TECHNOTICS

TECHNOTICS
What: Band
Where: Detroit, Michigan
When: 198?
Who: Darryl Miglio, Rick J. Ritts, Keith Anderson

There's very little infos about this synth-wave combo from Detroit, Michigan. They self-released a single in 1983 of weird electro in a d-e-v-o-luted way with a Wall of Voodoo vibe. The single is credit to Darryl Miglio, Rick J. Ritts and Keith Anderson on synthesizers, electronic drums and guitars.
They played live in january 1984 at the Detroit Institute of Arts with The Polish Muslims, Blue Pigs and Other Voices. In may 1984 at The Shores Theatre they played with the Walk Thru Walls (a band that sounds very similar) along with movies projection of Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner cartoons between the musical sets.

Technotics - Money Lu$t / Robotized Creatures (7'' 1983 BlueWarp Records) [here]

WHAT IF THINKING

WHAT IF THINKING
What: Band
Where: Detroit, Michigan
When: 1982-?
Who: Gail Baker, Howard Glazer

The Detroit group What If Thinking combines guitar synthesizers, electric percussions and other sounds for a unique blend of experimental, weird techno-pop. Initiated in 1982 as a studio recording endeavor by lead guitarist Howard Glazer and vocalist-guitarists Gail Baker, What If Thinking had its origins in a jazz-fusion group. In fact, Glazer and Baker started a band in 1980 entitled Gail Baker's Catz. The band was a jazz group, that played in the Detroit bar scene for some time. But soon Glazer and Baker wanted to play experimental or fusion jazz, while the other members wanted to continue with the mainstream sound. "We started doing Reality People in our sets and other things that were too wild for jazz clubs. We were too jazz to play in dance bars and too experimental for the traditional jazz clubs, so that lead to the breakup" Glazer said. "I had a friend who just bought a recording studio - it was pretty small, like a garage studio, but we went in there and just messed around for awhile" Glazer said. "Before we knew it, what we had was the beginnings of our first recordings." Glazer said the early stages were only an experiment, but as things became more and more advanced, four songs were recorded and became the first EP.

"It's funny, because there was actually a recording before there was a performing band. We never played anywhere until we came out with our record, then we got an actual band together. If you notice on our record, there were various amounts of people that we used in the studio, so you could say the original band was formed out of our recording project," Glazer said.
The 4-songs EP features the mutant-disco of "Action Action", the electro-extravaganza of "Dancing on Mars", the sloppy warped post-punk of "Reality People" and the slow funk of "Money and Love".
The band began to take shape several months after the release and comprised James Dragon (vocals, keyboards, flute, electronic percussion), Mike Stanton (bass, keyboards), Al Waltz (drums), Glatzer (guitar) and Baker (vocals, guitar, synthesizers). James Dragon gives the group a distinctive sound, with the use of keyboards and self-constructed electronic percussion and Al Waltz began using a combination of electronic and acoustic drums in live performance. The band started to perform live, at the TRAXX in Detroit and at Tom's Foolery, in 1984 they also opened a show for The Gun Club.

In 1985 they released their second single "I Want That Boy / Run Run Run". The main track is a dragging bizzarre technopop tune with female/male vox while the b-side got a lot of devo-esque reminiscence.
After the single they started to recording an LP for Rüde Records that never saw the light.

What If Thinking - What If Thinking ‎(7'' 1983 Dauncy)
What If Thinking ‎- I Want That Boy / Run Run Run (7'' 1985 Rüde Records)
[here]

SAN FRANSISCO (SLASH)

This reportage is taken from the legendary Los Angeles punk fanzine Slash (vol.3 n.5 - 1980). Compiled by Vale and Juno (of Search & Destroy / Re-search fame) it's a nice collection of obscure punk/wave names from the city of San Francisco.

