Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing
Encyclopedia
Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing is an EP
by English synthpop
duo Soft Cell
, released in the United Kingdom on 21 June 1982 by Some Bizzare Records
. It produced a top five hit, a cover of Judy Street's 1966 song "What?", as well as remixes of both sides of the band's first single, "Memorabilia" and "A Man Could Get Lost".
Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing is widely recognized as being one of the first house
records in the United Kingdom , as well as the first record in the UK to feature turntable
scratches
. However, it is notable that the scratch sounds heard on the record were not created on actual turntables but, rather, on producer Mike Thorne's Serge synthesizer
.
As the name implies, Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing was conceived, by the band's own admission, under the influence of MDMA (commonly referred to as ecstasy). The album and its inspiration, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
, were both recorded almost simultaneously in New York City
at a time when its gay club
scene was just beginning to emerge. Vocalist Marc Almond
later admitted in an interview with journalist Simon Tebbutt that the album's sound, as well as the sound of the band, was influenced by a short stint working at The Warehouse, a popular nightclub in Leeds
. The album is much more dance
-oriented than Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, with extended versions and instrumental cuts of various songs from its predecessor as well as several new tracks.
The album caused some controversy as well with the music video
for the song "Sex Dwarf", which included whips, raw meat, chainsaws, transvestites
, and even a so-called "sex dwarf". An unedited version of the video was seized by police and provided fuel for major scandal, largely fueled by tabloid newspapers, that eventually resulted in violence and unrest at many concerts during a small club tour to promote their video collection, Soft Cell's Non-Stop Exotic Video Show. The band went on hiatus for a small period of time after the album's release, with David Ball taking time to reconcile with his girlfriend and Almond performing with Marc and the Mambas
. This fueled rumours that the band was splitting up; although they would release two more albums (1983's The Art of Falling Apart
and 1984's This Last Night in Sodom
), tensions were already beginning to tear the band apart.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by English synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
duo Soft Cell
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
, released in the United Kingdom on 21 June 1982 by Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records is a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The, Neu Electrikk and Blancmange.-1981-1989:One of the first bands that...
. It produced a top five hit, a cover of Judy Street's 1966 song "What?", as well as remixes of both sides of the band's first single, "Memorabilia" and "A Man Could Get Lost".
Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing is widely recognized as being one of the first house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
records in the United Kingdom , as well as the first record in the UK to feature turntable
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
scratches
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
. However, it is notable that the scratch sounds heard on the record were not created on actual turntables but, rather, on producer Mike Thorne's Serge synthesizer
Serge synthesizer
The Serge synthesizer is an analogue modular synthesizer system originally developed by Serge Tcherepnin at CalArts in the 1970s and originally produced by Tcherepnin's Serge Modular Music Systems company.Serge synthesizers have been used by composers such as Michael Stearns and Kevin Braheny The...
.
As the name implies, Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing was conceived, by the band's own admission, under the influence of MDMA (commonly referred to as ecstasy). The album and its inspiration, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Non-stop Erotic Cabaret
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is the debut album by English synthpop duo Soft Cell, released in the United Kingdom on 23 November 1981 by Some Bizzare Records...
, were both recorded almost simultaneously in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at a time when its gay club
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
scene was just beginning to emerge. Vocalist Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
later admitted in an interview with journalist Simon Tebbutt that the album's sound, as well as the sound of the band, was influenced by a short stint working at The Warehouse, a popular nightclub in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. The album is much more dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
-oriented than Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, with extended versions and instrumental cuts of various songs from its predecessor as well as several new tracks.
The album caused some controversy as well with the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song "Sex Dwarf", which included whips, raw meat, chainsaws, transvestites
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
, and even a so-called "sex dwarf". An unedited version of the video was seized by police and provided fuel for major scandal, largely fueled by tabloid newspapers, that eventually resulted in violence and unrest at many concerts during a small club tour to promote their video collection, Soft Cell's Non-Stop Exotic Video Show. The band went on hiatus for a small period of time after the album's release, with David Ball taking time to reconcile with his girlfriend and Almond performing with Marc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas was a new wave group, formed by Marc Almond, in 1982 as an off-shoot project from Soft Cell. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson from The The and Annie Hogan, with whom Almond worked later in his solo career....
. This fueled rumours that the band was splitting up; although they would release two more albums (1983's The Art of Falling Apart
The Art of Falling Apart
The Art of Falling Apart is the second full-length album released in 1983 by Soft Cell, a pioneering synthpop/new wave duo which featured Marc Almond singing and David Ball playing synthesizers....
and 1984's This Last Night in Sodom
This Last Night In Sodom
This Last Night in Sodom is the name of a 1984 album released by seminal electro-synth pop duo Soft Cell for Phonogram records. It was released about a month after its two members Marc Almond and David Ball announced their breakup in a letter to various music magazines, including Melody Maker and...
), tensions were already beginning to tear the band apart.
Track listing
The original North American vinyl release replaced "Chips on My Shoulder" with the extended version of "Insecure...Me?", while the 1999 remastered CD reissue contained both tracks.Personnel
- Marc AlmondMarc AlmondMarc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Dave Ball – backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s - Peter AshworthPeter AshworthPeter Ashworth is a UK photographer. Ashworth initially specialized in music photography, between 1979 and 2000. In the 1980s, he worked with many UK bands including Eurythmics, Soft Cell, and Associates...
– front cover photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - Cindy Ecstasy – rapRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
- Huw Feather – designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
- John Gatchell – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus... - Harvey Goldberg – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Josh – back cover photography
- Nicky Kalliongis – assistant engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- M.T. 9 – artworkAlbum coverAn album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
- Jack Skinner – cutting engineer
- Mike Thorne – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- David Tofani – tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- Don Wershba – engineer
Weekly charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
42 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
6 |
| US Top LPs Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
57 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Gold |