Phemie Alcott & Didier Soyuz

'Whispers in the Underground' (2010)

1. Chameleon
2. Long Silences
3. Chene
4. Cherry Blossom
5. Stolen Wing
6. Pushing Through
7. Signs
8. This Feeling

Recorded in Chester, England; Hawarden, North Wales; Pennsylvania USA over the internet 2009-2010.

• Phemie Alcott: Vocal
• Didier Soyuz: Guitars; Synths
• And.D: Drums

Recording Equipment: Shure SM58; Fostex VF16; Propellerheads Reason; Takamine LH Acoustic; Roland V-Drums; Tech 21 Sansamp GT2

Produced entirely over the internet without either artist meeting each other in real life. Collaboration between singer-songwriter Kate Beck from Pittsburgh USA and guitarist Dave Sz from Chester UK. Both had temporarily stopped performing until they discovered internet broadcasting through virtual worlds and heard each other's live work. In 2010, they chose to work together under their virtual psudonyms of Phemie Alcott & Didier Soyuz by transferring music files across the internet.

Whispers in the Underground by Phemie Alcott and Didier Soyuz: book of images and lyrics to accompany the album

Read reviews of the album here

1. Sound Of The Sea
2. A Perfect Kiss
3. Hear My Prayer
4. In The Past
5. Another Game
6. Start Again
7. The Train

Recorded at Hawarden, North Wales; Chester, 2002-2009

Recording Equipment:Shure SM58; Fostex VF16; Propellerheads Reason; Takmine LH Acoustic; Roland V-Drums

Strangefates' members Dave, And.D and vocalist Chris Thomas make up the band Bouski. Recorded at Drumkit Wonderland studios in Harwarden, North Wales, UK: Bouski's famous studio beerfridge managed to reach absolute zero and caused the band to be stuck in a time warp for seven years where only seven songs emerged. The result was however very pleasant to the ears, and the album is now available for download.

Bouski

"Songs from the VF16" (2002)

A leap forward in quality and sound production

1. Ever Changing Ways
2. When It's All Over
3. Resurrection
4. You Don't Understand
5. Used To Be Mine
6. Haven't Seen The Best

Recorded at Hawarden, North Wales; Chester, England 2002-2009

Recording Equipment: Shure SM58; Fostex VF16; Propellerheads Reason; Takamine LH Acoustic; Roland V-Drums

The second, more refined album from Bouski, receiving favorable reviews. Chris took over the role of marketing, and started broadcasting the tracks in Hairdressing salons across the UK. People would be forced to say they liked the music whilst having scissors pointed at their heads. And.D (with the Spector Shades) remained joint executive Producer with Dave on the controls. Hours of mixing using 16 Track at Drumkit Wonderland Studios and real speakers led to great improvements in production. Chris had to take caffeine pills to stay awake during the late recording sessions. Dave and And.D had to work fast as Chris's voice could change to snoring at any point, but the results weren't half bad after much cutting and pasting

Bouski

"464" (2000)

The original 14 songs from Bouski

1. Secret Lives
2. Paradise
3. Warzone
4. You Don't Need My Love
5. Just A Friend
6. Home
7. Bridges
8. In This Life
9. Twenty One
10. Down and Out
11. Love Thing
12. This Time
13. Freedom Gone
14. Every Day

Recorded at Hawarden, North Wales; Chester, England 2002-2009

Recording Equipment: Shure SM58; Fostex VF16; Propellerheads Reason; Takamine LH Acoustic; Roland V-Drums

The alter-ego band to the Molecules is Bouski. Dave formed Bouski with singer Chris Thomas to help develop acoustic guitar based songs. They performed occasionally in local venues, but Dave found it nerve racking. He started to develop double speed playing to halve the time of sets. Drummer And.D was introduced (recording with a plastic Simmons Kit), with several spontaniously combusting Bass Players. A period of time was dedicated to songs that could be fully played live, even without a Bass Player. Dave described it as a cross between sixth form pomp rock and graduate pipe smoking jazz, but grudgingly accepts that there are a few minor classics in there. The evolution of production can be clearly heard from start to finish. And.D started wearing shades and took the role of executive producer in order to ban Chris from chewing gum too loudly. This helped Dave's engineering enormously, as he had gone temporarily deaf after blowing up the Banana Studios PA system with an acoustic guitar.

• Dave Szczerba: Guitars, Effects
• Rob Szczerba: Guitars, Effect Knob
• And.D: Drums
• Johnny Nightingale: Silent Vocals
• Robot Alien: Percussion

The last Molecules Album, which is also available under the band name Strangefates. The work included synthesizers for the first time. Dave invested in the celebrated Reason programme to try and discover a range of odd ambient noises to embellish the new tracks with. Reviews of some of the demos can be found here. Some purely electronic sequences were recorded 2004-6 and then later overdubbed by the ever faithfull drummer And.D. The snare on his electronic drumkit was not always triggering which resulted in strange time signatures. Other guitar based tracks were recorded live by Dave, And.D and Rob, then re-edited in the studio. The album also demonstrated yet another leap forward in production techniques and has been broadcasted heavily through the internet and the virtual world Secondlife generating a new fanbase of virtual people. More info here. The songs are regularly played on indiespectrum radio.

