5XOD - MAP - PAUL SHORTHOUSE - ROB LAWRENCE - SUISSE - THE PITFALL TERRIERS - JAPANESE 80S RARITIES
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
5ive Ximes 0f Dust [5X0D] is a British electronic band whose personnel is MAP and Rob Lawrence (and Suisse for a while).
In 1981, MAP answered an ad that Rob had placed in a record shop in Bristol UK.

We both had a cassette label - Maptapes (MAP) and Quick Stab Music Products (Rob).
Our cassette releases were posted around the world and many strange and wonderful cassette tapes were received back from other like-minded music creators!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassette_culture
Several collaborations and appearances on compilation tapes and LPs followed.
(Maptapes catalogue has now been uploaded onto this site.
Rob's cassette label output can currently be sampled on the Quick Stab Music Products myspace - linked to above.)
Quick Stab's co-founder, Paul Shorthouse, has also produced much solo and group material and a set containing some of his released and previously unreleased solo work is available on this site. Following the soundcloud links above will take you to many other great bands that Paul was in.
Tragically, Paul died in the autumn of 2011.
As the 80s progressed Rob returned to Cardiff and in 1983 terminated Quick Stab Music Products whilst MAP remained in Bristol and terminated Maptapes.
We travelled to visit each other and continued working together and continued to use the postal system to continue creating our 5X0D music.
Our main cassette releases were:
THE DADACOMPUTER [1981 C60 - Maptapes / Quick Stab Music Products]
5IVE XIMES OF DUST [1982 C60 - Unreleased]
DOGCHILD [1982 C30 - Quick Stab Music Products]
THE BLACK TAPE [1983 C60 - Quick Stab Music Products - barely released]
YUM YUM MUSIC [1984 C60 - Unreleased in UK. Released by StichtingStopcontact in Netherlands].
We continued to develop a strong love for the music of Yellow Magic Orchestra (group and solo - Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi), Sandii and the Sunsetz, Akiko Yano, Yello, Telex, Logic System, Kraftwerk, Can, Holger Czukay, Neu, Der Plan, The Residents etc and many other experimental musicians and bands from all around the world.
We embraced the advent of affordable home computing - the Sinclair ZX 81, Jupiter Ace, Atari 800, Yamaha CX5M MSX computers all being used in the creation of music (and the programming and playing of games). We also embraced the beginnings of affordable sampling - the Casio SK1 and 5
( http://www.vintagesynth.com/casio/sk1.php ) allowing us to digitally manipulate sounds in a lo-fi fashion.
As with Paul, we gradually lost touch with each other.
But....
In 2009 MAP got in touch with Rob and we got back together to release the CD INCENSE IN THE MIDDLE FRIDGE OF BIRTH! This is now available for download on this very site. The tracks use many samples from the 80s, but rebuilt into new computer age compositions by MAP. The Vocaloid 2 program Hatsune Miku sings on many of these tracks to add a cool 21st Century vibe!
In 2011 a track of ours called COMPUTER BANK, from The Dadacomputer cassette [1981], was released on THE HIDDEN TAPES, a compilation LP and CD release on Veronica Vasicka's MINIMALWAVE label.
So, we once did, and now still do, try to make original electronic music with an emotional resonance, using both analogue and digital technology, perhaps seeking a way to reach people's hearts and minds.
‎5X0D love to werk with other similar-minded instrument-bashers and thus Rob has played with some good Cardiff folk - Jim, Freeky, Tony and Ian - known collectively as The Pitfall Terriers. MAP was behind the laptop (and chucking in some extra synths) to create Parts 1 to 4 of the astonishing JAMZ Volume 1. Rob did a more perfunktory nip and tuck job for JAMZ Volume 2. And now - the waiting is over for MAP's rebuild of JAMZ Volume 3.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
If you click on the first MySpace link above you will be able to listen to many 5X0D tracks from the '80s (which, during the course of 2012, will be uploaded onto this site).

Most 5X0D lyrics can be found on our Blogspot.
Site curated by Rob.
________________________________________________
_________________________________
Details of a journey
Are misleading.
I never made it.
There is no choice.
See the stars, after dark
Or the day in its confusion
Is dark, cul-de-sac.
Sun shall never show,
Pictures and perspectives.
Personal affair.
I've seen it,
There are no choices,
There are no choices.
Door after door, they opened.
Door after door, they closed.
Lamplight closing
It's halo
Around those
You are waiting for
It tells a different story
To you.
Amused by distance,
It goes,
It has no choice,
It hasn't any choice,
It hasn't any choice.
DRIVER
by Paul Shorthouse (1980)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________