In June of 1977, Adolph "Adi" Newton joined his friends Martyn Ware and Ian Craig
Marsh (who were then in a band called The Dead Daughters), in a new band called The
Future. Their music explored the boundaries of experimental electronics which was
fueled by their mutual infatuation with futuristic films like 2001 and especially, A
Clockwork Orange. The band produced many demos including songs like Blank
Clocks and Future Religion, but Adi departed shortly after and was replaced by Philip
Oakey. The Future soon changed their name to The Human League and began
concentrating on music that grew more and more accessible through the years. In
1981, Virgin Records were to release an album of old Future tracks entitled The Future
Tapes, but has yet to see the light of day. Future tracks can still be found on various
bootlegs like Human League's In Darkness.
1978- Shortly after his departure from The Future, Adi teamed up with his friend
Stephen "Judd" Turner and formed Clock DVA. They adopted the name Clock DVA
from A Clockwork Orange, a book and film that depicted a violent future where language
was a mixture of English and Russian. DVA is actually the number "2" in Russian.
Although in Russian dva is pronounced "dee-vah", Adi pronounces it "dee-veh" which is
evident in the song "1.23." During that same year, former partners Ware and Marsh had
another band in the works called the British Electronic Foundation and released a
cassette called Music For Stowaways. The tape featured a track called "Uptown
Apocalypse" which was a collaboration between B.E.F. and the newly formed Clock
DVA, with Adi on guitar and Judd on bass. Later on, Clock DVA recruited two more
members and began work on a cassette entitled Fragment and a film entitled Genitals
And Genesis, the latter featuring Genesis of Throbbing Gristle. Personnel 1978: David
James Hammond, Simon Mark Elliot-Kemp, Adi Newton, Stephen James and "Judd"
Turner
1979- Clock DVA releases a new cassette product entitled Deep Floor. During that
same year, they release a track entitled "Brigade" on Vice Versa's (pre-ABC)
compilation, 1980: THE FIRST 15 MINUTES. Also, Adi begins work on a "J.G.
Ballardish" novel entitled Invisible Suns.
1980- Clock DVA achieves a bit more exposure by releasing their third cassette product,
White Souls In Black Suits, on Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records label. The album
itself is a sixty minute cassette gleaned from fifteen hours of improvisations that this "full
piece band" version of DVA recorded on a mobile unit. Special guests on the album
include Richard Kirk, Stephen Mallinder, and Chris Watson of Cabaret Voltaire.
Personnel 1979-80: Charlie Collins, David J. Hammond, Adi Newton, Roger Quail,
Stephen James "Judd" Turner, and David Tyme.
1981- The band achieves its first real record deal with underground label, Fetish
Records. They release the album Thirst and a single entitled 4 Hours, both produced
by Ken Thomas. The material is far less experimental than previous efforts with an
emphasis on funk/jazz. Surprisingly, the album is also void of synthesizer. Later that
year, tragedy struck the band with the death of co-founder Stephen Turner. The
re-released versions of the White Souls In Black Suits album along with the Passions
Still Aflame e.p.. are dedicated to the memory of "Judd" Turner. A later song, "The
Voice That Speaks From Within," contains a veiled reference concerning the
circumstances of his death. Not long after, complications mount within the band and
eventually Clock DVA breaks up. Three of its members join Peter Hope and Terry Todd
in a new band called The Box. Personnel 1981: Charlie Collins, Adi Newton, Roger
Quail, Steven "Judd" Turner, and Paul Widger.
1982- Adi forms an all new six piece incarnation of Clock DVA and even experiments
with the idea of dropping Clock from their name for the High Holy Disco Mass single.
He also adds more horns to the project including Paul Browse on sax, Mick Ward on
flute and sax, and himself on trumpet. With the new horns, their sound becomes even
more jazzy. At this point, Clock DVA had become a high commodity as far as
underground bands go and was quickly signed to a major label, Polydor Records.
Unfortunately, the six piece withered down to a four piece shortly before recording
began for Passions Still Aflame, their new film and e.p.. Personnel 1982: Paul Browse,
John Valentine Carruthers, Adi Newton, David James Palmer, Nick Sanderson, Mick
Ward, and Shaun Ward.
