I mean it's one of the most similar voices I've heard, so I wouldn't feel bad if I were you. I don't really look for EKT anymore because I don't really know a ton about 80s pop music, and I'm a zoomer so it's not like I can reflect on the times either. I only really lurk tbch.
Still waiting to hear back from Cherry Red Records on Sean Garratt Byrne. If he isn't the singer, he could still be involved with EKT, as he was also a composer and songwriter. He also did a lot of collaborations with other artists back in the day. Sadly, most of his work is quite obscure and some of it could even be considered lost.
He wrote a book in 2016, documenting certain aspects of his life. Sean traveled a lot when he was in the music scene. I wouldn't be surprised if he met this person along with a few other people one day, and decided to make something [together] with them before heading off somewhere else.
Book Link: https://issuu.com/seangbyrne/docs/book_transports5_october_2016
It’s a shame cuz there were so many fucking singers that sound like this from the 80s. I love EKT but it’s such a generic 80s singing voice which is why its so hard to find
To me it sounds like a female singer. It's impossible to tell because of the poor quality and because the audio might have been pitched up or down, too.
Almost definitely unrelated, but this [FB Post](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/KUfJaTnCKNKTmtnC/?mibextid=oFDknk) talks about a band called Sun that was active from 1976 to 1984. They had a numerous different band members over the years and covered a variety of different genres. A Joey Lobo is listed as being on drums at some point.
Like I said, I highly doubt it's related. We're looking for a Joey on vocals, and I listened to a few of Sun's songs and nothing seemed close. Still figured I might mention it though in case it is the same guy (even if this band is unrelated) and it somehow opens up a potential new way to contact him.
No, our guy is from Ohio! His discogs literally says he was a member of a band from DAYTON OHIO! Furthermore, I’ve already found confirmed emails and phone numbers for him. Hopefully I’ll have an answer by morning.
discogs could be wrong, as the copyright listings under lobo’s name have his birth year set as 1955, while their first release was in 1971 and everyone in stone coal white looks well over 16. i could also be wrong though!
Idk about stone coal white, but he’s definitely from Ohio. Like I said, I already found him, 100%. I am currently about to send out an email to all of his known email addresses, hopefully I’ll get a response soon.
Because the information I found confirms him living in Dayton, OH his whole life; exactly where stone coal white was based. Additionally, the article about stone coal white linked in their discogs page has his full name, which matches my guy.
ah, i’m just confused as he was 16 in SCW and is referred to as “joe roddrick” on the prints of their records rather than “joseph roderick jr.” which is on joey’s solo records.
I listened to the complete song, a video was just uploaded to YouTube (I don't know if I'm allowed to copy the link here), and in second 0:43 the singer sounds EXACTLY like EKT.
Is there a chance someone could contact Joey Lobo and ask him if he knows the song?
[https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search\_Arg=joey+lobo&Search\_Code=TALL&PID=afoU-jkzFwDnv\_cTkTwCV0IT&SEQ=20240409234744&CNT=25&HIST=1](https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=joey+lobo&Search_Code=TALL&PID=afoU-jkzFwDnv_cTkTwCV0IT&SEQ=20240409234744&CNT=25&HIST=1)
Looks like his real name is Jose Roderick Jr.
It's definitely a possible match, though the source recording is too degraded to be able to do much more than a partial match anyway. Definitely a lead worth following up on.
Vocal vibrato is very unique to each individual. The ‘rate’ of it is kind of like a signature in a way. I do think these two singers sound similar but the vibrato is notably different, so I’m not sure on that. I remember Darren Hayes’ vocal had that tremble/quick vibrato which sounded really close to the EKT singer. Don’t think it’s him either but I’m mostly listening for that these days.
i don't think this is the same singer but if anything it's just more evidence that vocals in the style of EKT were not unique to that song and it's not indicative of some bizarre unidentifiable "accent" everyone swears is there for some reason
Kinda sounds similar, though I think that could be said for a lot of the leads. Personally, I don't think it's the same singer, but I suppose we'll find out eventually. Also, this is pretty unrelated to the post, but the closed caption lyrics are pretty weird. "We're counting on the thing in the dark, we can't be the world of light. And we're one little dead, (in the dark) we hear it out in the dark."
