Nagamatzu

In 1982, Stephen Jarvis and Andrew Lagowski formed the post-punk and minimal wave outfit Nagamatzu in Ipswich, England. Drawing from Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire, and Throbbing Gristle alongside conspiracy theories and the paranormal, the pair began shaping somber, atmospheric pieces built around drum machines, samples, keyboards, and guitars. Several compilation tracks preceded their debut, the self-released 1983 cassette Shatter Days. That mini-album remains the sole Nagamatzu release to feature additional synth player Andrew Fleck, who exited the group soon afterward. The 1986 cassette Sacred Islands of the Mad came next, followed in 1987 by the 12" EP Space Shuttle Shuffle on their own Motorcade label. A further tape, Igniting the Corpse, appeared in 1991 before the band dissolved. Lagowski subsequently issued solo albums under his surname and as S.E.T.I., while also contributing to projects such as Terror Against Terror, a collaboration with Lustmord. Jarvis, for his part, recorded as Pure Motorised Instinct and Terraform. American imprint Dark Entries reissued Sacred Islands of the Mad on vinyl in 2010 and followed it with an expanded edition of Shatter Days in 2013. The group revived Motorcade that same year for a vinyl pressing of Igniting the Corpse. Polish label Zoharum released the double-CD anthology Neural Interval in 2014. In 2016, Dark Entries issued Above This Noise, an LP gathering unreleased Nagamatzu material and compilation tracks.