Hula - Threshold (2021)

Hula was formed in Sheffield, England by guitarist and tape experimenter Ron Wright; various other members passed in and out of the ranks, with bassist John Avery the only constant. Hula's music was highly influenced by Cabaret Voltaire and other electronic/ambient artists, but Hula added a more industrial edge and a schizophrenically experimental approach to their albums, which were often far less accessible than the dark, aggressive techno-funk of their singles. The band's concerts often took the form of multimedia barrages, using twelve or more film projectors to enhance the already disorienting music. Hula's first single was produced by Cabaret Voltaire's Stephen Mallinder ; its debut album, Cut From Inside, was released in 1983 and followed a year later by Murmur. The group began to indulge its artiest tendencies on 1986's 1,000 Hours, a half-live, half-studio double album; its follow-up, Shadowland, consisted of improvised music used as accompaniment to an art exhibit. Voice (1986) was Hula's last full-length release of new material, discounting the Threshold singles compilation; Red Rhino, the label the group had signed to, went bankrupt in 1988, and Hula's only further release was an EP centered around a dance version of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile." ~ Steve Huey