Minimal Wave is proud to present ‘Recordings 1980-1982’ (MW077), a limited edition triple 7” box set by pioneering south Florida synth-punk band Futurisk, to honor their 40th anniversary. Founded by Jeremy Kolosine in 1978, Futurisk released only two vinyl 7” records before disbanding in 1984. Those records, along with their explosive live show, have since become the stuff of legend.

In 1979, the teenage Jeremy Kolosine (who had just relocated with his family from London) won studio time and money in a competition with his drum-machine-triggered guitar-synth act called ‘Clark Humphrey & Futurisk’. He decided to form a band around the name to record a punk and anti-war anthem titled The Sound of Futurism 1980 / Army Now. Some members left and a year later, the second line-up was formed; in came synthesist/recordist Richard Hess and his huge collection of Moogs, Oberhieims and CATs, and Jack Howard returned on drums and syn-drums, joining Kolosine to record the Player Piano EP – like its predecessor originally self-released on his Clark Humphrey imprint. Blending elements of disco-influenced electro-pop, punk and minimal synth, Futurisk’s sound was heavy and propulsive, with layered drums (both live and synthesized, recorded in a bathroom for maximum resonance), grinding guitar and mannered vocals from Kolosine in the vein of Bowie, Ferry and Fox. Reportedly, Futurisk may have been the first synth-punk band in the American South, and their 1981 track ‘Push Me Pull You (Pt. 2)’ was an early pre-Rockit excursion into electro-funk.

The ‘Recordings 1980-1982’ box set includes three 7”s, an ‘Army Now (1982)’ 7” Flexi, and a 16-page full-color booklet featuring unpublished photographs of the band, the history of the band, and an interview with founder Jeremy Kolosine. The three 7”s are The Sound of Futurism 1980 / Army Now which includes an unreleased track from the same session, the Player Piano five-song 7” EP from 1982, and the Ocean Sound 7”, which has not been released in this format until now. All three 7”s are remastered, pressed on heavyweight 70-gram vinyl, and housed in heavy color printed matte sleeves featuring the band’s original artwork. The box is case wrapped and depicts an early illustration of the band in a spot gloss black ink on matte white. Limited edition of 600 copies.