Fronted by Marc Almond, Soft Cell recorded Danceteria before the untimely passing of Dave Ball on October 22, at the age of 66.
Prior to his passing, Ball gave an interview with Classic Pop magazine where he shared that the “sounds in his head” during his hospital stays became a source of inspiration for the material on the yet-to-be-released LP, adding:
“I had strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital, because I was on morphine. The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time. In parallel, it’s about the times me and Marc got up to in the 80s. It’s looking backwards and forwards, the creative times we’ve had and how we feel about life now. I live in a fourth-floor flat today, but I was on the 24th floor of the same building when I wrote most of these songs. Overlooking central London, for my first high-rise album, felt very futuristic.”
Now 69, Almond confirmed that the ’80s synth-pop duo completed their latest collection just days prior to Dave’s passing, and he thinks the record will be a “fitting” end to their musical partnership, writing on social media:
“It is most heartbreaking, particularly at this time, that Dave was in a great place emotionally, feeling focused and happy with the new album, Danceteria, that we literally had only just completed days ago.” “I listened to the complete album for the first time yesterday. It makes me so sad as this would have been a great uplifting year for him and I can take solace that he heard this finished record and felt it was a great piece of work. Dave’s music is better than ever – his tunes, his hooks unmistakably Soft Cell. Yet he always took it to a different level…” “It’s fitting in many ways that the next (and now the last) album together is called Danceteria as the theme takes us for a visit back to almost the start of it all, back to New York in the early 80’s, the place and time that really shaped us. We always felt we were an honorary American band as well as quintessentially British.” “We have always been self referential to the Soft Cell story and myths and this album in many ways will close that circle for us.” “I wish he could have stayed on to celebrate 50 years in a couple of years time. He will always be loved by fans who loved his music. It’s a cliche to say but it lives on and somewhere at any given time around the world someone listens to, plays, dances, and get’s pleasure from a Soft Cell song – even if it’s just that particular two and half minute epic.”
Formed in 1979 when Marc and Dave were art students in England, the iconic duo released their trailblazing debut LP Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret in 1981 that included ‘Tainted Love,’ Britain’s best-selling single of 1981 that topped the charts in 18 countries around the world, and paved the way for the likes of fellow British act Pet Shop Boys, Eurhythmics and Erasure.
Between 1982 and 2021, Soft Cell released four more full lengths as well as what is viewed as one of the first remix albums, Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing.
In addition to his tenure with Soft Cell, Dave Ball was also one half of The Grid alongside Richard Norris, best known for 1990s single ‘Swamp Thing,’ and he also worked with Kylie Minogue and the late David Bowie.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Paul Cox; Distributed by Sire Records – Public Domain