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| Dave / Didier: A short biography | ||
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Dave / Didier originated from Mirfield, England. He and his brother Rob are the founder members of Didier Strange and the Galactic Quest and The Molecules (Also known as Strangefates in the virtual world Secondlife). Dave manages the infamous Dolphin Daydream and Strangefates Studios in Chester UK. In the seventies, punk had exploded onto the scene: the brothers were desperate to start a band, but had a serious drawback in that they had no real instruments. A melodica, Chair legs, one string guitars, biscuit tins and water poured into a bucket were the only sounds they had at the beginning. Dave produced snippets of electronic pops and bleeps generated using two transistors, a bag of control knobs and a PP3 battery. These were directly wired to a Philips cassette recorder and overdubbed multiple times. A number of these random sequences have been recovered from the vaults. They are due to be released on a limited edition wax cylinder and on a CD entitled "Batteries Not Included". Dave worked overtime trying to produce the ultimate electronic sound sequence, and to this day still believes he did. Unfortunately the frequencies used in his last recordings could only be heard by animals with highly sensitive ears such as bats, cats and gerbils. The project was disbanded when Dave's own batteries finally went flat. Using some of the salvaged tapes from his machines, Dave worked with Rob to put out a band tape before the local school punk bands did. To give it a more mainstream flavour, they secretly recorded their friend Cosmo Hodson practicing drums and mixed it into their tracks, (despite Cosmo having just started out playing drums the day before). The result was "Project Skiffle" by the Galactic Quest. This project took at least two nights to put together. The album was launched at Mirfield High School on the sixth form stereo during break times. Students and teachers alike were heard to say "What the #### was that?" and the album instantly became a classic.
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The brothers finally discovered electric guitars and Rob bought one from a Kays Catalogue for 80 squid, only to find that when it was delivered the neck was bolted on upside down. Dave was slightly more lucky and ordered a guitar from Japan because it was a nice green colour. The brothers then dropped Cosmo Hodgson and replaced him with a cheap drum machine bought from Music Ground in Leeds (one of Dave's favorite shops). Dave: "Cosmo wore a helmet with a badge on it. We wanted him to put a flashing light on top, but he wouldn't do it." Rob: "Cosmo had a moustache and it didn't go with the Band Image." Cosmo: "I was devastated, and ended up leading a life of crime solving."
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The Molecules were officially formed and they released their first double b-side single: Haunted House Blues / The Martians are Invading. The former track being the only instance where vocals had been used (although they were speeded up and processed through a dalek simulator). The process of bouncing tracks between tape machines was developed further. As the equipment progressed from analogue to digital recording , Dave discovered the revolutionary HI-LO-HI-FI production technique. This together with collaborations with The ex Carpet Salesman Ryan Beno helped Dave establish a reputation for innovative sound production.
Together with ex-Folk Singer and part-time Belgian Monk Johnny Nightingale, they developed a process to record sound in a vacuum so they could hear what true Space Rock should really sound like. Dave also discovered that recording sound in a vacuum generated a Maximum Ear Wiggle Effect phenomenon and wrote a paper on this at Sheffield University on the back of a beer mat. The Molecules developed an international cult following via Rob's Invisible Ray Website, where their music was given away free as mp3 files. The Molecules have seven critically acclaimed studio albums that are currently in circulation throughout the world. These albums are also available under the Strangefates label. There are plans to resurrect the earlier band recordings going back to 1980 due to requests from Molecules officianados. Dave is currently digging through the archives to find choice recordings. Dave continues to work with the Molecules in Real Life, Strangefates in Secondlife and has formed the alter-ego band Bouski together with Drummer And.D and Vocalist / Band Hairdresser Chris Thomas.
He is now collaborating with Rob on a massive Strangefates video project with the working title 'Digital Diva' to to be completed in 2008. At the same time, Bouski are working on their third official album also due for release in 2008. This will coincide with live performances in Secondlife. Dave is now performing regular live shows in Secondlife under the label Didier Soyuz, as well as writing music for other artists across the world. His Avatar was originally a Manga Character, which was transformed into the current image with help from his friends after it frightened too many people in Secondlife due to the green tint of the skin. Having said that it still bares no reseblance to Dave in Real Life. His regular venue within Secondlife is at Pixelhill, hosted by the fantastically talented promoter Harrie Skjellerup.
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