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46-471: Don't Be Afraid is a 1997 album by electro/synthpop group Information Society . The album adds industrial elements and guitars. The album was recorded with Kurt Harland remaining the sole member of the band, featuring collaborators Fred Maher and Steve Siebold of Hate Dept. The album features a more conceptual sound unlike past material, with Harland describing the album's themes as "extremes of emotion and sensation". The eighth track, "Ozar Midrashim",

92-604: A bonus CD-ROM video track. It includes remixes by the Brazilian duo Kain & Arvy for "I Like The Way You Werk It" (only on CD version) and "Back In The Day" (on both releases). This was followed by the album Synthesizer which was released on October 9 in North America and October 5 in Europe on Dancing Ferret Discs . The album was released digitally in North America and Europe on September 4, 2007. Several live shows in

138-467: A live version of "Wrongful Death" and a brand new song, "Don't Touch The Devil" with Kurt on vocals. In September 2014, Information Society released their first album of new material featuring the old Harland/Cassidy/Robb line-up since 1992, Hello World . Robb and Harland worked on this album throughout 2013 and the first half of 2014, as well as another project, still unannounced as of October 1, 2014. This album, with Harland back at Lead vocals, brings

184-666: A major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh. The band was formed in Harland's dormitory room in Dupre Hall at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota , in 1982, and they performed avant-garde electronic music with flourishes of hip hop , dub , and electro . The name

230-574: A member of 10,000 Maniacs , recording and touring the platinum-selling releases Our Time in Eden (1992) and MTV Unplugged (1993), before joining the British group World Party . Her first live performance as a member of the latter would be a Pyramid Stage appearance at the 1994 Glastonbury Festival . In the succeeding years, Kramer would be engaged in much studio and road work, playing on albums by artists such as Lloyd Cole ( The Negatives , 2000),

276-540: A return to female background vocals. Christopher Anton performed live as the lead singer for Information Society throughout 2006–2008, including shows in California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, and São Paulo, Brazil. By mid-2007, the band began to return to its original lineup of Harland, Cassidy, and Robb, who performed on July 21, 2007, at the Freestyle Reunion 2 Concert at Madison Square Garden. After

322-673: A standard mix and in THX Spatial Audio, optimized for headphones. Information Society's members Kurt Harland and Murat Konar's brother Mithat collaborated under the name A.K.A. They recorded two songs ("Cruel Lovin'" sung by Mithat, and "All You Ever Told Were Lies" sung by Harland) that were produced by Harland. Information Society is a musical collective which has been recording and performing since 1982. Current members Session/touring members Former recording members Former touring members Amanda Kramer Amanda Kramer (born December 26, 1961)

368-714: Is a United Kingdom -based American composer and touring musician. Kramer first gained prominence as a member of the techno-pop band Information Society and later performed with other alternative rock and new wave groups such as 10,000 Maniacs , World Party , and the Golden Palominos . She has been the keyboardist for the Psychedelic Furs since 2002. Amanda Kramer was born on December 26, 1961, in New York City. Her parents were Beverly Dennis and Russell Dennis, both of whom were actors throughout

414-412: Is also a cover included of Gary Numan 's " Are 'Friends' Electric? ". Also included is "Ozar Midrashim", later used as the main theme for the videogame Soul Reaver . The album eventually went out of print, but it had a second release in a remastered version in 2008, this time with "White Roses" included as an audio track. A remix album, InSoc Recombinant (1999), was produced, featuring vocals to

460-559: Is titled "Werk It V.2." Both Robb and Anton have been guests on Hershfield's internet radio program Isgoodmusic.com. Modulator , an EP of remixes from Synthesizer , was released in digital-only format in September 2009. It was also included in its entirety on the "25 Years of Information Society" DVD released later that year. Notable remixers on the Modulator EP included Dave Aude and Tommie Sunshine. Modulator also included

506-433: Is used extensively in the video game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver , as the theme of the main character Raziel . According to Kurt Harland's Insoc.org website, the oldest work on the album is the first version of "Closing In", which dates back to 1992. Most tracks on the album have had previous iterations and versions, with these tracks being updated over the years. Harland initially worked with Fred Maher in 1996 on some of

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552-500: The Billboard Dance Chart. A music video was produced for the track, but MTV declined to play it. The album is also notable for being perhaps the first album ever produced to contain a track of modem tones, which, when played into a telephone connected to a computer, resulted in a bonus message from the band. To promote the album, Information Society embarked on a club tour in fall 1992 with Cause and Effect , but

