THE DENIZ TEK GROUP
cd EPs:
4-4 NUMBER OF THE BEAT
ITALIAN TOUR EP '96
BAD ROAD
4-4 The Number Of The Beat
Red Eye (Australia)
Cat No: (redcd 851 389-2) - Format: CD-ep - Released: 1995 - Status: Deleted
The band had intended to do a full length album with 2 weeks being booked in Trafalgar Studios, recently renamed Electric Avenue. Red Eye then cut the project down to one week making an album impossible. The second week was used instead for the remix of Birdman's Living Eyes.
Heavy Air is an apt description of the atmosphere in the studio. Kent was barely speaking to the others and only intermittently present. He contributed occasional guitar fills and solos only. Although some of his contributions were brilliant, the overall effect on the band's work was negative.
The mix also suffered from Deniz' concurrent Radio Birdman workload.
The title of this EP was originally meant to be 444 - The Number of the Beat but due to a mistake by Red Eye's artwork department it was incorrectly named 4-4 The Number of the Beat. Deniz, being back home in Montana, had been unable to scrutinise the final proof.
Track Listing:
Hondo's Dog ( D Tek ) (2:27 m:s)
Mesozoic Cave ( D Tek ) (3:20 m:s)
My Wall ( D Tek ) (3:24 m:s)
Not Right ( The Stooges ) (3:56 m:s)
The Musicians:
Deniz Tek - Guitar & Vocals
Kent Steedman - Guitar
Jim Dickson - Bass & Harmonies
Nik Rieth - Drums
Chris Masuak - Acoustic on track 1
Pip Hoyle - Keyboard on tracks 1, 2, 3
Rob Younger - Vocals on track 4
Technical Details:
Produced by Deniz Tek
Engineered by Phil Punch
Recorded at Electric Avenue, Sydney
Of Interest:
Hondo's Dog, the opening track, is the instrumental. Chris Masuak, who happened by the studio, played the acoustic guitar riffs. Pip Hoyle, a frequent flyer with Deniz at the time, contributed organ sounds. Kent played the single note guitar fills.
Mesozoic Cave is a fast rocker with breakneck drumming from Nik and some inspired free jammingduring Deniz' solo after the second verse.
My Wall heavily features the keyboards of Pip with Deniz playing the solo.
Not Right came about because the band wanted to contribute a track to a Stooges tribute compilation "I Wanna Be A Stooges" initiated by French label Revenge. Deniz called Rob Younger, who, once assured of cab fare, came to the studio and sang the vocal. Deniz and Kent alternated guitar solos.
Other Release:
Munster Records (Spain)
Cat No: (7083) - Format: Double 7" - Released: 1995 - Status: Deleted
This was released with a different back cover.. but still with the wrong tittle.
Italian Tour EP '96
Generic (Australia) - Cat No: (dtg01)
Format: cdep - Released: June 1996 - Status: in print - To order, click HERE
Specially manufactured by Citadel as a generic release to celebrate the band's July 1996 Italian tour, this EP was mainly sold at shows during the tour. The distribution otherwise was limited to Australia with a small number sold elsewhere. Now a collector's item, the remaining copies can only be purchased by mail-order.
This EP contains three tracks from Le Bonne Route although the version of VMO is an alternative mix by Dave Weyer, independent of Deniz and Kent, which presages the sounds found on the later album Equinox. The other tracks are Le Bonne Route out-takes and the live demo.
The Italian tour dates listed on the inside of the cover are totally wrong. The Italian promoter, a guy called Paulo, completely screwed up, making the tour somewhat of a debacle. The band persevered despite this. The support band was A10. Their bass player, Romano Pasquini, co-wrote Without A Face and plays in Yage, Kent's Italian outfit.
The cover photo of Deniz is at the group's Sydney Big Day Out appearance in Jan 1995.
Track Listing:
Tubular Dreams ( D Tek / K Steedman ) (2:57 m:s)
Lunatics At The Edge Of The World ( D Tek / N Rieth ) (2:17 m:s)
Without A Face ( K Steedman / R Pasquini ) (4:02 m:s)*
Surf OTB ( J Dickson / K Steedman ) (3:06 m:s)*
Shellback ( D Tek ) (3:41 m:s)
VMO ( J Dickson / N Rieth / K Steedman /Tek) (7:46 m:s)
The Musicians:
Deniz Tek - Guitar & Vocals / Jim Dickson - Bass / Nik Rieth - Drums
Kent Steedman - Guitar & Vocals* / Clay Green - Percussion / Angie Pepper - Backing Vocals
Technical Details:
Produced by Deniz Tek, Kent Steedman and Dave Weyer.
Engineered by Dave Weyer at David Weyer Systems Billings, MO, 1995 *Shellback.
Recorded by Chris Townend at Slaughterhouse Studios, Sydney, 1995
Bad Road
Citadel (Australia) - Cat No: (citep 917)
Format: CD-ep - Released: May 1997 - Status: in print - To order, click HERE
The title track Bad Road is a Le Bonne Route out-take, vetoed by Kent from appearing on the album because the drums were "too American". Both band and acoustic versions were recorded. Reaction to the EP was critical of the fact Bad Road is a ballad.
Track Listing:
Bad Road ( D Tek ) (3:21 m:s)
Heavy Air ( D Tek ) (2:25 m:s)
Workingman's Shoes ( D Tek ) (2:59 m:s)
Steel Beach ( D Tek ) (4:16 m:s)
1968 ( D Tek ) (3:33 m:s)
Bad Road (acoustic) ( D Tek ) (3:20 m:s)
The Musicians:
Deniz Tek - Guitar, Vocals
Kent Steedman - Guitar
Jim Dickson - Bass
Nik Rieth - Drums
Clay Green - Percussion and Drums on Bad Road
Pip Hoyle - Keyboards on Heavy Air & Shoes
Technical Details:
Bad Road : recorded at Dave Weyer Systems, Montana during the Le Bonne Route sessions.
Engineered by Dave Weyer. Co-produced by Dave Weyer and Deniz
Heavy Air / Workingman's Shoes : recorded in Feb 1995 at Electric Avenue Studios in Sydney
and are 4-4 out-takes. Produced by Phil Punch and Deniz.
Steel Beach : live desk recording from 1995.
There are no further details as no one remembers where or when exactly this recording took place.
1968 : live demo recorded in early 1994 at Smash Studios during the first rehearsals for Outside. It was engineered by Greg Wales.