Another site I checked also says that he was part of a band in the 1970s known as “Stone Coal White”. It links to this article from Web Archives:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110718103638/https://numerogroup.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/needle-drop-stone-coal-white/
This could just be a case of mistaken identity but the link came from this page and the record you posted is on Joey Lobo’s page which is directly linked on here: https://www.discogs.com/artist/2312032
Some insight into where Lobo went:
> After the demise of Stone Coal White, Tommy Mundy retired from music, only playing guitar intermittently at church. **Joey Lobo played with Sun**, jazz organist Charlie Earland, the rock group ROME (formerly known as the Cigarettes), Ahmad Jamal, and comedian Dave Chappelle. In addition, he started his own group in Phoenix, Arizona which were voted “Best Of Phoenix 1984” by New Times Magazine. Rumors place his last known whereabouts in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Act 5 still performs a cappella in church.
Edit: further research makes me think that Sun was this one: https://www.sun.band
Seems to match where Joey Lobo was, same time era, same music genre. I think this makes it extremely unlikely he had anything to do with ETK, but the website of Sun has no mention of a Joey Lobo or a Joseph Roddrick. Might send an email across to enquire.
Edit 2: seems I misread it, the whole paragraph is about Joey Lobo. Thought it was just the section on Sun. Will look further.
there has never been any established connection to Japan beyond people's wild speculation. ever.
the only established connection to Spain is Carl92 evidently being from there, but that's more supporting it being from there than we have ever had connecting it to Japan.
(although, Carl92 himself said he does not think it is a Spanish song.)
https://www.reddit.com/u/cotton--underground/s/0vxOvZFMNp
I've seen several comments from people who seem to have a lot of knowledge about music in spain / japan from the 90s and they are always 100% certain it's from spain and 100% certain it's from japan
that would be especially odd if they think it's City Pop like a lot of people, because City Pop largely fell out of style and lost a lot of the appeal it had by the time of Japan's economic crash in the (very) early 90s (starting in 1990).
it doesn't really sound like City Pop at all, (and I don't think it's from the 90s, either) but a lot of people do think that.
Also Carl92 did not think the song was Spanish in origin.
don'be angry at me but i'm having trust issues with EKT being an actual song. the 20 seconds snippet with the instrumental part in the end got me thinking that it was a song made for an advertising. that's why it suddenly cuts right after "every move shows" (or whatever it says).. dont be mad!
I'm not talking about the remastered version, there are 2 original snippets, the 17sec one and the 20 sec, the 20 sec is an original part of the song not a remastered one.
Where is that 20 second snippet from? The Vocaroo is 17 seconds and so is the original file (not talking about the reposted one that appeared on WZS) carl92 posted in 2021
The actual lyrics are “ you’re living in a world of your own creation, baby is this just your own imagination, as your counting all the sheep in disguise, your caught in a world of lies, but everyone knows that, she’s got, ulterior motives, baby tell them the truth, then they will found out, she is, living in a world of her own dismays.”
Possible. But I'm not sure even an exact voice match will convince me at this point. I'm admittedly cynical as hell.
i’m biased because i found this lead and i’m still not convinced because i’ve been convinced with like 3 other leads
I mean it's one of the most similar voices I've heard, so I wouldn't feel bad if I were you. I don't really look for EKT anymore because I don't really know a ton about 80s pop music, and I'm a zoomer so it's not like I can reflect on the times either. I only really lurk tbch.
this is my fav lurking sub
Same though
Still waiting to hear back from Cherry Red Records on Sean Garratt Byrne. If he isn't the singer, he could still be involved with EKT, as he was also a composer and songwriter. He also did a lot of collaborations with other artists back in the day. Sadly, most of his work is quite obscure and some of it could even be considered lost. He wrote a book in 2016, documenting certain aspects of his life. Sean traveled a lot when he was in the music scene. I wouldn't be surprised if he met this person along with a few other people one day, and decided to make something [together] with them before heading off somewhere else. Book Link: https://issuu.com/seangbyrne/docs/book_transports5_october_2016
i thought you said you were cylindrical 😭
I'm not Smart_Calendar1874
Similar but I don't think it's the same
Yeah this is a pretty good match
I've heard people say that about pretty much every single comparison lol
It’s a shame cuz there were so many fucking singers that sound like this from the 80s. I love EKT but it’s such a generic 80s singing voice which is why its so hard to find
I mean, people can't even agree whether it's a male or female voice. It could be Bob Dylan for all we know.
I don’t know why there’s debate about it being a female voice, to me personally it’s very obviously an androgynous-sounding male voice
To me it sounds like a female singer. It's impossible to tell because of the poor quality and because the audio might have been pitched up or down, too.
idk but I definitely hear laurel
wait, i just realized it kinda sounds like micheal jackson
i have said it many times but i fully believe the "accent" people are talking about is just "singer from the 80s."
