Can You Hear Me?

Siglo XX - Siglo XX [OS 06 BEL 2020 24-Bit FLAC]

Originally recorded during April 1981 and released as a self-distributed cassette tape of demo tracks. Onderstroom Records have pressed these very early works onto vinyl, remastered as well as you possibly could from an old tape. This album has the feel and look of a bootleg, however was sanctioned by the band. Here is what the label said....

I hear noises, imaginary sounds.

Re-issue of Siglo XX's first tape. Recorded in April 1981 and distributed among friends and at gigs, this tape was the first product of their collaboration. And what a tape this is! Heavily influenced by the likes of Joy Division & the whole Factory scene, Belgian’s finest produced a total of nine incredible dark but catchy cold wave tunes. Add to this two bonus tracks from their first demo cassette & you have an essential document of the first Siglo XX years.

In 1978, a few friends started rehearsing and playing music together in a garage in Genk, an industrial and former mining town in Belgium. They called themselves Siglo XX. The group's name is Spanish for "Twentieth Century" and refers to a Bolivian mine named Siglo XX, where there was social unrest, so the link with the city of Genk was obvious. Genk also had to cope with social issues as unemployment, poverty and drug related problems after the closure of the coal mines.

The members of Siglo XX were Erik Dries (vocals), Antonio Palermo (guitar), Dirk Chauvaux (guitar, bass), Klaas Hoogerwaard (drums), Chris Nelis (synthesizer ; 1980–1982) and Guido Bos (bass ; 1978–1984). Under influence of the punk spirit coming from England, they wanted to make their very own kind of music that expressed their feelings, emotions and views on society. 

A1 Whispers
A2 Fall
A3 Obsession
A4 Future
A5 Factory
A6 Calculated Mistakes
B1 Good News
B2 Progress
B3 Caraïbian Nightmares
B4 No Communication
B5 Into The Dark