Empirion

Last updated

Empirion
Empirion.png
Empirion live in London; 7 April 2011
Background information
Origin Essex, England
Genres Techno, electronic, industrial
Years active1993–present
Labels XL, Beggars Banquet, Wanted Records
MembersAustin Morsley
Jamie Smart
Past membersBob Glennie
Website www.empirion.org

Empirion are a British industrial dance music group, originating from Essex, England. They were formed in 1993, and the original line-up consisted of Austin Morsely, Bob Glennie and Jamie Smart.

Contents

Career

1993-1994: Beginnings

Smart was a resident DJ at the Essex nightclubs, Oscars in Clacton and TooToo's in Frating. He provided the vehicle for the band to release their music through their own record label, Wanted Records, and later went on to support the Prodigy. Morsely and Glennie met on the local rave scene. They had both been playing around with basic music equipment for a few years, and came together when Morsley purchased a Roland W-30 synthesiser which eventually spawned the track, "Narcotic Influence". The track was released and distributed by the band in November 1993 and, initially pressing 500 copies on vinyl, it went on to sell nearly 5,000 copies.[ citation needed ]

1994-1998: Signing to XL Recordings

They followed "Narcotic Influence" with two singles in 1994, "Quark" and the double A-side "Ciao" / "Advanced Technology". During the latter part of 1994, XL Recordings offered them a recording contract.

XL chose to re-release "Narcotic Influence" in 1995 accompanied by a music video, and it went on to sell 15,000 copies and peaked at No. 64 on the UK Singles Chart. [1] This was followed up with the release of the single "Jesus Christ" (1995) and the album Advanced Technology in 1996.

During this time, the band toured both the UK and Europe including the Phoenix Festival in 1994 and 1995, and Tribal Gathering in 1997 alongside Kraftwerk. They also toured with the Prodigy. They also remixed the Prodigy's "Firestarter".

The band toured the United States in 1997 as a part of the big top tour, alongside Moby, 808 State, System 7 and BT. The same year, they issued "BETA" (UK #75) [1] featuring remixes by Front 242 and Doc Scott, followed later in the year by "See Yourself" as a vinyl-only release.

1998-2011: Hiatus and Glennie's death

Tragedy then struck the group when Glennie was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and the band was eventually put on hiatus when it became impossible to complete the follow-up to Advanced Technology. Empirion parted ways with XL Recordings in 1998, and Glennie died of cancer in 2005.

Morsley went on to start his own project called KLOQ, and released several singles throughout the 2000s culminating in his debut album, Move Forward, in 2008. Kloq released their second studio album Begin Again on 8 October 2013 via Metropolis Records. Smart continued to DJ, and remixed for Leeroy Thornhill alongside Pete Crossman as Controlled Change, for the Flightcrank single "Amazing" in 2001, and the tracks "Machines" and "Depression" in 2010 on the Electric Tastebuds label.

2011-present: Reformation

In 2011, Smart and Morsley came back together under the Empirion name with a remix of the Victory Pill track, "Burnout". They also embarked on several live dates throughout Europe, and made plans for some new material.

In April 2018, Empirion announced a new album, Resume. In September 2018, they released an EP via new record label, Dependent Records.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Remixes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Front 242</span> Belgian electronic music group

Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they are a profound influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James (band)</span> English rock band

James are an English rock band from Manchester, who were formed in 1982. They had popularity throughout the 1990s, with four top 10s on the UK Singles Chart and nine top 10s on the UK Albums Chart. The band's best-known singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", "She's a Star" and "Laid", which also became a hit on American college radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Holkenborg</span> Dutch musician and composer

Tom Holkenborg, also known by his stage name Junkie XL or occasionally JXL, is a Dutch composer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer, and engineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meat Beat Manifesto</span> British electronic music group

Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened as Meat Beat, Manifesto or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens that was formed in 1987 in Swindon, United Kingdom. The band, fronted by Dangers, has proven versatile over the years, experimenting with techno, breakbeat, industrial, dub and jazz fusion while touring the world and influencing major acts such as Nine Inch Nails, the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy. Some of the band's earlier work has been credited with influencing the rise of the trip hop, big beat, and drum and bass genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Flint</span> English dancer and vocalist (1969–2019)

Keith Charles Flint was an English singer and a vocalist of the electronic dance act the Prodigy. Starting out as a dancer for the group, he became the lead vocalist and performed on the group's two UK number-one singles, "Firestarter" and "Breathe", both released in 1996. He was also the lead singer of his own band, Flint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeroy Thornhill</span> British musician

Leeroy Thornhill is a British electronic music artist and formerly a rave dancer and occasionally keyboardist for the British electronic group the Prodigy. Thornhill's live performances throughout the 1990s included his unique style of shuffling.