1983- Jazz/funk had definitely began to infiltrate the sound of Clock DVA during their
stay at Polydor Records and during this time the band records its best received product
to date, Advantage. It follows closely in the path of the two previous singles with it's
combination of funk/jazz and Gothic overtones. The production values stand bold in
comparison with previous efforts. They also finish work on an outstanding video for the
single entitled Resistance in cooperation with Peter Anderson and Peter Care, the latter
being the writer and director of the avant epic Johnny Yes No. There are still a few
abandoned tracks floating around out there from the Advantage sessions including
"Transition" and "The Final Cycle in Motion". In November of 1983, the band finds itself
at the peak of its career when the unthinkable happens. Adi abruptly quits the band to
begin work on more abstract and conceptual ventures. Apparently, Clock DVA was
becoming too much of a 'big thing' for Adi who was becoming frustrated with the hype
and commercial direction that was being laid out for the band. The band tries to
continue on without Adi by promoting back up singer Katie Kassoon to lead singer for a
live gig. Unfortunately, the poor girl did not know all the lyrics to their songs and so,
made up her own! The band sounded great, but the combination of the band and her
ad-lib vocals was embarrassing. Personnel 1983: Paul Browse, John Valentine
Carruthers, Dean Dennis, Katie Kassoon, Adi Newton, Nick Sanderson, and David A.
Heppenstall (later in T.A.G.C.).
1985- Adi starts work on more abstract and conceptual ventures like T.A.G.C. 1988-
Clock DVA triumphantly returns to the music world with a totally new electronic sound
void of traditional instruments.
"I only use computers now. I used to play the trumpet and the clarinet, but I found
them too restrictive. The computer, because of it's open architecture, is a more
interesting device." -Adi Newton
The band line up now consists of three members of the Advantage era line up: Paul
Browse, Dean Dennis, and Adi Newton. Likened to Kraftwerk's darker half, the band
promotes a cyber-punk "man + machine" philosophy. "Clock DVA have picked up
where Kraftwerk left off" - Alternative Press
1989- Adi begins work on soundtrack material which became Digital Soundtracks,
released in 1992. Personnel 1988-89: Paul Browse, Dean Dennis, and Adi Newton.
1990- DVA releases their first new album in seven years, Buried Dreams, which was
originally to be titled Velvet Realm. Also that same year, a live album entitled
Transitional Voices, was released that marked the departure of Paul Browse and the
first appearance of Robert E. Baker as a member of Clock DVA.
This recording also caused a big uproar between Adi and the issuing record label,
Interfisch Records, Germany. Apparently, they released the album without Adi's
knowledge or permission which resulted in Adi cancelling his contract with Interfisch.
This dispute effected U.S. record label Wax Trax! records who was to be re-releasing
the Clock DVA back catalog via a licensing agreement through Interfisch. All Wax Trax!
got in the end was the album Buried Dreams a few singles, a broken licensing
agreement, and a catalog number for the un-re-issued Advantage album. Soon after
that fiasco, the band signed with Contempo Records in Italy. A reputable company very
interested in promoting and contributing to the advancement of Clock DVA. Personnel
1990: Robert E. Baker, Paul Browse, Dean Dennis, and Adi Newton.
1991- Clock DVA headline the first Contempo Festival in Florence, Italy.
1992- Most of Clock DVA's back catalog is re-issued on CD.
"I'm quite happy when I listen to Thirst and Advantage. There are things on Advantage
that I don't think were done particularly right- but 80 percent of it is good. I think the
early records stand in time. It sounds fresh on compact disc- the format adds alot of
detail." -Adi Newton, Alternative Press
1993- DVA release the last of their full length albums to date, Sign originally to be titled
Film, and an excellent video collection. This year also marks the departure of long time
member Dean Dennis and a very successful European tour for the band. Personnel
1992-93: Robert E. Baker, Maurizio Fasolo (live support), Adi Newton, Ari Newton (live
support), and Andrew Mackenzie (live support).
1994- Collective 1, a back catalogue of older material, is released on Cleopatra
Records. Hyperium/Sub- Mission also releases a 3 CD box set of DVA’s older material.
1995- Clock DVA releases a single track, The Operators, on a compilation entitled
Dream Injection on Sub Terranean Records.
1996-Present- Clock DVA is silent for now, with talk of other side-projects. A book of DVA’s history is supposedly in the making.
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