Tuxedomoon

The sonic explorations of the experimental electronic group Tuxedomoon spanned new wave tunes, jazz-infused pieces, and abstract synthesizer environments, often incorporating saxophone and violin, and these were regularly paired with performance art during live presentations. Established in San Francisco during 1977 by Blaine L. Reininger, who handled keyboards and violin, alongside Steven Brown on keyboards and additional instruments—both of whom studied electronic music at San Francisco City College. Local theatrical ties belonging to Brown provided gear along with sporadic singers such as Gregory Cruikshank and Victoria Lowe, in addition to more regular input from vocalist and performance artist Winston Tong. At that moment, punk and new wave were expanding opportunities in the San Francisco music environment, allowing Tuxedomoon to secure a support slot for Devo during 1978, coinciding with the release of their debut single, "Pinheads on the Move." Prior to the initial EP No Tears, Lowe departed the ensemble, which included intermittent participants Michael Belfer on guitar and Paul Zahl on drums. Following the temporary exits of Tong and Belfer, Peter Principle, born Peter Dachert, became a permanent addition.

Tuxedomoon inked a contract with the Residents' Ralph Records in 1979, leading to international visibility. Believing their concepts aligned better with the European electronic landscape, the collective embarked on European tours subsequent to Half Mute from 1980, with Tong rejoining alongside filmmaker and visual artist Bruce Geduldig. Following Desire in 1981, the outfit established permanent residence in Rotterdam, where Reininger started pursuing individual projects. They were also commissioned to compose for a Maurice Bejart ballet, yielding Divine upon its 1982 release. Reininger exited in 1983 to focus on solo work and was succeeded by Frankie Lievaart together with horn player Luc van Lieshout.

Amid various individual endeavors and composition work, the group pursued a worldwide agreement for the upcoming album Holy Wars; this effort appeared in 1985 and represented their greatest commercial achievement. That same year saw Tong's permanent departure, leaving Brown and Principle as the sole original San Francisco participants; multi-instrumentalist Ivan Georgiev was brought in to enhance the collective's sound for the 1986 album Ship of Fools and its accompanying tour. Subsequent to the jazz fusion-leaning You from 1987, Tuxedomoon markedly reduced their production pace, though individuals continued engaging in external activities. Throughout the 1990s, they put out merely a pair of releases: The Ghost Sonata, drawn from a 1982 production, and Joeboy in Mexico, which lacked any Tuxedomoon designation on its cover. In the next decade, Brown, Principle, Reininger, and van Lieshout reunited to issue Cabin in the Sky in 2004, Bardo Hotel Soundtrack in 2006, and Vapour Trails in 2007. A comprehensive 2007 box set titled 7707 tm commemorated the 30th anniversary of Tuxedomoon. Peter Principle passed away during July 2017 in Brussels, Belgium, aged 63.