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)
Uncertain
Clock DVA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's less
A feeling
I don't know what
Unsure/Be sure
I can't
Maybe a test
Maybe I failed
Try try
Try try
Try try
Contest consist resist
Maybe she would smile
I see it
There's something I know I can't resist
Can't fail to exist
Will conquer
This feeling of lessness
Deep greyness
We are empty, unsolid
Try try
Try try
Try try
Can't stand it
I don't know what
Unsure/Be sure
I can't
Maybe a test
There's something
Try try
Try try
Try try
I love you to distraction, here in a nightclub faces mingle dark
Light, morality, anti-morality, sheer body makes me sweat,
I understand nothing, I understand your appeal.
Maybe I fail, maybe I win
Clock DVA's song Uncertain captures the feeling of being lost, questioning oneself and not knowing what to do or how to feel. The lyrics convey the sense of being in a state of uncertainty, caught between two opposing emotions, a test that one has to take, and the possibility of either winning or failing. The repetition of the phrase "try try" emphasizes the need to keep going, to keep trying despite the uncertainty and possible failure or success.
The lyrics also suggest a struggle between conformity, resistance, and individuality. The words "contest consist resist" highlight the perception of society as a contest to be won, a structure to be conformed to, and the possibility of resistance. The reference to "she" smiling suggests a desire for approval and the desire to conform. Still, there is also an awareness of one's own individuality and the need to exist authentically, even if it means being empty and unsolid.
In the last verse, the lyrics take an unexpected turn as the focus shifts to a personal experience of love, set against the backdrop of a nightclub. The mention of "morality," "anti-morality," and "sheer body" suggests a sense of moral ambiguity and hedonistic pleasure. The singer admits to not understanding the appeal of the person they love but is still drawn to them with such intensity that it is distracting.
Overall, the lyrics of Clock DVA's song Uncertain convey a powerful mix of uncertainty, resistance, and individuality set against the backdrop of personal and societal struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
There's something
There is an unidentified presence that is affecting the singer in some way.
It's less
This presence is making the singer feel like they are lacking in some way compared to their previous state.
A feeling
The effect of this presence is experienced as an emotional sensation.
I don't know what
The artist cannot pinpoint the exact cause or nature of the presence or the feeling it creates.
Unsure/Be sure
The artist is caught between two opposing states or desires - one of certainty and one of hesitation.
I can't
The singer is describing their inability to reconcile the conflicting feelings they are experiencing.
Maybe a test
The unclear situation the singer finds themselves in may be a challenge designed to test them in some way.
Maybe I failed
The artist is considering the possibility that they did not pass this test, that they have not met the requirements of the unknown situation.
Maybe I won
Alternatively, the artist believes that they may have succeeded in overcoming this challenge.
Contest consist resist
The words are an assortment of rhyming words that may signify a battle or struggle.
Maybe she would smile
The presence that the singer is describing may be external and related to a particular person.
I see it
The artist is visualizing something, perhaps the person or the presence they are describing.
There's something I know I can't resist
The singer is fully aware of the hold this presence has on them, and they cannot resist its pull.
Can't fail to exist
This presence cannot disappear, it is there and cannot be ignored or simply wished away.
Will conquer
The singer is determined to overcome the presence and the effect it has on them.
This feeling of lessness
The presence is causing the artist to feel diminished or inferior in some way.
Deep greyness
The artist is using color to describe the mood created by this presence - a sense of dullness, bleakness, or lack of vitality.
We are empty, unsolid
The singer is using figurative language to convey that both they and the presence or situation they are describing lack substance or solidity.
I love you to distraction, here in a nightclub faces mingle dark
The singer shifts to addressing someone they love intensely, in a setting that is chaotic and possibly even dangerous.
Light, morality, anti-morality, sheer body makes me sweat,
The sensory overload of sounds, sights, and values colliding is causing the artist great discomfort.
I understand nothing, I understand your appeal.
The artist feels confused and even disoriented, but they are still drawn to this person they love.
Maybe I fail, maybe I win
Once again, the artist is considering the possibility of failure or success.
Contributed by Penelope B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@wordscontrolminds
DVA were HOT at this point....saw this live a few times and its true, that though this track is superb, the live energy of Newton and co with their primitive but effective slide/film light show was overwhelming.
@francoboy100
This band is awesome. Enough said.
@flare242
Oh wow, i had absolutely no clue whatsoever that Clock DVA sounded like this. To me - Man Amplified is the absolute masterpiece. Can't say i enjoy this early stuff very much... But it's definitely interesting to hear it.
@wordscontrolminds
Its a real pity that no video/film of this era exists (except for the futurama piece, but even that did not convey the raw dark energy as the filming required too much light and kinda destroyed the hypnotic/scratchy/shadowy presence their live show presented).
@theprimalfuckhead526
Getting a subtle Omar influence from the guitar. Helps the creepiness, it feels like a zany creature divorced from the industrial atmosphere, unbound by it making me wary of it
@soulminer
I listen to this sort of music at 4am.
@maxdragon7677
+ если можешь это прочитать