New INSOC song "Don't Touch the Devil" from the digital EP Modulator and the DVD It Is Useless To Resist Us: 25 Years Of Information Society has been added to the music player. Check it out at http://www.myspace.com/informationsociety.
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Oct 30, 02:13 PMINSOC DVD GiveawayWe're giving away a copy of the new Information Society DVD "It Is Useless to Resist Us" on Saturday, Oct. 31, on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace! Check these sites tomorrow afternoon between the hours listed for each for your chance to win.
Twitter: 3pm - 4pm Eastern / 12pm - 1pm Pacific
Facebook: 4pm - 5pm Eastern / 1pm - 2pm Pacific
MySpace: 5pm - 6pm Eastern / 2pm - 3pm Pacific -
Sep 22, 12:30 PMIt Is Useless to Resist Us!
This DVD celebrates the 25th anniversary of this hugely influential and popular electronic pop act by giving fans a full live concert, their music videos (never before released on DVD), bonus archival footage and photos, and a brand new EP, all on one disc.
The live concert took place in Philadelphia in 2008 and featured James, Paul and Kurt in fantastic form. A German film crew shot the entire show from multiple angles and captured the fantastic energy of both the band and the audience. The track listing for the concert is:
1. Peace and Love, Inc.
2. Wrongful Death
3. The Seeds of Pain
4. Walking Away
5. Baby Just Wants
6. Burning Bridges
7. Think
8. Jonestown
9. Growing Up With Shiva
10. I Like The Way You Werk It
11. Run Away
12. Back in the Day (Old School Electro Version)
13. Running
14. Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
15. What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)
In addition to the full concert, the DVD contains all five videos released by the band during their time at Warner Records, available for the first time on DVD, taken directly from Warner’s archive masters. Bonus features include several photo montages, a video montage from their first tour of South America in the late 1980s, and a few other clips, including the infamous “Wall Street” video.
As if that wasn’t enough, the DVD also contains a full version of the band’s digital-only “Modulator” EP in MP3 format. Only available through digital download, this nine-track EP contains remixes from the Synthesizer album by such folks as Dave Aude’ and Tommie Sunshine, as well as a brand new track with Kurt on vocals (”Don’t Touch The Devil”) and a live recording of a track not previously available in stores (”Wrongful Death”).
This DVD is in NTSC format, which is the standard for American DVD players. Customers outside of North America using PAL or SECAM systems may or may not be able to view NTSC format. There is no Region Code on this DVD (Region Code 0).
The official release date for this product is October 20, 2009. Pre-orders will be taken at the official INSOC website. Stay tuned for the pre-order date.
Official Website: http://www.informationsociety.us
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/informationsociety
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/informationsociety -
Aug 28, 07:45 PMNew item at the INSOC SHOPIf you were one of the lucky fans to see Information Society at one of their summer concerts in Brazil, you may have seen new t-shirts at the merch table. If you couldn't make it to any of the recent shows, the new t-shirts and women's babydoll t-shirts with the latest design have been added to the INSOC SHOP! Available in S, M, and L. Order yours now at the INSOC SHOP.
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Aug 18, 04:02 PMModulatorMODULATOR, the new digital-only remix EP from Information Society is slated for release on September 22. Featured remixers include Tommie Sunshine, Dave Aude, Ego Likeness, among others.
Other surprises include a live version of the vintage INSOC classic, "Wrongful Death," and "Don't Touch the Devil," which is a brand spankin' new collaboration between Kurt Larson and Paul Robb.
MODULATOR will be available through all the major online services, including iTunes and Amazon.
-1. Seeds of Pain (Dave Audé Remix)
-2. Baby Just Wants (Lthrboots Remix)
-3. Run Away (Tommie Sunshine Remix)
-4. I Love It When… (Jon Gill’s Downtown Remix)
-5. More To This (Sucias TTV Mix)
-6. This Way Tonight (Ego Likeness Remix)
-7. Baby Just Wants (Wesley Krusher’s Ghost Girl Remix)
-8. Don’t Touch the Devil
-9. Wrongful Death (Live 2008)
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Aug 01, 03:47 PMInformation Society no Jornal do Brasil
Thanks go out to Arvy and Junior Kain for providing the translation.
Translation Caderno B cover:
Alert: Eighties Lives
So, Information Society, a group that made the world dance with technopop of the past, is back in Brazil for the eighth time, and they don’t know why thousands of fans still love the dance floor hits while the rest of the country is listening to local (Brazilian) rock.
Page B4 (main article):
Technopop? Still?
Today, it sounds like an old bpm to less nostalgic ears, but in seven visits to Brazil – in 1989, 1990, 1991 (twice), 1993, 1997, 2006 and the eighth about to happen on August 7 at Vivo Rio – the American technopop group Information Society enjoys a rarely-reached status on the world stage.
“I can’t explain how we became so popular there, maybe it’s because the Brazilian people have an excellent musical taste,” said Paul Robb, band co-founder, from New York in a phone interview with Jornal do Brasil. “The interesting thing is that we sold many more records here in the USA and Japan, but we never performed to a huge crowd like the times we’ve been in Brazil.”
Tropical memories
Together with DJ’s and original band members Kurt Harland and James Cassidy, Paul Robb expects to face that receptivity one more time. They were the first international artists to perform in many Brazilian cities.
