This is about Technique Niquée, a band that existed in various forms in Minneapolis, MN during the years 1985 – 1992. What follows are a few live recordings which the band has graciously allowed me to share on Live Music Archive with other past, present and future fans.
[links to recordings provided in posts below]
A 10-song cassette of original material released independently in 1985, established the group as having another unique voice to add to the continuously evolving sound of the Midwest. These were kindred spirits with the group I worked with, Borrowed Time, and our respective bands shared a number of bills at various local bars and music venues.
In 1986, the band released Substitutes For Learning, a brilliantly understated album that challenged any preconceived notions of what the local scene had to offer, by expanding the boundaries of said scene in yet another unforeseen direction.
For a time, the core line-up seemed to be:
Chris Nord: Drums, Percussion
Danielle Cézanne: Violin, Saxophone, Vocals, Mandolin
Gene Tangren: Bass
Karen Plante: Vocals, Guitar
In 1986, a couple of tracks appeared on a Mpls. compilation tape called Oh! You Mean Minneapolis
This line-up included:
Dan Kalal: bass
1990 saw the emergence of a new identity, with the release of an eponymous single called Before I Hang:
Danielle Cézanne: Violin
Greg Simmons: Drums
Karen Plante: Guitar, Vocals
Elsewhere on this very site is an interview with Technique Niquée, which appeared in the December 1991 issue of my self-published ‘zine, The New Puritan ReView. At that time, the line-up also included:
Mike: drums
Jay: bass
As of 2026, a fan review of the Substitutes For Learning LP was posted to the discogs site, which is entertaining enough in its own right, but most notably, leads with the question-as-statement: “Least MN-sounding MN record ever?” Nearly forty years after the album’s release, that does seem to be a fair question indeed.
Technique Niquée • 1988-01-08
Minneapolis, MN • Uptown Bar + Grill
cassette side A (28:39.54):
[01] start / introduction (00:16.54)
[02] Same Room (03:31.70)
[03] Frattered (05:17.02)
[04] Substitutes (02:43.30)
[05] Colors + Lights (04:09.61)
[06] interim / tuning (00:35.27)
[07] Astounding Success (03:54.67)
[08] Break That Glass (02:57.46)
[09] interim / tuning (00:12.64)
[10] Sleepy Maggie [Traditional] (02:37.63)
[11] Ships Are Reeling (02:22.20)
cassette side B (21:46.13):
[12] 1st On Hinges (03:56.24)
[13] Know Future (03:31.23)
[14] interim (00:10.34)
[15] Rest Your Heart (03:05.09)
[16] I Saw You Shine [Flipper] (07:19.36)
[17] Something Inside (03:43.37)
Chris Nord: Drums, Percussion
Danielle Cézanne: Violin, Saxophone, Vocals, Mandolin
Gene Tangren: Bass
Karen Plante: Vocals, Guitar
This seems to be the earliest recording I have of Technique Niquée, although that seems somewhat curious to me, as my former group (Borrowed Time) had shared a handful of bills with them dating back to 1984 – 85. It seems strange that I have no recordings of their sets from The Whole in 1985, or The Yukon Club in 1984. This 1988 set was recorded after I had returned to Mpls from living in NYC for a couple of years, and began venturing into the South Mpls Uptown Bar scene.
This is definitely an audience recording, as indicated by the fade in /fade outs at the start and end of each side of the cassette. This was originally recorded on an unidentified portable recording deck. Sadly, the original seems to have been fairly lo-fi quality to begin with, and then was transferred without the benefit of Azimuth optimization, and possibly with the addition of less than optimal equalization. It is what it is.
Recorded / transferred / edited / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives
Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive
Technique Niquée • 1991-03-21
Minneapolis, MN • Uptown Bar & Grill
mono soundboard recording adjusted fileset
cassette side A (46:36):
[01] start (00:48)
[02] 1st On Hinges (03:30)
[03] Les Rebelle (01:51)
[04] To Paris (03:53)
[05] I Was A Sheep (02:07)
[06] Papa (02:23)
[07] Rain (03:55)
[08] interim / tuning (00:21)
[09] It’s All Here (02:35)
[10] interim / tuning (00:34)
[11] C’est Tout (02:56)
[12] Other People Know (02:23)
[13] interim (00:26)
[14] Strange Energy (03:12)
[15] Rest Your Heart (03:29)
[16] interim (00:15)
[17] Sanction (03:23)
[18] interim (00:31)
[19] Break That Glass (02:42)
[20] interim (01:11)
[21] Nightmare (04:02)
cassette side B (18:09):
[22] Something Was Lost (03:04)
[23] Before I Hang (04:29)
[24] Acid Fallout (04:00)
[25] Someone Died (03:00)
[26] This Is A Song (03:33)
Chris Nord: Drums, Percussion
Danielle Cézanne: Violin, Saxophone, Vocals, Mandolin
Gene Tangren: Bass
Karen Plante: Vocals, Guitar
Bill:
Zuzu’s Petals
Technique Niquée
Recorded / transferred / edited / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives
Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive
Technique Niquée • 1992-01-12
Minneapolis, MN • 7th St. Entry
cassette side A (41:21.20):
[01] start (00:16.70)
[02] interim / tech issues (01:55.08)
[03] Papa (02:23.49)
[04] Nightmare (03:53.01)
[05] Bad News (02:18.56)
[06] I Was A Sheep (02:51.22)
[07] To Paris (04:02.38)
[08] Sanction (04:16.36)
[09] Other People Know (02:19.48)
[10] Rain (04:37.62)
[11] Before I Hang (04:46.26)
[12] It’s All Here (02:36.33)
[13] interim (00:15.28)
[14] Murderous Love Affairs (04:47.68)
cassette side B (04:45.59):
[15] interim (00:16.02)
[16] Time (04:18.36)
[17] end runout (00:11.21)
[18] post-set music 1 (00:54.44)
[19] post-set music 2 (00:28.17)
[20] post-set music 3 (04:28.67)
Chris Nord: Drums, Percussion
Danielle Cézanne: Violin, Saxophone, Vocals, Mandolin
Gene Tangren: Bass
Karen Plante: Vocals, Guitar
Unfortunately, the band’s set was cut short, and three songs which were on the setlist were not performed:
Psychotic Reaction
Someone Died
Break That Glass
Tracks 18 – 20 have nothing to do with the group, it’s just what the sound person played on the stereo following the set. These can always be deleted, but I thought it provided an interesting contrast to the music performed only moments earlier. Chalk this up to my nerdy obsession with documenting the flow of energy in a given space. Like insects in amber?
Recorded / transferred / edited / tracked / tagged by: J.Free / Sonic Archives
Download or stream the show from Live Music Archive
I always say this (only because it’s true!), but it is well worth your time to track down any of the band’s releases:
The 1986 LP, Substitutes For Learning is listed on the discogs site
The 1990 single Before I Hang is also listed on the discogs site
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