UK Decay

[werewolf]

John Loder 1946-2005 RIP

John Loder passed away August 12 2005.
He will be remembered by many on UK Decay Communities
as the Co Producer with the band of the 'For Madmen Only'
and 'Rising From the Dread' albums.
Below is a tribute from Steve Spon..

Steve Spon wrote:

John Loder was an extraordinary �behind the scenes� figure in the underground of the British music scene during the early 80�s. He preferred the idiom, �discretion is the art of valour� He was a true gentleman, a top producer. Any new comments or tributes about John can be left here. Please post reply below, choose a user name, write your message and 'submit'. In the 70�s he built his recording studio from a garage at the back of his home in Palmers Green, North London. From there he also ran the �umbrella� record company Southern Records (later in the 90�s becoming known as �SRD�), going on to host such labels as Crass Records, Chorpus Christie Records, UK Decay Records and many more during the 80�s. Southern today has become one of the top independent music companies having also flourished during the Dance music revolutions of the 90�s and has offices in London and in the USA. John had a highly professional attitude towards sound production using only the best of the available technology; he would go that extra mile towards attaining �that sound�. A close friend of Penny Rimbaud he was the business end of the �Anarcho-Punksters� Crass, Poison Girls among many other bands including UK Decay. It was John Loder that got us out of that mess that resulted in the collapse of Fresh Records. We had got to know him through recording the Unexpected Guest/Dresden single at his studio. He become very keen on us for some reason and swept in with an offer to resolve the situation, which he succeeded in doing very quickly. Next he offered us a deal that we couldn�t refuse which saw us forming our own label, UK Decay Records. He guided us like an uncle giving us support where we needed in many ways. Personally whilst travelling to an interview in London�s West End, we were pulled over in Mayfair by a Police minibus apparently under the then �Suss� laws. I had an outstanding fine and was arrested and taken to a Soho police station. After 3 hours in the cells I was beginning to wonder what was to become of me, when the cell doors opened and a cop was saying � I don�t know who you know, but your free to go�. I had a distinct feeling that our �uncle� John had pulled some invisible strings! We spent a good few months with him in 1981 recording �For Madmen� with him guiding us through the �making of the first album� process. A lot of tough lessons were learnt during that period, one namely that we didn�t have a permanent Bass player. At times he would be forced to place our na�ve enthusiasm for new ideas into the real world. But on the other hand he would have a tape on standby to record at the drop of a hat. One example was the recording in 1982 of the �Werewolf� sounds at the beginning of the track of the same name. John had just taken delivery of brand new state of the art, AMS Digital reverb and harmoniser. Plugging them both in together for the first time we experimented, with Abbo speaking into the mic, the end result was that phantasmal eerie sound. We turned down the lights and John surreptitiously pressed the record button whilst Abbo fed on the drama. Afterwards I said, �It was a shame it wasn�t recorded�. John turned and looked at me with a wry smile and said, �Well actually, it was�. The two minutes of this performance was duly spliced onto the beginning of the already recorded Werewolf although not without the go ahead� of Penny Rimbaud who had misgivings about it. His label Chorpus Christie was releasing it after all! It was a radical decision and John supported us. The Rising from the dread EP was the last time I personally recorded at John�s studio although I did from time to time visit or phone on business. The last time I saw him was in 1992, John, Steve Harle and myself discussed the Cd release plans that at that time, which unfortunately came to nothing. Earlier this year (2005) Captain and myself visited Southern in hope of securing a future relationship with John Loder and Southern and to try and figure what out the tape stocks situation was. We were informed then that John was suffering from �ill health� and would temporarily be unavailable to meet, although his representatives would be able to pass on messages. We exchanged regards. It seems that tapes are prone to decay after ten, fifteen years, at which they need a special process in order to make back-up master tapes that will last another ten years. John had realised this and had done so with our album �For Madmen� in 2001. Typical of our �uncle John� always thoughtful, a great inspiration to many but a thorn in the side of the music business, for him the music was much more important than the money, he was a true champion of DIY culture. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to Sue and Natasha, his wife and daughter. John Loder RIP. Steve Spon

John Loder seen here on the left, arms folded black T-Sirt.
from a video still of the "UK Decay at the Luton Carnival" 1982.

In the middle next to John and behind his tape recorder is Alison.
On the right in the white T-Shirt is Grizz, UK Decay's Live sound
engineer.

John Loder Blog
Gaurdian Obituary

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