Psyché

The complete early works of one of Canada's most uncompromising electronic acts, finally assembled in one definitive package. Psyche was formed at the dawn of the 1980s by brothers Darrin and Stephen Huss in Edmonton, Alberta - the first and only synthesizer-based act in their entire region of Western Canada. They were soon joined by Dwayne Goettel, who would later achieve fame as a member of Skinny Puppy, and together they forged a sound that merged horror imagery with primitive electronics in a way that their local audiences found genuinely shocking.

The setup was gloriously minimal: a Mattel Synsonics (that little black square with four drum pads), a Dr. Rhythm drum machine, a Korg Mono/Poly, a Sequential Circuits Pro One, and a Davolisant string synthesizer. With this modest arsenal, Psyche created some of the most fearlessly experimental electronic music to emerge from the Canadian underground. The legendary Halloween 1983 performance Live at Belvedere Hall - miraculously preserved on cassette after travelling from Canada throughout Europe and back - captures the raw power of the band's early vision. By 1984 and their support slot with Alien Sex Fiend, Goettel had departed, but the Huss brothers persevered.

This triple LP collects the long-unavailable debut album Insomnia Theatre - featuring tracks like "Children Carry Knives," "Psychic Vampire," "Maggots," and "The Brain Collapses" - alongside the 4-track recordings from the Goettel era, rare direct-to-cassette demos, the Tales from the Darkside sessions, the collectible Thundershowers 12", and the breakthrough club hit "Unveiling the Secret" in its full album version. Released under the pseudonyms Evan Panic (Darrin) and Anthony Red (Stephen), this material documents Psyche's complete evolution from 1983 bedroom experimentalists to 1986 dancefloor conquerors. Essential listening for fans of minimal synth, EBM, and the darker corners of 80s electronic music.