"Sub-culture" is a song by English
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
New Order. It was released as the second and final single from their third studio album, ''
Low-Life
A low-life (or lowlife) is a term for a person who is considered morally unacceptable by their community. Examples of people society often labels low-lives include aggressive panhandlers, bullies, criminals, drug dealers, freeloaders, hobos, ...
'' (1985) on 28 October 1985 by
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus.
The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Duru ...
.
Release
The single release, remixed by
John Robie, is a drastic departure from the album version of the track.
Robie's 12" and 7" single mixes feature more club-oriented, electronic instrumentation and prominent soulful female backing vocals.
The
B-side is an instrumental remix titled "Dub-vulture". A seven-inch edit of the Robie remix taken from the Benelux version of the "Sub-culture" single appears on the group's 1987 compilation, ''
Substance''.
A collection of Razormaid remixes of the track were released in 1986, which include additional vocals by
Deborah Iyall of
Romeo Void
Romeo Void was an American new wave/ post punk band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The ban ...
.
Making use of the word ''shaft'' with its possible sexual connotations, the song seems to be about sexual rejection, loneliness and alienation in an urban environment.
Artwork
"Sub-culture" has only a regular black sleeve, as graphic designer
Peter Saville reportedly deemed the mix of the song unworthy of his talents. Saville's input was present only in a P/S/A (Peter Saville Associates) credit for
typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), ...
.
However this rumour was debunked in 2017 when Saville stated, "I never had the authority to say that there shouldn't be a sleeve. No, all I can presume is that one was not asked for."
Track listing
UK 7" free with ''Record Mirror'' - RM2
# New Order: "Sub-culture" (exclusive remix) – 4:14
# Raymonde: "Jennifer Wants" (exclusive track) – 2:02
#
Hipsway
Hipsway are a Scottish pop/ new wave band.
History and description
The band was formed in Glasgow in 1984 by ex- Altered Images guitarist Johnny McElhone on bass, and featuring Grahame Skinner (vocals), Pim Jones (guitar) and Harry Traver ...
: "Bad Thing Longing" (preview from their forthcoming album) – 4:09
# Adventures: "Walk Away Renee" (specially recorded for ''RM'') – 3:11
Chart positions
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sub-Culture (Song)
New Order (band) songs
1985 singles
1985 songs
Songs written by Bernard Sumner
Songs written by Peter Hook
Songs written by Stephen Morris (musician)
Songs written by Gillian Gilbert
Factory Records singles
UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles