from Cindytalk released by Klang Galerie. It is a limited edition of 150 numbered copies. The cover drawing is by San Francisco based artist Lisa Onomoto....

    (2003)
  • Silver Shoals Of Light (2008)
  • The Crackle Of My Soul (2009)
  • Five Mountains Of Fire (2010)
  • Up Here In The Clouds (2010)
  • The Poetry Of Decay (2010)

With Philippe Petit

  • Cindytalk & Philippe Petit (vinyl 12" / Lumberton Trading Co., Oct 2011)

Cindytalk Contributions

  • Playtime - Abstract Magazine Issue 5 LP on Sweatbox Records (1985)
  • Splinter And Move - Between Today And Tomorrow LP on Midnight Music (1986)
  • Empty Hand - Sound From Hands CD on Minus Habens Records (1992)
  • This Salt Heals All My Wounds - Dreaming Out Loud: Emigre Music Sampler No. 3 CD on Emigre
    Emigre
    Emigre, also known as Emigre Graphics, is a digital type foundry, publisher and distributor of graphic design centered information based in Berkeley, California, that was founded in 1984 by husband-and-wife team Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko. The type foundry also published Emigre magazine...

     (1994)
  • Sentinel - Extreme Electronics And Splintered Beats Mix CD on Darkmatter Soundsystem (2003)
  • Canto & Surrounded By Sky And The Stillness Of Time - Ruines & Vanités CD on Meidosem Records/Trinity Magazine (2007)
  • A Distant Kite - Twelve-Foot Wize CD on Bluesanct (2010)

External links

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