<i>Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005</i> 2005 greatest hits album by the Prodigy

Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005 is a singles collection from the UK band the Prodigy. It was released on 17 October 2005, and entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1 on 23 October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charly (song)</span> 1991 single by the Prodigy

"Charly" is the debut single released by the British electronic act the Prodigy, later included on their debut album, Experience (1992), although the version featured on the album is the significantly different "Trip into Drum & Bass" remix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gizz Butt</span> Musical artist

Graham Anthony "Gizz" Butt is a British musician, lead vocalist and lead guitarist for Janus Stark best known for being the live guitarist for the band The Prodigy in the late 1990s. His own band Janus Stark, from the same era, enjoyed a minor hit with the song "Every Little Thing Counts" from the album The Great Adventure Cigar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Davies (musician)</span> British musician

James Donald Davies is the former live and studio guitarist for English band the Prodigy. He is also a former member of Pitchshifter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire/Jericho</span> 1992 single by the Prodigy

"Fire" and "Jericho" are two songs recorded by English electronica/rave act the Prodigy. It peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firestarter (The Prodigy song)</span> 1996 single by The Prodigy

"Firestarter" is a song by British band the Prodigy, released on 18 March 1996 as the first single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It was the group's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for three weeks, and their first big international hit, topping the charts in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Norway. In 2020, British newspaper The Guardian ranked the song number eight on their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No 1 Singles".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breathe (The Prodigy song)</span> 1996 single by The Prodigy

"Breathe" is a song by English band the Prodigy, released in November 1996 as the second single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It features a drum break from the song "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" by Thin Lizzy. The whiplashing sword sound effect is a sample of "Da Mystery of Chessboxin" by Wu-Tang Clan. As with "Firestarter", Jim Davies played the guitar in the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby's Got a Temper</span> 2002 single by the Prodigy

"Baby's Got a Temper" is a song by English electronica group the Prodigy, released as a non-album single on 1 July 2002 by record labels XL and Maverick. It was the band's first single in five years after 1997's "Smack My Bitch Up", and was also their first release after dancer Leeroy Thornhill left the band in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Prodigy discography</span>

English electronic music group the Prodigy has released seven studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, one mix album, three extended plays, twenty-one singles, and twenty-two music videos. Hailed as pioneers of genres such as rave, techno, and big beat, the group have sold over twenty million albums worldwide. As of 9 November 2018 their UK album sales stood at 4,707,982.

<i>Invaders Must Die</i> 2009 studio album by The Prodigy

Invaders Must Die is the fifth studio album by English electronic dance music group The Prodigy. The album was released on 23 February 2009 on the band's new record label Take Me to the Hospital, and was distributed by Cooking Vinyl. Although Liam Howlett, Maxim and Keith Flint all contributed material for The Fat of the Land, Invaders Must Die is the first Prodigy record where, given the departure of Leeroy Thornhill, all band members took part in the creative process. It is their first and currently only album to not contain any explicit songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Prodigy</span> English electronic dance music group

The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and vocalist Keith Flint, dancer and occasional live keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill, dancer Sharky, and MC and vocalist Maxim. They are pioneers of the breakbeat-influenced genre big beat, and describe their style as electronic punk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil McLellan</span> Musical artist

Neil McLellan is an English record producer, composer and mix engineer.

KLOQ is an electronic rock band that was formed in Chelmsford, Essex in 2005 by Oz Morsley of Empirion. The current lineup is Dean Goodwin (Vocals), Oz Morsley, Tim Jackson (Bass), and Chris Jacobs (Drums). Kloq has released two studio albums: Move Forward (2008) and Begin Again (2013).

<i>Begin Again</i> (Kloq album) 2013 studio album by KLOQ

Begin Again is the second album by British electronic rock band KLOQ, released 8 October 2013. The album was released via Metropolis Records.

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 183. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.