Image: Neil Vance

Vince Clarke with his Yamaha DX7 in 1984.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

As Clarke tells it, their unforgettable sound was pretty much an accident.

“When Alison and myself were recording, we were both pretty naive about the whole process. The arrangements may have been unique, but it’s not so much that we planned to do that as that when you’re first in the studio, everything you do sounds great, because it’s all fresh to you.

“When I approached Alison, I already knew she could sing really well, and I think that my songwriting was probably getting a little more romantic as I was getting older. I wanted to work with someone who could express that feeling, but it never occurred to me that her singing was really soulful or ‘bluesy.’ She was just someone who could sing with emotion and bring out those emotions in the songs I was writing.”

“At the end of the day, you don’t listen to a record and go ‘that was great’ because of the sound; you would never remember the chorus when singing in the shower if it wasn’t for the song, and that’s my thing.”

via CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Image: gussifer

There’s a nice Flickr set of Yaz, performing at the Paramount Theater.

Let me know if you caught the show.

Now, Yaz is on tour for the first time in 25 years and getting good reviews:

Moyet’s deep, husky and sensual voice seems, at least on paper, an unlikely companion to Clarke’s cool electro blizzard. Yet, the two ended up meshing so perfectly on record, combining at times to create a sound best described as techno blues. Moyet, however, was in her early 20s when Yaz made its two albums and there were legitimate concerns that the vocalist, now 47, wouldn’t be able to handle her signature vocal parts as convincingly in 2008.

Although she has lost some of her range, Moyet still managed to impress in Oakland as she soared through “Goodbye ’70s,” “In My Room” and “Walk Away From Love.”

The bald-headed Clarke was robotically business-like, never addressing the crowd and rarely looking up from his expensive gadgets. Moyet showed more life, especially toward the end of the concert as she danced about the front of the stage. The real show, however, was in the crowd, as fans gyrated exuberantly to the two songs that everyone was waiting to hear: “Don’t Go” and “Situation.”

This could be your only chance to see Yaz perform. If you catch the show, let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Remaining shows:

The video quality is pretty poor, but these fan videos show that Vince Clarke & Alison Moyet are staying true to their sound with their live version of their Yaz electropop classics.

Here are the remaining dates for their tour:

07 July    Oakland, CA    Paramount Theatre [sold out]
08 July    Los Angeles, CA    Orpheum Theatre
10 July    Los Angeles, CA    Orpheum Theatre [sold out]
11 July    Los Angeles, CA    Orpheum Theatre [sold out]
14 July    Chicago, IL    Chicago Theater
16 July    New York, NYC    Terminal 5 [sold out]
17 July    New York, NYC    Terminal 5 [sold out]
19 July    New York, NYC    Beacon Theatre
20 July    Washington, DC    9:30 Club
22 July    Dallas, TX    Lakewood Theatre
24 July    Cosra Mesca, CA    OC Fair / Pacific Amphitheater

via Modulate This!, Yaz

You are famous as a user and collector of analog synthesizers, but computers made it into your setup list very early on as well. How would you describe the role of the computer in your creative work?

I started using computers around 1984. Prior to that I was using analog sequencers like the Roland MC-4, which is essentially a 4 Channel triggering device.

I started to use computers with a software called UMI, which was made for the BBC Micro computer, a machine that was employed for basic education purposes in the U.K. The UMI software was a 16-channel MIDI sequencer that I used for years on the same computer. Even though technology went way ahead of me I stuck to the same piece of equipment.

The reason for that was that its limitations really helped me to make the right decisions when it came down to making music. I couldn’t get thrown over by having too many choices and that helped me focus on what was important in the song.

When I moved to the U.S. I started using Logic and Max/MSP while I was waiting for all my equipment to arrive from the U.K. That’s when I really got into software synthesizers. It was the first time I read a manual in my life. A rather difficult experience.

Which technology has had the biggest impact on your music?

When I first started using Logic it was purely for convenience and practical reasons. I just couldn’t get all my gear over from the U.K. fast enough. It wasn’t love at first sight. Later when more and more software synthesizers came out that were based on a lot of analog gear I really started to get interested.

Where do you see your musical influences when it comes to working with synthesizers?

I’ve always been a fan of music based on synthesizers. In the 80s the two key bands for me were Human League – before the girls joined the band – and OMD, especially with their first album. I loved the fact that they were using synthesizers in a pop context.

What is your stage setup?

It has changed quite a bit over the years. Right now we’re using Logic. But I had to cut up all the tracks of the individual songs due to synchronization problems. You know, we record to tape in the studio. It was a lot of work but it sounded much better and really tightened things up live. What I would like to get into more is using hardware interfaces with software synthesizers. I really like the idea of using two hands to create a specific sound rather than a mouse. That has to be a good thing.

This is something I never thought I’d see – Yazoo (Yaz in the US) have regrouped and announced tour dates.

Here’s what we know:

Vince Clarke & Alison Moyet have announced that they will reunite for the first time in over 25 years for The Reconnected Tour, a brief U.S trek in July starting at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, CA on July 7 and culminating in two headline shows at New York City’s Terminal 5 on July 16 and 17th.

Tickets are on-sale in Chicago on Friday, March 7; NY and Los Angeles beginning Saturday, March 8; and Oakland on Sunday, March 9. Tickets will be available through ticketmaster.com.

The tour is preceded by In Your Room a 4-disc box set.

Don’t know how they can do a 4-disk retrospective when they only had two albums…..

A limited edition vinyl 12″ with new dance mixes will also be released to promote the set.

May 2008
26 May – Denmark, Copenhagen
27 May – Denmark, Copenhagen
28 May – Germany, Hamburg
30 May – Germany, Berlin

June 2008
02 June – Ireland, Dublin
04 June – Scotland, Glasgow
05 June – England, Newcastle
07 June – England, Manchester
09 June – England, Sheffield
11 June – England, Nottingham
12 June – England, Wolverhampton
13 June – England, Bristol
15 June – England, Brighton
16 June – England, Plymouth
18 June – England, London
19 June – England, London
21 June – Spain, Barcelona

July 2008
07 July – USA, Oakland (California)
10 July – USA, Los Angeles (California)
11 July – USA, Los Angeles (California)
14 July – USA, Chicago (Illinois)
16 July – USA, New York (New York)
17 July – USA, New York (New York)