Burning The Ground Exclusive
Every so often, a record comes along that feels like it beamed in from another planet—quirky, charming, slightly off-center, and completely irresistible. “Fred From Jupiter” by Digette is one of those hidden gems that perfectly embodies the playful, anything-goes spirit of the early ‘80s underground.
Released in 1984 on Sire Records, Digette was a short-lived but fascinating project featuring Lisa Michaelis (vocals, keyboards), Min Thometz (vocals), and Ivan Ivan (vocals, keyboards, percussion). If Ivan Ivan’s name rings a bell, it should—he was already making waves behind the scenes producing and working within the downtown New York scene, and this project carries that same artsy, left-of-center energy.
“Fred From Jupiter” is a delicious slice of minimalist synth-pop with a wink. Built around a simple, hypnotic keyboard line and deadpan, almost detached vocals, the track tells the oddball tale of an alien visitor—Fred—who seems both mysterious and oddly mundane. It’s that contrast that gives the song its charm. There’s no dramatic build, no big chorus—just a cool, repetitive groove that pulls you into its strange little universe.
What makes this even more interesting is that Digette’s version is actually a cover. The song was originally recorded in 1981 by the German group Die Doraus Und Die Marinas as “Fred Vom Jupiter.” That original version leans even further into the naïve, lo-fi aesthetic of the Neue Deutsche Welle movement, with a kind of childlike innocence that feels almost like a surreal art project.
Digette’s take smooths things out slightly for a wider audience while still retaining the offbeat personality that made the original so special. It’s a perfect example of how ideas traveled across borders in the early ‘80s—mutating and evolving as they went, but always keeping that experimental edge intact.
This is exactly the kind of track that fits right at home in the Closet 80s series—slightly obscure, endlessly interesting, and guaranteed to make you ask, “How did I miss this the first time around?”
💿 This transfer is a NEW 2026 Meticulous Audio Restoration and Transfer, bringing this quirky cult favorite back to life with the clarity and care it deserves. I originally posted this track on December 12, 2013, and I’m excited to revisit it with a fresh upgrade.
And in true offbeat ‘80s fashion, the record itself comes with one of the most delightfully eccentric special thanks lists you’ll ever read. Shout-outs go to Seymour Stein, Shirley Divers, Richard and Jean Wilson, Elliot Spears, Danny Heaps, Mark Josephson, Mark Fotiadis, Mark Kamins, all other Marks in this galaxy, Justin Strauss, Annette von Spreckelsen, Keith Haring, Ron Pameri, WLIR, NASA, ESA, and even The Russian Rocket Force—a perfectly surreal roll call that mirrors the song’s interstellar whimsy.
If you were digging through the bins in 1984, this might have been one of those records you passed over in favor of something more familiar. But give it a spin now, and you’ll find a quirky little treasure that captures a very specific moment in time—when pop music wasn’t afraid to be weird.
And honestly… we could use a little more of that.
SIDE A:
Fred From Jupiter (Long Version) 4:13
Written-By – Dorau, Maurischat
SIDE B:
Fred From Jupiter (Short Version) 2:35
Written-By – Dorau, Maurischat
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire – W9166T, Sire – W 9166 (T), Sire – 920279-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
- Art Direction, Design – Zoë Brotman
- Artwork – Kenny Scharf
- Costume Designer [Clothes By] – Parachute (13), Pat Fields*
- Engineer – Matthias Härtl
- Make-Up [Make Up] – Diane Matthews
- Musician [Additional Musicians], Guitar – Tony Love
- Musician [Additional Musicians], Sequenced By [Sequencer] – Peter Baumann
- Performer [Digette Is] – Ivan Ivan, Lisa Michaelis, Min Thometz
- Photography By [Photo] – Tseng Kwong Chi
- Producer – Ivan Ivan, Peter Baumann
- Stylist [Styling] – Ellen Silverstein (2)
- Vocals – Min Thometz
- Vocals, Keyboards – Lisa Michaelis
- Vocals, Keyboards, Percussion – Ivan Ivan
NOTES:
Art Direction and Design for Studio Zed
Final Mix
Recorded at Cronex
Mixed at “Recordland” Berlin
This record is dedicated to the memory of Michael Stewart
Special thanks to Seymour Stein, Shirley Divers, Richard and Jean Wilson, Elliot Spears, Danny Heaps, Mark Josephson, Mark Fotiadis, Mark Kamins, all other Marks in this galaxy, Justin Strauss, Annette von Spreckelsen, Keith Haring, Ron Pameri, WLIR, NASA, ESA, The Russian Rocket Force.
