They became associated with industrial music with the 1980 release of their album White Souls in Black Suits on Industrial Records, although in reality the early material that predates this release is a blend of extreme electronics and frequencies that was heard only by a spartan few, including Jhon Balance and other notaries. (This early archive material, which includes the Sex Works Beyond Entanglement 12" EP (1979) originally planned for release by Cherry Red with the tracks Throbbing Sweeping Obscene/Coil/The Pop Hell, is due for release with a number of other extreme pure-electronic compositions and will readdress the morphology of DVA history.) The album Thirst followed in 1981, by which time Adi Newton and Steven Judd Turner had combined musique concrète techniques with guitar, bass, and drum instrumentation, fused with Newton's unique art direction and existential lyrics and writing.
After the tragic death of Steven Judd Turner, Adi Newton formed a new version of the band in 1983. First releasing the singles Passions Still Aflame and High Holy Disco Mass on the major label Polydor under the name DVA, the group then released the album Advantage (along with several singles). During a European tour a dispute amongst the musicians occurred resulting in Adi Newton disbanding the group. However the remaining musicians attempted an abortive continuation of the tour without him, which resulted in negative reaction from DVA fans appalled by Newton's absence.
After the 1983 breakup of Clock DVA, Adi Newton put in process his original concept of the multimedia arts project The Anti-Group aka T.A.G.C., which staged a number of performances directed and choreographed solely by Adi Newton. T.A.G.C. released a series of films and recordings, namely The Disscussion Anti-Theatre piece/Dual 16mm Film and Soundtrack, Ha/Zulu, ShT, Big Sex, The Ambisonic Album Digitaria, Meontological Recording Record 1, Meontological Recording Record 2 (Teste Tones), Burning Water Film/ Soundtrack, and Iso-Erotic Calibrations.
In 1987 Adi Newton, while still working within TAGC, allowed a reformation of DVA. He was at the time experimenting with computer sound sampling techniques and sequencing and had already created a blueprint for a track originally titled "Diamond Bullet," which later became "The Hacker." This reformed line-up consisted of creative director Adi Newton; vocalist, sound designer, Dean Dennis; and Paul Browse. From this line-up came the album Buried Dreams.
After the release of Buried Dreams and a series of singles taken from the album, a number of problems occurred. Paul Browse left to try to resolve issues with the record label in Berlin but remained in Germany and never returned. As a result, Robert Baker joined the line up, which then released the albums Man-Amplified and Digital Soundtracks. Dean Dennis left to start work on a new project. The album Sign followed during a transitional period in which Adi Newton relocated to Italy, taking Clock DVA/TAGC with him as sole director and reactivating the project in a new direction.
Adi Newton and creative partner Jane Radion Newton are currently working on the remastered release of their whole back catalog, which was set to be released in the autumn of 2008 by Mute records as a box set including a 120-page book. They are also working with invited guest artists on new Clock DVA/TAGC studio albums, which are scheduled for a 2009 release to coincide with a number of key European performances and installations.
Sites: YouTube and http://MySpace.com/ClockDVAauthorized (official)
4 Hours
Clock DVA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This bleak whiteness, nothingness
The eye that stares through your mirror
A suction entanglement
On stained sheets
Figures with no regrets
Their doubts caste a shadow here
The time drifts
The skies melt
In my dream I am older
Everything is soft out of focus
There's this sound which disturbs me
A clarinet plays in the distance
Everything turns black and white
I must go to work
I know where it is
I've been there before
I'll go there this time
They will not have to force me
I'll go there willingly
I'll go there today
This could be New York
This could be London
I don't care anymore
I'm wearing this suit
A black suit
I'm wearing this time
A black tie
I'm carrying this case
A black case
I walk down the street
The people are staring
The taxi cab is slower
A piano falls from above
It smashes in front of me
I fall to the floor
I open this door
I'm back in my room
I see two people asleep
This midmorning awakening
This bleak grey whiteness, nothingness
The eye that stares through your mirror
I see two figures asleep
They look older
You look Older
We're all older
Let us join them in their dreams
We're only four hours
We're only four moments
We're only here too long
Clock DVA's song "4 Hours" is a cryptic and surreal exploration of the human psyche, where the line between reality and imagination blur. The opening lines set a desolate tone, as the singer awakens to a "bleak whiteness" and an eye that "stares through your mirror." The sense of ennui and despair is heightened by the reference to "stained sheets" and the "figures with no regrets" who cast a shadow over the scene. The imagery becomes more dreamlike as the song progresses, with time drifting and swelling and the skies melting. The singer's dreams are both comforting and disturbing, with the music of a distant clarinet and everything turning "black and white."
The song takes a shift in perspective when the singer goes to work, indicating a sense of obligation or duty. The repetition of "I'll go there willingly" seems to suggest that the decision to go is not entirely voluntary, perhaps indicating a sense of resignation or even fatalism. The shift in setting, from a nondescript location that "could be New York" or "could be London" to the street and the falling piano, add to the sense of surrealism, and a lack of control. The singer's return to their room and the sight of two people asleep, who now look "older," seem to suggest the passage of time and aging. The final lines, "We're only four hours / We're only four moments / We're only here too long" hint at the brevity of our existence, and the existential anxiety that can arise from this realization.
