Techno Animal | |
---|---|
Origin | London, England |
Genres | Illbient, dub, post-industrial, dark ambient |
Years active | 1991–2004 |
Labels | Pathological, Virgin, Blue Angel, Position/Chrome, City Slang, Digital Hardcore, Matador |
Members | Justin Broadrick Kevin Martin |
Techno Animal was an electronic duo formed in 1990 in London, England by British musicians Justin Broadrick (of the band Godflesh) and Kevin Martin (aka the Bug, of the band God). The duo released six LPs beginning with their 1991 debut Ghosts . They blended dub production with dark, beat-oriented ambient music and paranoiac themes. [1]
Kevin Martin had already formed the industrial metal group God in 1987. Justin Broadrick had founded Godflesh in 1988, recorded with Napalm Death and would soon join God alongside Martin. [1] The Techno Animal project came to fruition in 1990, arising from the musicians' shared interest in studio exploration. [2] The intent was to restrict the project to the studio and use sampling to develop the music, with no intent to perform the material live. [3] The name refers to the concept of a technological animal and is not a direct reference to the techno genre. [2] [4]
Techno Animal's debut album Ghosts was released in 1991. In his review of the album, English music critic Simon Reynolds compared the music to that of other sample-based acts such as Einstürzende Neubauten, Die Krupps and 23 Skidoo. [5]
In 2017, Martin and Broadrick reunited after fifteen years and formed the band Zonal. [6] According to Broadrick, this new project is a spiritual continuation of Techno Animal. Regarding Zonal, he said:
"We felt fresh again about collaboration; we didn’t wish to pursue something with an old name... Although as Zonal we play some old Techno Animal songs, most of our set is new material as Zonal. It pretty much continues where we left off as Techno Animal." [7]
Notably, Techno Animal's music was an important source of inspiration for electronic music musician Kid606, with their debut album Ghosts being particularly influential to him. "It was one of the first experimental electronic records I had ever heard," he said, "Kevin Martin and Justin Broadrick were humongous influences on me from early on." [8]
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the original title O.P.D. but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick and B. C. Green renamed the band and decided to use a drum machine for percussion. Melding heavy metal with industrial music and later with electronic music and dub, Godflesh's sound is widely regarded as a foundational influence on other industrial metal and post-metal acts and as significant to both experimental and extreme metal.
Justin Karl Michael Broadrick is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music. Following Godflesh's initial breakup in 2002, Broadrick formed the band Jesu.
Ice is an industrial music band formed by guitarist Justin Broadrick and saxophonist/vocalist Kevin Martin.
Streetcleaner is the debut studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 13 November 1989 through Earache Records and was reissued with a second disc of previously unreleased material on 21 June 2010. The album is widely acclaimed by critics and is often cited as a landmark release in industrial metal; though not the genre's first release, Streetcleaner helped define what industrial metal would become.
Slavestate is the second EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released in July 1991 through Earache Records. The EP saw the band experimenting with more samples and electronic sounds than their predominantly industrial metal prior releases.
Pure is the second studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 13 April 1992 through Earache Records. Though originally labeled only as industrial metal, the album has since been recognised as one of the earliest post-metal releases. Musically, Pure is rhythmically mechanical and features harsh guitars, with protracted songs and an abundance of deliberate repetition. Like much of Godflesh's music, it is regarded as particularly heavy and aggressive, and these elements helped it gain critical acclaim.
Ben George Christian Green, also known professionally as G. C. Green and B. C. Green, is an English musician, best known as the co-founder and bass guitarist of the industrial metal band Godflesh.
Selfless is the third studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 26 September 1994 in Europe and on 18 October 1994 through Earache and Columbia Records. Being the band's major-label debut, the record features a more conventional and rock-oriented sound compared to Godflesh's previous releases. It spawned two singles, "Xnoybis" and "Crush My Soul". The music video for the latter was directed by photographer Andres Serrano.
Kevin Richard Martin, often known under his recording alias The Bug, is an English musician and music producer. Martin moved from Weymouth to London around 1990 and is now currently based in mainland Europe. He has been active for over three decades in the genres of dub, jazzcore, industrial hip hop, dancehall, and dubstep.
Godflesh is the debut EP by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was originally released in 1988 through Swordfish Records and later saw several reissues on Earache Records with two additional songs. An unexpected underground success, the eponymous EP made it onto the UK Indie Chart and peaked at position 20. Though not supported by any singles or music videos at the time, a fan-made video for "Avalanche Master Song" has since been made official by the band.
This is a partial discography of Justin Broadrick, a prolific English songwriter, guitarist, singer, producer and general multi-instrumentalist musician most known for being the leading force of the industrial metal band Godflesh. Broadrick is also recognized for his experimental project Jesu, his key contributions to the seminal grindcore album Scum (1987) by Napalm Death, and his strong presence in the electronic and industrial remix community.
The English industrial metal band Godflesh have released eight studio albums and six extended plays along with a number of singles, compilations and remix and live albums. The group formed in 1982 under the name Fall of Because, but they did not release any music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick and B. C. Green changed the project's name to Godflesh and recorded a self-titled debut EP. That EP, released through the independent label Swordfish, was met with underground success and has since been recognised as one of the first industrial metal releases, if not the first.
The Brotherhood of the Bomb is the fourth album by the Illbient band Techno Animal, released on 11 September 2001 through Matador Records. It was reissued by Relapse Records in 2023.
A World Lit Only by Fire is the seventh studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 7 October 2014 through frontman Justin Broadrick's own label, Avalanche Recordings, and was the band's first full-length album since 2001's Hymns. It was preceded by the digital singles "New Dark Ages" in August 2014 and "Imperator" in September 2014, and it was followed by several international tours.
Dave Cochrane is an English bassist that founded industrial rock band Head of David along Justin Broadrick. He has also collaborated with Broadrick and Kevin Martin on several occasions.
JK Flesh is a moniker of English musician Justin Broadrick employed for his solo work within electronic music. Broadrick's usage of the title spans back to his work in the 1990s with Kevin Martin in Techno Animal, but he first released a solo studio album as JK Flesh in 2012. Unlike Broadrick's most well-known projects, Godflesh and Jesu, his work as JK Flesh is electronic and lacks metal riffs. Over the years, the project has shifted into a more minimal and dub sound while retaining its industrial influences.
Posthuman is the debut studio album by JK Flesh, a solo moniker of English musician Justin Broadrick, and was released on 7 May 2012 through 3BY3. Though Broadrick had been creating music under the title of JK Flesh since the early 1990s, Posthuman marked the first release of the project.
Post Self is the eighth studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 17 November 2017 through frontman Justin Broadrick's own record label, Avalanche Recordings, and was the band's second album since reforming in 2010. The single "Post Self" was released for streaming on 31 October 2017, and a second track, "Be God", was released for streaming on 11 November 2017, six days in advance of the full release. Godflesh avoided interviews in the wake of Post Self, hoping to retain some of the album's purity and give listeners a chance to digest the music in a vacuum.
New Horizon is the third studio album by JK Flesh, a moniker of English musician Justin Broadrick. It was released digitally and on vinyl on 28 September 2018 through the label Electric Deluxe under the designation EDLX.058. The album was preceded by streams of the tracks "Different Species" and "External Transmission Stage" in June and August 2018 respectively.