“On the first occasion in Manaus, it was very hot and I got sick,” recalls Robb. “It felt like a hundred degrees. I couldn’t take it and I left the hotel to get some fresh air in the city. I bumped with a school-kind-of band that seemed to be fantastic. I don’t know why, but that military beat made me feel better from fever.”
Many visits to Brazil, with countless stories.
“The best tour was in 1991, at Rock in Rio. It was one of the best shows of our career, but the fans complained a lot about the short set. We wanted to play more, but the organizers didn’t allow us. I don’t think they realized how popular we were, between stars like George Michael and Prince. Even now, in interviews, we are asked why that show was too short. I also remember that our success was so big we couldn’t get out from the hotel, so many fans gathered in the hall. To hang out in the city, we had to sneak out of the hotel, so we could take a ride through Rio together with Run DMC.”
It was a time of pop music when guitars, bass and drums gave room to computers, synthesizers and drum machines. And Information Society reigned in that department. The technopop genre had roots from the 70’s, with the sound of bands like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Soon after, others took flight. Some of them vanished (Human League, Ultravox, A Flock of Seagulls, Soft Cell, Thomas Dolby) while others kept themselves alive (Depeche Mode, New Order, and IS itself). The band - formed by Robb, Harland and Cassidy - had a collection of hits during their career, with a 3-year hiatus in 1993. Now they are back together, not just rehashing a glorious past, but actually producing new material. In 2007 they released a CD with brand new songs called Synthesizer and will release the DVD “It Is Useless to Resist Us” in October.
“The musical styles were changing and we didn’t want to change what we were doing just to keep us popular. We were 30, time to take a break, marry, and raise children.”
The favorite pop gems vary with audiences around the world.
“It’s funny, but we noticed that even in our country the people’s taste may vary,” points Paul. “On the west coast, “What’s On Your Mind” is unbeatable. Here in New York and also in Florida, the success is “Running”. In Brazil, it always was “Repetition”. All Brazilian chicks love the ballads!”
All the hits, plus “How Long”, “Peace & Love, Inc.” and “Think”, will be in the set list for this tour. In addition to Rio, the tour includes stops in Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto. Only in Rio de Janeiro, the show will be opened by DJ Memê, playing hits from the 80’s.
“I think the longevity of our success is due to the fact that our shows are very upbeat, compared to other electronic bands. And also, Information Society isn’t a reunion of three unemployed DJ’s, producers or singers. We are a real band,” says Robb.
(end of main article)
(box section)
“People running out from the restrooms to the dance floor” by Amandio
In late-80’s and early-90’s they played a lot in carioca clubs. They were one of the most popular bands back in the day. Unfortunately, I never saw the band perform live, but I played Information Society a lot. I loved to play it. I remember very well, I was a resident DJ at Columbus, renamed Bunker later. I was doing a partnership with DJ Nino Carlo, who simply adored Information Society. I used to like it too, of course, but he was addicted. He could play “What’s On Your Mind” without stopping if you allowed. This song, by the way, was played a lot. It was a smash hit ’round here, especially on the dance floors. Actually, the whole album was a success.
It had a funky beat, a cool new thing. Not so fast, but enough to fill the dance floor. I just had to play it to see people stop peeing in the restrooms and run out to the dance floor. Those were dance floor hits, sales hits and radio hits. A unanimity, never seen before, because we had bands with huge success on the dance floors but a flop in sales, or a smash hit on radio but not on dance floors. Information Society attacked on all front lines.
When I do 80’s parties, the band repertoire is still a success. It wasn’t just a thing from the past. The people still remember. It wasn’t a squared sound, they were very wild at that time, and that’s why it is still being played and everybody likes it. Some people say unanimity is dumb, but it wasn’t in this case, indeed. -
Aug 01, 03:45 PMINSOC Video NetworkCheck out lead singer Kurt Harland and son @ home on the INSOC Video Network.
Kurt at home with Allistair! -
Jul 03, 08:34 AMBrazil Tour Dates
Information Society is scheduled to play five shows in Brazil this August.
August 7th
City: Rio de Janeiro
Venue: Vivo Rio
Show time: 10pm
August 8th
City: Belo Horizonte
Venue: Music Hall
Show time: 10pm
August 12th
City: Sao Paulo
Venue: Via Funchal
Show time: 10pm
August 13th
City: Curitiba
Venue: Master Hall
August 14th
City: Ribeirao Preto
Venue: TBA
Show time: 10pm
Stay tuned for more information!
Official Website:
http://informationsociety.us
Information Society Brasil:
http://insoc.com.br -
Jun 19, 11:22 AMMore photos from Minneapolis show by JP Aubineau -
Jun 03, 05:18 PMLive DVD UpdateAs an appetizer for the upcoming 25th Anniversary Live DVD, "It Is Useless To Resist Us", and its accompanying remix EP, "We Mean You No Harm", we have uploaded the new Wesley Krusher "Ghost Girl" remix of "Baby Just Wants".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq0zkvIY0ao -
May 01, 01:01 PMINSOC is now on TwitterTwitter is the latest addition to Information Society's online presence. Twitter is free to join. Sign up at http://twitter.com Then go to http://twitter.com/insocnewsand click the "Follow" button to get the latest on updates to Information Society's official website, concert dates, new song additions to the MySpace music player, YouTube channel, and other band news.
http://twitter.com/insocnews
