HEIMAT-LOS (also spelled Heimatlos on the last few records) was formed on October 29th 1983 by four guys from the outskirts of Paris. From the first practice on, the intent was to play very fast and powerful music, really as fast as possible and with as much pure energy as they could muster. Punk music played at such unholy speeds was unheard of in France at the time. Hardcore only really took off in Paris in 1988, which is actually the year Heimat-los broke up after five years of constant playing.

Actually since the early eighties, an international hardcore punk network made up of bands, labels, fanzines, and show promoters had been flourishing across North America, Europe (from Italy to Lapland), Japan, Brazil, etc. A lot of contacts were made through mail between people spread over various countries, mostly young rebels. Penpals used to swap tapes and records of rare / extreme music, and connections were enabled by a few famous fanzines (the whole thing being a sort of forerunner of the internet). Heimat-los was active part in this international scene but always had its own sound.

They played faster and more extreme than the bands they listened to when they started (Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Discharge, Minor Threat and German bands like Razzia, Slime, Neurotic Arseholes...). It wasn’t long before they realized that other bands were doing the same, like Siege, early D.R.I., M.D.C., F.O.D., Offenders (USA), Rattus, Kaaos, Terveet Kädet (Finland), Inferno (Germany), Negazione (Italy), etc.

During the 80s, hardcore punk / thrash improved quickly. Heimat-los' later songs suggest their sound would have evolved into something slightly different if the band had not broken up. At the core of their distinctive sound was the bass player's unique power strum (he also wrote most of the songs).

German countryside, June 87

Beaune (France), early 88

Sergio Loco & Blitz, June 1987

Grindcore has nothing on bassist Jean-Claude and guitarist François as far as fast rotating right hand movements. Drummer Serge played fast HC beats with the strength of his arms rather than wrists and usually ended up gigs suffering tendonitis – which is why Heimat-los usually did not play many encores. However, the band was still into writing real tunes with some genuine melodic parts, often East-European-sounding to add some dramatic feeling to their hardcore.

Unfortunately their sound was never properly captured on record, as no sound engineer they recorded with had heard any hardcore music previously.

The faster you play, the shorter songs are, and "Schlag!" (which lasted 38 seconds in 1983) got shortened down to 27 seconds on their first EP (1984). It soon became a joke to write short songs, so Heimat-los actually wrote the definitive short song entitled "La seconde nécessaire de Léon Zyklon" (1985) (French for "The necessary second"): the main part, comprised of 8 chords, lasts exactly one second – though the final "Klon!" and "Red Book" standard specifications for audio CD turn it here into a 4 second affair.

Departing from the British punk style, some change in their looks also attested a growing US hardcore influence for half of the band while the other half consciously refused to have a specific look.

Lyrics dealt with society, the military, war, horrors of history like the Nazi genocide or Apartheid, as well as political science fiction and gore movies. There were also songs about the HC scene of the time: one about the fun of stage-diving and another one criticising some aspects of the straight edge scene. (Stage-diving was imported to Paris by Heimat-los and friends Kromozom 4 after both bands were exposed to it in Germany while playing with Skeezicks.)

List of studio (or assimilated) recordings

(not to be confused with discography)

Heimat-los played with Kromozom 4, Sherwood, Flitox, Cosmic Wurst, Morsüre, Original Disease & more (France), Razzia, Skeezicks, Upright Citizens, Bluttat & more (Germany), D.O.A. (Canada), Broken Bones (UK), C.P.G., Capital Scum, Dirty Scums (Belgium). Unfortunately, they did not play many gigs abroad: they went to Germany three times and to Belgium twice, but all other shows were performed in France. Only their records were well spread overseas through many penpals.

The band broke up on September 18th 1988 at the request of one member. TEARS OF A DOLL (a.k.a. T.O.D.) was formed one month later by the three remaining members of Heimat-los, plus a new bassplayer and an additional guitarist from Kromozom 4. The last songs written by Heimat-los were later recorded by T.O.D. on their first two demos, most notably "Herbert West" and "White dawn" (mp3 available in this site).

Heimat-los would like to thank all the friends, penpals, record labels, gig promoters, fanzines, and radio stations that supported us.

HEIMAT-LOS "La seconde nécessaire 1983-1988" 2 CD

Complete recordings : discography + demos + 2 lives

Ratbone Records & Dodoll Records), France

after years of delay... It is OUT NOW ! (June 2006)

For information, distribution or order check Ratbone Records site: http://ratbone.free.fr

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FREE MP3

Heimat-los in Courbevoie, 1984

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