Vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Julian Gilbert and Simon Crab formed experimental industrial group Bourbonese Qualk in 1980 with drummer Steven Tanza. The group had a funky, dub-influenced post-punk sound, with aggressive shouted lyrics about anarchy and political subjects. The band had released 11 albums since 1983's Laughing Afternoon, though Gilbert and Tanza had left by 1985 -- Gilbert to become a writer, and Tanza to form the State. They were replaced gradually by guitarist Miles Miles, drummer Owen Rossiter, drummer Kif Cole, engineer Andy Wilson, vocalist Isa Soares, lyricist/vocalist Craig Runyon, and DJ Christophe Fringeli. Bourbonese Qualk insisted on maintaining complete control of their work, recording their music in their own studio and running their own venue, Ambulance Station. They released three of their first four full-lengths (Laughing Afternoon, Hope, Preparing for Power) on their own Recloose label, but have skipped around since, recording one album for Atonal/Dossier (1986's The Spike), two for New International (a self-titled 1987 album and 1990's Bo-Qu), two for Funfundvierzig (1990's My Government Is My Soul and Feeding the Hungry Ghost in 1994), one for Spark (1994's Autonomia) one album and two EPs for Praxis (the techno-influenced Autonomia LP, and the Knee Jerk Reaction and Qual EPs), and one for Korm Plastics (the more ambient On Uncertainty). The group disbanded after the death of Miles Miles in 2002. Italian label Mannequin Records released a self-titled compilation of the group's early work in 2015. ~ John Bush, Rovi