Hard Corps

Hard Corps were an early/mid-80s synth-pop / band, from UK. Hard Corps members were Regine Fetet, Hugh Ashton, Rob Doran and Clive Pearce. Hard Corps were not French, they were actually from Brixton, South London. Hugh Ashton, Robert Doran and Clive Pierce, were introduced to chanteuse Regine Fetet, who although having never sung before, had an enigmatic, fragile, human voice which brought alive the cold, pounding machined music the three British sound engineers were creating.

Hard Corps members were Regine Fetet, Hugh Ashton, Rob Doran and Clive Pearce.

Hard Corps were not French, they were actually from Brixton, South London. Hugh Ashton, Robert Doran and Clive Pierce, were introduced to chanteuse Regine Fetet, who although having never sung before, had an enigmatic, fragile, human voice which brought alive the cold, pounding machined music the three British sound engineers were creating. With influences as far and wide as Mozart and Kraftwerk working in unison with a heavily accentuated French vocal, the result was magnificent and unique. A 12" white label containing the hammering rhythmic attack of Dirty and the softer, melodic, Kraftwerkian pulse of Respirer (To Breathe) was circulated around London's dancefloors. In no time a wave of attention hit them.
Their ill-fated dealings with major label giants Polydor which followed, gave the band a chance to work with a couple of their most most favoured and respected producers, Martin Rushent and Mute supremo, Daniel Miller. These sessions provided the public with just one single due to the labels non-promotion, Je Suis Pass?e, a sweeping arrangement of breathtaking beauty, combining pumping sequences and sheer power of emotion of Regine's voice, emerged in an array of major league formats; seven and twelve inch extended mix and elongated beats and pieces of the Hard Mix. Oddly enough it was the French Vocal version on Rushent's own Immaculate label which trickled into the shops just before the familiar logo-sleeved chart contender. The band went on a major tour with Depeche Mode in 1988, before finally disintegrating. A compilation of their work was released on 400 Blows' inhouse Concrete Productions label at the turn of the decade.

(Not to be confused with the Nashville rapcore outfit The Hard Corps).