Biography
Dif Juz stood among the earliest acts to cultivate the atmospheric approach that would later define 4AD, focusing exclusively on instrumentals across nearly all of their output aside from occasional contributions by Cocteau Twins vocalist Liz Fraser. Brothers Dave and Alan Curtis first assembled the group under the punk moniker London Pride; by the time bassist Gary Bromley and drummer Richie Thomas had joined, the quartet issued the 1981 4AD EPs Huremics and Vibrating Air. These recordings showcased layered, ethereal textures whose understated quality would later echo throughout the label’s catalog. The following year’s Who Says So? EP appeared instead on Red Flame, while the band’s initial full-length effort, the cassette-only Time Clock Turn Back, surfaced on Pleasantly Surprised Records in 1985 and consisted of spontaneous studio jams that prompted their return to 4AD.
Their first album for the label, Extractions, arrived the same year and proved less ambient yet equally atmospheric than earlier material; it also marked the first instance of Fraser lending her voice to a Dif Juz track, with her bandmate Robin Guthrie handling production duties. The group joined Cocteau Twins on tour throughout 1985 and followed with the 1986 mini-album Out of the Trees before dissolving. Richie Thomas subsequently collaborated with both the Jesus & Mary Chain and Butterfly Child, while Dave Curtis became a member of Wolfgang Press.
Their first album for the label, Extractions, arrived the same year and proved less ambient yet equally atmospheric than earlier material; it also marked the first instance of Fraser lending her voice to a Dif Juz track, with her bandmate Robin Guthrie handling production duties. The group joined Cocteau Twins on tour throughout 1985 and followed with the 1986 mini-album Out of the Trees before dissolving. Richie Thomas subsequently collaborated with both the Jesus & Mary Chain and Butterfly Child, while Dave Curtis became a member of Wolfgang Press.
Albums
