About Parade Ground
Hometown
Brussels, Belgium
Formed
1981
Genre
Electronic
Parade Ground are a cold wave synth pop duo who formed in Brussels in 1981, and consist of brothers Jean-Marc Pauly and Pierre Pauly. Their generally uptempo tracks typically feature icy electronics, minimal post-punk guitars, and dramatic vocals by Jean-Marc. They have collaborated extensively with members of Belgian industrial innovators Front 242, and have been acknowledged by some as unsung pioneers of the EBM scene. Parade Ground began appearing on compilations shortly after forming, and debut single "Moan on the Sly" appeared in 1983. Additional singles and compilation tracks appeared, and the duo signed to Play It Again Sam in 1987. Wire's Colin Newman co-produced two songs on Parade Ground's Dual Perspective EP, and he sang and played guitar and keyboards on the song "Moans." He also produced a song on Strange World, the duo's second EP for PIAS. The EP's title track was included on the 1988 compilation This Is Electronic Body Music along with songs by artists like Skinny Puppy and Borghesia, and Parade Ground's debut album, Cut Up, appeared in 1988.
After the album's release, the brothers put Parade Ground on hold and devoted most of their time to other pursuits such as writing and visual art, although they contributed to both albums Front 242 released in 1993. Parade Ground returned in 2007 with the full-length Rosary, which was produced by Front 242's Patrick Codenys and added more heavy, swirling guitars to their sound. American label Dark Entries anthologized the duo's original run with the 2011 compilation LP The Golden Years. The following year, Minimal Maximal released The 15th Floor, a previously unissued Parade Ground album recorded in 1989. Another lost album, A Room with a View, was issued on cassette by Russian label Other Voices Records that year (it was issued on CD and vinyl a few years later). The compilation CD Strange World was released by Infacted Recordings in 2014, and a different, self-titled collection appeared on Daft Records in 2016. That same year, Other Voices reissued Cut Up for the first time and released the new album Sanctuary, which continued with the more experimental guitar-heavy sound of Rosary. ~ Paul Simpson
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