598-460: The Sega CD to showcase the console's CD+G capability, using the same graphics as the album. During this time the band released an anonymous single (composed of two tracks from their forthcoming second album) under the name Think Tank. Years later, Robb would release tracks under the name Think Tank through the formerly-fictional record label Hakatak . Their song, the instrumental track "Hit Me",

644-401: The album's cover , and the music video of "Peace & Love, Inc." There was also a carefully orchestrated digital scavenger hunt culminating in the discovery of a bonus track, " White Roses ". The scavenger hunt began with decoding a modem's signal recorded at the end of the audio CD, resulting in a text message from Harland which pointed the way to a Web site where the search began. There

690-532: The "How Long" video. In 2001, strange haircuts // cardboard guitars // and computer samples was released including all the hits from 1988 to 1992. In 2004, Cleopatra Records released a compilation, Pure Energy . The release consisted of tracks from Don't Be Afraid and InSoc Recombinant, supplemented with a slightly altered mix of "Are Friends Electric?" and two new remixes of "What's On Your Mind", one by Effcee , and one unattributed mix labeled "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" which attempted to emulate

736-913: The 1950s both Beverly and Russell were blacklisted from mainstream Hollywood productions due to suspected Communist or Soviet affiliations. In response they soon sought out alternative careers in psychiatry and medicine, respectively. Beverly Dennis would become a therapist while retaining a keen interest in social advocacy, particularly for Second-wave feminism , in which she worked in furthering female empowerment in theatre, literature, film, and journalism. Russell Dennis died suddenly on March 29, 1964, aged 48, not long after receiving his medical degree. Beverly later remarried to World War II veteran and advertising executive Jerry Kramer. The family lived on New York's Upper West Side, during which time young Amanda Kramer attended Manhattan's progressive Little Red School House (LREI). The family later relocated to Beverly Hills, California. While growing up in New York City of

782-682: The 1950s. Beverly Dennis was cast in supporting roles in several Hollywood features, including William A. Wellman 's classic 1951 proto-feminist western Westward the Women and Jean Negulesco 's drama Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), and appeared regularly on the CBS (and later NBC ) variety hour The Red Buttons Show (1952–1955). Russell Dennis gained minor roles in William Castle 's mystery drama Hollywood Story (1951) and Mark Robson 's romantic war picture Bright Victory (1951). In

828-440: The 1960s and 1970s, Kramer expressed interest in music from a young age and soon began to train in classical piano. Kramer took inspiration from the emerging art and cultural movements of the times. Inspired by the raw energy and spirit of punk rock and the dexterity and freedom of jazz , Kramer's interests would be piqued by the emerging musical technologies of the 1980s. As a teenager, Kramer began her academic study of music at

874-502: The Church ( Man Woman Life Death Infinity , 2018), and, most recently, the Psychedelic Furs ' first studio record in three decades, Made of Rain (2020). Kramer has been a member of the band since 2002, completing many international headlining tours. Kramer has provided further keyboard duties for television performances, tours, and festival appearances with a variety of artists, including Eurythmics , Julee Cruise , David Hykes and

920-597: The Dance Club/Play Songs list. The album managed to sell quite well in late 1990, staying on the Billboard charts for 14 weeks, peaking at number 77. Music videos were produced for those two tracks, but only "Think" got video airplay ; the Adam Ant -directed spot for "How Long" was put aside as nobody involved was happy with it. A third single, "Now That I Have You", was remixed and sent out to DJs but

966-546: The Harmonic Choir , Steve Kilbey , and Tom Bailey . From 2007 to 2008, she toured with Siouxsie Sioux and performed on the Finale: The Last Mantaray & More Show live DVD. Kramer has released four solo albums, incorporating the genres of world music, classical, experimental, jazz, and ambient: Wintermass (with Blake Leyh , 1994), Samsara (1998), Fallen Light Renew (2004) and Under

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1012-971: The Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division, studying piano with Sonia Vargas. She would continue her studies at University of California at Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music . While studying electronic music and video production at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, Kramer encountered fellow student James Cassidy , which resulted in Cassidy inviting her to join his Minneapolis-based dance-pop group, Information Society . In 1988, Information Society released their self-titled major label debut on Tommy Boy / Warner Bros. Records , which