The Molecules

"Clockwork Love" (2002)

Molecules go digital and mellow

All tracks copyright Szczerba Bros 2002

1. Alibi Self
2. Cactus Dreams
3. In Your Hands
4. Question On a Plate
5. Electromagnetic
6. We Who are Silent
7. Butterfly Shadow
8. Clockwork Love
9. Return To Yourself
10. The Fruit With No Name
11. On - Off Man
12. African Hills

The Molecules

"Analogue Days" (2002)

Compilation of the 4-Track Albums

1. Two Points in a Vacuum
2. Captain Teatowel Theme
3. Green Lampshade in a Room full of Toys
4. Tash City
5. Dolphin Daydream
6. The Mysterious Parts
7. The Power The Power
8. That's The One
9. Root or Vegetable?
10. Part 2000
11. Injection of Cool
12. Endymion
13. Chains of Heaven
14. Where is Nearest Pub?
15. Resolution
16. Lenina
17. Retropod
18. Smile Smile Smile
19. Black is White
20. The Fruit With No Name
21. Kandinski's Computer
22. African Hills

• Dave Szczerba: Guitars, Effects
• Rob Szczerba: Guitars, Effect Knob
• And.D: Drums
• Johnny Nightingale: Silent Vocals
• Robot Alien: Percussion

This double album compilation is a personal selection from Dave for friends of the Molecules. A recommended 'Beginners Guide' summarising albums from 1992-1995

All music was recorded on double speed four-track cassette, utilising the Hi-Lo-Hi-Fi Technique (TM) developed by Dave at Dolphin Daydream Studios.

For more details of the tracks below, click here

The Molecules

"Two Tone Tornado" (2000)

Critically acclaimed in the USA

1. Resolution
2. Two Tone Tornado
3. Philosophers of Love
4. Lenina
5. Rack of Guilt
6. Down in Uno
7. Retropod
8. I'm So Cute
9. Smile Smile Smile
10. Electro
11. Black is White
12. No One's Nose
13. Name Me
14. Letterbox of Love

• Dave Szczerba: Guitars, Effects
• Rob Szczerba: Guitars, Effect Knob
• And.D: Drums
• Johnny Nightingale: Silent Vocals
• Robot Alien: Percussion

Also known as the Molecules Love Album. At the time, Dave's riffs were being influenced by Zappa, Jeff Buckley and Hawkwind, and it can be noticed here. Rob's continuing obsession with Krautrock also shines through. The single Lenina was well received in the states, and was number 1 in the Chester MP3 charts on Christmas Day.

The Molecules

"Strange Fates" (1998)

The Highly Acclaimed Carpet strategies Album

1. Feelin' Kinda Hyper
2. The Captain's Journey
3. Equilibrium in a Gravitional Field
4. It's About Time
5. Strange Fates
6. Endymion
7. The Thirteenth Voyage
8. Hallo New People How Did You Find Us?
9. Little Mystery
10. Chains of Heaven
11. Story Telling Machine Improvises
12. Where - Is - Nearest - Pub?

• Dave Szczerba: Guitars, Effects
• Rob Szczerba: Guitars, Effect Knob
• And.D: Drums
• Johnny Nightingale: Silent Vocals
• Robot Alien: Percussion

This album demonstrated a quantum leap in relation to production techniques. Rian Beno, long time friend of Rob and Dave, and renowned Carpet Salesman, met up to jointly produce the album using the HI-Lo-Hi-Fi Technique. This combined the best parts of digital and analogue recordings and made the band's ears wiggle.

Known to be Rob's personal favorite album, this inspired him to launch the famous Invisible Rays website

The Molecules

"Gravity Always Lets You Down" (1994)

The Grunge Album

1. The Power The Power
2. Promise of the Past
3. Gravity Always lets You Down
4. Root or Vegetable?
5. Surfa Sofas
6. The Adventures of Eric
7. Loyalty to a Reject
8. Robot Cries Alone
9. Attack of the Traffic Light Groupies
10. Tears of Stone
11. Prelude in Your Dimension
12. Morph Between The Raindrops

• Dave Szczerba: Guitars, Effects
• Rob Szczerba: Guitars, Effect Knob
• And.D: Drums
• Johnny Nightingale: Silent Vocals
• Robot Alien: Percussion

Quick to follow on from the success of the Audio album, The Molecules' anxieties brought on a more saturated sound with a 'static electricity' feel about it. Dave was demonstrating split personality combining light ditties with monstrous heavy riffs. Robs guitars had treble knobs fitted on the treble knobs to cut through the wall of sound. Johnny invented his sponge tuning fork and the rest is history. The working title of the album was Zoo Chester. The opening track wakes up bears in hibernatation.

