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We're walking the dark and gritty streets of post-punk Sheffield for February's Electronic Sound cover feature detailing the formative years of CLOCK DVA.
Our story starts with Clock DVA main man Adi Newton in a band called The Future, alongside soon-to-be members of The Human League. Once Newton got DVA rolling, his new group forged close associations with Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle, quickly matching TG's reputation for fearsome live sets. By the time they’d played three gigs, they'd been banned from three venues. The focus of our piece is on the first two DVA albums – released in late 1980 and early 1981– with fights, drugs, porn, constructivism, cricket, a missing person and a tragic death all part of the saga. It really is a rollercoaster read.
Both of the tracks on this month’s accompanying seven-inch began life on 'Thirst', Clock DVA’s acclaimed second album from 1981. The A-side is the original version of '4 Hours', their post-punk classic, an intense mix of mutant pop, tribal funk, eerie jazz and unsettling lyrics that's often viewed as DVA's signature song. It's backed by a 2026 update of the jerky 'Sensorium', with Adi Newton pushing the track in a more obviously electronic direction and sometimes edging into acid territory. The reworking is exclusive to this release, which is pressed on industrial grey vinyl, as seems fitting for one of Sheffield's toughest outfits.
As with all our magazine-linked music releases, this seven-inch is only available to readers of Electronic Sound, so make sure you grab your copy right away.