"Incomplete Glossary (A-Z) of Recent Phenomena in the Bay Area"
compiled by Vale and Andrea Juno

ADOLESCENT RECORDS / SEARCH & DESTROY PRODUCTIONS: a merger to release trans-time/avant garde records & cassettess. Scheduled new albums di Factrix / Slava / Sleepers; re-release of Throbbing Gristle's "We Hate You (Little Girls) / Five Knuckle Shuffle", etc. P.O. Box 99350, S.F., CA 94109 or 20 Romolo, No. B, S.F., CA 94133
APPLIANCES: 3 girls 2 guys. R&R plus homemade instruments. Songs like: Miami / Run Me Over With Your Cadillac / Cease to Exist...
BACHELORS EVEN: 2 wry experimentors from NY/Boston: like, rhythm tracks arerecords sawed apart & recombined...Have destroyed TV sets on both coasts...
BAY OF PIGS: "A continuing experiment in merging language & sound" - music/noise experiments plus Andrew on vocal seizures. Influence: Demetrio Stratos, Italian sound poet. New 45: Addiction / Aliens, Forthcoming EP: Polyphrenic Man / The Flux Patrol / The Schizoid Void. Hawaiian lap guitar, guitars trumpet, drums, vocal effects, etc. Other song titles: Revolution of the Senses / Your Climb Photographs / Life After Time / I Feel a Fuck Coming On / San Francisco's a Small Town / Mind Machine..
CAZAZZA, MONTE / TANA EMMOLO: Oakland's genetic terrorists with Something for Nobody - their new EP on Industrial Records...
CLUB FOOT: The place for special performance / music events. Like, Bruce Conner showed films while the Bachelors "played" recently. New LP forthcoming with the LONGSHOREMEN / ALTER BOYS / BAY OF PIGS / NAKED CITY ...
DEB-U-TAUNT BALL: June 21st A summer solstice torchlit ritual for girls by girls. Held under a freeway next to a canal, it included a voodoo metabolic soundtrack by FACTRIX, an emergency flarelined presentation walkway, and an unplanned medieval bonfire, climaxed by appearance of polic. (Unreported post-punk peak event)
DNA: recent NY assult on SF. Basic R&R Tools (12-string guitar, bass, drums) re-invented to blast black sound patterns against stark white space. High-wire Minimalism....
MR. E & THE NECROMANTICS: domination of Hotel Utah, 4th/Bryant. Bomb Threat Graphics...
FACTRIX: "slow motion soundtrack is flesh" from SF's most industrial/experimental 'live' ensemble. New LP featuring Phantom Pain / Center of the Doll / Heavy Breathing / Snuff Box / Eerie Lights...forthcoming
FALSE IDOLS: military / punk madness from Max Volume & cohorts. (415)
GREY MATTER: New Band forming by Heidi (x-VS)
INFLATABLE BOY CLAMS: "4 primitive virgin witches that change instruments / 10-year-old tinkertoy skeleton sound". Carol & Judy from PINK SECTION, Jo Jo Plqnteen (who recently did Child Hood Prostitute at the Savoy) Genvieve from Paris on  sax.
JEORGIA ANDERSON: One woman band, the inventor of Girl's War (Ladies First - Draft Girls!)
LEWD (the New): Satz & Bob from Seattle + Olga & Alex from VS. with songs like Climate of Fear / Walter's Lips (Cronkite) / Go to Hell in Hollywood / Mentally 17 / Public Exectution..
MAGGOTS: 6 or 7 teenagers. New 45 with pet maggot in handmade package: (Let's Get) Tammy Wynette / 2-2-79 ("the date that Sid Vicious died - about him croaking")...
MINIMAL MAN: did soundtrack for Fred Klein's Racktown (sleazy movie of manslaughtering girls on rollerskate), & performed with giant skull at Eureka Theater recently.
NAKED CITY: musician-types "intending to expand to an orchesta.."
NEGATIVELAND: 3-6 from Corcord who've produced experimental LP (S7 from Seeland, Box 54, Concord, CA 94522) with Individual Cover Art. Performed once at Savoy with "baby-attract-home" movie (super 8, mostly overexposed). Autentic suburban frustrations sublimated...
