Flue

Flue was a Dutch coldwave/art-punk band behind the 1981–83 Torso albums One and a Half and Vista. Edward Gijsen led the first quartet, joined by ex-Mecano member Cor Bolten on the second album and final twelve-inch.

Members: Edward Gijsen (vocals, guitar, synthesizer, piano, bass), Judith Smorenberg (synthesizer), Jerome Scharenborg (bass), Hans Wegman (drums), Cor Bolten (guitar, keyboards, violin)

Background

Flue emerged in Nijmegen, Netherlands, with singer-guitarist Edward Gijsen, synthesist Judith Smorenberg, bassist Jerome Scharenborg, and drummer Hans Wegman. They fused originals with collective improv.

Flue joined the roster of Torso, the Amsterdam label that issued the 1980 Mecano mini-albums Untitled and Subtitled. Mecano singer Dirk Polak, who also produced other Torso acts, worked with Flue on their debut. The label issued the 1981 single “Jerome” (b/w “Ugly People”) in advance of their album.

One and a Half

Flue released their debut album, One and a Half, in 1981 on Torso, co-produced by the Nijmegen quartet and Mecano singer Dick Polak.

Edward Gijsen, credited as E. de Seas, wrote the music for seven tracks that combine guitar-based post-punk with synthesizer textures and restrained vocals.

Side A includes the pre-released “Jerome,” a song about bassist Jerome Scharenborg. “Feminine” features lyrics by drummer Hans Wegman, while “Small Gods, Terrible Wars” sets words by R. Goossens. The album closes with the ten-minute “One and a Half (Improvisation),” a collective piece with an extended interplay.

A1. “Fancy Free” (3:18)
A2. “The Nose” (2:47)
A3. “Fridged” (5:28) 
A4. “Jerome” (4:06)
A5. “Age a Wage” (3:29)

B1. “Feminine” (3:22) – de Seas, Wegman
B2. “Small Gods, Terrible Wars” (3:56) – de Seas, Goossens
B3. “One and a Half (Improvisation)” (10:06) – Flue, de Seas

Flue recorded One and a Half at Stonesound Studio in Roosendaal with co-producer Dirk Polak (credited as Dick Polak), the Mecano founder who also co-produced the 1981 Minimal Compact mini-album with Crammed Discs founder Marc Hollander. Stonesound operator Willem Steentjes engineered the sessions. Polak and Steentjes also collaborated on the August 1981 Stonesound recordings for the Neon mini-album A Day in the Land of Lost Horizons.

One and a Half appeared in a cream-colored sleeve designed by Gijsen and Smorenberg, with photography by Hans Hendriks. The front cover places the album title inside a striped rectangular graphic crossed by angular blue and yellow lines. Dutch cartoonist Joost Swarte designed the vinyl labels, a role he also fulfilled on the 1981 Mecano compilation Entitled.

In 2005, Mutantjasz Records reissued One and a Half on compact disc. The expanded edition adds the “Ugly People” single version and seven recordings identified as demos or rehearsals.

Vista

Flue released their second album, Vista, in 1983 on Torso.

Vista combines coldwave and electronic post-punk with chamber arrangements, programmed rhythms, and acoustic instrumentation.

Gijsen retained the Flue name after the dissolution of the original quartet and partnered with former Mecano multi-instrumentalist Cor Bolten, who recorded the 1980 mini-albums Untitled and Subtitled. The pair co-wrote all eight tracks for guitars, keyboards, and violin. Former member Judith Smorenberg returns on synthesizer for “Legacy,” while saxophonist Frank Nielander guests on “Topic.”

A1. “Esmafarja” (5:52)
A2. “Some-Times” (4:52) 
A3. “Legacy” (3:15) 
A4. “Prolusion” (4:31) 

B1. “Topic” (5:18) 
B2. “Refuge” (3:57) 
B3. “Passionate” (4:28) 
B4. “Hermit” (4:13) 

Flue produced Vista at Stonesound Studio in Roosendaal with engineer Willem Steentjes, who had recorded One and a Half with producer Dirk Polak. Steentjes operated Stonesound and also engineered contemporary releases by Crossfire (Metal Clogs), H-Bomb (Coup de Metal), and Gilgamesj (Take One).

Vista appeared in a gatefold sleeve with artwork by Irmgard Gijsen. The cover depicts a geometric architectural scene divided by pale-blue panels and intersecting grid lines, with a suspended black figure along the right edge. The Flue name and album title appear in narrow lettering across the upper portion.

Divine issued a 1983 French pressing, while Madrigal followed in 1986 with a gatefold reissue. Torso supplied a separate 1986 repress through the relaunched catalog. In November 2011, Infrastition issued a remastered compact-disc edition through the French label.

“Some-Times (In Arabia)”

Flue returned to Torso in 1987 for the twelve-inch single “Some-Times (In Arabia).”

Gijsen and Bolten wrote the three-track release, which combines a new 5:14 treatment of “Some-Times” with a shorter single version and the Vista recording of “Legacy.”

A1. “Some-Times (In Arabia) (New Version)” (5:14)

B1. “Some-Times (In Arabia) (Single Version)” (3:57) 
B2. “Legacy” (3:16) 

Discography:

• “Jerome” / “Ugly People” (1980)
• One and a Half (1981)
• Vista (1983)
• “Some-times (in Arabia)” / “Legacy” (1987)

References and notes

• Nldiscografie — undated. Identifies the Nijmegen quartet and its 1981 Torso single. (discography)
• Vital Weekly — undated. Documents Nijmegen origins, improvisation, and the involvement of producer Dick Polak. (account)
• Dirk Polak and Tejo Bolten interview — February 2007. Establishes Mecano history and the Torso catalog. (interview)
• Phoenix Hairpins — July 7, 2007. Confirms debut production, improvisation, track listing, and single. (debut)
• Torso/Plurex discography — undated. Lists original Mecano and Flue release dates and catalog numbers. (catalog)
• Phoenix Hairpins — June 30, 2007. Documents the subsequent partnership between Gijsen and Bolten. (lineup)
• Written in Music — 2011. Contains a conflicting attribution concerning the formation of Flue. (history)