Chris & Cosey, sometimes known as Carter Tutti, are a musical duo formed in 1981, consisting of couple Chris Carter (electronics) and

Cosey Fanni Tutti Cosey Fanni Tutti (born Christine Carol Newby; 4 November 1951) is an English performance artist, musician and writer, best known for her time in the avant-garde groups Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey. Tutti first performed under the name ...

(electronics, guitar, cornet), both previously (and currently the sole surviving) members of industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle. Since the release of their 1981 debut album ''Heartbeat'', the group have expanded on the rhythmic ideas of Throbbing Gristle while adding synthesized pop elements to their sound.

History

When Throbbing Gristle broke up in 1981, members Carter and Tutti signed with Rough Trade Records and began recording as Chris & Cosey.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 262-3 They recorded four albums for the label using electronics, sampling, Cosey's vocals and cornet playing. In 1983, they formed their own independent record label Creative Technology Institute (aka CTI) to release more experimental works and collaborations. The first CTI projects, ''Elemental 7'' and ''European Rendezvous'', were released through Cabaret Voltaire's DoubleVision label. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the duo worked with a number of independent labels such as

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

(Canada), Play It Again Sam (Belgium),

Staalplaat Staalplaat is an independent record label that is located in Amsterdam with a separate store in Berlin. Founded in 1982, the company's mission was to create a sound forum for sound artists, who write and perform new and experimental music. Staalpl ...

(Netherlands), and

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(USA), and

World Serpent Distribution World Serpent Distribution was a British record label and music distribution house formed in the 1990s by David Gibson, Alan Trench and Alison Webster. Douglas Pearce of Death In June coined the company name in 1991, ''World Serpent'' being anot ...

(UK). In 1992, for artistic and health reasons, the duo stopped touring and concentrated on studio work. They returned to performing live in 1998, documented on the ''Union'' album. Since the couple began collaborating, Carter and Tutti have worked with a variety of similarly respected and recognized avant-garde artists including,

Monte Cazazza Monte Cazazza is an American artist and composer best known for his seminal role in helping shape industrial music through recordings with the London-based Industrial Records in the mid-1970s. Career Cazazza, based primarily in San Francisco du ...

, Coil,

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet, who has been Current 93's only constant member. Background Tibet has been the only const ...

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, Eurythmics,

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, and Robert Wyatt. The 1988 album ''Core'' is a collection of these collaborations. Carter and Tutti's tracks have been remixed by world-renowned

DJs A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

including

Carl Craig Carl Craig (born May 22, 1969) is an American electronic music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. He is known as a leading figure and pioneer in the second wave of Detroit techno artists during the late 1980s ...

, Cosmic Connection,

Fred Giannelli Fred Giannelli (born 1960 in Lowell, Massachusetts) is an American electronic musician. He began experimenting with electronics in the 1970s as Turning Shrines. In 1984, Giannelli met Psychic TV's Genesis P. Orridge while the group was in Bosto ...

, Daniel Miller, μ-Ziq, Vapourspace and

Andrew Weatherall Andrew James Weatherall (6 April 1963 – 17 February 2020) was an English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer. His career took him from being one of the key DJs in the acid house movement of the late 1980s to being a remixer of trac ...

. Carter and Tutti have released two ongoing CD series of instrumental music: ''The Library Of Sound'' (L.O.S.) and ''Electronic Ambient Remixes'' (E.A.R.), currently with four volumes each. The E.A.R. series are remixes of material released solo by Carter or Tutti. Tracks from both these instrumental series have been used internationally in gallery installations, performed at numerous electronic music festivals, utilized on TV and radio broadcasts and within Hollywood movie trailers.

2000 to present

To greet the 21st century, Chris & Cosey became Carter Tutti, celebrating the rebirth with a series of concerts which were documented on the live album ''LEM Festival October 2003''. The rebirth was completed by the release of the studio album ''Cabal'' later that year. Both also appeared as guests on the 2006

album ''

Black Ships Ate the Sky ''Black Ships Ate the Sky'' is a 2006 album by the UK-based musical ensemble Current 93. The album features numerous guest vocalists, such as Anohni, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Marc Almond, and Shirley Collins. It features nine versions of the 1816 ...

''. Carter and Tutti re-engaged with Throbbing Gristle, which reformed with all four original members for a December 2004

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

festival appearance, and recorded several new studio albums over the following years – ''

TG Now ''TG Now'' is an album by English industrial band Throbbing Gristle. It was released in 2004 through the band's own record label Industrial Records and was their first album of original material since 1982's ''Journey Through a Body''. Rele ...