Line by Line Meaning
This midmorning awakening
Waking up in the middle of the morning
This bleak whiteness, nothingness
Feeling emptiness and a lack of purpose in life
The eye that stares through your mirror
A sense of self-discovery and introspection
A suction entanglement
Being caught up in something without control
On stained sheets
In a dirty, messy environment
Figures with no regrets
People who don't have any remorse
Their doubts caste a shadow here
Doubts and insecurities are making an impact on their surroundings
The time drifts
The passage of time is vague and uncertain
The time swells
The passage of time feels overwhelming and intense
The skies melt
The world is falling apart and everything is chaotic
In my dream I am older
Dreaming of being more mature and experienced
Everything is soft out of focus
The world is blurry and undefined
There's this sound which disturbs me
A troubling noise that disrupts the peace
A clarinet plays in the distance
A far-off clarinet melody
Everything turns black and white
Life loses its vibrancy and becomes monochrome
I must go to work
Having a sense of obligation to go to work
I know where it is
Familiar with the location of work
I've been there before
Having been to work previously
I'll go there this time
Planning to go to work
They will not have to force me
Going to work willingly and not needing to be coerced
I'll go there today
Planning to go to work on the current day
This could be New York
The setting could be any major city like New York
This could be London
The setting could be any major city like London
I don't care anymore
Feeling ambivalent or apathetic
I'm wearing this suit
Wearing formal attire
A black suit
Wearing a dark colored suit
I'm wearing this time
Dressing appropriately for this occasion
A black tie
Wearing a dark colored tie
I'm carrying this case
Holding a briefcase
A black case
Carrying a dark colored briefcase
I walk down the street
Walking along a street
The people are staring
Attracting attention from bystanders
The taxi cab is slower
The taxi ride is taking longer than anticipated
A piano falls from above
A sudden, unexpected event occurs
It smashes in front of me
The event has a destructive effect
I fall to the floor
Being knocked to the ground
I open this door
Entering a room
I'm back in my room
Returning to one's own space
I see two people asleep
Noticing two unconscious individuals
They look older
The two individuals appear to have aged
You look Older
Realizing one's own aging process
We're all older
Acknowledging the inevitability of aging
Let us join them in their dreams
Wishing to escape reality and join the sleeping individuals in their dream world
We're only four hours
A short time frame in the grand scheme of things
We're only four moments
Four brief instances
We're only here too long
Feeling like life is dragging on for too long
Contributed by Savannah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mistergawn
This mid-morning awakening
This bleak whiteness, nothingness
The eye that stares through your mirror
A suction entanglement
On stained sheets
Figures with no regrets
Their doubts caste a shadow here
The time drifts
The time swells
The skies melt
In my dream I am older
Everything is soft out of focus
There's this sound which disturbs me
A clarinet plays in the distance
Everything turns black and white
I must go to work
I know where it is
I've been there before
I'll go there this time
They will not have to force me
I'll go there willingly
I'll go there today
This could be New York
This could be London
I don't care anymore
I'm wearing this suit
A black suit
I'm wearing this time
A black tie
I'm carrying this case
A black case
I walk down the street
The people are staring
The taxi cab is slower
A piano falls from above
It smashes in front of me
I fall to the floor
I open this door
I'm back in my room
I see two people asleep
This mid-morning awakening
This bleak grey whiteness, nothingness
The eye that stares through your mirror
I see two figures asleep
They look older
You look Older
We're all older
Let us join them in their dreams
We're only four hours
We're only four moments
We're only here too long
@createthevisible2792
Sheffield early 80's, this was inescapable. My youth and glad of it. A truly great track.
@evanelpus
A little anecdote. I was on holiday in Amsterdam when I first heard this song in a record shop circa 82. I bought the album: it blew me away. This band was ahead of it's time and time didn't wait. Almost 30 yrs later they still strike a disturbing sleep note in their lyrics and sound. You would have to put them in context of their generation and they did cut a unique tune. Excellence!
@stevanbg66
only left to agree
@Grupetto56
This song was in regular rotation on my radio show back in the early 80s. Still sounds fresh.
@malcolmbeckett9802
Clock Dva, Caberet Voltaire, Throbbing gristle, who will replace them
@highlow1212
@@malcolmbeckett9802 skinny puppy and Frontline assembly also equally unique just less soft spoken
@desuMaKun
@@Grupetto56 I'd like to hear more!
@dirkpehrke9909
it is a shame that this stuff is not available on spotify. one of the greatest post punk bands. thirst is a great album.
@dacra9625
Agree. And incredible to think that this lineup dissolved immediately afterwards (probably due to Turner’s overdose). Had the good fortune to catch one of this lineup’s final gigs: 30/04/81 Birmingham, supporting KJ).
@craigevans4694
It is on Spotify now