DATAROCK's "RED"
A small step for DATAROCK...
 
It's a brand new year, and even though you're all either in the red, seeing red, on red alert or being caught red handed DATAROCK's got good news for each and everyone of you: the difficult second album is finally finished and it's the best thing to happen mankind since the C64. The red letter day isn't till June, but we'll be letting you in on a few red hot secrets long before.
 
DATAROCK's "RED" is no less than a masterpiece based on the good old principle of artistic theft ("amateurs borrow, professionals steal"), and of course again we've dug ourselves into the data about the rock of the late seventies & early eighties: the art, the music, the films, the subversive & popular culture, the new theory, the new technology and all that new equipment. As I'm sure we all agree there's never been a more exiting period of time within the world's collective cultural history. The years between '76 and '83 are in all ways the peak of cultural evolution. The zenith, the rise and the fall.
 
When starting to produce we decided to try and create a brand new trinity of inspiration. Fela Kuti, Afrika Bambaataa & Kraftwerk were to replace Talking Heads, DEVO and Happy Mondays, and all the equipment to go on the album had to be made before 1983. Of course, as Sophocles taught us long ago, one simply can't escape the natural course of events, so yet again that original trinity was right back in place. Gerald Cassale of DEVO even ended up helping out creatively in the process, by coincidence we ended up on the same stage as the Mondays on a number of occasions, and Talking Heads, well, I guess we all know DATAROCK's pretty much just some kind of tribute band anyways. No point in hiding the evident right, so one of the tracks is nothing but a tribute where we list some of DATAROCK's favorite Talking Heads tunes. The title's "True Stories" as in David Byrne's motion picture from 1986, and the video is all about paying homage to their classic concert movie "Stop Making Sense" from 1984.
 
We've essentially been working with the same guys and studios back home as we did on "DATAROCK DATAROCK", but this time we added a few stays with the Reverend over at Wendyhouse in London - some call it a house, we call it a home. For whatever reason this added a tiny bit of a new flavor, and though we're not quite sure where it all came from, somehow DATAROCK ended up doing something new. We got a little bit of West End, a hint of the Caribbean, a dash of West Africa and a whole lot of pulsating postmodernity. Was it the Commonwealth rushing trough our veins? Was it just hanging out in that multicultural metropolis? Let's have a look at what happened lyrically.
 
The Pretender
I'm a North Korean
I'm a South American
I'm a European
I am a Samaritan
I am a Believer
Praying for a Better World
I am an Achiever
I'm a Boy and I'm a Girl

I am a Pretender
At one with my Avatar
Real Sweat 'n Tender

I'm a South Korean
I'm a North American
I am a Norwegian
I am a Civilian
I am a Believer
Praying for a Better World
I am an Achiever
I'm a Boy and I'm a Girl

I am a Pretender
At one with my Avatar
Real Sweat n' Tender
Know what you're looking for?
Blond, Tall 'n Slender
Adventure's my Center Core
Never Surrender

Replied my Email
"Aint no Such Zone"
She'd Written 'pon It
Address Unknown
Return to Sender
Put in Her Hand
It's Second Life and
I'll Understand
I'm The Pretender
Virtually Giving Into My Feeling and Never Giving Up

I'm a Son Zion
I'm a Presbyterian
Used to be a Mayan
Now am a Republican
I am a Believer
Prying for a Better World
I Am an Achiever
I'm a Boy and I'm a Girl

I'm the Pretender
At one with my Avatar
Real Sweat 'n 'Tender
Know what You're Looking For?
Blond, Tall 'n Slender
Adventure's my Center Core
Never Surrender
 
Back In The Seventies
 
I'd wanna go to the Blues Parties
The Caribbean
I'd wanna Dance to Nothern Soul
Back in the Seventies
Be into Two Tone and Post Punk
New Wave and No Wave
I'd Wanna Live on Lower East Side
Back in the Seventies

Cause all the Best of the Early Eighties
At least up to '83
Was an Extension of Seventies
Postmodernity

I'd be a Fan of Fela Kuti
And a Feminist
And I'd be Dancing at the Disco
Back in the Seventies
Be into YMO and DEVO
Cultural Relativist
I'd be Engaged in the Computer Age
Back in the Seventies

How Sick It Would've Been
To be There
In the Middle of the Past
And the Future
You'd Know It Couldn't Last...

As the Story Goes Now
And Everybody Knows
Even History'll Show How
Everything Revolves
Around Peaks like Those

How to Outgrow Being a Moron?
Stuck in the Eighties
Do as D A T A R O C K
Take a Look at the Seventies
 
Give It Up
 
She Shot You Down Like an Animal
Give it Up
Wanna Live Your Life Like a Romeo?
 
