The Christian Underground Encyclopedia

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====== Situation Taboo ======

Industrial\\
Cibolo, Texas, USA

"Situation Taboo (Sittab) was a techno-industrial rock band hailing from the San Antonio, Texas area. Sittab combines techno, three chord punk, and hip-hop grooves to form catchy pop songs. Phil lovelady originally formed the band in 1989. Sittab’s last lineup was: Phil Lovelady w/ Garry Franklin, Mike Hassock, and Curtis Saunier.

Situation Taboo has released three independent albums: 1991’s debut //Crucified// was followed by //All Out// in ‘92. //All Out// was produced by Dan Yeaney who also worked with D.R.I. on their //Dealing With It// album. In 1994, Sittab released //Protorong// which was re-released in ‘95 on [[Flying Tart Records]]. This CD was produced by Gary and Drayne Dassing of Mentallo & The Fixer, who have done remixes for Zoth Ommog artists such as Leatherstrip as well as producing one of Zoth Ommog’s compilations.

Situation Taboo then released //Injecto Logos//, a six track preview to their next release //Digitalis//. Released in June of 1997, //Digitalis// was produced by Dwayne Dassing and techno wizards [[Virus]]. Originally, //Digitals// was supposed to be accompanied by a CD5/12" entitled //Fascination Fellout// featuring b-sides, remixes, and dubs of material from //Protorong// and //Digitalis//, but this bonus release never occured.

Situation Taboo’s sound has been influenced by and compared to the hybrids of Love and Rockets, Joy Division/New Order, Meat Beat Manifesto, and the Pop Will Eat Itself."

(Updated from [[http://www.last.fm/music/Situation+Taboo/+wiki?ver=1]])

===== Discography =====

| 1991 | [[https://christiantapeunderground.wordpress.com/2018/11/17/situation-taboo-crucified/|Crucified]] | T-Bone Jive Music |
| 1992 | [[https://christiantapeunderground.wordpress.com/2018/11/18/situation-taboo-all-out/|All Out]] | Texas T-Bone Jive / [[Flat Earth Artists]] |
| 1994 | Protorong |
| 1995 | Protodemo | [[Flying Tart Records]] |
| 1996 | Injecto Logos | Scotoma Records |
| 1997 | Digitalis | [[Flying Tart Records]] |

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==== Crucified ====

1991 T-Bone Jive Music

Phil Lovelady\\
Jon Rousseaux

  - Sacrament
  - Say It Again
  - Doesn’t Matter
  - Xing Wires
  - Submission
  - Crucified
  - Just a Word
  - Pearls to Pigs

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==== All Out ====

1992 Texas T-Bone Jive / [[Flat Earth Artists]]

Phil Lovelady\\
Jon Rousseaux

  - S.A. Texas
  - Center Peace
  - All Out
  - The Strength
  - Live as Brothers
  - In My Favor

"An edgy synth-pop sound and thought-provoking songs dealing with major social issues are the main highlights of this early demo by Situation Taboo.

Musically, //All Out// is very danceable and combines the hard-edged hip-hop of Nitzer Ebb with the moodiness and melody of Depeche Mode. Although all six songs are noteworthy, "The Strength", with its high-energy, pulsating synths, and the dark, moody "In My Favor" stand out the most. Although a few songs feature some creative guitar use, synthesizers predominate by a mile.

Another strong point are the demo's direct, well-written lyrics. The first song, "Texas S.A." gives the listener a frank look at gang violence that plagues the band's home city of San Antonio, Texas, while "Live as Brothers" makes an emotional plea for racial reconciliation, as shown by the chorus, "I'll never know what's it's like to be a black man and you'll never know what it's like to be a white man, so let us live as brothers, live as one together".

Although this is not Situation Taboo's best release, //All Out// is rather impressive for a demo in both its music and lyrics. The band deserves to be commended for addressing such important social issues as well as creating some cool synth-pop."

--James McGinnis ([[http://www.ballistictest.flamingfish.com/btz_old_reviews/st-ao.html]]) 

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==== Protorong ====

1994 Independent

Curtis Sonier - Sampling, manipulaationrunkation, bass guitar, bgv & back talk\\
Jon Rousseaux - All Sequeization of samples, analog & digital instrument voiceation\\
Sone Monteverdi - Eletronic Trigger, Spiritual Drumming Sensation

  - Protorong
  - Retaliate
  - Bodyrong
  - Post apaco-Green
  - 2$ Champion
  - Hooptie
  - Badge of Honor
  - G-Funk VS Staboo
  - Phantasmagoria

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==== Protodemo ====

1995 [[Flying Tart Records]]

Curtis Sonier - Sampling, manipulaationrunkation, bass guitar, bgv & back talk\\
Jon Rousseaux - All Sequeization of samples, analog & digital instrument voiceation\\
Sone Monteverdi - Eletronic Trigger, Spiritual Drumming Sensation

  - Protorong (0:50)
  - Retaliate (2:53)
  - Bodyrong (2:01)
  - Post-Apaco Green (0:54)
  - $2 Champion (4:22)
  - Jerry’s Hooptie (1:06)
  - Badge of Honor (4:04)
  - Phantasmagoria (6:26)

"Situation Taboo has made a habit of releasing albums that are decent in quality but short on length. //Protodemo// is no exception. At first glance, the listener will notice nine tracks listed. Pop in the CD and you'll see that things clock in at close to 23 minutes. Actually there are only five full songs as the others are short funky instrumental and sample ladden pieces. One thing to watch for is the repetition of Homer Simpson's famous "Doh!" (sample from the tv show or one of the band members?) in "jerry's hooptie".

