Malka Spigel (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: מלכה שפיגל, born 19 July 1954) is a London-based Israeli musician and artist. She was founding member of the Israeli-Belgian
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact is an Israeli rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.
Biography
Between its foundation in 1980 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played an important role in the Europe ...
.
She has also worked as a solo musician and as a visual artist, exhibiting in prominent venues such as
The Irish Museum of Modern Art and the
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
. She is a member of
Githead
Githead is a musical collaboration that includes Wire's Colin Newman as well as electronic musician Robin Rimbaud ( Scanner) alongside Minimal Compact members Malka Spigel and Max Franken.
Biography
The appearance of Githead and the relea ...
along with husband
Colin Newman
Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire.
Early life
Newman was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire ...
,
Robin Rimbaud
Robin Rimbaud is an electronic musician who works under the name Scanner due to his use of cell phone and police scanners in live performance. He is also a member of the band Githead with Wire's Colin Newman and Malka Spigel and Max Franken fro ...
and fellow
Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact is an Israeli rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.
Biography
Between its foundation in 1980 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played an important role in the Europe ...
refugee
Max Franken.
Biography
Spigel fell into the music and art world as a
Tel-Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
exile in early 1980s
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
.
[ ]Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact is an Israeli rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.
Biography
Between its foundation in 1980 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played an important role in the Europe ...
, which she co-founded with Berry Sakharof
Berry Sakharof ( he, ברי סחרוף, ; born 7 July 1957) is an Israeli rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. Sakharof is one of Israel's most popular and critically acclaimed rock musicians, and is often referred to as "the prince ...
(one of Israel's highly respected rock stars) and Samy Birnbach[ (latterly ]DJ Morpheus
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
), and in which she played bass and contributed occasional vocals, pioneered a minimal post-punk/punk-funk sound that over seven years attracted a large, enthusiastic audience in continental Europe and beyond. During the period 1981 to 1988 the band grew to include drummer Max Franken (now Githead's drummer) and guitarist Rami Fortis (notorious in Israel as its first punk) and were associated with many esteemed musicians, recording with Tuxedomoon
Tuxedomoon is an experimental, post-punk, new wave band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band formed in the late 1970s at the beginning of the punk rock movement. Pulling influence from punk and electronic music, the group, or ...
's Peter Principle, Wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is c ...
's Colin Newman
Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire.
Early life
Newman was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire ...
, who produced one of their albums, and John Fryer John Fryer may refer to:
*John Fryer (physician) (died 1563), English physician, humanist and early reformer
*John Fryer (physician, died 1672), English physician
*John Fryer (travel writer) (1650–1733), British travel-writer and doctor
*Sir John ...
(This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating ...
), sound-tracking ballet by choreographer Pierre Droulers, and having a song (sung by Malka) in the Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...
movie Wings of Desire
''Wings of Desire'' (, ; ) is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its ...
.
In 1985, Spigel met Wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is c ...
's Colin Newman – then producing Minimal's "Raging Souls". Malka worked with Colin Newman starting in 1986 with "Commercial Suicide" and its follow-up "It Seems". The couple married in 1986 and moved to London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1992, setting up the swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
label, initially to release their own projects (Oracle, Malka's debut Rosh Balata, and Immersion), but later to release the work of other artists. In 1996, Immersion made an installation at The Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, which set Malka on a path of realising herself as a visual artist in addition to being a musician. During the period 2000 to 2002 she gained a degree in fine art, specialising in video and photography. She has since made video work with Immersion
Immersion may refer to:
The arts
* "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard
* ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux#Immersion, Léo Quievreux
* Immersion (album), ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian gro ...
(most famously seen at the Royal Festival Hall, London) and video clips for Vapourspace, Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact is an Israeli rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.
Biography
Between its foundation in 1980 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played an important role in the Europe ...
and Wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is c ...
. She also has an extensive collection of photography work, primarily created with a lomo
LOMO (russian: Ленинградское Oптико-Mеханическое Oбъединение, Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obyedinenie, Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association) is a manufacturer of medical and motion-picture lens ...
LCA camera, which has gained her pre-eminence in the lomo
LOMO (russian: Ленинградское Oптико-Mеханическое Oбъединение, Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obyedinenie, Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association) is a manufacturer of medical and motion-picture lens ...
& flickr
Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
community.
In 2004, Spigel, Newman and Robin Rimbaud founded Githead
Githead is a musical collaboration that includes Wire's Colin Newman as well as electronic musician Robin Rimbaud ( Scanner) alongside Minimal Compact members Malka Spigel and Max Franken.
Biography
The appearance of Githead and the relea ...
, with Spigel playing bass, and all three members sharing vocal duties. Music journalist Joe Tangari, writing for pitchfork.com, reflected on Spigel's contribution to Githead's first album Headgit, released in 2004: "Spigel's bass thumps and bounces, giving Newman's detached vocal leads a funky underpinning and helping to humanize the rhythms provided by something called the Beat Monster. ... It's actually not difficult to imagine '' A Bell Is a Cup''-era Wire coming up with something like this, though Spigel's deft funkiness – especially on "Profile" – helps set the two sounds apart some."
In 2012 Spigel released "Every Day Is Like the First Day", a collaboration with Newman. Another solo album, ''Gliding'', came out in 2014.
Discography
Solo releases
* ''Rosh Ballata'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1993)
* ''Hide'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1997)
* ''My Pet Fish'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1997)
* ''Every Day Is Like The First Day'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(2012)
* ''Gliding'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(2014)
Collaborative albums
* Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact is an Israeli rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.
