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The Utopiate
You've Been Warned / Actions or Misguidance - 7"
World - 1987
Michael Panontin
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I am going to bet that these days in their hometown of Richmond Hill (a suburb to the north of Toronto) there aren't many people who remember the Utopiate. In fact, even Google's all-powerful algorithm gives up next to nothing on the group or their lone seven-inch single.
Admittedly, the Utopiate's brand of "modern, moody dance music" - I'm just copying from the back of the picture sleeve - seems a tad dated for 1987, even by suburban Canadian standards. Still, the four-piece of singer Scott Ashton, along with the three keyboards of James Ayelsworth, Jeff Mielitz and Colin Reid seem to have struck a chord with eighties synth-pop anoraks. 'You've Been Warned' is an upbeat dancefloor-friendly track that, if anything, proves that the lads were spinning plenty of Depeche Mode in their suburban basements. The flip side seems to be the moodier half of the single, but here their attempts at dark wave unfortunately fall a bit flat.
Collectors have been all over this. Copies of 'You've Been Warned' have been flying off the digital shelves these days, with one even managing to fetch an impressive 90 USDs in 2023.
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