Dekka Danse -

Dekka Danse was a Scottish synthpop band that cut a 1982 DJM standalone single, followed by the 1984 CBS album Waltz in the Wilderness. The band evolved from an earlier act, The Shapiros, which issued a 1979 one-off single on small-press Now.

Members: John Innes (vocals), Alan Morrison (guitar), Jon Smith (keyboards), Eric Grant (bass), Dave Scott (drums, ?-1984), Chuck Sabo (drums, 1984-?)

Background

Dekka Danse began in Aberdeen in 1976 as the Shapiros, with singer John Innes, drummer Dave Scott, and Conwill. Scott cut a 1971 album with folksters Northwind. In late 1979, Now Records issued the lone Shapiros single: “Waitress” (b/w “Isolde”). They played Ruffles in Aberdeen on January 15, 1980, as support to The Beat.

By 1982, Innes and Scott worked as Dekka Danse with singer Jane Johnson, bassist Eric Grant, guitarist Alan Morrison, and keyboardist Jon Smith. On April 23, 1982, DJM issued two Innes-written sides: “Key for Every Occasion,” a Dick Plant production backed with (“Malice in Wonderland,” an Adrian Lee co-production.

Dekka Danse signed with CBS for the 1984 single “Immagnetized” (b/w “Drowning by the Hour”), produced by Greg Walsh and followed with the self-produced “Soul Separation” (b/w “Open Secret”).

Waltz in the Wilderness

Dekka Danse released their singular album, Waltz in the Wilderness, in September 1984 on CBS.

The album contains ten songs credited to John Innes and Dekka Danse. Innes and Jane Johnson share the vocal credits with guitarist Alan Morrison, bassist Eric Grant, drummer Dave Scott, keyboardist Jon Smith, and percussionist Frank Ricotti. Guest vocalist Robin Clark appears on the title track; trumpeter Henry Lowther appears on “Waiting Game.”

“Soul Separation” opens with brassy notes that usher swaying verses, where Innes croons across a swaying bassline with harmonic pings; swelling to rhythmic fullness on the chorus. “Waltz in the Wilderness” fades in with plucked notes and surging synth rays; rhythmically tracked amid flowing verses and tight-cadence choruses. “Desire” appears with a tender piano motif that locks to an undulating bassline (in Dm) and travels with a moderate dance pace to a revved-strum chorus. “Open Secret” zooms forth with airtight synth/bass motion and bubbling xylo-tones that counter the minor-key melancholy of Innes’ realization.

A1. “Soul Separation” (3:51)
A2. “I Can’t Believe It” (3:06)
A3. “Waltz in the Wilderness” (3:04)
A4. “Waiting Game” (3:40)
A5. “I Live in Sound” (3:39)

B1. “Movement Is Tranquility” (3:05)
B2. “Immagnetised” (3:12)
B3. “Desire” (3:39)
B4. “Open Secret” (3:32)
B5. “The Great Divide” (3:30)

Dekka Danse recorded the album with producer Greg Walsh, a prior Landscape and Central Line soundman who worked most recently with Heaven 17 and Tina Turner. Sessions occurred with veteran engineer Walter Samuel, an accredited Seventies soundman (Glencoe, Jade Warrior, Ro Ro) with recent credits behind Blancmange, Gang of Four, and Talk Talk.

Waltz in the Wilderness features design and illustration by Simon Cantwell and photography by Smash Hits! staffer Eric Watson (Altered Images, Orange Juice, Paul Young, Spandau Ballet). The front cover shows a crooked city block under two red vertical Dekka Danse name strips. One the backside, a red-lit group photo sits beside a red credit strip. Cantwell designed classic Seventies covers for Colin Blunstone, Soft Machine, Sailor, and Starry Eyed and Laughing. His modernist mid-Eighties credits include covers for Beltane Fire, Fastway, Time Bandits, and The Stranglers (Aural Sculpture).

CBS issued “Immagnetized” in February 1984 as a single backed with the non-album “Drowning by the Hour.”

In June 1984, “Soul Separation” became the second single (b/w “Open Secret”). The 12-inch features an alternate version of “Soul Separation” with “Desire” as a third track.

Dekka Danse promoted Waltz in the Wilderness as the opening act for Thomas Dolby on his Flat Earth tour along with a third act, Fiat Lux.