Esplendor Geométrico

We would have to go back to 1978 to find the origins of one of the most innovative and risky proposals of the Spanish electronic - industrial scene, and one of the few with international repercussion. In those days, a History student (Arturo Lanz), a prison officer (Gabriel Riaza) and a graphic designer (Juan Carlos Sastre) were forming part of a weird band called El Aviador Dro y sus Obreros Especializados whose, with a look near to Devo, a corporative - futuristic - revolutionary ideology and a music influenced by Kraftwerk, Pere Ubu,The Residents, the synth-pop of the moment and some industrial drops, would become one of the milestones of the Spanish movida madrileña in the early 80's, and the first Spanish tecno-pop band, founding one of the first indie labels. But before they would become famous in the country, Lanz, Riaza and Sastre left the band in 1980 after releasing two 7'', due to the serious internal discrepancies with the rest of the collective, and quickly organized their own band, which they baptized with a name taken from a futuristic poem: Esplendor Geométrico.Their first work was a tape with four tracks, one of those -"Moscú está helado" ("Moscow is frozen")- would be included in the "Fix Planet" compilation, released by the german label Ata Tak, that opened them the doors to the industrial and electronic european scene. Later, it would be released the "Necrosis en la poya" ("Necrosis in the cock") 7'', whose 500 copies were pressed by the basque label Tic Tac in March 1981, despite of being a self-production of the band. In these early works it can be still perceived a light electro-pop flavour in its style, but not in content: the crude and provocative lyrics in "Negros hambrientos" ("Hungry niggers"), for example. Their following stuff, the "EG 1" tape, with 300 selfreleased copies in September of the same year, contains some tracks that put them in a nearby orbit to that of monsters like Throbbing Gristle or the early SPK. Some other tracks – as "Muerte a escala industral" -, start to show the obsesive-rhythmic forms that would be established in their following recordings. Meanwhile, they were growing further apart from the movida madrileña and, as a consequence, they would begin to be ignored by the specialized press in Spain, reluctant to pay attention to electronic proposals. After the release of "EG 1", Sastre friendly leaves the band, though he has kept on collaborating in some cover design. In March of 1.982, it is published the first vinyl LP, "Héroe del trabajo / El acero del partido" ("Work heroe / The steel of the party"), selfproduced and again released again by Tic Tac label, in which it is perceived a new evolution, as they abandon the blowing lyrics of their early works and channel their sonic torrent to more virulent courses: the openning track is a good proof of this. After this LP, it follows a long and alarming silence of three years (maybe caused by the residence of Gabriel Riaza in Melilla – Nort Africa – and by job reasons), only broken sporadically by appearances in some compilations.But in 1985 EG reappear with renewed energies and a brand new second LP, "Comisario de la luz / Blanco de fuerza" ("Comissary of the light / Blank of force"), which inaugurates the Esplendor Geométrico Discos label, founded by Gabriel Riaza in Melilla, coordinated by an old friend of the band, Andres Noarbe. In this record, the rhythms and the sound becomes rougher, and it is detected a greater maturity in the development of the tracks. The duo's activity starts to be very intense, publishing the following year a tape compilation titled "EG 1980-1981", that contains early unreleased stuff and the full Necrosis en la poya 7''. They also offer several live gigs, two of them reflected in EG en Roma (EG in Rome) (1986) and EG en directo: Madrid y Tolosa (EG live: Madrid and Tolosa) (1987). In the following LP, Kosmos Kino, which would see the light at the beginning of 1988 and also collects a new live performance in Madrid, their rhythm obsession is definitely consolidated, a work with the power of live sound, becoming more percussive to acquire then an unexpected dance appearance ("Trybuna Robotnizca I"). In spite of this, EG avoids the rage that the electronic body music was causing in Europe and the coast of Valencia. At the end of same year their following studio work will see the light, the Mekano-Turbo LP, considered by some people as their creative peak, and in which some Arabic influences are shown for the first time in their less visceral tracks, contrasting with the violent discharges of "Ven a jugar" ("Come to play"), "Rotor" or "Belew", in which Lanz..s voice returns, this time with a unleashed fury that fits perfectly with the harder rhythms.In 1989 the last reference of Esplendor Geométrico Discos is released, a live LP entitled Live in Utrecht. After this, the EG works would be published by