Rema-Rema – Entry / Exit

REMA REMA. Entry/Exit EP (Inflammable Material) What You Could Not Visualise. EP (Le Coq Musique) I suppose it is possible that Rema Rema made some music that wasn’t great, but on the evidence of the material that is available, either on their only original EP from 1980 or on the recent archive releases, the originality and inventiveness is absolutely stunning. Although various members of Rema Rema went on to form or join bands as varied as Mass, Wolfgang Press, Renegade Soundwave, Psychic TV and Adam & The Ants, very little that they subsequently did is as exciting and full of potential as this short-lived outfit. Their strength lay in the simplicity of their music and the willingness to take the songs as far as they could go, pushing their own abilities in the process. They could be as noisy and powerful as anything at times (check the original version of ‘Rema Rema’) or as measured and tense as waiting for a bomb to go off. There are comparisons to be made with bands like the Velvet Underground and Stooges but only in terms of approach rather than sounding particularly like them. In fact, at the time, Rema Rema sounded like no-one else at all and, in may ways, that’s still the case. Others may try to sound like them, but no-one has ever really come close. I really can’t believe that it’s taken so long for an awesome track like ‘Entry/Exit’ to have be released (the original recording was rejected by one label for its’ ‘blasphemous’ lyrical content !) but the gap only goes to underline how remarkable it is. If it sounds so powerful when you hear it now, what would the effect have been back in 1979 ? It’s another of their stricter, taut rhythms that allows the instruments room to expand and the vocals to elaborate and compliment the soundtrack. Almost hypnotic, in a simultaneously disturbing and enjoyable way ! (The b-side features an instrumental mix that works just as well.) Meanwhile, ‘What You Could Not Visualise’ features recent remixes by Renegade Soundmachine (aka vocalist Gary Asquith and Takatsuna Makai) of the track ‘Rema Rema’, which still manage to capture the visceral qualities of the original whilst placing it in an entirely new situation. Personally, I can’t recommend these records enough. When something gets released 35 years after it was recorded and doesn’t sound dated at all, you should know that it’s something special.