Information Society (band)

Information Society
Information Society, 2014: (from left to right) Kurt Harland, Jim Cassidy, Paul Robb
Background information
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Genres	New wave, synthpop, futurepop, techno, freestyle, dance
Years active	1982–1997 2006–present
Labels	Twin-Tone, Tommy Boy/Reprise/Warner Bros., Cleopatra, Dancing Ferret
Associated acts	India Maria Nocera Hate Dept. T42 Christopher Anton
Website	InformationSociety.us
Members	Paul Robb Kurt Harland Larson James Cassidy
Past members	See "Personnel"

Information Society (also known as InSoc) is an American band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, initially active from 1982 to 1997, primarily consisting of Kurt Harland Larson, Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by 2008.

The group's breakout hit was 1988's "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)", a synthpop/freestyle hit, which spent 39 weeks on the dance chart, going straight to No. 1, and would also peak at No. 3 on the Hot 100 pop chart. The track included a vocal sample of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from Star Trek, saying "pure energy." The group is known for its loyal fan base in Brazil, Japan, Spain, and Mexico.

The band was formed in Harland's dorm room in Dupre Hall at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1982, and they performed avant-garde electronic music with flourishes of hip-hop, dub, and electro. The name was chosen partly after Ingsoc, the newspeak term for English socialism in the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In 1983 they independently released two albums, The InSoc EP and Creatures Of Influence. Two years later it released "Running," the group's first single, which became a hit popular in New York City Latin dance clubs and put them on the map. The song, a 7-minute excursion into electro-freestyle, was written and sung by Murat Konar, who left the band soon afterward. It was released on the Minneapolis-based label Twin-Tone Records, which was known for rock music rather than dance music. Its growing success led the group to move from its native Minneapolis to NYC, and the ensuing revenues and contacts, as well as the addition of Amanda Kramer to the lineup, led the group to record its proper debut album for Tommy Boy Records, which bought out the group's Twin-Tone contract because of its expertise in street-oriented music. Kramer left the band shortly after the second single "Walking Away" was released. InSoc was also the only Tommy Boy act to have all of its albums released through major-label distribution channels rather than independent distribution, since the label, a former subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records, had that option available to it throughout its years as a Warner subsidiary. In this case, Warner sub-label Reprise Records was the distributor. The group's 12-inch vinyl singles, however, were distributed through independent channels.