Andres Noarbe's label, Geometrik, and other european labels like recaptures the Arabic influences of their previous Mekano-Turbo and it represents a new turning point in the sound of the duo, as in the cruder and distorted in "Trafica" ("Dealer") or "Descontrol" ("Discontrol").In 1990, Saverio Evangelista, EG promotor in Italy, enters the band, taking charge of the visual aspect of the band, that becomes again a trio. Also a new CD is published by Geometrik, Control remoto 1.0 (Remote control 1.0), shared with a side project of Evangelista that offers a magnificent cyber-techno set in a style near to Clock DVA or Lassigue Bendthaus. In the sound of EG we now perceive an excellent quality that it helps to emphasize the excellent rhythmic base of "Anal device" or "America". The next year, 1980-1982, the long-awaited double CD with their early stuff is released, containing their first tape, EG 1, the first LP, Héroe del trabajo / El acero del partid" and the Necrosis en la poya 7''. Later Linea Alternativa publishes Arispejal astisaro CD, which compiles excellent unreleased stuff recorded two years before, that it results even better than Sheikh Aljama, with a more pure sound and an impressive rhythmic richness. In 1994, is re-released the essential Mekano-Turbo on CD. In that same year also a new studio album is released by Geometrik label, Veritatis Esplendor, in which EG show themselves more relaxed than in previous occasions, even accesible – in "Ensayo de compresión" ("Compression trial")-, although moments like "Poder de ruptura" ("Break power") or "La meta del servicio" ("The goal of the service") remove any doubt.In 1995, Gabriel Riaza leaves the band definitely, again reduced to a duo, and the second LP (Comisario de la luz / Blanco de fuerza) is re-released on CD with the title of 1983-1987, with the adittion of four powerful tracks taken from an American double album, released by RRRecords, shared with P16.D4, Vivenza and Etant Donnés. Also by the Dirk Ivens label Daft Records, publishes Nador CD, which contains unreleased 88/89 tracks and some alternative versions of already known tracks taken from Mekano-Turbo and Sheikh Aljama. In 1996, Tokyo sin fin is released, a CD collecting excerpts from EG's live performances in Tokyo during June of 1995, already without Gabriel Riaza, with an excellent sound quality.In 1996, three new works are simultaneosly published: a three-track CDS, named Treinta kilómetros de radio by Daft Records; the new studio album, Balearic rhythms, released by Geometrik, and a new CD compilation, 80's tracks, published by Apocalyptic Vision, which collects some tracks taken from different collective compilations and a few unreleased tracks, everything recorded during the eighties.In 1997 Daft label releases a double CD entitled Tarikat that compiles material of the period 1986-1989. EG make some performances in several cities of Europe to present the tracks that would take part of their next album in Geometrik, the esplendid Polyglophone (Geometrik 1997), that has the visceral component of older works. After this, Arturo Lanz goes to live to Beijing due to job reasons. Unfortunately this makes the posible EG live performances difficult to take place, anymay, in 1998 Lanz plays solo (as EG) in Poachers club in Beijing, to an astonished and surprised audience (mainly punks !).1998: several artists of prestige in the electronic and industrial music field, collaborate remixing or making covers EG tracks in the CD En-co-d-Esplendor, published by the Japanese label GIFT, and including tracks by Coil, Chris & Cosey, Sonar, Muslimgauze and the members of EG amongst others. Hymen (Ant-Zen sublabel) releases Syncrotron, a vynil with five tracks that are versions of some of the best tracks of Polyglophone.Between 1998 and 2000, Geometrik re-releases part of the classic EG discography digitally remastered and with unreleased tracks of that time: Live in Utretch, the mytical cassette EG-1 the first LP ,El acero del partido / Héroe del trabajo, Mekano Turbo and Kosmos KinoCompuesto de Hierro (Geometrik 2002) is the last EG album published to this moment, besides of his first anthology Anthology 1981-2003 (Geometrik 2005), a double CD with a selection of some of their best tracks comprising all their career and also 3 unreleased tracks of 2003.Esplendor Geométrico continue active at present. Their influence in the current electronic scene is clear, and some times ackwoledged, in artists as Autechre, Aphex Twin, Pan Sonic, and other more minoritary ones as Sonar, Winterkälte, Noisex or P.A.L.. E.G., ignoring fashions and false "avant-gardes", continue faithful to the impulse of creating sonic energy avalanches with the only objective of satisfying their own ears and those of their passionate fans.Carlos Salvado, November 1996. Revised by Andres Noarbe (2005)Esplendor Geometrico can also be found on www.virb.com/esplendorgeometrico