1058-532: The Sea (2011). The latter two albums were inspired by the poetry of William Blake and T.S. Eliot , respectively, and feature contributions from Karl Wallinger and Julee Cruise, amongst others. Kramer has also composed for film and television. Her work can be heard on the Discovery Channel series Globe Trekker (later Pilot Guides ), and has been featured on various television programs, including

1104-571: The US followed the album's release. Information Society commissioned chiptune/micromusic artist 8 Bit Weapon to remix "I Like the Way You Werk It". 8 Bit Weapon remixed the song using both a Commodore 64 computer and a Game Boy Classic handheld console. The remix was titled "I Like the Way You Werk It – 8 Bit Weapon Remix". "I Like the Way You Werk It" was also remixed by LA-based indie promoter and electronica artist Jon Hershfield. The remix

1150-535: The US. The disc was one of the few to use CD+G , which included digital graphics on the compact disc version in addition to the music. The graphics for the CD+G portion can be seen on the Information Society Web site along with computer-based information which has been included on other releases. The songs "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" and "Walking Away" were used in a sampler disc bundled with

1196-424: The album, but — like Tommy Boy Records — did little to promote it. Harland's love of computer-related materials continued to be evident, as the album included a CD-ROM filled with bonus material, not yet a common occurrence in 1997. The disc included a selection of digital samples used in the album's production, miscellaneous works of art by InSoc fans, a program to generate the distinctive border graphics used on

1242-781: The band closer to its classic sound, yet with a modern edge. Much like the Easter egg on the last track on Peace and Love, Inc. , this album also has a secret track, when rendered using a spectrogram provides a URL and login credentials (now defunct) to 3 bonus tracks. Information Society released the aforementioned project, Orders of Magnitude on March 11, 2016, again featuring the old Harland/Cassidy/Robb line-up. The album features numerous covers, including "Dominion" by The Sisters of Mercy , "Beautiful World" by Devo (Featuring Gerald V. Casale on vocals), and "Don't You Want Me" by Human League . Other Guest artists include Vitamin C , Ayria , and Leila Mack . The single "Nothing Prevails"

1288-554: The band independently released The InSoc EP and Creatures of Influence . Two years later it released " Running ", the group's first single, which became a hit popular in New York City Latin dance clubs and put them on the map. The extended seven-minute song was written and sung by Murat Konar, who left the band soon afterward. It was released on the Twin Cities-based label Twin-Tone Records, which

1334-483: The band's earlier hits remixed by various artists. The vocals to songs pre- Don't Be Afraid were not the originals, they were new versions re-recorded by Harland alone specifically for the remixers' use. Included on a bonus, unadvertised CD-ROM were digital copies of most of the band's officially-produced promotional videos, including a copy of the "Peace and Love Inc." video of higher quality than that distributed with Don't Be Afraid. This CD-ROM, however, did not feature

1380-606: The dance chart and number 83 on the Hot 100. The audio samples from Star Trek were authorized for use on the album partially thanks to the efforts of Adam Nimoy , a fan of the band and son of Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy . The album sold out its initial pressing in the United States in two weeks. Information Society peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200 , and was certified gold within five months of its release in

1426-529: The first tracks of the album. Steve Seibold of Hate Dept. joined in January 1997 taking Maher's place and collaborated by playing guitar, producing and mixing on a number of tracks. This album is the first and only Information Society album to feature guitars , which are used on several tracks. All tracks are written by Kurt Harland , except where noted Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Information Society (band) The group's breakout single

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1472-465: The group's self-titled major release debut Information Society (1988) also produced another Top 10 Billboard entry in " Walking Away " which reached number five on the dance chart and number nine on the Hot 100 chart. Kramer left the band shortly after. A third single, the ballad " Repetition " managed to reach number 76 on the Hot 100 also. The fourth single from the album was a cover of ABBA 's " Lay All Your Love on Me " which reached number 23 on

1518-407: The original Tommy Boy version of the track. Robb called the album "an insult to both the band and the fans". Harland, despite being credited as producer in the liner notes , had nothing to do with the release; and while declining to either "endorse or un-endorse" the album, he did take particular issue with the cover art, both for its low quality and for its portrayal of him holding a gun. The group

1564-442: The portrayals in the episode as broadcast. The VH1 show was followed by a period of relative quiet, although Harland, Cassidy, and Robb gave two performances at a weekend music festival in New York City on August 20–21, 2005. In 2006, it was announced that Paul Robb and James Cassidy had decided to reconvene Information Society without Kurt Harland 's full participation in the recording process. From Kurt: Harland's absence in

