Factory Walk
The first album of the Belgian new wave band, The Neon Judgement, is called Suffering. The title of their first work sounds like a real statement. It's clear when listening to the opening track, Factory Walk, and the vibe of the entire album is as obscure as the track we are talking about today.
Factory Walk was the band's first single, followed by the release of Suffering (on tape in 1981) and The Neon Judgement 1981-1984 (a selection of works released in 1985). The song is based on a distorted synth bass riff and a drum machine beat (probably a Roland 808) with electric guitar high-pitched notes and vocals.
They formed in the Belgian city of Leuven in 1981 by Dirk Timmermans, aka Dirk Da Davo, on synthesizers, keyboards, and vocals, and Frank Vloeberghs, aka TB Frank, on guitar, drum machines, and vocals. The Neon Judgement has often been cited, alongside another Belgian band, Front 242, as the frontiersman of electronic body music (EBM).
The first impression I had while listening to their early works was of a more mechanical/industrial version of Joy Division. They probably shared some main influences with the Manchester band from the late 1970s, like Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd. The Belgian duo added to their formula an obsessive use of drum machine beats and a lack of melody to the vocals and the use of guitars. Vocals are often aggressive, and guitars are mainly obscure.
The band shares with Joy Division a similar sound evolution too. Joy Division became New Order after the death of Ian Curtis and developed a more electronic-oriented sound that inspired generations of musicians.
The Neon Judgement evolved their sound similarly without changing the line-up, but they never became as internationally successful as their English colleagues. Perhaps this happened because of the lack of "iconic" references like the tragic story of Ian Curtis or simply by coincidence. As we have noticed many times in the history of music, success is a particular combination of elements that, in my opinion, are entirely unpredictable.
The band, though, had some successful moments during their career. In 1983 they released the Cockerill-Sombre EP containing the dance-floor hit track The Fashion Party, released with Anything But Records. The track's success made The Neon Judgement a big name in the New Beat and EBM scene. After signing with the Belgian label Play It Again Sam, the band released Mafu Cage (1986), considered one of the most critical EBM albums. Play It Again Sam will subsequently grow over the years releasing material from artists such as The Sound, Soulwax/2ManyDJ's, Sigur Rós, and Mogwai.
The Neon Judgement took a three-year hiatus in 1992, returning in 1995 with At Devil's Fork, an LP recorded with percussionist Ben Forceville. The band stopped performing in 1998 but reformed in 2004 and started performing live again to promote a series of remixes and re-releases of their material.
