Dynamic Hepnotics
title: "Dynamic Hepnotics" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["apra-award-winners", "australian-funk-musical-groups", "australian-soul-musical-groups", "musical-groups-established-in-1979", "musical-groups-disestablished-in-1986", "musical-groups-from-sydney"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Hepnotics" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | The Dynamic Hepnotics |
| image | Dynamic Hepnotics live 1983.jpg |
| image_size | 200px |
| landscape | yes |
| origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| genre | Blue-eyed soul, funk |
| years_active | – |
| label | Mambo, Missing Link, Mushroom, White Label, Festival |
| associated_acts | The Mighty Reapers, Continental Blues Party, The Necks, The Catholics, The Doodaddies, The Moods, Seriously Cool |
| website | |
| past_members | Tim Martin |
| Manuel Patty | |
| Richard Ruhle | |
| Andrew Silver | |
| Robert Susz | |
| Vickie Kenny | |
| Bruce Allen | |
| Allen Britton | |
| Robert Souter | |
| Mike Gubb | |
| Peter Bishop | |
| Dave Brewer | |
| Mark Simmonds | |
| Duncan Archibald | |
| Chris Pascoe | |
| Lloyd Swanton | |
| :: |
| name = The Dynamic Hepnotics | image = Dynamic Hepnotics live 1983.jpg | alt = | caption = | image_size = 200px | landscape = yes | alias = | origin = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | genre = Blue-eyed soul, funk | years_active = – | label = Mambo, Missing Link, Mushroom, White Label, Festival | associated_acts = The Mighty Reapers, Continental Blues Party, The Necks, The Catholics, The Doodaddies, The Moods, Seriously Cool | website = | current_members = | past_members = Tim Martin Manuel Patty Richard Ruhle Andrew Silver Robert Susz Vickie Kenny Bruce Allen Allen Britton Robert Souter Mike Gubb Peter Bishop Dave Brewer Mark Simmonds Duncan Archibald Chris Pascoe Lloyd Swanton Dynamic Hepnotics were an Australian soul, blues and funk band who formed in 1979 and disbanded in 1986. Mainstay, lead vocalist and front man, "Continental" Robert Susz formed the group in Sydney. They had chart success on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart with a top 5 single, "Soul Kind of Feeling" in 1984. It was followed by "Gotta Be Wrong (Way to Love)" which reached the top 20 in 1985. Their album, Take You Higher, reached the top 20 on the related Albums Chart in June. In 1986, "Soul Kind of Feeling" won the APRA Music Award for 'Most Performed Australasian Popular Work'.
History
Dynamic Hepnotics formed in Sydney in 1979 with Tim Martin on saxophone (ex-Friends), Manuel Patty on bass guitar, Richard Ruhle on drums, Andrew Silver on guitar (Big Town Playboys) and "Continental" Robert Susz on vocals and harmonica (Rugcutters, Humdinger Dogs). One of their early gigs was at the Potts Point night club, Arthur's. In May 1980 this line-up issued a four-track extended play, Shakin' All Over on the Mambo label.
In August 1982 they released a six-track EP, Strange Land, which was produced by Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons) for Missing Link. By 1984 the band had signed with Mushroom Records' White Label Records. In late January Dynamic Hepnotics appeared at the Narara Music Festival. They released a single, "I'll Make You", in May.
Early in 1985, they issued Live (aka The Dynamic Hepnotics Live), which including cover versions and originals recorded live in the studio.
After disbandment
In 1988 Susz formed a "stylish soul / R&B" group, The Mighty Reapers, with Archibald, Brewer and Ruhle. That group recorded three albums, The Mighty Reapers (1993), Trouble People (1994) and The Hurt Is On (1997). Susz was later in the group, Continental Blues Party. Bruce Allen later toured &/or recorded with The Allniters, Eurogliders, The Eddys, Glenn Shorrock, Doug Parkinson and Ross Wilson, and currently performs with a number of Sydney-based bands including The Layabouts, The Bellhops and The Hollywood Hombres. Mike Gubb has worked with a number of Australian bands, including Mental As Anything, Ganggajang, The Whitlams and Dog Trumpet. Dave Brewer has worked with The Catholics (formed by Swanton in 1991) and currently performs with Perth-based blues band The Doodaddies. In late 2008, Brewer released a solo album titled Life of Riley. Richard Ruhle performs with Sydney-based jazz 4-piece Seriously Cool. Robert Souter performs with Mental As Anything. Duncan Archibald performs with Sydney-based band The Moods.
Four of the original band members (Susz, Souter, Britton and Brewer) performed 2 shows under the Dynamic Hepnotics name in 2015, at the Caloundra Music Festival and the last ever Narooma-based Great Southern Blues and Roots Music Festival.
Discography
Albums
::data[format=table title="List of albums, with selected chart positions"] | Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | AUS | Live | Take You Higher | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | | 66 | | | | | | | 30 | | | | | ::
Compilation albums
::data[format=table]
| Title | Details | Hepnobest |
|---|---|---|
| :: |
Extended plays
::data[format=table]
| Title | Details | Shakin' All Over | Strange Land |
|---|---|---|---|
| :: |
Singles
::data[format=table title="List of singles, with selected chart positions"] | Year | Title | Peak chart positions | AUS | "Hepnobeat" | "I'll Make You" | "Soul Kind of Feeling" | "Gotta Be Wrong (Way to Love)" | "Whenever You're Ready" | "Believe Me" | "On Our Way Now" | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1981 | - | | | | | | | | | | | 1984 | - | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1985 | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | | 1986 | 86 | | | | | | | | | | ::
Awards and nominations
Countdown Australian Music Awards
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974–1987, it presented music awards from 1979–1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.
|- | 1984 | "Soul Kind of Feeling" | Best Single | |-
Band personnel
Credits:
Vocals, harmonica
- Robert Susz (1979–1986)
Guitar
- Andrew Silver (1979–1986)
- Dave Brewer (1986)
Bass guitar
- Manuel Patty (1979)
- Vickie Kenny (1979-1980)
- Allen Britton (1980–1986)
- Lloyd Swanton (1986)
Drums
- Richard Ruhle (1979–1980)
- Robert Souter (1980–1986)
- Duncan Archibald (1986)
Saxophone
- Tim Martin (1979–1980)
- Bruce Allen (1980–1985)
- Mark Simmonds (1985–1986)
Trumpet
- Peter Bishop (1985–1986)
Keyboard
- Mike Gubb (1985–1986)
- Chris Pascoe (1986)
References
References
- (1999). "[[Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop]]". [[Allen & Unwin]].
- (June 2006). "Countdown: the Wonder Years 1974–1987". [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- "Dynamic Hepnotics". Nostalgia Central.
- (20 January 1984). "Narara Music Festival". [[News Corporation (1980–2013).
- (27 January 1984). "Narara '84 Programme". Australian Music History.
- (5 June 2011). "Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 4 – Dynamic Hepnotics". Hung Medien.
- (2 June 2015). "Caloundra Music Festival's First 2015 Lineup Announced".
- (16 April 2015). "Narooma Blues Festival Announces 2015 Lineup".
- Kent, David. (1993). "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992". Australian Chart Book.
- (March 1987). "Countdown to the Awards". [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] (ABC).
- "Final episode of Countdown".
- "Dynamic Hepnotics". [[Australian Rock Database]]. (Magnus Holmgren).
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