Nexus – The first Greek industrial band

Wrapped In Cellophane

During this past weekend I again watched the documentaries “U.S. vs John Lennon” and  “The Future is Unwritten”. 

You know…it’s this atmosphere round here that makes you wanna watch this kinda stuff (plus both are great documentaries). 

There was even an interview of Malcolm McLaren’s on TV last night…(Why??  How come??) 

Anyways, in between documentaries, I decided to have a listen to the “Wrapped In Cellophane” album by the Greek band, Nexus.  Its been a long since I last heard it.

Cybernaut

The last song of the album has the following lyrics and features names of people that were mentioned in the “U.S. vs John Lennon” documentary:

Aldous Huxley and Jean Paul Sartre / Charlie Bukovsky drinks with Wilhelm Reich  |  Allen Ginsberg smiles to Charlie Baudelaire / Doris Lessing chats with Rosa Parks.  |  Timothy Leary stones Erik Satie / There’s Angela Davis and Newton Huey P. |  William Burroughs next to Arthur Rimbaud / Catharine Beecher reads some Dario Fo.  |  Berrigan Daniel and his brother Philip / Biko and Evers,
Alan Paton and Seal / Gloria Steinem & Malcolm X.  |  Plus DJ Marcuse as special guest.  |  Edgar Allen Poe / Martin Heidegger  |  Che talks to Wat Tyler / while music gets louder.  |  Its just one of those evenings / When you come back from work,  |  To have a drink with the old friends / Down the Memory Lane

Nexus appeared as the Flowers Of Romance epigons.

They were formed in 1998 by the singer Mike Pougounas, when he left The Flowers Of Romance (check past article about the Flowers of Romance) to form this industrial/goth band.  Since there was no member left from the original line up, his former band ceased to exist after this unexpected move, leaving behind three albums, one 12″ ep and several singles.

Nexus ep

Nexus became the first Greek industrial band ever to release an album. 

Soon after the release of their first ep, in 1999, which was simply titled “Nexus“, the drummer Dimitris “Sidheog” Stevis (ex member of The Drops – check previous article about The Drops) joined the band.  Stevis, along with Costas Spanos, stayed with Pougounas till the last album of theirs, 6 years later.

Since their music style was too extreme for the record label that they were signed to, they were soon set free from their contractual obligations.  The next move was to get signed to Cyberdelia Records, a record label owned by Pougounas.  They used all the contacts he had available from The Flowers Of Romance days, which made it easier for them to participate in foreign compilations.

the album "6"

Nexus’s first release had three songs with Greek lyrics, so their first album, “6” followed suit and also had Greek lyrics.  It came out in 2000 and on that very same day the group opened on stage for the legendery band of the Mission UK in Thessaloniki.

“6” would be their last release with Greek lyrics and Nexus turned to usage of English lyrics with their next album, “Cybernaut” in 2001.

In 2002, the album “Wrapped In Cellophane” came out, mixing an even more aggressive guitar sound with electronic loops and dark soundscapes.  The video of the song “Wrapped In Cellophane” was broadcast by Greek TV as well as from some foreign TV stations, all which helped in the promotion of the band in foreign markets.

Nexus – “Wrapped In Cellophane”

Their song, “These Tears Again” was featured in the Zillo compilation (Germany’s top music magazine) next to bands such as Pappa Roach, Filter, Soulfly, Dot Allison and others.

The Beat Syndicate

Two years later, Cyberdelia released their last album, titled “The Beat Syndicate” and a year later the three members decided to put the band on hold.

This album is available here: www.cdbaby.com/cd/nexus

In 2006, Stevis and Pougounas formed the post punk band New Zero God and they are in the process of recording their first album at the present time. 

Two more members have joined the line up, bass player B-abyss and guitar player E-Raptor.

New Zero God – Live

For more information about Nexus:
http://www.myspace.com/nexusgr

For more information about New Zero God:
http://www.myspace.com/newzerogod