Martin Rev

Martin Rev, the keyboardist who shared the stage with Brooklyn peer Alan Vega in Suicide, has shaped a wide array of later artists. Among them are warehouse-based experimental groups such as Throbbing Gristle and D.A.F., commercially dominant synth-pop bands including Depeche Mode and Soft Cell, mainstream rock figures like Bruce Springsteen and his associate Ric Ocasek, plus techno and house producers ranging from Aphex Twin to Daft Punk.

Rev’s signature sound—minimalist patterns that shift between abrasive force and melodic tenderness—remains most closely identified with the two highly regarded Suicide albums issued in 1977 and 1980. He has nevertheless continued releasing music on his own and in assorted configurations both with and without his celebrated partner, who passed away in 2016.

His initial solo album, Martin Rev (1980), blended disquieting ambient textures, melodic frameworks akin to those of Harmonia, and passages of aggressive noise. Across the following twenty years, a fresh Rev record appeared every few years; representative examples include the forceful Clouds of Glory (1985) and the spare, bubblegum-pop-oriented See Me Ridin’ (1995).

Further solo highlights arrived with To Live (2003), which contains some of his most powerful statements, and Stigmata (2009), a poised collection dedicated to his late wife. Well into the late 2010s Rev maintained an active presence while respectful covers of Suicide material accumulated to such an extent that the originals, particularly “Dream Baby Dream” and “Ghost Rider,” could fairly be regarded as underground standards.