Act

Following the breakup of Propaganda’s initial roster, vocalist Claudia Brücken—born 7 December 1963 in Berchenz, Germany—teamed with electronics composer and singer Thomas Leer to launch Act. Remaining on Trevor Horn’s ZTT Records imprint, the duo debuted with the single “Snobbery & Decay,” which showcased their ongoing studio explorations and led to an appearance on the BBC Television science series Tomorrow’s World, where they addressed emerging music technology. September 1987 brought the release of “Absolutely Immune,” accompanied by its remix “Absolutely Immune II.” In March 1988 Act delivered “I Can’t Escape From You,” which featured a bizarre reworking of the Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” and then unveiled their sole album, Laughter, Tears And Rage, that June. The record, like the preceding singles, merged extensive studio wizardry with meticulously constructed songs. Brücken subsequently cut the solo album Love: And A Million Other Things.