Anybody seeking a full understanding of the 1980s underground music scene must reckon with the prolific if largely undercelebrated project F/i. Founded by Richard Franecki out of a creatively stalled early ’80s Milwaukee, WI hardcore scene, F/i honed a sound betwixt doom-laden early Industrial, surly experimental noise, abstract electronics, and even a smidge of kosmische atmosphere.
As one of the many outfits that helped define ’80s cassette culture, F/i favored self-releasing on said format before making arrangements with a few discerning labels. Invisible Men is Birdman Records’ reissue of a 1985 tape, plus a bonus track, on double vinyl in an edition of 500 with liner notes by Kark J. Palouček. It hits stores on June 26.
Milwaukee has a worthy punk history, but F/i sprang from the later period of the original hardcore wave, morphing out of the stylistic stagnation alongside the highest-profile hardcore band from the city, Die Kreuzen. Starting as straight-up hardcore (but good… real good, in fact), Die Kreuzen became one of the few post-hardcore bands to incorporate both post-punk and non-doofus heavy metal into their sound. This made Die Kreuzen a solid fit for the Touch and Go Records experience.
Prior to F/i, Franecki had played in The Drag (no known recordings) and The Shemps (a couple of tracks on Mystic Records compilations) and was part of The Surfin’ Führers together with Greg Kurczewski (an ex-bandmate from The Drag) and Brian Wensing. The Surfin’ Führers released a six-song demo, “Peewaukee Surf,” in 1983 that was eventually reissued in 2013 as a 10-inch metal acetate in an edition of 20 copies.
The whole shittin’ kaboodle that comprises “Peewaukee Surf” is available digitally via Bandcamp through the Pure Pop For Now People imprint. The whole of “Peewaukee Surf” can sound like a soundtrack to a videotape documenting the removal of a tumor from Daniel Miller’s brain after a performance by The Normal in 1978. It’s chilly, occasionally downright icy, often foreboding, and there is no singing (or speaking, even). If they so desired, a black-clad clove-smoking soul could easily dance to The Surfin’ Führers.
Far less inclined toward proto-electronic pop and nearer to the bleakness of Throbbing Gristle, F/i settled for self-releasing until they hooked up with Ron Lessard of the storied industrial-noise-electronics label RRRecords, initially for a split LP with another gang from the Milwaukee fringe, Boy Dirt Car (’80s u-ground aficionados may recognize Boy Dirt Car from side two of the 1986 Sub Pop 100 compilation LP).
Invisible Men captures F/i solidly in their early pre-rock period. As explicated by the reissue’s cover design, Brian Wensing remained a constant contributor along with Steve Zimmerman. Using Discogs as a reference, F/i self-released a bunch of their tapes on the label Uddersounds, ten in fact, and then put out Invisible Men without a label designation, its title drawn from a statement made by the notorious industrial musician William Bennett.
F/i excels at the kind of music that will make squares nervous, but there’s nothing particularly edgelord-y about their sound at this point. All the pieces are listed as untitled and numbered with Roman numerals, save for the last one, the bonus (and darkly space rockish) “Air.” A desire to provoke ideologically or dish out discomforting-discomfiting imagery wasn’t uncommon in this subsect of the u-ground during this era, and F/i’s general disinterest in pulling chains through offensiveness is refreshing.
But rest assured, easy listening Invisible Men ain’t. Fans of Merzbow and Masonna will find much to enjoy here, as the noise averse should steer clear, although from inside the parameters of the noise style, this isn’t a punishing set, in part because F/i knew what they wanted to do and they did it, and what they did ultimately was as much in line with ambiance as abrasion.
F/i received a fair amount of coverage in the fanzines and small press of the era, and deservedly so. After the RRRecords stretch began (there were other labels, including Ladd-Frith), F/i became more rock-influenced, which wasn’t a dealbreaker (think Chrome, Krautrock, Hawkwind). Franecki did leave F/i to form the no less rock-inclined Vocokesh (notable as one of the early Drag City bands). But the non-rock thrust of Invisible Men has a very specific appeal, and its consistency over time is quite remarkable.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
