Post-punk/minimal wave group Nagamatzu were founded in 1982 in Ipswich, England by Stephen Jarvis and Andrew Lagowski. Inspired by bands like Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire, and Throbbing Gristle, as well as conspiracy theories and the paranormal, they began creating their own dark, brooding tunes utilizing drum machines, samples, keyboards, and guitars. Following a few compilation appearances, their first release was 1983's self-released Shatter Days cassette. The mini-album was the only Nagamatzu release to include additional synth player Andrew Fleck, who left the group shortly after. Eventually they released another cassette, 1986's Sacred Islands of the Mad, followed by a 1987 12" EP titled Space Shuttle Shuffle on their own Motorcade label. They released another tape (Igniting the Corpse) in 1991 before disbanding. Lagowski continued releasing solo albums under his surname as well as S.E.T.I., and as part of projects such as Terror Against Terror (a collaboration with Lustmord), while Jarvis recorded as Pure Motorised Instinct and Terraform. American label Dark Entries reissued Sacred Islands of the Mad on vinyl in 2010, followed by an expanded edition of Shatter Days in 2013. The band revived Motorcade for a 2013 vinyl issue of Igniting the Corpse. Polish label Zoharum released a double-CD Nagamatzu anthology titled Neural Interval in 2014. In 2016, Dark Entries released Above This Noise, an LP of unreleased Nagamatzu material and compilation tracks. ~ Paul Simpson