Whitehouse were an English noise music band formed in 1980. The group is largely credited for the founding of the power electronics genre. Whitehouse was founded and ended as a duo consisting of electronics player Philip Best and vocalist William Bennett, however the group is perhaps best–recognized for their 20-year-tenure as a three-piece with synthist Peter Sotos as a member, who joined the band in 1983 and left in 2003.
Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initially a blend of avant-garde electronics experiments and punk provocation". The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by members of Throbbing Gristle and Monte Cazazza. While the genre name originated with Throbbing Gristle's emergence in the United Kingdom, artists and labels vital to the genre also emerged in the United States and other countries.
Come was a British noise music project, which was founded in 1979 by William Bennett. In the short time of its existence it had such prominent members as Daniel Miller and J. G. Thirlwell. Bennett would later end the project in 1980 in favor for his then newly formed power electronics project Whitehouse, however a second studio album under the Come moniker was released in 1981 titled I'm Jack. The independent record label Come Organisation was created as a result of the lack of interest other labels showed in the group's recordings. They never performed live.
Dedicated to Peter Kürten is the fourth album by Whitehouse released in 1981 by Come Organisation. The album is also known by its full title, Dedicated to Peter Kürten Sadist and Mass Slayer.
Buchenwald is the fifth album by Whitehouse released in 1981 by Come Organisation.
Psychopathia Sexualis is the seventh album by Whitehouse released in 1982 on the Come Organisation label. It was on the liner notes for the album that principal member William Bennett first used the term "Power electronics" to describe the group's music.
New Britain is the sixth album by Whitehouse released in 1982 by Come Organisation. Much like its title, interior artwork, and lyrical themes suggest, the album mostly deals with the subject of fascism. The album was initially released on vinyl formats, limited to only 500 copies. It was reissued on compact disc in 1996 through Susan Lawly.
Philip Neil Best is an English industrial musician, visual artist, and author. A pioneer of power electronics, he formed the band Consumer Electronics in 1982.
Bird Seed is the seventeenth album by power electronics group Whitehouse released in 2003 by their own record label, Susan Lawly. It was given an "honourable mention" in the digital musics category of Austria's annual Prix Ars Electronica awards. It was reissued on double vinyl through Very Friendly in July 2009. The title track was recorded by Steve Albini and written by Peter Sotos.
Birthdeath Experience is the debut studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse. It was originally released in 1980 through Come Organization. It was released on CD in May 1993 through Susan Lawly, then reissued in 2007 on vinyl through Very Friendly. The original edition was limited to 1,250 copies on vinyl format; 850 with pink/white labels, 400 with Spanish text on the labels.
Total Sex is the second full-length studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, which was released in November 1980 through Come Organisation, only a few months after the band's debut, Birthdeath Experience. The album was reissued twice, first on CD in 1994 through Susan Lawly, and again in 2008 on double vinyl format through Very Friendly. The original release was limited to 1,200 copies on vinyl, the first pressing consisted of 800 copies, the second consisted of 400 copies on translucent green vinyl.
Erector is the third full-length studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in February 1981 through Come Organization. The record was reissued twice: once in 1995 on CD through Susan Lawly, and again in 2008 on vinyl through Very Friendly.
Cruise is the sixteenth studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in 2001 through the band's Susan Lawly label. The album was reissued on double vinyl format through Very Friendly in 2007, and was the first of a series of limited edition vinyl reissues of the band's catalog.
Great White Death is the ninth studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in February 1985. It was the last Whitehouse record to be released through Come Organization, a label which dissolved after the band went on hiatus after the record's release. The album was reissued on CD format in 1991 through the band's new label, Susan Lawly. A special edition was issued in 1997 which came with a bonus track, an extended version of the song "My Cock Is On Fire". In 2010, a vinyl reissue of the album was released through Very Friendly.
Thank Your Lucky Stars is the tenth studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in 1990 through the newly formed Susan Lawly label. Recorded in September 1988, it was the group's first studio album after a period of inactivity during the later half of the 1980s and the first to feature contributions from writer and musician Peter Sotos and production work from Steve Albini. A special edition was issued in 1997 on CD format that contained bonus tracks previously released on other Whitehouse albums and singles.
Twice Is Not Enough is the eleventh studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in 1991 through Susan Lawly. The album cover, depicting a dog sitting on a bed, was drawn by Trevor Brown, and references multiple different murders performed by serial killers. In 1999, the album was reissued as a special edition CD with bonus tracks, all of which originated from the band's 1992 album Never Forget Death, which was out-of-print by that point in time.
Halogen CD is the thirteenth studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in April 1994 through their Susan Lawly label. The album's cover was made by artist Trevor Brown, who previously collaborated with the band on their 1991 album Twice Is Not Enough.
Mummy and Daddy is the fifteenth studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in early 1998 through Susan Lawly. The album mostly focuses on domestic violence and is considered by many to be one of the band's darkest recordings. The cover art was illustrated by Trevor Brown, who previously worked with the band for their albums Quality Time, Halogen, and Twice Is Not Enough.
Racket is the nineteenth and final studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released on 31 May 2007 through the Susan Lawly label. The album was originally supposed to come out on 13 March of that year, but due to issues with recording, the album's release date was set back by a couple of weeks. Instruments used in the album were synthesizers, the djembe, doundouns, and ksings.
Right to Kill is the eighth studio album by the British power electronics band Whitehouse, released in 1983 through Come Organisation. It was released as a special limited edition album, with only approximately 300 copies made on vinyl formats. Because of this, the recording has never been reissued since, for the band feels that it would be of great importance to "preserve its original intent", although numerous bootleg copies of the album have been made.