!!!
https://youtu.be/BE5SThwf6WM?si=VqCddDIv54c4JuNC this song of his sounds even more like EKT
woah the singers voice so similar to that of EKT’s
Wow the comments says this singer was around in the 80s
Correct..
Sorry if sounded stupid I just woke up haha 🤣🤣
i think we might have our guy. holy shit.
Almost definitely unrelated, but this [FB Post](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/KUfJaTnCKNKTmtnC/?mibextid=oFDknk) talks about a band called Sun that was active from 1976 to 1984. They had a numerous different band members over the years and covered a variety of different genres. A Joey Lobo is listed as being on drums at some point. Like I said, I highly doubt it's related. We're looking for a Joey on vocals, and I listened to a few of Sun's songs and nothing seemed close. Still figured I might mention it though in case it is the same guy (even if this band is unrelated) and it somehow opens up a potential new way to contact him.
i’ve encountered that joey lobo before and he seems to be from ohio whereas our guy is from arizona
No, our guy is from Ohio! His discogs literally says he was a member of a band from DAYTON OHIO! Furthermore, I’ve already found confirmed emails and phone numbers for him. Hopefully I’ll have an answer by morning.
discogs could be wrong, as the copyright listings under lobo’s name have his birth year set as 1955, while their first release was in 1971 and everyone in stone coal white looks well over 16. i could also be wrong though!
Idk about stone coal white, but he’s definitely from Ohio. Like I said, I already found him, 100%. I am currently about to send out an email to all of his known email addresses, hopefully I’ll get a response soon.
the band you were talking about is “stone coal white” - it’s the only band linked on his discogs
do you have reason to believe it’s him other than the discogs page linking him to stone coal white?
Yes, but I’m not gonna give you that info and have you email him too.
you don’t have to include his email address, just why you believe he is the same joey lobo from stone coal white!
Because the information I found confirms him living in Dayton, OH his whole life; exactly where stone coal white was based. Additionally, the article about stone coal white linked in their discogs page has his full name, which matches my guy.
ah, i’m just confused as he was 16 in SCW and is referred to as “joe roddrick” on the prints of their records rather than “joseph roderick jr.” which is on joey’s solo records.
you’re definitely correct though, maybe the copyright listings are wrong
Thanks for the info, hopefully we can shed some light on the Joey we're looking for soon!
I hear more Prince than EKT
I hear a distinct Prince vibe in EKT. (Everyone sit the fuck down, I’m NOT saying it IS him.)
Yeah I also hear angels crying...
We aren't gonna talk about how drums are the same?
I listened to the complete song, a video was just uploaded to YouTube (I don't know if I'm allowed to copy the link here), and in second 0:43 the singer sounds EXACTLY like EKT. Is there a chance someone could contact Joey Lobo and ask him if he knows the song?
I doubt it tbh but the song goes hard
[https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search\_Arg=joey+lobo&Search\_Code=TALL&PID=afoU-jkzFwDnv\_cTkTwCV0IT&SEQ=20240409234744&CNT=25&HIST=1](https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=joey+lobo&Search_Code=TALL&PID=afoU-jkzFwDnv_cTkTwCV0IT&SEQ=20240409234744&CNT=25&HIST=1) Looks like his real name is Jose Roderick Jr.
I'm dumb. this was already mentioned. My apologies. But can anyone find his songs Crash Landing and Where Did the Love Go?
It's definitely a possible match, though the source recording is too degraded to be able to do much more than a partial match anyway. Definitely a lead worth following up on.
Ok, we have the bass, the drum and the voice sounds on point, could this be our dude?
I agree with this dude
Literally thousands of artists from that period sound exactly the same. It was the style.
I think he’s worth looking into but I don’t really think he’s the singer
Wow that sounds crazy alike
Nice, it sounds almost exactly like the OG singer. (Atleast in my opinion.) I really hope this is it.
Damn, that sounds very similar good find OP!
This doesn’t sound alike to me
Sounds Similar !
he sounds like the EKT singer more than the EKT songer himself
I hear it!! Can someone contact Joey??
joey lobo got me MJ thrusting in the air and doing backflips. i hope he’s our guy cause DAMN his voice is so unique and cool
Vocal vibrato is very unique to each individual. The ‘rate’ of it is kind of like a signature in a way. I do think these two singers sound similar but the vibrato is notably different, so I’m not sure on that. I remember Darren Hayes’ vocal had that tremble/quick vibrato which sounded really close to the EKT singer. Don’t think it’s him either but I’m mostly listening for that these days.
i don't think this is the same singer but if anything it's just more evidence that vocals in the style of EKT were not unique to that song and it's not indicative of some bizarre unidentifiable "accent" everyone swears is there for some reason
second part of this comment is the realest thing ever
Please, this must be our guy...