Hush, Don't You Cry
Live and Let Die
Spread Out Your Wings and Fly
 
Try to Keep Your Feet on the Patio
Give it Up
Wanna Show Perrineau Your Maccitio
 
Hush, Don't You Cry
Live and Let Die
Spread Out Your Wings and Fly
 
Cause the Strong Shall Thrive
While the Week Will All Perish
Only Those Fit Survive
 
You Gotto Live by the Game
You Gotto Live by the Rule
You Gotto Know Your Means and Your Moves
You Gotto Hold up Your Guard
You Gotto Hit Quick And Hard
You Gotto Know When to Hold or Fold Your Cards
 
We'll Hook You Up With an Enema
Give it Up
And Don't Stop Till You Get Enough
 
But rest assured. This is just a tiny fraction of the overwhelming load of data we're rockin' out in red:
 
01: The Blog
02: Give It Up
03: True Stories
04: Dance!
05: Molly
06: Do It Your Way
07: In The Red
08: Fear Of Death
09: Amarillion
10: The Pretender
11: Back In The Seventies
12: Not Me
13: New Days Dawn
 
Another thing new is the fact that we finally decided to come clear on a very important issue: DATAROCK never was just a duo. Cult or sect would be exaggerating, and in danger or revoking the red fear we're not gonna claim we're the red army. DATAROCK is very much a collective though, and most of the associated members were involved since the very start of this insanity. Let me introduce you to a few of them right away:
 
Adrian Meehan aka Reverend Breverend: backing vocals, drums, percussion, production & programming
Amund Ose aka The Male Nurse: backing vocals and percussion
Andy Duggan aka The Scotsman: booking
Andre Holt aka Dr Dre: administration
Antoine Bouillot aka The Frenchman: art direction & video
Atle Øksendal aka The Gosu: graphic design
Audun Mathias Øygard aka Audiogarde: backing vocals & keyboards
Bent Rene Synnevåg aka Not Bent: photo
Brad Owen aka The Agent: booking
Edward Warren aka Right Said Ed: light design
Eirik Moberg aka Dengis: backing vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion & programming
Erlend Fauske aka Politest Guy Alive: keyboards, production & programming
Fredrik Saroea aka Rock Steady Freddy: art direction, bass, design, drums, guitars, keyboards, management, percussion, production, programming, video & vocals
Frode Flatland aka Frodello Bordello: backing vocals, bass & percussion
Frøydis Moberg aka Lady In Red: day to day management
Gaute Tenold Aase aka Luft: art direction & graphic design
Jostein Steinsland-Hauge: production & programming
Jørgen Eidem aka Mensch: art direction & graphic design
Jørgen Træen aka Duperman: guitars, keyboards, production & programming
Kato Ådland aka Major Seven: guitars, keyboards, production & programming
Ketil Mosnes aka Ket-Ill aka Ketel One: backing vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, production & programming
Kevin Kocher aka Money Maker Money Money Maker: management
Kevin O'Brien aka The Minister: vocals
Kjetil Møster aka Ketel Two: backing vocals, keyboards,  percussion,  programming, sax & tour management
Knut Aaserud aka Polar Circle Boy: photo
Kristian Stockhaus aka Stockhaus: backing vocals, guitars & percussion
Kristin Egset Kjøde aka The Lawyer: finances & legals
Lisa Ferguson aka The Manager: business management
Mads Maurstad aka The Kid: photo
Mats Andersen aka Video Man: graphic design & video
Meghan Richardson aka Day & Night: day to day management
Ole-Thomas Kolberg aka Northern Star Groove Alliance:  backing vocals, drums & percussion
Pascal Forneri aka The Godfather: video
Philip Loveday aka The Solicitor: contracts
Sofie Kjøde Saroea aka The Big Guy: logistics
Stig Narve Brunstad aka The Mystical Casio Operator: backing vocals & keyboards
Tarjei Støm aka LA Gear: backing vocals & drums
Thomas Larssen aka T-Man: backing vocals, bass & stage tech
Thomas Paulsen aka Mr Fix It: booking
Tom Mæland aka Bad Bikini: backing vocals, keyboards & programming
Tor Kristian Liseth aka TK: production management
Tore Landro aka God Of Thunder: backing vocals, graphic design & keyboards
Yngve Leidulv Sætre aka The Silver Fox: backing vocals, keyboards, production & programming
Ørjan Kjærstad aka The Radiologist: backing vocals & percussion
Øystein Fyxe aka Half Man Half Camera: photo & video
Øyvind Solheim aka Ike Andy: backing vocals, drums & percussion

You probably wont believe it, but DATAROCK's already done 500 shows in more than 30 countries, and for that insane number of shows we've had to rotate the on-stage line up and share the administrative and creative responsibilities. If you've seen us twice it's pretty likely that you've seen more than four of the guys, put it that way. We're a few key members taking care of a lot though and whole lot of members taking care of a little, but only put together and joined forces we get DATAROCK as we know it. It's still pretty much a DIY affair. We're just a whole lot of selves who share the chores to get it done.
 
So there you go. A brand new album's on its way, the tracksuit's zipped up and DATAROCK's ready to wave that red flag for the second time.
 
The boys are back in town!