xymox: subsequent pleasures

Xymox was founded in 1983 in Nijmegen, a city in the east of the Netherlands, by Ronny Moorings (vocals, guitars, synthesizers) and Anka Wolbert (vocals, bass). In April of that year, Moorings bought a TEAC 144 four-track tape recorder and the duo moved to Amsterdam; they began to record songs using a Yamaha CS-15, Korg MS-10 and MS-20, a BOSS Dr. Rhythm DR-550, guitar and effects pedals. First layering the drone-like tones of monophonic synthesizers over tape loops and rhythm tracks, the pair recorded guitar and bass without the use of computers. The five-song Subsequent Pleasures EP was released in 1984 and limited to 500 vinyl copies, serving as a precursor to the dark wave sounds they would champion on their self-titled debut on 4AD the following year. Also of note, the track “Muscovite Musquito” was later re-recorded for the compilation album Lonely Is an Eyesore released by 4AD in 1987. All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jackets have been silk-screened with pink and grey paint, using the original plates Wolbert created in 1984, and each copy includes a foldout pink newsprint poster with never-before-seen photos of the band, lyrics and liner notes by Wolbert and Moorings. See the colors and waves in this deluxe 30th anniversary edition of a classic piece of Dutch history, highly sought after by collectors.