OUT-OF-TOWN-BANDS can get booked in SF at Mabuhay / Sound of Music / Back-Dor-Rock City which Robert Hanrahan books / Club Generic / Club Foot / and the Savoy / in Berkeley at Barrington Hall & the Berkely Square (also a record company).
PALACE OF FINE ARTS where Tuxedomoon & DNA played. "Majestic change, all red drapres & black soudn reflectors. Big white screeen reflected huge shadows onstage. Red rocking chairs. Half the crowd were heckling fools from suburbs who just didn't get it. After the show I was surprised more people didn't walk around the lake..." (Heidi)
PUNK ROCK LIVES: Flipper / Vktms / Tools / Regime / Impatient Youth / Nocturnal Emissions / etc.
RAT, PAUL: since the defunct Geary Temple now booking Independent Halls like the Victoria Theater, California Hall
R&N₂ Productions: "vaudeo incision of crisis data tranfer - rhythm & noise deploys" (tales of life & death from the electronic battleground). Alve at The Compound Sept. 12-13 (415)
ROUGH TRADE: Legenday London Record Company / Store / Distributor now in San Francisco! Mail order catalog: 1412 Grant Ave, SF CA 94133 (415)
SAVOY: wide variety of innovative performances / one of the best atmospheres in SF now
SHOOT A MONKEY: oblique triangle of explorers: Peter Worrall (London), Alan Brown (New Zealand), Jo Jo Planteen (USA) New 45 forthcoming: Islamatic / Mother Is...
SLAVA: Mad synthesizer shaman unleashes arctic hysteria upon a hollow earth soon!
SLEEPERS: Micheal Belfer, Ricky Williams back! plus band. Forthcoming album includes Zenith / The Mind / Let Me Free - "when there's sleep there's no pain..."
SOCIETY DOGS: hardcore anarchist punk band with new 45: Working Class People / Bad Dread. Johnithin Christ on vocals, Joe Dirt (g), Jamil Hell (b), David Del Prado (d). some songs: The Baby Is Dead / Metropolitican Rus / How Can I Miss You When You Won't Even Stay?
STAND THEATER: Sleazy Market St. Moviehouse featuring James bond, Ilse She-Wolf of the SS, etc. now a significant punk burrowing hole...
THREE: new ensemble with films / slides / sound: "we always use something new as soon as we find it." some works: Breakfast of Chairmans (Mao) / Paranoia & Persecution / The Airplane Song (video piece)
TOMMY TADLOCK & THE LOCKETTES: "C&W Punk - combining basic attitudes of shit kickin' southern dixie R&R with punk stance." some songs: Queer & Ashamed/ No Mobility / Don't Blame It on My Mama / Me & My Uniform. from gay subculture.
TONG, WINSTON & BRUCE GEDULDIG: Internationally famous duo's recent SF performances: Against Nature, Schweitzer / Coward, Close to You / Privilegs, The Mermaid, Prostitute (with JoJo), Dancin in the Streets, Water Burns, Frankie & Johnnie
UNDEAD, THE: with the original David Vacant (g), Sid Terror (v), Bob Noxious (d), Larry Conquest (b). Hardcore roots-punk with songs like Hitler's Brain, Supermarket Music, One-Handed Love Affair, Is the President a Moron?, Fido Is a Crotch Sniffer.
UPTIGHTS: Guy Ana, Cary Cruel, Larry Godwin from Eureka with White War, Foxholes, Break the Law, Court of the Dead & other songs
WOLFARINES: "Jimmy" plus R&R band (including Bruce, Dead Kennedys): "Why do you think we have a band - to make music or to make girlfriends?"
WOUNDS: Teenagers from Oakland plus Paul from Petaluma: "We're a band centered around soulful rhythmic patterns, droning overtones; very likeable." / "lifes jsut a bowl of rocks."
ZEV: Important local percussionist / trance innovator with found 'junk' percussion tools. Recently returned from NYC (where his UNS equipment was stolen). 12" 45 on LUST/UNLUST Records "Slat of Heavy Metals." ("Skin on Thigh. Thorns.")
ZRU VOGUE: Palo Alto / Experimenting heavily in percussion - tropical jungle track music wild boar sounds, etc. Forthcoming 45: Nakweda Dream / Kyoo-mye-loh-nim-bas....