The Molecules

"All Beta no Alpha"

Compilation 1987-1993

A collection of great double B sides

All tracks copyright Szczerba Bros 1993

1. First Storm
2. Fear of Cacti
3. The Dreamers
4. Love Your Book
5. Neurorock Freeway
6. Robot Yeti
7. Another Polish Town
8. Music Before Detonation
9. Schizobilly
10. You Know
11. Be a Martian
12. Illustrated Van
13. Life in Iron
14. Number Thirteen
15. Little Interval
16. Joe 90's Daydream
17. Don't Laugh
18. Tune the Silence
19. Barnsley in a Big Glass
20. Late
21. Head on the Ledge
22. Novelty and Obedience
23. Hair by Frank

• Dave Szczerba: Guitars, Effects
• Rob Szczerba: Guitars, Effect Knob
• And.D: Drums
• Johnny Nightingale: Silent Vocals
• Robot Alien: Percussion

The Molecules

"Audio Can Change Your Life" (1993)

The development of Hi-Lo-Hi-Fi Technology

All tracks copyright Szczerba Bros 1993

1. Two Points in a Vacuum
2. Mike Couldn't Play This
3. Audio Can Change Your Life
4. Captain Teatowel Theme
5. Green Lampshade in a Room Full of Toys
6. Irrelevant Staircase
7. Rag Man X
8. Spectacle Repair Hero
9. Written Kisses Never Reach Their Destination
10. Better Than Life
11. Peter Gabriel's Mixed Grill With Double Egg
12. Wings of Stone
13. Ravensthorpe Railway Station
14. Tash City
15. Psychobilly Nitemare
16. Dolphin Daydream
17. Over Sorrow
18. Illustrated Van
19. Penguin's will Laugh
20. The Myserious Parts

• Dave Szczerba: Guitars, Effects
• Rob Szczerba: Guitars, Effect Knob
• And.D: Drums
• Johnny Nightingale: Silent Vocals
• Robot Alien: Percussion

Dave was forced to move to Chester in the early 90's and set up a mobile studio in a bedsit whilst holding down a day job. Originally to be called 'How Soon Before New Improved Molecules', the tapes were results of work mostly mastered on headphones in the early hours. The mobile studio was crated across to Sheffield several times to ensure a number of sure-shot collaborations with Rob and Johnny. Dave's lack of sleep brought on 'Day Mares' which in turn inspired the classic track 'Dolphin Daydream'. A Double Album of clever riffs, many of which are based around imaginary theme tunes to detective movies.

Some of Johnny's early attempts to be truly silent on vocals can be heard in the background.

Galactic Quest

“Project Sinfield” (1979)

The difficult second album

(Octupal Live Album with foldout art poster of Dewsbury Bus Station) 1979

The Galactic Quest were poised with the problem of the difficult second album. Dave nearly lost his marbles by building an extension to his 65 in 1 electronic project kit and locking himself in a room for weeks on end trying to produce the ultimate random noise sequence. He emerged with a machine and a big array of control knobs and burns from his soldering iron. The result was a live 8 album package of mammoth proportions. Even though the total music on it was a few minutes long, the length of the audience applause was 6 hours.

The Galactic Quest

“Project Skiffle” Nov 1978

The first album produced by Szczerba Brothers

Right in the middle of the Punk era, musical instruments were thin on the ground in the Mirfield studios.

Dave’s main instrument was a Tandy 65 in 1 Electronics Project Kit. The entire studio was driven by a nine volt battery bought from Lou’s Stall on Dewsbury Market. Rob recorded the sounds using hand wound tape recorders. With samples of the legendary Cosmo on his birthday drum kit, and Dave's one string guitar the result was an instant cult classic. The music dominated sixth form common rooms across the region for at least half an hour. Only two of the original albums are known to exist. Record and antique furniture collector quoted ‘we’ve never heard of them, they must be rare.’

Track Listings:

1. Yes We Want To Be Poets and Writers

2. Bathtub Bubbles

3. Canning and the Eastern Question

4. Mating Call of the One Legged Bulgarian Coot

5. Love Story

6. We Too Can Speak German

7. The Cosmo Hodgson Drum Solo

8. Death

9. What Exactly is a Joke?

10. Tommy, Mick and Jenny

11. The End of the Bambi Organ

All tracks copyright Szczerba Bros 1978

The Molecules

"Mirfield Moments” 1986

(First four track recordings)

Dave and Rob’s machines were becoming dangerous. (The plug adapters protruded from the wall by 8 feet and started to smoulder. They started to put strings on their guitars during studio maintenance and Rob left to go to a Humberside monastery called Earnshaws. It was there he met with Rian Beno, who ultimately became infamous for his carpet strategies. Dave left to go to Sheffield University as punishment for turning up to his exams. He was forced to share a room with someone who was convinced he was a Pumpkin. Somewhere in between he started using a four track tape recorder and guitar as therapy.