Mark O'Leary Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark pervasive influence


Apropos of Essence is also influenced by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. One of my favourite bands from the early eighties. Andy McCluskey was the bassist everyone wanted to emulate. But their synth essences redolent of Kraftwerk endeared themselves to me. Organisation, Morality of Architecture, Dazzle Ships and Junk Culture are highly influential albums for me. Especially Dazzle ships with its utilization of short wave radio, musique concrète and sound collages, were fundamental to me studying Pierre Schaeffer's musique concrète and integrating those elements into my own conceptions. Also Junk Culture was inspirational, a new direction for OMD and one which inspired my own concepts to evolve and assimilate those pop sense and sensibilities and infuse them into my own aesthetic. OMD are one of the most influential bands of the eighties. Apropos of Essence has Radioactivity by Kraftwerk and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark as one of its primordial influences.

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