Re-Flex
Encyclopedia
Re-Flex were a British
New Wave
/synthpop
band
active from 1981 to 1985. They are most often recognized for their hit
, "The Politics of Dancing
", the title track from their debut LP, as well as the singles "Hurt", "Hitline", "Couldn't Stand A Day", "Praying to the Beat", and "Sensitive".
and lead guitar
and Paul Fishman on keyboards
and backing vocals. The band's earliest line-ups also included Francois Craig on bass
and vocals
, John Hodges on guitar
, and two successive drummers: Phil Gould
and Mark King
, both of Level 42
fame. Following King's exit, Roland Vaughn Kerridge took over on drums
and later, after Craig's departure, musician Thomas Dolby
introduced the band to ex-Gloria Mundi
bass
player Nigel Ross-Scott, thus completing Re-Flex's final and perhaps best-known line-up.
In late 1982, the band recorded their debut album, The Politics of Dancing, which was released in 1983 through EMI
. The album, produced by John Punter of Roxy Music
fame, was a moderate success, charting at #53 in the United States
, #58 in Germany and #34 in New Zealand. The album was later re-released in 1993, in CD
format for the first time, by One Way Records.
, released as a single in late 1983, was met with much greater success, and became a big international hit in 1984, reaching the Top 40 (and in some cases the Top 20) in numerous countries : #24 in the United States
and #8 in the U.S. dance chart
, #28 in the UK (with a chart run of 9 weeks), #9 in Canada
(with a chart run of 9 weeks in the Canadian Top 30), #25 in West Germany
, #11 in Australia, #12 in New Zealand, and was also a success in Switzerland
, South Africa
, Israel
, the Netherlands
, Spain
, and Italy
. Five other singles were released from the album and achieved various international success. The band toured Europe
and the United States
, where, on their first visit, they supported The Police
.
""The Politics of Dancing
" was featured in the 1985 film Red, and the 1998 film, Edge of Seventeen
, and to this day can also be found on numerous compilation albums of 1980s hit singles. Re-Flex also recorded the song "Cut It" for the soundtrack
to the 1984 film Breakin'
which was released by Polydor Records
.
, featured Sting on backing vocals
. Despite positive response, the record was pulled by EMI and deemed too political by the US company. Soon after, the band left EMI. Demo
versions of the Humanication album were leaked out although it was never officially released.
Re-Flex continued to record together, working on a new project entitled Jamming The Broadcast. During this period the band also recorded two tracks, "Life's Too Dangerous" and "Revolution Now", for the soundtrack to the 1987 film Superman IV
. After recording was completed, the group ceased actively working together, but never officially disbanded.
On 18 September 2010 at 20.00 GMT, a website entitled 'CONNECT', was launched to promote these releases. The website was developed by Paul Fishman's company, PFL-UK, and has been designed around an infinite 3D environment.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
/synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
active from 1981 to 1985. They are most often recognized for their hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "The Politics of Dancing
The Politics of Dancing (song)
"The Politics of Dancing" is a hit song by the British New Wave/synthpop band Re-Flex, released in 1983 . It is the title track of their only released album in the 1980s. There were 12" extended versions of the song released, as well as the 7" single and the album version...
", the title track from their debut LP, as well as the singles "Hurt", "Hitline", "Couldn't Stand A Day", "Praying to the Beat", and "Sensitive".
Biography
Re-Flex were formed in the early 1980s by musicians John Baxter on vocalsHuman voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
and lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and Paul Fishman on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and backing vocals. The band's earliest line-ups also included Francois Craig on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
, John Hodges on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and two successive drummers: Phil Gould
Phil Gould (musician)
Philip Gabriel Gould, also known as Phil Gould is a British professional drummer, song writer, and singer from the Isle of Wight in southern England...
and Mark King
Mark King (musician)
Mark King is an English musician. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist of the band, Level 42. In the early 1980s King popularized the 1970s-era slap and pop style for playing the bass guitar by incorporating it into pop music.-Early life:King was brought up on the Isle of Wight,...
, both of Level 42
Level 42
Level 42 are an English pop rock and jazz-funk band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...
fame. Following King's exit, Roland Vaughn Kerridge took over on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and later, after Craig's departure, musician Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby is an English musician and producer. Best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", he has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician.-Early life:Dolby was born in London, England, contrary to information in early 1980s...
introduced the band to ex-Gloria Mundi
Gloria Mundi
Gloria Mundi was an early punk rock/gothic rock band. The name comes from the Latin for the glory of the world. This could be a reference to the phrase "Sic transit gloria mundi" meaning "this is how the glory of the world passes"....
bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player Nigel Ross-Scott, thus completing Re-Flex's final and perhaps best-known line-up.
