| (CURSE OF THE GOLDEN VAMPIRE BIO HERE)
 Techno
Animal formed in 1990. A mechanoid manifestation of Justin Broadrick
and
Kevin Martin’s increasing appetite for studio explorations, the name
was a
practical abbreviation addressing the concept of a technological
animal.
The pair met when Martin booked Godflesh’s first-ever show. They
shared the
same taste for musical intensity and general extremity, and
after various God and Godflesh live/tour convergences, Martin invited
Broadrick to appear on The Pathological Compilation, produce God’s
first recording "Dum Dum Slug" and co-produce the group’s first single
"Breach Birth". Both were increasingly thriving on a musical diet of contemporary
classical, dub, obscure soundtracks and various electro-acoustic oddities,
in addition to their blatant lust for punk-driven noise in all its agitational
forms. Realizing neither could fully incorporate such influences into
their day jobs, due to the inflexible demands of the Metal fraternity
in the case of Godflesh and the practical problems recording God’s
big band, they began electronic experiments as Techno Animal.
Increasingly immersed in the magical potential of the soundlab’s
capabilities and its alchemical transformations, the debut album Ghosts
was a non-conformist response to the harder, faster, louder "arsequake"
fraternity. It was an LP which acknowledged the creative tension of exploring
noise’s polar opposite, the deafening sound of (near) silence. Written
at a time when samplers had finally become affordable, but based on rudimentary
CD loop experiments, T.A. had been seduced by the disorientating language
of delays, reverberations, phasers and flangers. Their rejection of compromise
and freedom from structural/promotional considerations also intensified
the unorthodox output. Released on Martin’s Pathological label, the
album has been subsequently bizarrely cited by Kid 606 as a formulative
influence on his splatter punk recordings.
Ghosts was not followed up until 1995, by the schizophrenic sound of the
twin discs of Re-Entry (Virgin). Respectively titled "Dream Machinery"
and "Heavy Lids", the former was fuelled by the bastardization of club
culture, the latter an attempted translation of fictitious film scores.
Inviting esteemed guest Jon Hassell to contribute trumpet parts added
to the sense of otherworldliness.
1995’s Tribal Gathering festival proved to be a major influence on
Babylon Seeker. Jeff Mills’s electronic avalanche, the magnetic minimalism
of Plastikman (Ritchie Hawtin) and the total madness of the Jungle tent
indelibly marked T.A. and propelled them ever closer to club culture’s
hyperactive frenzy. They felt they’d found their target, yet it was
the rhythmic thrust of hip hop that was the basis for their dub-heavy
bodybeats.
On hearing the mutant hip hop on the first volume of Electric Ladyland,
and noting Force Inc’s Achim Szepanski’s eclectic tastes in
music and literature, T.A. felt they found a like-minded spirit. After
contributing to several volumes of Force Inc/Mille Plateaux’s Electric
Ladyland series, T.A. were invited to join the Mille Plateaux tour of
Europe in Winter 1997, alongside Alec Empire, Porter Ricks, DJ Spooky
and DJ Rush. 1997’s Techno Animal Vs. Reality was a soundclash/remix
album featuring Ui, Tortoise, Porter Ricks, and Alec Empire, whose admiration
of T.A.’s headfuck 4/4 guise as The Sidewinder resulted in the joint
offering Curse Of The Golden Empire on Alec’s Digital Hardcore label.
The album’s blueprint was recorded during the tour’s down time,
but after witnessing T.A’s fever for blasting raw freestyle hip hop
in the van, Empire suggested the 4/4 rhythm parts be replaced by funkier
overdriven breakbeats. He also had T.A. warp out his rhythm tracks and
repeat the maniacal intensity of The Sidewinder’s deconstructional
chaos. Significantly, by teaming up with Anti Pop’s Beans, it was
the first time they’d worked with rappers since God worked with New
Kingdom and Gunshot, or Godflesh with Sensational on Pain Killer’s
Buried Dreams.
In 1998 T.A. decided to compile their singles and compilation tracks alongside
unreleased remixes and experimental segues as an infernal imaginary FM
wavelength show called Radio Hades. It was the during this period that
Techno Animal established a growing rep as uncompromisingly creative remixers,
scrambling tracks by Iggy Pop & William Burroughs, Stina Nordenstam, Einsturzende
Neubauten, Ex Herbie Hancock Jazz fiends Pat Gleeson & Bennie Maupin,
The Rootsman, Jon Spencer1s Blues Explosion, DJ Vadim, D?lek, and 2nd
Gen.
In 1999 T.A. approached close comrade Thomas Koner (Porter Ricks), with
a view to extend the dub-hop promise of "Demonoid," maybe the most successful
collaboration on Techno Animal Vs. Reality. Having completed the long
playing tradeoff with Porter Ricks for Symbiotics, Techno Animal embarked
upon a tour of Europe, supported by heavyweight allies, Wordsound’s
Spectre and Sensational.
After prolonged negotiations, Techno Animal have signed a worldwide deal
with Matador. who released the Dälek soundclash single, "Megaton"
b/w "Classical Homicide" as part of their Hip Hop 12" Series late last
year, and release the "Dead Man’s Curse" 12"/CD5 this spring. Techno
Animal are rapidly compensating for the slow start to the Y2K. They released
"The Brotherhood of the Bomb" on sept 25th 2001, and toured
both the US and Europe.
In 2003, JKFlesh and Kmart released a 2nd CD under the name "the
Curse of the Golden Vampire", without Alec Empire, on Ipecac Records.
(Official biography from the Matador Records website) |
