I was enraptured the moment I saw Dave and Marc Almond on Top Of The Pops, performing Tainted Love. I was 10 years old, I had no idea about how and why they were subverting the pop - and teatime TV - norms. I just knew that Soft Cell sounded great, they looked great, they appealed to me in a way that Sparks had, years previously. And they made an unforgettable first impression.
I wasn't into buying records at that point - my pocket money went on comics, books and Star Wars figures - but when I really got into collecting records in my teens, tracking down Soft Cell's singles became a thing. To the extent that, aged 19, when I spotted a pristine import 12" of Memorabilia in a record shop in Perth, Western Australia, it was an essential purchase that joined a small pile of vinyl that was shipped back to Bristol via surface mail.
Another record that joined that shipment was Floatation by The Grid, Dave's relatively new partnership with Richard Norris, the 12" featuring a collaborative remix on each side with Andrew Weatherall and featuring the dreamy voice of Sacha Souter.
Success was around the corner for The Grid, too, not least with monster (pun intended) single Swamp Thing in 1994. I love The Grid as much as I love Soft Cell, but what I really loved was that Dave Ball had struck gold again and was deservedly scoring hit after hit once more, in addition to the pair's in demand status as remixers par excellence.
One of the blessings - and curses - of the 21st century is that bands never split up or, if they do, they manage to get over their differences and get back together. So it has been with Soft Cell and The Grid, both returning with new material that acknowledges and embraces the passage of time, but retains the spirit that made their previous music so great.
Personally, seeing Dave Ball's name on a record, whether as writer, performer, producer or remixer, was always enough for me to go ahead and buy, regardless of whether I had heard the song or liked the artist. Dave never let me down. An otherwise dull song or EP would be enlivened by his presence.
Saturday's Northern Synth Soul Weekender is an hour-long, 12-song travelogue, darting back and forth through time, starting with Soft Cell, ending with The Grid and covering lots of extracurricular activity in between.
The Almond/Ball partnership is represented by Metro Mrx from their debut Mutant Moments EP, the sublime pop perfection of Torch, the tabloid-baiting Sex Dwarf and late period single Northern Lights, recorded for the Keychains & Snowstorms 'best of' and heralding their third and final phase.
The dynamic duo of Ball/Norris is via the art of the remix, The Grid transforming singles by Sophie B. Hawkins, The B-52's, If? and Minty (aka Leigh Bowery & co, not the cheeky chappy from EastEnders). You might want to escort those with sensitive ears out of the room, when listening to the last one, there's foul language a plenty.
In 1996, Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk remixed Duggie Dohl Caffrey Stretch Out by Black Star Liner. The same year, The Grid collaborated with Choque Hussain from Black Star Liner on a remix of Jullander Shere by Cornershop. Both highly recommended.
Dave also frequently worked with Psychic TV, not least on the legendary 'acid house' albums Jack The Tab and Tekno Acid Beat in 1988. The latter opens with the single Joy by DJ Doktor Megatrip (aka Genesis P-Orridge) and featuring Luv Bass (aka Dave Ball). Genesis previously performed on two songs from Dave's 1983 solo album, In Strict Tempo, which even now sounds way ahead of its time.
Love Street, also from 1988, was another supergroup of sorts, comprising Dave (Soft Cell), Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire), Robert Gordon (Fon Force, Forgemaster, later co-founder of Warp Records), Ruth Joy (Krush) and Jake Harries (Chakk).
At the tail end of the 2000s, The B-52's back catalogue was revisited and remixed for a series of limited edition EPs. They were a bit hit-and-miss, to be honest, but no so with The Grid's remake of Private Idaho. I love the original version, and this one respects the source whilst reforming it for the dancefloor.
The Grid were not averse to being remixed themselves, Floatation being a go-to for many artists. Whilst none will ever quite surpass the glorious Weatherall collaborations, some come pretty close. Prins Thomas for one, whose 2011 take adds a compelling bass line and more organic, live-in-the-studio feel.
Bloody hell, Dave, you know your way around a song.
More tomorrow.
1) Metro Mrx: Soft Cell (1980)
2) Duggie Dohl Caffrey Stretch Out (Remix By Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk): Black Star Liner (1996)
3) Joy (12" Version): DJ Doktor Megatrip ft. Luv Bass (1988)
4) Right Beside You (The Grid 7" Mix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris): Sophie B. Hawkins (1994)
5) Torch (Single Version By Mike Thorne): Soft Cell ft. Cindy Ecstasy (1982)
6) Come On Down To Love Street (On A Rocket Mix): Love Street ft. Jake Harries & Ruth Joy (1988)
7) Private Idaho (The Grid Remix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris): The B-52's (2007)
8) Sex Dwarf (Album Version By Mike Thorne) (Clean Intro): Soft Cell (1981)
9) If? (Kill Wagner Mix By The Grid aka Dave Ball & Richard Norris): If? (1991)
10) Northern Lights (Single Version): Soft Cell (2018)
11) Useless Man (The Grid Edited Mix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris): Minty (1994)
12) Floatation (Prins Thomas Miks By Thomas Hermansen): The Grid (2011)
1980: Mutant Moments EP: 1
1982: Torch EP: 5
1988: Galaxy EP: 6
1988: Joy EP: 3
1991: If? EP: 9
1994: Don't Don't Tell Me No EP: 4
1994: Useless Man EP: 11
1996: Haláal Rock EP: 2
2007: Wild Planet 2007 Remix EP: 7
2011: Floatation EP: 12
2016: Trials Of Eyeliner: Anthology 1979-2016: 8
2018: Northern Lights / Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) EP: 10
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