Spasmodique
Encyclopedia
Spasmodique was an underground rock band from Rotterdam
, The Netherlands from 1981 to 2005.
's popularity and existed somewhere near that genre's post-punk
fringes. They sang almost exclusively in English. Early demos reveal a sound not dissimilar to Joy Division
, including prominent basslines, baritone vocals, dark lyrical themes and minimalist guitar. Later in their career, their music was sometimes described as goth
. Their last album was more musically complex and had a hard rock edge, similar to the work of Billy Duffy
. Their musical influences also included The Swans and The Sound
.
, guitarist Arjo Hijmans, bassist Martin Doctors van Leeuwen and drummer Reinier Rietveld (formerly of Quando Quango
). They released a self-titled five-song ep in 1986. The same year, they recorded songs for an opera that were later released on their album North. In 1987 Spasmodique released their full-length debut From the Cellar of Roses and toured with Umberto di Bosso e Compadres. The next year they released another album with three new studio tracks and five live tracks, Start to Believe/Someone's Out There to Get You. In 1989 they finally debuted a single, "The Square", and released another full-length album, North. By the end of the decade, the band had grown more popular internationally, with growing audiences in Germany and Austria.
left the band, effectively ending Spasmodique.
has continued to record and perform with his new band Raskolnikov
.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, The Netherlands from 1981 to 2005.
Sound
Spasmodique formed at the height of New WaveNew 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...
's popularity and existed somewhere near that genre's post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
fringes. They sang almost exclusively in English. Early demos reveal a sound not dissimilar to Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
, including prominent basslines, baritone vocals, dark lyrical themes and minimalist guitar. Later in their career, their music was sometimes described as goth
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
. Their last album was more musically complex and had a hard rock edge, similar to the work of Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy
Billy Duffy is an English guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist in The Cult.-Early days:He grew up in Manchester, where he began playing guitar at the age of fourteen...
. Their musical influences also included The Swans and The Sound
The Sound
The Sound were an English post-punk band, formed in 1979 and dissolved in 1988. The band was fronted by Adrian Borland and evolved from his previous band, The Outsiders...
.
1980s
Spasmodique was formed in 1982 by singer/guitarist Mark RitsemaMark Ritsema
Mark Ritsema is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, journalist and writer from the Netherlands. During the eighties and nineties he fronted cult bands Spasmodique and Cobraz and currently he plays with Raskolnikov...
, guitarist Arjo Hijmans, bassist Martin Doctors van Leeuwen and drummer Reinier Rietveld (formerly of Quando Quango
Quando Quango
Quando Quango was a British, Manchester based new wave and dance project, formed by The Haçienda DJ and Factory Records A&R man Mike Pickering, Hillegonda Rietveld and Reinier Rietveld. Their unique sound influenced the underground dance music scenes in New York and Chicago in the 1980s...
). They released a self-titled five-song ep in 1986. The same year, they recorded songs for an opera that were later released on their album North. In 1987 Spasmodique released their full-length debut From the Cellar of Roses and toured with Umberto di Bosso e Compadres. The next year they released another album with three new studio tracks and five live tracks, Start to Believe/Someone's Out There to Get You. In 1989 they finally debuted a single, "The Square", and released another full-length album, North. By the end of the decade, the band had grown more popular internationally, with growing audiences in Germany and Austria.
1990s
1990 would see the birth of Spasmodique's master work, the album Haven. Upon completion of the recording sessions, Hijmans left the band. The band prompltly replaced him with Niek den Brave and Hans Brusse and released the non-album single "Spilling". The next year saw more personnel changes when the two new members were replaced by guitarist Raymond Gerrits. Spasmodique almost came to an end then, and embarked on a farewell tour, but the public's enthusiastic response convinced them to stay together. They released Who's Afraid, a compilation of demos and outtakes. In 1992 the band took a break from live performances that would stretch over a decade.2000s
In 2000 Spasmodique began work on what would become new album Villa Delirium. It was released in 2002. That same year the book 20 Jaar Spasmodique, From the Cellar of Roses was published, detailing the band's history and discography. In 2005 singer RitsemaMark Ritsema
Mark Ritsema is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, journalist and writer from the Netherlands. During the eighties and nineties he fronted cult bands Spasmodique and Cobraz and currently he plays with Raskolnikov...
left the band, effectively ending Spasmodique.
Post-Spasmodique
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Mark RitsemaMark Ritsema
Mark Ritsema is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, journalist and writer from the Netherlands. During the eighties and nineties he fronted cult bands Spasmodique and Cobraz and currently he plays with Raskolnikov...
has continued to record and perform with his new band Raskolnikov
Raskolnikov (band)
Raskolnikov is a Rotterdam based band, consisting of four well-known musicians in the Dutch music world. They were brought together by singer, guitarist and songwriter Mark Ritsema in the late nineties to be the house band of a local radio show called Studio Gloria...
.