Biography
Gary Ramon fronted the Modern Art prior to gaining recognition through his enduring psych group Sun Dial. The outfit explored everything from austere post-punk sounds to increasingly psychedelic realms throughout the decade of the eighties. Ramon took up music-making in his youth, collaborating with Anthony Clough—who would later join Sun Dial and issue material under the WeR7 moniker—while also tinkering with an assortment of unconventional instruments belonging to a family member during childhood. In his teenage years, he absorbed the sounds of Pink Floyd, Can, and Ash Ra Tempel, as well as New Order and Echo & the Bunnymen, influences that shaped his initial projects such as ADH, the Lord, Mystery Plane, and the Modern Art itself, each of which put out numerous cassettes in the early eighties. The Modern Art launched with Underwater Kites, a 1982 cassette issued via Ramon's Color Disc & Tapes imprint. Subsequent output flowed steadily, encompassing Oriental Towers in 1983, Dimensions of Noise the following year, and the 1986 split Souvenir alongside Cleaners from Venus. Two full-length studio efforts followed: Stereoland in 1987 and All Aboard the Mind Train from 1989, the latter appearing on Germany's Out of Depression label. Although a contract for a third album was extended, Ramon sought involvement in a band capable of live performances—the Modern Art having never staged any concerts amid their intensive recording activity—leading directly to the formation of Sun Dial. Several reissues of Modern Art material surfaced during the 2010s, among them the 2011 Spanish anthology Circuit Lights (1982-1986) highlighting their minimal and synth-oriented period, the 2013 collection Sonic Dimensions 1982-1985 which gathered early works plus previously unheard demo recordings intended for 1985, and a 2017 remastered edition of the debut cassette Underwater Kites.
Albums
