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In 1970, Helmut Newton‘s wife June Newton, started as a photographer under the pseudo Alice Springs. Her husband, then in bed with the flu, teached her how to handle his camera and the light-meter… so she achieved by her own an advertising for the cigarette brand Gitanes. The famous portrait that results is the starting point for her successful career. Since 2005, her  works are regularly exposed to the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin in the room called  June’s Room

Alice Springs
photographs
Published by Taschen

On the remains of the wave punk, and along with music like disco, funk, ska and reggae, grows everywhere in Europe between the late 70s and mid 80s, a prolific music scene chaotic, combining rock energy, punk nihilism and electronic experimentation. Against the backdrop of economic crisis and the Cold War, the time is generally not optimistic nor joy. However, despite the coldness and cynicism of rigor is also identified in those years a form of hope and frenzied vitality fueled by a sort of modernist utopia, sometimes tinged with irony, which is demonstrated by the use of new or previously little used in the register pop. Thus, synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers of the first models, often associated with more traditional rock bands, will shape the sound of the coming decade to the present. Faced with the contradictions of his time, torn between the feeling of being on the edge and hope in the advent of a new world, devoid of ideological tangible benchmarks and refractory post-hippie utopias of the previous generation, all part of youth searching for identity can be recognized in texts, so dark, the cold synthetic music and the casual attitude of new groups that emerge across Europe.

Tracklisting to listen: click

Anne Clark – Sleeper in Metropolis 1984, label Ten Records
Kas Product – Never come back 1981, label RCA
Deux – Felicita 1983, label André Records
Kraftwerk – Die Roboter 1978, label EMI/Capitol records/Kling Klang/Elektra
The Droïds – The force 1977, label Barclay
Soft Cell – Sex dwarf 1981, label Some Bizzare (uk)
A Certain Ratio – Do the du 1981, label Factory Records
Grauzone – Eisbaer 1981, label Welt rekord
Comix – Touche pas mon sexe 1982, label Virgin
D.A.F – Der mussolini 1982, label Virgin Records
Starter – Lunapark 1981, label Repertoire Records
Depeche Mode – Photographic 1981, label Some Bizzare (uk) / Celluloid (fr)
New Order – Age of consent  1983, label Factory Record / Base Record
Section 25 – Looking from a hilltop 1984, label Factory /Virgin fr
Linear Movement – Way out of living (compil “touche pas à mon tape”) 1985, label The Cassette Factory
Taxi Girl – Chercher le garçon 1980, label Pathé Marconi EMI
Moderne – Vers l’est 1980, label Arabella

Posted by Phunk