Not to be confused with the late 70s American AOR outfit of the same name, the UK’s Breathless have been crafting their atmospheric blend of indie rock and dream pop since the mid-80s. Dominic Appleton (keyboards/vocals) and Ari Neufeld (bass) originally played together in another band, before deciding they would be more successful if they branched out on their own.
Breathless was formed when the duo brought in Gary Mundy (guitar/vocals), who had previously played with Appleton in another band. Taking their name from Jean-Luc Godard’s classic film A Bout De Souffle, the trio added drummer Tristam Sayer to the line-up and debuted in 1984 with the “Waterland”/”Second Heaven’.
Breathless | Over And Over
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=iuo-nY0fvO8
Martyn Watts replaced Sayer during the recording of 1987’s Three Times And Waving to complete the classic Breathless line-up. Setting up their own Tenor Vossa label at an early juncture, Breathless proceeded to release music at regular intervals during the late 80s and throughout the following decade.
Deviating little from the blueprint they had established on their early work, the quartet ploughed on through the vagaries of music business fashion to the delight of their loyal cult following, with notable highlights including 1989’s Chasing Promises and 1994″s career overview Heartburst.
Breathless | I Want You To Realise
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=5OJ2R8yne9A
During this period, Appleton notably performed with the 4AD Records’ project This Mortal Coil, while Mundy played with aggro-rockers Ramleh and inaugurated the Broken Flag label.
Leap in time: Released to critical acclaim last year, Breathless’ melancholy masterpiece ‘Green To Blue’ features three songs mixed by Kramer. best known for his work with The Butthole Surfers, Galaxie 500 and Low. With additional input and guidance from Ivo Watts-Russell, who Dominic Appleton worked with as a featured singer on This Mortal Coil’s ‘Filigree & Shadow’.
Breathless | Please Be Happy
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=6CQOtIR-UhI
‘Green To Blue’ also features original Breathless drummer Tristram Latimer Sayer and backing vocals from fellow This Mortal Coil contributor Heidi Berry.
Followed by the ‘Please Be Happy’ EP, featuring remixes by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / Grinderman drummer Jim Sclavunos and Readers Wife, Jeremy Kimberley, Inspired by Kramer’s mixes on ‘Green To Blue’, Breathless asked Jim Sclavunos and Jeremy Kimberley to remix two tracks from the album in their own very individual styles, resulting in two uniquely diverse pop songs, adding a whole new dimension to Breathless’ shoegaze dream pop.
This event is highly recommended by Digital in Berlin! We are giving away 2 x 2 tickets. Just send a mail to win@digitalinberlin.de with “Breathless” as the subject.
Breathless LIVE
presented by Kometenmelodien & D/B
Thursday, 23 January 2014 | 20:00 CET
Kantine am Berghain | Am Wriezener Bahnhof | 10243 Berlin/Friedrichshain
tenorvossa.co.uk | berghain.de