Biography
Between its foundation in 1980 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played an important role in the Europe ...
albums see Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact is an Israeli rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.
Biography
Between its foundation in 1980 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played an important role in the Europe ...
discography
* Oracle
An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination.
Description
The word '' ...
''Tree'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1994)
* immersion
Immersion may refer to:
The arts
* "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard
* ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux#Immersion, Léo Quievreux
* Immersion (album), ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian gro ...
''Oscillating'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1994)
* immersion
Immersion may refer to:
The arts
* "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard
* ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux#Immersion, Léo Quievreux
* Immersion (album), ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian gro ...
''Full Immersion (Remixes)'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1995)
* Colin Newman
Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire.
Early life
Newman was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire ...
''Bastard'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1997)
* immersion
Immersion may refer to:
The arts
* "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard
* ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux#Immersion, Léo Quievreux
* Immersion (album), ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian gro ...
''Low Impact'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1999)
* Spigel * Newman * Colin * Malka ''Live'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(1999)
* Githead
Githead is a musical collaboration that includes Wire's Colin Newman as well as electronic musician Robin Rimbaud ( Scanner) alongside Minimal Compact members Malka Spigel and Max Franken.
Biography
The appearance of Githead and the relea ...
''Headgit'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(2004)
* Githead
Githead is a musical collaboration that includes Wire's Colin Newman as well as electronic musician Robin Rimbaud ( Scanner) alongside Minimal Compact members Malka Spigel and Max Franken.
Biography
The appearance of Githead and the relea ...
''Profile'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(2005)
* Githead
Githead is a musical collaboration that includes Wire's Colin Newman as well as electronic musician Robin Rimbaud ( Scanner) alongside Minimal Compact members Malka Spigel and Max Franken.
Biography
The appearance of Githead and the relea ...
''Art Pop'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(2007)
* Githead
Githead is a musical collaboration that includes Wire's Colin Newman as well as electronic musician Robin Rimbaud ( Scanner) alongside Minimal Compact members Malka Spigel and Max Franken.
Biography
The appearance of Githead and the relea ...
''Landing'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(2009)
* Githead
Githead is a musical collaboration that includes Wire's Colin Newman as well as electronic musician Robin Rimbaud ( Scanner) alongside Minimal Compact members Malka Spigel and Max Franken.
Biography
The appearance of Githead and the relea ...
''Waiting For A Sign'' Swim ~
Swim (styled swim~ the tilde "~" is part of the written name, but is not pronounced) is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel. The lab ...
(2014)
Other notable collaborations
* Seven Codes with Rami Fortis
Rami Fortis ( he, רמי פורטיס, , born July 7, 1954), or simply Fortis, is an Israeli rock singer. Born in Tel Aviv, Fortis became known as a pioneer of Israeli punk rock. His debut album ''Plonter'', released in 1978, was not a commercia ...
(cassette only) Seven Codes (1981)
* Jean Conflict
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
with Rami Fortis
Rami Fortis ( he, רמי פורטיס, , born July 7, 1954), or simply Fortis, is an Israeli rock singer. Born in Tel Aviv, Fortis became known as a pioneer of Israeli punk rock. His debut album ''Plonter'', released in 1978, was not a commercia ...
, Jean-Jaques Goldberg and Ronen Ben Tal Ronen is a Hebrew surname and given name. Its meaning is cheerful and singing.
Notable persons with surname Ronen
* Carol Ronen, American politician
* Eldad Ronen (born 1976), Israeli Olympic competitive sailor
* Eliezer Ronen, Israeli politician
* ...
Third Ear (1986)
* Colin Newman
Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire.
Early life
Newman was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire ...
Commercial Suicide Crammed (1986)
* Colin Newman
Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire.
Early life
Newman was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire ...
It Seems Crammed (1988)
* Foreign Affair
''Foreign Affair'' is the seventh solo studio album by Tina Turner, released on September 13, 1989, through Capitol Records. It was Turner's third album release after her massively successful comeback five years earlier with ''Private Dancer'' ...
East On Fire (lyrics for three tracks) Crammed (1989)
* Tuxedomoon
Tuxedomoon is an experimental, post-punk, new wave band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band formed in the late 1970s at the beginning of the punk rock movement. Pulling influence from punk and electronic music, the group, or ...
You (vocals on one track) Crammed (1990)
* Hector Zazou
Hector Zazou (11 July 1948 – 8 September 2008) was a prolific French composer and record producer who worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists. He worked on his own and other artists' albums, inclu ...
Sahara Blue (vocals on one track) Crammed (1991)
* V/A Dugga, Dugga, Dugga - Various Artists Play Drill (one track) WMO (1998)
* Dictaphone
Dictaphone was an American company founded by Alexander Graham Bell
that produced dictation machines. It is now a division of Nuance Communications, based in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Although the name "Dictaphone" is a trademark, it has bec ...
M=Addiction (vocals) City Centre Offices
City Centre Offices is a record label based in Manchester, England, with an affiliate in Berlin, Germany. The label, founded in 1998 by Shlom Sviri and De:Bug magazine writer Thaddeus Herrmann, has released music from several notable acts, in ...
See also
* List of women bass guitarists
References
External links
Malka's mail order page
Malka's home page - mayanewman.com
Malka's artist facebook page
Malka's lomohomes web page
swim ~
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spigel, Malka
Living people
1954 births
People from Tel Aviv
20th-century Israeli women singers
Swim ~ artists
Israeli women photographers
Israeli bass guitarists
Women bass guitarists