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)
White Cell
Clock DVA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am myself
Against their laws of morality
Inturned
I turn towards the eastern block
Create a new mental space
Carve out an area which is undefined
Begins to work
Juliette invades my dreams
Nature is benign
Darkness is sweeter than earths red wine
In my white cell
Nothing is right
Imprisoned, I make my own world suffer
For sensory deprivation increased my will
Their cruelty is ironic
For my pain is freedom against their will
I put pen to paper for my cause
Glorify my perversest thoughts
Four walls enclosed
I am alone to dwell on the darkest thoughs of man
Even though I could not exist I tried
120 days lost
And then complete
I ask for a non-religious funeral
But I am inturned in holy ground
Locked in endlessness in my white cell
As a person lost of sense and of will
Clock DVA's song White Cell is about an imprisoned person who has been subjected to sensory deprivation as a form of punishment, causing them to turn inward and create their own mental space where they can escape the confines of their cell. The lyrics begin with the singer acknowledging their duality: they are both active and immobile, and they are themselves despite the laws of morality imposed upon them by their captors. They turn toward the eastern block, perhaps a reference to the Soviet Union and the Cold War, and create a new mental space that is undefined and free from external influence.
As the song progresses, we learn that the singer's sensory deprivation has increased their will to survive, even as they suffer in captivity. They see the cruelty of their captors as ironic, for their suffering has actually become a form of freedom from those who would control them. The singer puts pen to paper to glorify their own perverse thoughts, finding solace in the fact that even though they cannot physically escape their four walls, they can still dwell on the darkest thoughts of humanity. The song ends with the singer resigned to their fate, locked in endlessness in their white cell, as someone who has lost all sense of identity and will.
Line by Line Meaning
Active, then immobility
Starting off with energy then coming to a halt.
I am myself
I am able to be who I truly am.
Against their laws of morality
Going against what society deems as appropriate.
Inturned
I am trapped and confined to a small space.
I turn towards the eastern block
I look towards a place that is different and unknown.
Create a new mental space
I am able to imagine a place where I can be free.
Carve out an area which is undefined
Creating a space that is unique and outside of societal norms.
Begins to work
The mind starts to wander into thoughts and ideas.
Then wheels turn
The mind is racing with thoughts and ideas.
Juliette invades my dreams
A dream character named Juliette enters my mind.
Nature is benign
The natural world is kind and gentle.
Darkness is sweeter than earths red wine
Being in the dark is better than indulging in pleasures of the world.
In my white cell
I am confined to a small white space.
Nothing is right
Everything is wrong and nothing is working out.
Imprisoned, I make my own world suffer
Being trapped in a small space is causing me to feel suffering.
For sensory deprivation increased my will
Not being able to experience the world around me has made me more determined.
Their cruelty is ironic
The more cruel they are to me, the more freedom I feel.
For my pain is freedom against their will
Feeling pain is a way of fighting against those who are holding me captive.
I put pen to paper for my cause
Writing down my thoughts and ideas for the purpose of fighting for my freedom.
Glorify my perversest thoughts
Taking pleasure in unconventional and taboo ideas.
Four walls enclosed
Being trapped within four walls.
I am alone to dwell on the darkest thoughs of man
Being isolated and left to think about the most negative parts of humanity.
Even though I could not exist I tried
I kept going even though it seemed impossible to survive.
120 days lost
A long period of time spent confined in a small space.
And then complete
The end is finally here.
I ask for a non-religious funeral
I do not believe in traditional funerals with religious connotations.
But I am inturned in holy ground
Despite my wishes, I am buried in a holy burial site.
Locked in endlessness in my white cell
Being stuck in a small white space for eternity.
As a person lost of sense and of will
Feeling completely lost and without the will to continue.
Contributed by Lincoln V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kinetic Engineers
“ Active, then immobility
I am myself
Against their laws of morality
Inturned
I turn towards the eastern block
Create a new mental space
Carve out an area which is undefined
Begins to work
Then wheels turn
Juliette invades my dreams
Nature is benign
Darkness is sweeter than earths red wine
In my white cell
Nothing is right
Imprisoned, I make my own world suffer
For sensory deprivation increased my will
Their cruelty is ironic
For my pain is freedom against their will
I put pen to paper for my cause
Glorify my perversest thoughts
Four walls enclosed
I am alone to dwell on the darkest thoughs of man
Even though I could not exist I tried
120 days lost
And then complete
I ask for a non-religious funeral
But I am inturned in holy ground
Locked in endlessness in my white cell
As a person lost of sense and of will “
Verveine Menthe
For me, the best tune they ever created.
Kinetic Engineers
Verveine Menthe one of my personal favorites 😉
Rob Jones
The Prisoner meets Kafka.
A great, great track. Had the album nearly forty years ago, but this was a stand-out.
Thanks for posting it.
Kinetic Engineers
Rob Jones you’re welcome Rich , yep it’s stood the test of time hasn’t it 😬 still sounds great 👍 my second favourite DVA track, my first being “ Relentless “. From the first album .