In late 1982, the band recorded their debut album, The Politics of Dancing, which was released in 1983 through EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. The album, produced by John Punter of Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
fame, was a moderate success, charting at #53 in the United States
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, #58 in Germany and #34 in New Zealand. The album was later re-released in 1993, in CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
format for the first time, by One Way Records.
International success
The album's title trackThe Politics of Dancing (song)
"The Politics of Dancing" is a hit song by the British New Wave/synthpop band Re-Flex, released in 1983 . It is the title track of their only released album in the 1980s. There were 12" extended versions of the song released, as well as the 7" single and the album version...
, released as a single in late 1983, was met with much greater success, and became a big international hit in 1984, reaching the Top 40 (and in some cases the Top 20) in numerous countries : #24 in the United States
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #8 in the U.S. dance chart
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
, #28 in the UK (with a chart run of 9 weeks), #9 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(with a chart run of 9 weeks in the Canadian Top 30), #25 in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, #11 in Australia, #12 in New Zealand, and was also a success in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Five other singles were released from the album and achieved various international success. The band toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where, on their first visit, they supported The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
.
""The Politics of Dancing
The Politics of Dancing (song)
"The Politics of Dancing" is a hit song by the British New Wave/synthpop band Re-Flex, released in 1983 . It is the title track of their only released album in the 1980s. There were 12" extended versions of the song released, as well as the 7" single and the album version...
" was featured in the 1985 film Red, and the 1998 film, Edge of Seventeen
Edge of Seventeen (film)
Edge of Seventeen is a 1998 coming of age romantic comedy-drama film directed by David Moreton, written by Moreton and Todd Stephens, starring Chris Stafford, and co-starring Tina Holmes and Andersen Gabrych.-Plot:...
, and to this day can also be found on numerous compilation albums of 1980s hit singles. Re-Flex also recorded the song "Cut It" for the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the 1984 film Breakin'
Breakin'
Breakin', released as Breakdance: The Movie in some countries, is a 1984 breakdancing-themed film directed by Joel Silberg. The film setting was inspired by a German documentary entitled Breakin' and Enterin set in the Los Angeles multi-racial hip hop club Radiotron, based out of Macarthur Park in...
which was released by Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
.
End of the story
Recorded in late 1984 and planned for a release in February 1985, Humanication was to be Re-Flex's follow-up album. The only single released from the album, "How Much Longer" (a minor hit in Germany), on the topic of environmentalismEnvironmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, featured Sting on backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
. Despite positive response, the record was pulled by EMI and deemed too political by the US company. Soon after, the band left EMI. Demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
versions of the Humanication album were leaked out although it was never officially released.
Re-Flex continued to record together, working on a new project entitled Jamming The Broadcast. During this period the band also recorded two tracks, "Life's Too Dangerous" and "Revolution Now", for the soundtrack to the 1987 film Superman IV
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is a 1987 superhero film directed by Sidney J. Furie. It is the fourth film in the Superman film series and the last installment to star Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel. It is the first film in the series not to be produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind, but...
. After recording was completed, the group ceased actively working together, but never officially disbanded.
Recent events
In mid-September 2010, Re-Flex released a 6 CD box set put together by Paul Fishman, entitled 'Re-Fuse'. The set includes a remastered version of The Politics of Dancing and five CDs of other previously unreleased material (including Humanication) which pre- and post-dates 'Politics'.On 18 September 2010 at 20.00 GMT, a website entitled 'CONNECT', was launched to promote these releases. The website was developed by Paul Fishman's company, PFL-UK, and has been designed around an infinite 3D environment.
Albums
- The Politics of Dancing (1983) U.S. #53, West Germany #58, New Zealand #34 (reissued 18 September 2010)
- Movement of the Action-Fraction - 18 September 2010
- Humanication - (originally planned for February 1985) 18 September 2010
- Music Re-Action - 18 September 2010
- Jamming the Broadcast - 18 September 2010
- Re-Fuse - 18 September 2010
- Re-Fuse Box Set - 18 September 2010 (includes Movement of the Action-Fraction , The Politics of Dancing, Humanication, Music Re-Action, Jamming the Broadcast and the exclusive Re-Fuse CD)
Singles
- "The Politics of DancingThe Politics of Dancing (song)"The Politics of Dancing" is a hit song by the British New Wave/synthpop band Re-Flex, released in 1983 . It is the title track of their only released album in the 1980s. There were 12" extended versions of the song released, as well as the 7" single and the album version...
" (1983) UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#28, U.S. #24, Canada #9, South Africa #19, Switzerland #28, West Germany #25, Australia #11, New Zealand #12, Netherlands #43 - "Hurt" (1983) US #82
- "Couldn't Stand A Day" (1984) UK #97
- "Hitline" (1983)
- "Praying To The Beat" (1984) UK #95, NZ #50
- "Sensitive" (1984)
- "How Much Longer" (1985) West Germany #59