German and Canadian Wave

Stumbled across some cool no-wave tracks to share with you guys.

Canadians first:
UJ3RK5 - "Naum Gabo" (MP3)

Pronounced "you jerk" (silent 5; shout out to 3puen!), this Vancouver crew of art stars and a CBC radio host were only around for a short while in the late 70's/early 80's. Naum Gabo was a Russian sculptor. Wait, did I say UJ3RK5 were a bunch of art stars? I meant art nerds. The song is like a warped, bipolar cheer for constructivism.

Germans next:
Wirtschaftswunder - "Eis" (MP3)

Technically, there was only one true German in this band; other members hailed from Czechoslovakia, Sicily, and Canada. Wirtschaftswunder, which translates to "economic miracle," was active in the early 80's before disbanding. With a toy piano AND keyboards, how could they possibly go wrong here on "Eis"? Guitarist Tom Dokoupil went on to become Siluetes 61, recording on the ZickZack label alongside bands like Der Plan Palais Schaumberg (thanks for the correction, Mike!).

Comments

[protogenes]

I have a UJ3RK5's vinyl around somewhere.

[Dale Hazelton]

One of my favorite Canadian artists from the Eastern Bloc is B.B. Gabor. Let's not forget "Soviet Jewelery."

[Mike G.]

Slight correction, Zickzack was a great label, but Der Plan are/were on Atatak. Zickzack also put out FMU favorites like the Abwaerts, FSK, Palais Schaumberg, Bergtraum, Grosse Freheit, Ti Tho, and tons more.

[scott beadle]

Actually, the "5" is not silent, in my experience the band was always pronounced U-Jerks. They did indeed have a 12-inch EP on PolyGram Canada. The band had some interesting members. Including internationally known artists Rodney Graham, Colin Griffiths, and Jeff Wall. CBC Radio FM personality David Wisdom was also a member. Band kind of predates punk, but didn't do any gigs I don;t think until the scene was already taking off here in Vancouver, BC. Devo and Pere Ubu were obvious influences.