Information Society (also known as InSoc) is an American band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, initially active from 1982 to 1997, primarily consisting of Kurt Harland Larson, Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by 2008. The group's breakout hit was 1988's "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)", a synthpop/freestyle hit, which spent 39 weeks on the dance chart, going straight to No. 1, and would also peak at No. 3 on the Hot 100 pop chart. The track included a vocal sample of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from Star Trek, saying "pure energy."
In 1997 the band released a fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997). Written and performed by Kurt Harland alone and produced by Steven Seibold, DBA was more industrial-driven than previous albums and reflected more of what Harland wanted to do during most of his tenure with InSoc. Cleopatra Records released the album, but -- like Tommy Boy Records -- did little to promote it. Harland's love of computer-related materials continued to be evident, as the album included a CD-ROM filled with bonus material, not yet a common occurrence in 1997. The disc included a selection of digital samples used in the album's production, miscellaneous works of art by InSoc fans, a program to generate the distinctive border graphics used on the album's cover, and the music video of "Peace & Love, Inc." There was also a carefully orchestrated digital scavenger hunt culminating in the discovery of a bonus track called "White Roses." The scavenger hunt began with decoding a modem's signal recorded at the end of the audio CD, resulting in a text message from Harland which pointed the way to a Web site where the search began. There is also a cover included of Gary Numan's "Are 'Friends' Electric?". Also included is "Ozar Midrashim", later used as the main theme for the videogame Soul Reaver. The album eventually went out of print, but it had a second release in a remastered version in 2008, this time with "White Roses" included as an audio track. A remix album, InSoc Recombinant (1999), was produced, featuring vocals to the band's earlier hits remixed by various artists. The vocals to songs pre-Don't Be Afraid were not the originals, they were new versions re-recorded by Harland alone specifically for the remixers' use. Included on a bonus, unadvertised CD-ROM were digital copies most of the band's officially-produced promotional videos, including a copy of the "Peace and Love Inc." video of higher quality than that distributed with Don't Be Afraid. This CD-ROM, however, did not feature the "How Long" video.
What is Don't Be Afraid?
In 1997 the band released a fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997 the band released a fourth album, Don't Be Afraid ( In 1997 the band released a fourth album, In 1997 the band released a fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997). In 1997 the band released a fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997).
In 1997 the band released a fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997).