In the wake of the well-received Conny Plank box set issued earlier this year, London-based Grönland Records are releasing Les Vampyrettes, a limited edition reissue of the 1980 collaborative EP from Plank and Can co-founder Holger Czukay. Released as 3 x 10" picture discs in a triple gatefold sleeve, Les Vampyrettes saw Czukay and Plank predicting a dystopian future where biology and artifice synthesise, giving rise to a constantly surveyed society where you "watch your step /all day and all night" because "someone’s got you in their sight".
At the same time, Grönland will be reissuing Czukay’s classic 1981 LP On The Way To The Peak Of Normal, the first in a series of re-releases from Czukay’s out-of-print back catalogue. Although it echoes some of the lingering anxiety present in Les Vampyrettes, On The Way To The Peak Of Normal is driven by a decidedly disco aesthetic. Recalling some of the off-kilter arrangements of transatlantic contemporary Arthur Russell as well as some of the Balearic, cosmic sounds that would dominate toward the end of the decade, On The Way… is a unique 30 minute LP demanding repeated listens.
These two releases come in advance of this weekend’s talk and concert at the Goethe Institute in London in tribute to Conny Plank. The event this Saturday, October 26, features a discussion with Plank’s son and Dieter Moebius followed by live music and DJ sets featuring Laetitia Sadier, Cold Pumas and Disco Cabine; head here for tickets.
Les Vampryettes and On The Way To The Peak Of Normal are both released on December 16; stay tuned to Grönland’s website for updates on the albums.