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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had WB released this choice track in the US we could have played a twin-spin with “Woodpeckers From Space”. 1/3 member Ivan Ivan who would later produce “Roses” and “Boy” for Book Of Love pictured with Justin Strauss and other “NYC DJs circa 1998”:
https://www.discogs.com/artist/45037-Ivan-Ivan/image/SW1hZ2U6Mjk0ODk5OA==
Love that you are revisiting some of these classic posts that I wasn’t around for when they were originally shared Paul! Haven’t heard this in a long time, it’s like Tom Tom Club and The B-52s had a super quirky love child. Something about that background beat really pulls you in, so catchy… Oh no! Great transfer too, sounds so fresh. I think I prefer the longer version of this track, but the shorter one is actually a nice bite size version, I could see that getting some decent radio play. 1984 was such a sweet spot for synth exploration.… Read more »
The German original by the way was a school project. The singer Adreas Dorau continued as a solo artist and has made a lot of great albums so far, mainly independant electronic albums. His songs often have an infectuous melody whereas the lyrics are quite tragic; they deal with loneliness (“Das Telefon sagt Du”), suicide (“Girls in love”), insomnia while travelling (“Ich kann nicht schlafen”) or simply complaining about too many love songs (“Kein Liebeslied”). I like his music very much. However, it is more fun if you understand German and thus get the fine irony or humor in his… Read more »
That’s a great bit of background, Chris—thanks for sharing that. I love that “Fred Vom Jupiter” started as a school project. It really explains that charming, almost naïve quality the original has—it feels spontaneous and unfiltered in the best possible way. And you’re absolutely right about Andreas Dorau. He has such a unique approach—those deceptively catchy, almost playful melodies paired with lyrics that can be quite dark or introspective. That contrast is something you don’t always catch unless you understand the language, so I appreciate you pointing that out. It adds a whole other layer to his work. Now I’m… Read more »
Hello,
I didn’t know this English version.
For me, the german version is even more charming. it was writen by Andreas Doraus on a 4-tracks tape recorder and a synth when he was 16 I believe.
Hi Arnaud,
I have to admit—I’m actually not very familiar with the original version, so I really appreciate you sharing that background. Hearing that Andreas Dorau recorded it at such a young age on a 4-track definitely makes me want to seek it out.
There’s something special about those early, homemade recordings—they tend to have a personality that’s hard to duplicate. I’ll have to give the German version a proper listen.
Thanks for the insight!
I see a few other people have already commented on the original version. I’m another one who loved that original version, so I’m looking forward to listening to this cover. I didn’t even know this song was ever covered!
It’s rather astonishing that back in the early 80s, this rather obscure German song made onto the (late night) airwaves on the other side of the world in Sydney, Australia.
If you want to listen to the original, it’s on Bandcamp at:
https://diedorausdiemarinas.bandcamp.com/track/fred-vom-jupiter
You had me at Ivan Ivan! I don’t remember this being posted before so I’m not sure if I downloaded it previously… looking forward to this gem! Thanks! 😊
Hi ING,
You had me at Ivan Ivan, too 😊 Always a good sign when his name is attached to a project.
This one actually goes way back—I originally posted it in 2013, so it’s been a while! Glad to bring it back around with a fresh 2026 transfer. Hopefully, it feels like a brand new discovery all over again.
Hope you enjoy revisiting (or discovering) this little gem!
Never ever heard this previously. Intro reminds of Lipps Inc – Funky Town.
I hope that you enjoy it, Jay.
AMAZING! Thank you so much for this outstanding transfer! NENA, Trio, Falco, and Peter Schilling certainly drew our focus on German music at the time with their respective infectious hits. I bought several NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle = New German Wave) compilations back in the day and found many gems among them. I think if they had released some of the songs on these compilations in English, they would have been major global hits (worked for Hubert Kah). This song in its original German version immediately caught my attention because of it’s quirkiness. I had no idea there was an… Read more »
Hi Axel, Thank you so much—I really appreciate that! You’re absolutely right about NDW. For a brief moment there, it felt like it was on the verge of breaking through globally in a much bigger way. Like you said, artists like Nena, Falco, and Peter Schilling opened the door, but there were so many other quirky, brilliant tracks that never quite made that crossover. Those compilations were such a great way to discover the depth of the scene. So many hidden gems tucked away on them. I had the same reaction to “Fred Vom Jupiter”—that offbeat charm really makes it… Read more »
Hey Paul! I’m so pleased you’re revisiting this excellent single! It was because of you that I had the delight of hearing it in the first place! What a great combination of Ivan Ivan on one of my favorite record labels! I love this out-there New Wave classic! It’s such a fave of mine and I love how you brought it out once more!! Good call too as Book Of Love’s debut album of which Ivan Ivan produced, will be coming out remastered on vinyl soon. You have such a way to excite us about music and what may be… Read more »
Hey Jeff! That really means a lot—thank you! I love hearing that this was one you discovered here the first time around. That’s exactly what keeps me digging and revisiting these tracks. You nailed it too—Ivan Ivan + Sire Records is such a great combo. There’s a certain offbeat magic to everything he touched during that period, and this one definitely fits right in. And thanks for the heads-up on the Book of Love reissue—that’s exciting news! Perfect timing to revisit some of his work. Hopefully it sends a few people down the rabbit hole again. Always appreciate your kind… Read more »
Had the 7″ for years, and the 12″ more recently, but only you can do this justice, Paul. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Goodguy,
That’s awesome—you’ve got both the 7″ and the 12″! Always great when a track sticks with you long enough to track down multiple versions.
Really appreciate the kind words—I just try to present these records the best way I can. Glad you’re enjoying this one again!
Thanks for being here.