condense

Condense is a major group from the French punk/hardcore scene of the 90’s. Formed in 1990, with a permanent lineup finalized in 1992, Condense rocked the concert halls of France and Europe until 1997. Condense was a scenery-chewing band, reputed for the huge sound and emotion of their shows. They recorded 3 albums with Pandemonium Records, a label which was created just to record them. The evolution of the band was closely linked to that of the label, musically and personally, and together they wrote an important chapter in the story of independent French music. Condense was an independent group in every sense of the word, refusing all compromise financially. They maintained total control over their management, musical creation, and graphic images. This group, respected for their ethics and their integrity, continues to be listened to today and to influence other groups despite their early 1997 split. This rather rare fact is why Condense is still a must-listen-to band. [Maie Swami]

Condense’s first practices were held with a young guitar prodigy, Varoujan, of Armenian descent. Ten songs were put together and their baptism by fire was several months later in Geneva. Soon after the group put together their final lineup with Wilo, second guitarist, Fabrice, the hard-working bassist, and Maie, their sort of all around guru who acted as both manager and nurse. The alchemy of this motley crew resided in the following characteristics: These people were rock n’ roll animals, some would even see their saviors in them, whose absolute desire for autonomy verged on autistic. Everything. Everything accomplished alone. Without compromise. On stage, this extremism made itself known, and surprised the crowd. Because of their concerts that ended on the edge of lunacy, the group gained a following and made plans to record their first album. The record label belonged to a 30 year old guy who lived with his mother and financed his business with what he could scrape together from unemployment payments. He also had the curious distinction of having the word CRAMPED tattooed in black letters inside his mouth. A sign of good taste if there ever was one. “Air”, their freshman album, allowed them to tour more and more, to gain more confidence and to write new songs. Their next album came soon. “Genuflex” was recorded in Switzerland for the same dole-scraping monomaniac’s label. This time, the critics were united: these guys ruled. They compared them to the greats; some even cited Black Flag. Buoyed by all that, the band redoubled their energy live. No need for Maie to pick up the phone: it was ringing off the hook, and the band toured, toured, toured. To top that all off, they toured in France with Unsane and their English friends Headcleaner snuck them in their suitcases for some shows in Scandinavia. 1995 ended on a high note. After that, the band practiced and wrote intensively, and went to a farm in Auvergne to record their third album, “Placebo”. Next came a 45 day tour where they played in every corner of France, which no independent group had ever done before without a financial benefactor. This tour, so memorable for all those who participated, was nonetheless the swan song for Condense. The excesses and fatigue of life on the road affected the group deeply. They exploded in anger in the middle of a concert in Vitrolles, but finished the tour, giving some fabulous concerts but sealing their fate regardless. Condense gave their last concert in St. Etienne to a packed house in December of 1996. [Le Colonel]