1610-602: The release of Synthesizer , the trio performed a series of concerts in Philadelphia , Seattle , San Francisco and Austin, Texas . The concert in Philadelphia was filmed for a forthcoming DVD. On 19 March 2007, Information Society self-released an EP , Oscillator , first as an Internet-only release – their first commercial release in over six years. This EP was later released in CD format with an extra audio track and

1656-406: The studio line-up was cited as being due to family and work obligations. Harland ultimately contributed lead vocals to one track, "Seeds of Pain". The new lineup included Christopher Anton as lead vocalist on Oscillator and Synthesizer and co-wrote several tracks on each including the title track of the latter. They were also joined by Sonja Myers who played additional keyboards and provided

1702-492: The tour was canceled when Cause and Effect frontman Sean Rowley died of complications from an asthma attack during their soundcheck in Minneapolis on November 8, 1992. In 1997 the band released a fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997). Written and performed by Kurt Harland alone and produced by Steven Seibold , DBA was more industrial -driven than previous albums and reflected more of what Harland wanted to do during most of his tenure with InSoc. Cleopatra Records released

1748-562: Was certified Gold . After departing from the band, Kramer returned to New York City to further a career that would include classical, pop, rock, and scoring for film and television. Kramer began a string of collaborations, first with Anton Fier as a core member of the Golden Palominos , recording several albums, including A Dead Horse (1989) and Drunk with Passion (1991). As part of the Golden Palominos, Kramer would write and record with Michael Stipe , Bob Mould , Bill Laswell , and Richard Thompson , amongst others. Kramer then became

1794-558: Was 1988's " What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy) ", a dance song which spent 39 weeks on the dance chart, going straight to number one and also peaking at number three on the Hot 100 pop chart. The track included a vocal sample of Mr. Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) from Star Trek , saying "pure energy". The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue , recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated

1840-523: Was chosen partly after Ingsoc , the newspeak term for English socialism in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . The group were initially influenced by acts such as Kraftwerk , Gary Numan and Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (D.A.F.), thereafter developing an admiration for the likes of Pet Shop Boys , Duran Duran and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). In 1983,

1886-473: Was featured in an episode of VH1 's Bands Reunited in November 2004. As broadcast, it appeared that Aamer Haleem (host of the show) got every member to agree to reuniting. However, Kurt had declined to appear in the planned concert, for reasons he later detailed in a post on the band's official website . The post also details his experiences behind the scenes of the production, and how they differ from

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1932-438: Was known for rock music rather than dance music. Its growing success led the group to move from its native Minneapolis–Saint Paul to New York City, and the ensuing revenues and contacts, as well as the addition of keyboardist Amanda Kramer to the lineup, led the group to record its proper debut album for Tommy Boy Records , which bought out the group's Twin-Tone contract because of its expertise in street-oriented music. InSoc

1978-585: Was never released. In January 1991 the band performed at the Rock In Rio II festival in front of 190,000 fans at the Maracanã Stadium. The group's third release, Peace and Love, Inc. (1992), proved to be more powerful and critically acclaimed, although its label failed to do much to promote it despite featuring production by Karl Bartos of German electronic music band Kraftwerk. The first single, "Peace & Love Inc.", reached number 10 on

2024-444: Was placed on the soundtrack to the science-fiction comedy film Earth Girls Are Easy . By 1989, Information Society joined the " Club MTV Tour" which also included Paula Abdul , Milli Vanilli , Tone Loc , Was (Not Was) and Lisa Lisa . The second release, Hack (1990), was not as successful, but had a top 40 entry with " Think ", which also went to number five on the Dance Club/Play Songs list. "How Long" went to number 20 on

2070-629: Was released on the Tommy Boy Records label on June 29, 2018. Two versions were made available: one with vocals in English, and one with vocals in German. A video was also released, featuring mostly still art but with some slight animation. The singles "World Enough" and "Bennington" were released on the Tommy Boy Records label on January 11 and May 17, 2019 respectively. In August 2021 the band released ODDfellows , their eighth album, in both

2116-497: Was the only Tommy Boy act to have all of its albums released through major-label distribution channels rather than independent distribution, since the label, a former subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records , had that option available to it throughout its years as a Warner subsidiary. In this case, Warner sub-label Reprise Records was the distributor. The group's 12-inch vinyl singles, however, were distributed through independent channels. In addition to "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)",

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