Negative Response

early 80’s, including a Roland Dr Rhythm drum machine, Wasp and a 4-track cassette machine to record its output on. Negative Response released its début cassette album, a collection of self-penned tracks, "Is It True!" in August 1981 on the home-grown Negative Products label. This was followed in August 1982 by the 9 song, "One Day" cassette album which quickly sold over 100 copies worldwide. December I983 saw the release of a 3rd cassette album, "Shapes of Things to Come". Negative Response appeared on several compilation cassettes during this period. The most high-profile track was “Utopia” which appeared on Dorking label’s Underground Music Various Artists Volume 1 and featured Anne Clark. Other Negative Response tracks appeared on cassette releases by underground fanzines “Instil the Beat” and “4 Minute Warning”. Negative Response played a dozen gigs between 1982 and 1985. Live shows used backing tapes augmented with vocals, synths, melodica and percussion and a customised black and white slide projection show. Shows included the Croydon Warehouse curated by Anne Clark. Fast forward to 2016 and Negative Response was approached by several labels to release this older material. This resulted in the issue of the limited-edition cassette “Ectopic Beat” and lathe cut vinyl “Reunion” from Barcelona based Manufactured Desire Records and the 300-issue vinyl “Oblique Angles” from Seattle’s Medical Records. Negative Response began writing some new tracks and began to attend the London based electronic music open mic nights. This resulted in a version of the track “’Til It’s Over” being included in Volume 2 of the You Might Not Like collection. "Artificial" also appears on a sampler by Surrey label Trial N Error Records. Negative Response cover versions have also appeared on several Defsynth compilations and Negative Response supported the Pete Shelley Memorial Campaign in 2020 with an all-electro makeover of “Fiction Romance” which appeared as part of the “Yesterday’s Not Here” fundraiser. The collection of 9 songs that make up “Submersion Therapy” are the first original tracks from Negative Response since 1983. This collection uses many of the methods used in previous recordings, mainly secondhand recording equipment and synths. This album has been made using a Boss BR8 zip file recorder. This is very much a DIY affair with covers, inserts and labels being homemade. The album has been mixed by Gary Meek (ex D:Ream) and mastered by Paul Morrice at Tilted Audio. A new retrospective containing 17 tracks from "Reunion" and "Ectopic Beat" and 6 cover versions will be issued as a double vinyl album on the Minimalkombinat label later in 2022. Live shows are also being performed when available.