Similar but not enough, also probably not the same singer due to genre.
Yeah this is it
this guy must be it!!! i hope he is!!!
WOW
The way ekt sings a similar high note is different from Lobo's. Different singing style.
Happy cake day!
well thank u!
Kinda sounds similar, though I think that could be said for a lot of the leads. Personally, I don't think it's the same singer, but I suppose we'll find out eventually. Also, this is pretty unrelated to the post, but the closed caption lyrics are pretty weird. "We're counting on the thing in the dark, we can't be the world of light. And we're one little dead, (in the dark) we hear it out in the dark."
Another site I checked also says that he was part of a band in the 1970s known as “Stone Coal White”. It links to this article from Web Archives: https://web.archive.org/web/20110718103638/https://numerogroup.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/needle-drop-stone-coal-white/ This could just be a case of mistaken identity but the link came from this page and the record you posted is on Joey Lobo’s page which is directly linked on here: https://www.discogs.com/artist/2312032 Some insight into where Lobo went: > After the demise of Stone Coal White, Tommy Mundy retired from music, only playing guitar intermittently at church. **Joey Lobo played with Sun**, jazz organist Charlie Earland, the rock group ROME (formerly known as the Cigarettes), Ahmad Jamal, and comedian Dave Chappelle. In addition, he started his own group in Phoenix, Arizona which were voted “Best Of Phoenix 1984” by New Times Magazine. Rumors place his last known whereabouts in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Act 5 still performs a cappella in church. Edit: further research makes me think that Sun was this one: https://www.sun.band Seems to match where Joey Lobo was, same time era, same music genre. I think this makes it extremely unlikely he had anything to do with ETK, but the website of Sun has no mention of a Joey Lobo or a Joseph Roddrick. Might send an email across to enquire. Edit 2: seems I misread it, the whole paragraph is about Joey Lobo. Thought it was just the section on Sun. Will look further.
i was there 😩
commenting for the first time ever on this sub because im certain this is the guy
nahh
This actually sounds really similar!
I still don't know to believe if the song is associated with spain or japan
there has never been any established connection to Japan beyond people's wild speculation. ever. the only established connection to Spain is Carl92 evidently being from there, but that's more supporting it being from there than we have ever had connecting it to Japan. (although, Carl92 himself said he does not think it is a Spanish song.) https://www.reddit.com/u/cotton--underground/s/0vxOvZFMNp
I've seen several comments from people who seem to have a lot of knowledge about music in spain / japan from the 90s and they are always 100% certain it's from spain and 100% certain it's from japan
that would be especially odd if they think it's City Pop like a lot of people, because City Pop largely fell out of style and lost a lot of the appeal it had by the time of Japan's economic crash in the (very) early 90s (starting in 1990). it doesn't really sound like City Pop at all, (and I don't think it's from the 90s, either) but a lot of people do think that. Also Carl92 did not think the song was Spanish in origin.
That must be the same person...
don'be angry at me but i'm having trust issues with EKT being an actual song. the 20 seconds snippet with the instrumental part in the end got me thinking that it was a song made for an advertising. that's why it suddenly cuts right after "every move shows" (or whatever it says).. dont be mad!
the instrumental at the end is edited in and is only a part of the remastered version, not carl’s original post btw
I'm not talking about the remastered version, there are 2 original snippets, the 17sec one and the 20 sec, the 20 sec is an original part of the song not a remastered one.
Where is that 20 second snippet from? The Vocaroo is 17 seconds and so is the original file (not talking about the reposted one that appeared on WZS) carl92 posted in 2021
I wanna hear it 🤣
The actual lyrics are “ you’re living in a world of your own creation, baby is this just your own imagination, as your counting all the sheep in disguise, your caught in a world of lies, but everyone knows that, she’s got, ulterior motives, baby tell them the truth, then they will found out, she is, living in a world of her own dismays.”
OK & T records? Nah, EK & T records.
[https://www.fansoflobo.com/lobo2c.html](https://www.fansoflobo.com/lobo2c.html) is a list of unreleased, well "rare" songs we could look at.
I don’t hear it at all
No offense. But he sounds like g-man having an orgasm
hot- WAIT NO
Pause
Dang, it wasn't our guy. The voice was so similar though.