The fair sex

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The fair sex
The Fair Sex.jpg
General information
origin Essen , Germany
Genre (s) New wave , electro wave , dark wave
founding 1984, 2000, 2013
resolution 1995/96, 2005
Website www.thefairsex.de
Founding members
Singing, arrangements
 Myk Jung
Vocals, arrangements, bass
 Rascal
Arrangements, keyboard
 Blond
guitar
 L'o
Arrangements, drums
 A.Bang
Current occupation
Singing, arrangements
 Myk Jung
Vocals, arrangements, bass
 Rascal
Arrangements, keyboard, vocals
 Blond
Keyboard
 Murdock
guitar
 Lawrence Molnar (since 2003)
bass
 Lars
former members
Keyboard (live)
 Murdock (1992-1993, 2001)
Guitar, arrangements
 Moses W. (1994-1995)
singing
 Miss Bliss (1994-1995)
Guitar, bass (live)
 Lydya N. (1994-1995, 2004-2005)
Keyboard (live)
 Stefan Kaiser (1995)
guitar
 Kullv (2001-2005)
Keyboard (live)
 Rachel (2003)

The Fair Sex is an electro wave / rock band that was founded in 1984 in Essen . It achieved a certain popularity especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s and, with its special mix of electronics and guitars, is considered one of the pioneers of the German independent scene.

Band history

1984–1988: beginnings

The nucleus of The Fair Sex are the three school friends Myk, L'o and Blonder, who have been playing with each other in changing formations since the late 1970s. In the spring of 1984 Blonder joined the band Avadon, founded two years earlier by guitarist L'o and singer / guitarist Myk, initially as a guitarist, after which Myk devoted himself exclusively to singing. This line-up change meant a first step away from the rock sound garb of the previous years. In the fall of 1984 Myk, L'o and Blonder separated from their previous rhythm section; Drummer A.Bang and bassist Rascal were won as new band members, with which the original formation of The Fair Sex was found. The sound structure now turned to the New Wave, influenced by formations such as The Sound , Joy Division , The Sisters of Mercy , Fad Gadget or Aimless Device . In the beginning, electronics did not play a major role within the band concept: The Fair Sex created purely 'handmade' wave music in 1984/85 . The influence of keyboards, drum machines and sequencers grew increasingly; the individuality beyond all genre templates that transported early songs of the transition phase - such as "Bushman" (1985), "Divine Service" (1986) or "Hanging in Kareyth" (1986) - soon gave way to a more pronounced affection classic EBM elements. The search for a record company ended in December 1986 when the collaboration with the Dortmund label Last Chance began.

After The Fair Sex had established themselves in the scene with their first maxi singles "Divine Service" and "Bushman" (1987) as well as the debut album "The House of Unkinds" (1988), all released on Last Chance, she turned In the following, they tied themselves to brute-dark, electronic and punk sounds, which reached their aggressively bulky climax in Ramón Creutzer's second work "Demented Forms". The song "No Excuse" contained on this album apparently outlived the years better than any other TFS piece and is still used on the dance floors of the scene today. The work on "Demented Forms" extended over several months of the year 1988. But the release of this album was overshadowed by a severe blow of fate: drummer A.Bang, who was still involved in the making of the record, died on September 10, 1988 on the Stage during a TFS concert in Augsburg. Unsurprisingly, this tragic loss marked a turning point in the musical as well as personal careers of the remaining band members.

1989–1992: the middle years

Although The Fair Sex had been using electronic means such as drum machines or computer-aided sequencers in the studio since 1987, the live implementation remained free of electronic recordings until September 10, 1988, i.e. purely hand-played - including the fast synthesizer sequences. This concept changed after A.Bang's death, as the band members decided to continue working without a drummer and to leave more space for electronics. From the spring of 1989 the band played in a four-man formation. Over the course of the following year and a half, the musicians searched for a new musical identity, convincingly documented on the last Last Chance release "Oddities", on which, in addition to maxi single tracks, previously unreleased rarities were collected. At the end of 1990, The Fair Sex found a new label in Our Choice / Rough Trade and began working with the Munich producer team Trik 3. In spring 1991 the band returned with the maxi single "Alaska / Outraged and Moved" and shortly after following album "Bite Release Bite" back. The years 1991 and 1992 were marked by intense live activities. In the summer of 1992 the album "Spell Of Joy" followed, accompanied by further releases. With these releases, The Fair Sex ended the phase of tightly woven, aggressive walls of sound and underpinned their status as a band that transcended genres and made use of very different stylistic elements - but now in a tidier, more transparent form. The songs "Alaska" and "Not Now." Not Here ”should be the most famous pieces of this phase. In the fall of 1992 The Fair Sex went on an extensive tour, while Rascals brother Murdock (Morm) took over the keyboards.

1993–1995: late phase

Intensive live activities continued throughout 1993; Recordings from this were released on a live mini album in 1995. But from 1993 onwards there were clear discrepancies in the inner structure of the band; especially the dance remixes initiated by the label met with vehement rejection from some band members. In the following, the band members increasingly dedicated themselves to various side projects such as Testify ( Industrial Metal ), 1 AM ( Electro / Synth Pop ) or Nice Gods Bleed ( Industrial Rock ). The creative focus in 1993/94 was on Testify, a project in which all Fair Sex members were initially involved. Three Testify releases and an extensive tour as support for Die Krupps were available until autumn 1994. In 1994 the collaboration with the American label Van Richter began. In 1995, The Fair Sex, which had meanwhile shrunk to the duo Myk / Rascal, returned once more with the album "Labyrinth". This is a detailed concept album that revolves around the fantasy / SF story of a future hero named Tancer: a 'Cyber ​​Opera', as The Fair Sex confidently proclaimed. This work was no longer accepted by the public; possibly this was a reaction to the less underground compatible dance remix releases of the previous years. The live line-up was expanded in 1995 with Testify guitarists Moses W., Lydya N. (guitar), Miss Bliss (vocals) and Stefan Kaiser (keyboards). The Fair Sex disbanded in the winter of 1995/96. The collaboration with Van Richter ended shortly afterwards. All works published by Van Richter since 2001 are unauthorized.

2001-2005: Reunion

Myk Jung (2013)
The Fair Sex at the Nocturnal Culture Night Festival 2016

In early 2000, The Fair Sex decided to make a comeback; the reunion was celebrated at the 2001 Wave Gotik Treffen with the original cast. In the years that followed, the live crew changed constantly: Testify guitarist Kullf, Lydya N., now bassist, and guitarist Lawrence Molnar joined them. The Fair Sex released their highly acclaimed album "TFS" on the recently founded label Endless Records in the summer of 2002, followed by several MCDs and the back catalog series "Thin Walls Part I" and "Thin Wall Part II". Tours with Girls Under Glass , The Invincible Spirit and Psyche followed. At the end of 2004, the EP "The Invincible Sex", which was created together with The Invincible Spirit, was released and was presented live a few months later at WGT 2005. In the summer of 2005, The Fair Sex acted as a special guest for Skinny Puppy ; shortly thereafter the band broke up again.

2013–2014: 30th anniversary of the band

For the band's 30th anniversary, The Fair Sex released the DVD "1. Night Of Darkness" with live recordings from 1991 and the album "Unreleased & Rarities", a collection of previously unreleased and rare recordings from 1984– in autumn 2013 2004. "Unreleased & Rarities" reached number 1 in the German Alternative Charts (DAC). The band has announced some exclusive concerts with guests for 2014.

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

DVDs

Web links

Commons : The Fair Sex  - Collection of Images