Quando Quango
| Quando Quango | |
|---|---|
| Origin |
Manchester, England Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | New wave, alternative dance, electronic |
| Years active | 1981–1986 |
| Labels |
Factory LTM Factory Benelux |
| Members |
Mike Pickering (Vocals) Hillegonda Rietveld (Programming) Simon Topping (Percussion) Barry Johnson (Bass) |
Quando Quango was a British electronic music group, formed by The Haçienda DJ and Factory Records A&R man Mike Pickering, Hillegonda Rietveld and Reinier Rietveld. Their unique sound influenced the underground dance music scenes in New York and Chicago in the 1980s. Their first release was the "Go Exciting" twelve-inch single on Factory Records in 1982, and their last release of new music was the 1985 full-length album Pigs + Battleships (reissued on CD in 2003 and 2013).
Quando Quango remain best known for the dance singles "Love Tempo," which reached number four on the US Billboard Dance Chart, and "Atom Rock." Their sound was the result of an eclectic mix of Latin, jazz, reggae and disco, all in a pioneering new wave context. Hillegonda Rietveld said, describing the group's music, "...Fela Kuti meets Kraftwerk somewhere between Manchester and Rotterdam, part of a new wave of post-punk electronica, with a whole lot of Mike Pickering's admirably broad knowledge of soul, disco, reggae and pop to stuff the gaps".Bernard Sumner of Joy Division and New Order, who with Donald Johnson of A Certain Ratio produced early Quando Quango recordings, was a major influence on the group.
The group was formed in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 1980, by the Mancunian Mike Pickering and Rotterdam-based Gonnie Rietveld, supported on drums by her brother Reinier Rietveld. In 1982 they moved to Manchester, England, where Pickering's friend Rob Gretton was setting up The Haçienda nightclub.
In 1983, Reinier Rietveld left the group to concentrate on his band Spasmodique. Soon after, former A Certain Ratio singer/trumpeter/percussionist Simon Topping joined as percussionist. Gonnie Rietveld settled into her role programming their electronic music, and Pickering continued to write lyrics and melodies.
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