Zoviet France (also known as :$OVIET:FRANCE:, Soviet France, :Zoviet-France: and latterly usually written as :zoviet*france:) are a music group from

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

in north east

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. While often dissonant and made of industrial textures, their music also falls into the

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It u ...

category. Formed in 1980, and remaining largely anonymous, the group has had a number of members; presently it consists of co-founder Ben Ponton and Mark Warren. Former members included Neil Ramshaw, Peter Jensen, Robin Storey (who now records as

Rapoon Rapoon is a musical project of Robin Storey, a former member of Zoviet France, who has released material on notable independent labels such as Staalplaat, Soleilmoon, Manifold Records, Manifold, Beta-lactam Ring Records, Beta-Lactam Ring, and ...

), Lisa Hale, Paolo Di Paolo,

Mark Spybey Dead Voices on Air is Mark Spybey's experimental and industrial project formed after his departure from Zoviet France.Lengel, Kerry (December 2, 1999). "Dead Voices' Music Comes Alive", ''The Arizona Republic'', p. 47. Dead Voices on Air has col ...

(who now records as

Dead Voices on Air Dead Voices on Air is Mark Spybey's experimental and industrial project formed after his departure from Zoviet France.Lengel, Kerry (December 2, 1999). "Dead Voices' Music Comes Alive", ''The Arizona Republic'', p. 47. Dead Voices on Air has col ...

) and Andy Eardley. In 2005 Storey, Spybey and Eardley formed a new group, Reformed Faction. The band participated in the early-eighties underground tape scene. The packaging of their releases was often unconventional, involving materials such as

hessian A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse. Hessian may also refer to: Named from the toponym *Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire **Hessian (boot), a style of boot **Hessian f ...

tar paper Tar paper is a heavy-duty paper used in construction. Tar paper is made by impregnating paper or fiberglass mat with tar, producing a waterproof material useful for roof construction. Tar paper is distinguished from roofing felt, which is impreg ...

and

aluminium foil Aluminium foil (or aluminum foil in North American English; often informally called tin foil) is aluminium prepared in thin metal leaves with a thickness less than ; thinner gauges down to are also commonly used. Standard household foil is typ ...

Discography

Notable performances

*9 and 10 November 1990: two performances as part of the 'Ohrenschrauben' festival at Szene Wien, Austria. Later released on ''Vienna 1990'' CD in 1991. *29 March 1993: The Leadmill, Sheffield. Later released as track 3 on ''What Is Not True'' CD in 1993. *30 March 1993: The Old Vic, Nottingham. Later released as tracks 1 & 2 on ''What Is Not True'' CD in 1993. *26 March 1996: Urban Aboriginals XI, Ballhaus, Berlin. Later released on ''in.version'' CD in 1996. *August 1996: Live studio recording by VPRO radio in Amsterdam. Later released on ''Mort Aux Vaches: Feedback'' CD in 1998. *29 February 2008: European premiere performance of John Cage's ''Variations VII'' with Atau Tanaka and Matt Wand,

AV Festival AV Festival is an international festival of contemporary art, film and music, based in Newcastle upon Tyne. A biennial event, the Festival is thematically curated across contemporary artistic practice and wider society. History AV Festival 2014 ...

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (also known simply as (the) Baltic, stylised as BALTIC) is a centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. It hosts a frequently changing variety ...

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

, UK.

References

External links

*
Jim's Music Pages: :zoviet*france
a fan site with discography {{Authority control Ambient music groups Musical groups from Newcastle upon Tyne Musical groups established in 1980 British experimental musical groups British industrial music groups Mute Records artists Soleilmoon artists Cassette culture 1970s–1990s

Discography

Notable performances

See also

References

External links