Information Society

Information Society (aka InSoc) was a U.S. band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt Harland (aka Kurt Valaquen), Paul Robb, and James Cassidy. Their breakout hit was 1988&#039

Information Society (aka InSoc) was a U.S. band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt Harland (aka Kurt Valaquen), Paul Robb, and James Cassidy. Their breakout hit was 1988's "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)", a dance hit which included a sample of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from Star Trek, saying "pure energy," and opened with a sample of Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), also from Star Trek, saying, "It's worked so far, but we're not out yet!"

The band was formed in Minneapolis in the early 1980s, and they performed avant-garde electronic music with flourishes of hip-hop, dub, and electro. In 1983 they independently released two albums, The InSoc EP and Creatures Of Influence. Two years later they released Running, their first single, which became a hit popular in New York City Latin dance clubs and "put them on the map". The song, a 7-minute excursion into electro, was written and sung by Murat Konar, who left the band soon after. Their growing success led them from their native Minneapolis to NYC, and the ensuing revenues and contacts, as well as the addition of Amanda Kramer to the lineup, led them to record their proper debut album.