1985 by Modern Art
From the underground buzz of the “Dreams to Live” single in 1984 — and cassette releases stocked by the legendary Small Wonder shop — Modern Art entered 1985 in flux. That year, a London music publisher offered after-hours studio time at a small suite in the city centre. Gary Ramon would walk ten minutes from his day job on Tottenham Court Road to the stark space, mostly used for voiceover work by day, occasionally making use of the battered guitar left in the corner for overdubs.
Over several months, Ramon recorded new songs and reworked older ideas using minimal gear: primitive synths, sparse drum machine patterns, and a basic reel-to-reel deck. The result was raw, cold, hypnotic — drifting into proto-acid house, minimal synth, and cold wave territory, grounded by Ramon’s psychedelic, echo-laden vocals.
In the early ‘80s, Ramon was also absorbing the pulse of New York hip hop and early electro — sounds crackling through pirate radio, record shops, and underground clubs. That mechanical urgency and stark rhythm seep through these recordings, merging with spectral atmospheres and ghostly guitars.
The publisher’s promises faded, but Ramon kept the tapes. Some surfaced on the Sonic Dimensions box set (VOD, 2013).
Now, 40 years after they were first recorded, 1985 gathers that material alongside newly unearthed masters — including several tracks previously unreleased — and makes them available digitally for the very first time as a Bandcamp exclusive.
These recordings capture Modern Art’s shift into darker, colder electronic realms where hints of The Cure, New Order, Killing Joke, Depeche Mode, and early Cabaret Voltaire mix with street-level electro pulse and post-punk tension.
Tracklist
| 1. | Early Warning | 4:07 |
| 2. | Confrontation | 4:21 |
| 3. | Sight & Sound | 5:04 |
| 4. | Dreams To Live | 3:03 |
| 5. | Breakdown (Break It Down) | 5:02 |
| 6. | (Trying To Find) The Hidden World | 4:14 |
| 7. | Age Of Lights | 3:15 |
| 8. | Forbidden Universe | 3:11 |
| 9. | Golden Corridor | 5:00 |
| 10. | Clear Light | 3:57 |
| 11. | Red Tornado | 4:48 |
| 12. | Dreams In Landscape | 4:09 |
| 13. | Night Ceremony | 2:43 |
Credits
All music recorded by Gary Ramon
Recorded at Demo Suite, London W1 1985
Original analogue tapes restored and mastered 2025
Track selection and archival curation by Russell Barrett
License
All rights reserved.Tags
Founded by Gary Ramon in 1981, Modern Art is an early coldwaves pioneering band from the UK. Most of the albums only released on cassette between 1981-1989 (many more under other names). These cassettes sell for hugh amounts on the net. Recently featured on episodes of "Chucky" TV series and in Adidas adverts. This site is a work in progress! Stay tuned to this channel!