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Diseño Corbusier

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Diseño Corbusier live. Photo sourced from lacontraola.com

Diseño Corbusier is a Spanish avant-garde electronics duo, formed by Javier G. Marín, Rafael Flores and Ani Zinc in Granada in 1981.

Biography

At the end of 1981, Javier G. Marín, then a student, wrote an ad in the musical magazine Vibraciones with the aim of forming an electronic group in his hometown of Granada. He was contacted by the composer Rafael Flores, who introduced him to the sound artist Ani Zinc (María José González).

This conjunction of three strong personalities who were fascinated by electronic and industrial sounds quickly gelled together, and the group began to rehearse regularly in Javier G. Marín's apartment. At the same time, Diseño Corbusier began to publish a fanzine (EURO) and to distribute post punk and electronic cassettes in order to be able to acquire equipment and instruments. These activities were then grouped under the acronym Laboratorios NO. Soon after, in October 1982, the group created its own label, called Auxilio de Cientos to publish music by other bands besides their own. Between 1983 and 1986, the label released a dozen records following a markedly avant-garde musical line, associated with the DIY movement.

Between 1982 and 83, the group produced a series of recordings, under its own name ("Clónica", "Stadia") or under the name Neo Zelanda, a side project of Ani Zinc's ("Radio Sabotage", "Extenso Mundo brillante"). Influenced by Stockhausen, Futurism and Throbbing Gristle, their sound was dense and experimental, favouring work on sound textures, cut-ups and tape manipulation. From there, different orientations appear within the group. Rafael Flores, more interested in noise research, left the group to concentrate on his own projects, notably under the name Comando Bruno.

Javier G. Marín and Ani Zinc would then give a new impetus to Diseño Corbusier and gradually define a unique style: music made up by repetitive loops, thrilling rhythms and guttural melodies sketched out on vocals by Zinc.

Cover of Pérfido Encanto. Photo sourced from lacontraola.com

A first album recorded in 1984, "Pérfido encanto", was released the following year on Auxilio de Cientos. The band's music was then still very industrial and deconstructed, bringing to the fore noisy oscillations and strident pulsations, notably those generated by the “ruidófono”, an instrument made by a sound engineer friend of the group. In the tradition of artists like Annie Anxiety, Diamanda Galas or Fatima Miranda, Ani Zinc used her voice as an instrument in itself rather than as a melodic tool.

The band's second album, "El alma de la estrella", released in 1986 on Auxilio de Cientos, was the band's climax. Their sound grew in definition and sharpness. For this second LP, Javier G. Marín was able to acquire a fairly powerful drum machine and a latest generation synthesizer, the Roland SH-101. The improvisational part and the almost live dimension of the music, due in part to the recording conditions and the impossibility of rehearsing in the studio, also seem more controlled, and the compositions in the album were more impactful and concise.

Japanese promo poster for Neo Zelanda. Photo sourced from lacontraola.com

For this second album, abandoning their underground modus operandi, Diseño Corbusier signed a distribution agreement with the independent label Nuevos Medios. This choice would prove to be fatal to the group, since the promotional work carried out by this company would prove to be non-existent. Faced with the a lack of prospects and handicapped by a geographical isolation which complicated the possibilities of concerts, Diseño Corbusier decided to end their musical adventure. The group would only play live twice. One of these two performances, at the Palacio Córdovas in Granada in 1985, was recorded as a bootleg. After the dissolution of the group, Ani Zinc moved away from the world of music while Javier G. Marín began to work in Madrid for a recording company.

In 2012, the Spanish label Munster re-released the group's two albums.

Discography

Diseño Corbusier

  • Stadia, Cassette, Auxilio de Cientos, 1983. Re-released by Dark Entries in 2016.
  • Pérfido encanto, LP, Auxilio de Cientos, 1985. Re-released by Vinilisssimo / Munster in 2012.
  • El alma de la estrella, LP, Auxilio de Cientos, 1986. Re-released by Vinilisssimo/ Munster in 2012.

Neo Zelanda

  • Radio Sabotage, Cassette, Laboratorios NO, 1982.
  • Paso Hambre / Francés básico, Single, DRO, 1983.
  • Extenso mundo brillante, Cassette/EP, Auxilio de Cientos, 1983.
  • Mix Zelánea, LP, Auxilio de Cientos, 1986.

References

  1. https://diseocorbusier.bandcamp.com/album/stadia
  2. https://open.spotify.com/artist/1PHk4X7vEKfsWJaOYMGLCm