I'm not sure how //Protodemo// compares to the band's other releases as I have not heard them personally but I can tell you that if you like their funky industrial rap song "Belief" on the //Electro-Shock Therapy// compilation, this album deserves your attention. Yes there are guitars on this album and can be heard in most songs but sometimes they are used exclusively for the rendition of the chorus. However they are placed lower in the mix in favour of a danceable blend of electro hip-hop beats, funky bass, and quirky techno effects.

The highlight of this album are the cool vocals which are done by two singers, alternating or singing simultaneously in a catchy rap-style. Although fast and hard to catch in a few instances, the vocals are for the most part easy to follow and beckon the listener to sing a long. I especially like the song "Badge of Honour" not only for the vocals but for its encouraging message as well. The chorus repeats these words: "I wear your shame, as a badge of honour, gonna make me a martyr, gonna praise my Father, I wear your shame..."

One interesting, little known fact is the tie Situation Taboo has with Gary and Dwyane Dassing of the band Mentello & The Fixer who did a fine job in producing this album. If the harsh sound and dark subject matter of many industrial bands is not your thing then give Situation Taboo a try. //Protodemo// is an upbeat, fun album by a not so average band."

--Richard Maaranen ([[http://ballistictest.flamingfish.com/btz_old_reviews/st-pd.html]]) 

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==== Injecto Logos ====

1996 Scotoma Records

  - More Money
  - Injectos Logos (Udder Chaos Mix)
  - G.O.L.
  - Retaliate Dub
  - Badge of Honor Dub
  - $1.99 Remix

"Released as a precursor for the band's //Digitalis// album, the six-song EP shows Situation Taboo reaching new sonic heights.

Side One consists of three songs that also appear on //Digitalis//. The first song, "More Money", does a good job combining the band's new, industrial hip-hop sound with the synth-pop of their earlier releases. The other two songs, which include the title track and "G.O.L." feature a more aggressive, guitar-driven sound that reminds me of what Depeche Mode might sound like if they teamed up with the Beastie Boys.

Side two, meanwhile, features three instrumental remixes of songs from the band's //Protodemo// release. Remixed by [[Virus]], these songs now sport an electronica bass rhythm and humorous, cleverly placed samples, one of which is from the movie "Weird Science".

Like all other SitTab releases, //Injecto Logos//' biggest handicap is its short length. Otherwise, this is an excellent dance floor delight.

--James McGinnis ([[http://ballistictest.flamingfish.com/btz_old_reviews/st-il.html]])

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==== Digitalis ====

1997 [[Flying Tart Records]] (51416-5254-2)

  - Fear (2:09)
  - More Money (2:45)
  - Future Shooter (0:27)
  - Injecto (4:23)
  - Double Funky A.K. (0:40)
  - Chewing on Hate (4:09)
  - Double A.K. Comedy Hour (0:37)
  - Under Scrutiny (3:49)
  - Germinal Cinema (1:32)
  - G.O.L. (5:48)
  - God's Love (1:21)
  - Step (5:38)

"Things start off really well with this CD - nice artwork, 12 songs listed. Unfortunately, a closer look at the titles reveals that I've heard three of these songs on previous releases. I pop it into the CD player where more bad news awaits me - it's only 33 minutes long. Let's not judge a book by its cover, though. The opener, "Fear" is a couple minutes of very cool, very dark, ambient material. From track 2 to 11, things fall into a more typical-sounding SitTab vibe. A great writer once described them as "like the Beastie Boys in outer space". Their songs range from laid-back electro-funk to hardcore industrial-rap. The final song, "Step," adds a nice twist with some interesting piano work. Unfortunately, there are only six real songs on this CD; the other six pieces being instrumental fillers. With the exception of "Fear," each consist mostly of looped percussion and/or synths accompanied by a load of samples. And while these are cool enough, I really would've preferred more new songs. If you're a Situation Taboo fan, get this. If you've never heard them before, but want to, this is a good overview. Otherwise, the low quantity of real material here is quite a strong knock against this. -- Carson ([[http://ballistictest.flamingfish.com/btz_old_reviews/st-d.html]])

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==== Compilation Appearances ====

//**Electro Shock Therapy**// (1995 [[R.E.X. Music]])\\
05) Belief (4:46)

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