Voice - Anno Di Voce

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Lime	02:58
	2	Business as Usual in Beirut	04:27

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Wake Up Dreaming	04:05
	2	I Am the Walrus	03:24

Photos

Videos

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Information/Write-up

Voice emerged from Edmonton’s early-1980s synthpop underground, a tight-knit circle of musicians exploring the intersection between electronic experimentation and post-punk atmosphere.
Formed in 1983 by Malcolm Swann (lead vocals), Dwayne Goettel (keyboards, drum programming), Sherri Iwaschuk (drums, percussion, vocals), and Jeff Sawatzky (bass), the band crafted a melodic yet shadowy electronic sound marked by intricate sequencing and emotive vocal delivery. Their earliest work circulated on a limited 1983 cassette featuring Holiday, Smile, and an alternate version of Lime, recorded independently before Sawatzky’s departure.

By 1984 the lineup expanded to include Rod Wolfe (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Bill Damur (guitars, lute, vocals), who brought a broader harmonic range and stronger compositional focus. Damur later recalled co-writing much of the group’s subsequent material and naming their sole vinyl release Anno Di Voce—“The Year of Voice.” Recorded at Zone 5 Studio in February 1985 with engineer Dave Findlay, the 12″ EP was issued the same year on Switch Records 06 and distributed through Fabrique St-Jean and Findlay’s Edmonton imprint.

The record featured four tracks: Lime, Business As Usual in Beirut, Wake Up Dreaming, and a driving electronic cover of I Am the Walrus. The songs, mostly co-written by Swann, Goettel, Damur, and Wolfe, combined mechanical precision with emotional immediacy, characteristic of mid-1980s Canadian synthpop. Findlay and Swann produced, with a striking sleeve design by Dennis Presiloski, photography by Dwayne Brown.

Though Anno Di Voce enjoyed only limited circulation, it has since become a cult artifact, notable for featuring future Skinny Puppy keyboardist Dwayne Goettel, who would go on to shape Canada’s industrial-electronic scene through his work with Psyche, Hilt, and other projects before his untimely passing in 1995. Contemporary collectors prize the record for its pristine production and rare blend of pop accessibility and dark electronic tension.

Archival material from founding member Jeff Sawatzky reveals two live tapes—Primetime and Primetime Again (1983)—documenting the original lineup performing at Edmonton’s Primetime club alongside contemporaries such as Darkroom. These recordings capture Voice at their rawest: minimalist, analog, and adventurous.

After the band’s dissolution in 1986, the members pursued diverse musical paths. Swann continued performing and archiving Voice material; Damur became an educator and multi-instrumentalist at the Alberta College Conservatory of Music, later recording with The Tsunami Brothers and The GeoMetrics. Goettel’s later acclaim in industrial music retroactively drew attention to Voice’s earlier recordings, now recognized as part of the formative landscape of Western Canadian electronic pop.
-Robert Williston

Malcolm Swann: lead vocals
Sherri Iwashchuk: drums, percussion, vocals
Dwayne Goettel: keyboards, drum programming
Rod Wolfe: bass, keyboards, vocals
Bill Damur: guitars, lute, vocals

Produced by Dave Findlay and Malcolm Swann
Engineered by Dave Findlay
Recorded at Zone 5, February 1985

Cover by Dennis Presiloski
Production manager: Danny McGee
Band photographer: Dwayne Brown
Typesetting by Typographics Ltd. and Hunky Dory Enterprises Ltd.

Special thanks to Bixbo, Valery, Clifford, Arlene, Taina, Steven, “The Household,” Marilyn, and all of our families

“Call me an incurable romantic, but we do need new philosophies.”

Manufactured and distributed in Canada by Fabrique St-Jean and Dave Findlay Records,
25 Jasper Avenue, Box 106, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T8J 3J0

Special thanks to Dorothy Jane

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