Information Society (aka Insoc), is a Minneapolis, MN, USA band, consisting of Kurt Harland (aka Kurt Valaquen, nee Kurt Larson), Paul Robb & James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band, in 2006. Their breakout hit was 1988's What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy), a dance hit which included a sample of Leonard Simon Nimoy (as Spock, of Star Trek), saying "pure energy" & opened with a sample of Jackson DeForest Kelley (as Leonard McCoy, also 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". ...show more

Information Society (aka Insoc), is a Minneapolis, MN, USA band, consisting of Kurt Harland (aka Kurt Valaquen, nee Kurt Larson), Paul Robb & James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band, in 2006. Their breakout hit was 1988's What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy), a dance hit which included a sample of Leonard Simon Nimoy (as Spock, of Star Trek), saying "pure energy" & opened with a sample of Jackson DeForest Kelley (as Leonard McCoy, also 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. In addition to "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)", their self-titled major release debut Information Society (1988) also had another hit, Walking Away, and a cover of ABBA's Lay All Your Love On Me. The disc was one of the few to use CD+G, which included digital graphics on the compact disc version in addition to the music.

The audio samples from Star Trek were authorized for use on the album partially thanks to the efforts of Adam Nimoy, fan of the band and son of Star Trek's Leonard. The second release, Hack (1990), wasn't as successful, but had small hits with Think and How Long but still managed to sell quite well in the fall of 1990. Kurt was also the owner of the heavily-modified The Road Warrior-inspired art car named "Vector" featured on the cover of Hack. The car sported a functioning ranging laser, among other unusual features. ...show less