'' (2004) and '' Part Two'' (2007). They also performed a short series of concerts in Europe and the United States in 2009, with a rare tour-only release album, '' The Third Mind Movements''. (Ostensibly, the few remaining copies were sold via mail-order through the Throbbing Gristle website upon completion of the tour). In October 2010 Throbbing Gristle began a European tour; however, several days following the band's first tour date at the Hackney Dissenting Academy, London, Throbbing Gristle's website announced that Genesis P-Orridge was no longer willing to perform with the band, and would return home to New York. Chris, Cosey and Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson finished the tour without P-Orridge, performing under the name X-TG. Carter and Tutti performed with Nik Colk Void of Factory Floor at

Mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...

's Short Circuit Festival in May 2011. A live album of the show, with an additional studio track, was released as ''Transverse'' in 2012, under the name Carter Tutti Void.

Discography

Albums

*''Heartbeat'' (1981), Rough Trade *''Trance'' (1982), Rough Trade *''Songs of Love & Lust'' (1984), Rough Trade *''Technø Primitiv'' (1985), Rough Trade *''Allotropy'' (1987), Staalplaat *''Sweet Surprise'' (1987), Dragon *''Exotika'' (1987), Play It Again Sam *''Trust'' (1989), Play It Again Sam *''Pagan Tango'' (1991), Play It Again Sam/WaxTrax! *''Musik Fantastique'' (1992), Play It Again Sam *''Twist'' (1995), T&B Vinyl *''Skimble Skamble'' (1997), World Serpent *''Cabal'' (2004), CTI – Carter Tutti *''Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether'' (2007), CTI – as Carter Tutti *''Transverse'' (2012), Mute – as Carter Tutti Void *''f(x)'' (2015), Industrial Records – as Carter Tutti Void *''Triumvirate'' (2019), Industrial Records – as Carter Tutti Void

Live albums

*''Action!'' (1987), LD *''Union'' (1999), World Serpent *''C&C Luchtbal'' (2003) CTI, live album *''LEM Festival October 2003'' (2004) GliptotekaMagdalae, as Carter Tutti *''Transverse'' (2012), Mute, as Carter Tutti Void ;as CTI: *''Elemental 7'' (1984), DoubleVision *''European Rendezvous – CTI Live 1983'' (1984), DoubleVision *''Core'' (1988), Nettwerk/Play It Again Sam *''Metaphysical – "The library of sound" Edition One'' (1993), World Serpent *''Chronomanic – "The library of sound" Edition Two'' (1994), World Serpent *''In Continuum – "The library of sound" Edition Three'' (1995), World Serpent *''Point Seven – "The library of sound" Edition Four'' (1998), World Serpent ;Compilations: *''Collectiv One: Conspiracy International'' (1989), Play It Again Sam *''Collectiv Two: The Best of Chris and Cosey'' (1989), Play It Again Sam *''Collectiv Three: An Elemental Rendevous'' ic(1990), Play It Again Sam *''Collectiv Four: Archive Recordings'' (1990), Play It Again Sam *''Reflection'' (1990), WaxTrax! *''The Essential Chris & Cosey Collection'' (2002), World Serpent *''Collected Works 1981 – 2000'' (2006), Conspiracy International

EPs

*''Take Five'' (1986), Licensed *''C + C Musik'' (1995), T&B Vinyl – promotional only

Singles

*"Night Shift" (1982) –

flexi-disc The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntabl ...

with ''Vinyl'' magazine, split with

Minimal Compact Minimal Compact is an Israeli rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s. Biography Between its foundation in 1980 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played an important role in the Europe ...

*"This is Me" (1983), Music Time – split with Wahnfried-Brown *"October (Love Song)" (1983), Rough Trade *" Sweet Surprise" (1985), Rough Trade *"Obsession" (1987), Play It Again Sam *"Obsession (remix)" (1987), Nettwerk *"Exotika" (1988), Play It Again Sam *"Exotika (extended remix)" (1988), Nettwerk *"Rise" (1988), Play It Again Sam *"Synaesthesia" (1991), Play It Again Sam *"Passion" (1991), World Serpent ;as Conspiracy International: *"Hammer House" (1984), CTI *"Thy Gift of Tongues" (1985), CTI

Videos

*''Live Vol. 1'' (1996), Conspiracy International (VHS)

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* *
Trouser Press: Chris and Cosey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chris and Cosey English electronic music duos British industrial music groups British dark wave musical groups Ableton Live users Musical groups established in 1981 Wax Trax! Records artists