It took a certain determination (and a fair amount of recklessness) to embark on the path of coldwave music in 1982, in Nancy, eastern France. Spatsz worked the machines while Mona sang and played guitar. KaS Product, an unusual duo, debuted with Try Out, a true slap in the face. Synths sent out waves of varying degrees of unease, while Mona Soyoc’s voice lent a suave, at times even jazzy tone to this dark, interloping music. Far from cultivating French melancholy, KaS Product leaned towards the United States and its influences, and its synthetic punk seriously shook neurons on tracks such as “Never Come Back” and “So Young And So Cold”. Sexy and uncompromising, Try Out marked the near-perfect debut of this duo from Nancy, who immediately stood out in the small hexagonal post-punk world of the time. And their minimalist production has fortunately aged very well.
