Blanck Mass is the electronic solo project of British composer Benjamin John Power. He is a founding member of Fuck Buttons. In 2022, Power announced he joined

Editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

as a full-time member.

Career

His track "Sundowner" was used at key points during the

Opening Ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

of the 2012 Olympic games. It was first heard as the Union Flag was brought into the stadium by members of the Armed Forces. Later it was played when the

Olympic Flag The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags, and symbols to represent and enhance the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competitions such as the flame, fanfare, and theme as well as those u ...

was paraded, and finally as the Olympic Flame was brought to the stadium in a speedboat. Blanck Mass opened for Icelandic band

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...

on their 2013 UK tour. In 2014, Power announced that he was close to finishing off a new Blanck Mass album, and supported Jon Hopkins at the Royal Festival Hall in September. Power released Dumb Flesh through Sacred Bones Records on 11 May 2015. The vinyl version included an exclusive track "Life Science (Ambient Suite)". Power supported the release with tours and dates in the UK, US, Europe and Australia and received critical acclaim for the album. Later in the year Power released ''The Great Confuso EP'' which featured a brand new three-part track as well as remixes of album tracks by

Genesis P-Orridge Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (born Neil Andrew Megson; 22 February 1950 – 14 March 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, visual artist, and occultist who rose to notoriety as the founder of the COUM Transmi ...

, Dalhous and Konx-Om-Pax. A 12" version of the EP limited to 500 copies in Pumpkin and Mulberry coloured vinyl was released for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...

2016. On 20 July 2016, Power announced a new track "D7-D5" via

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

as part of their Adult Swim Singles 2016 campaign which was released on vinyl in October 2016. On 20 April 2022, it was announced that Power had joined

as a full member, releasing the new single "Heart Attack" on the same day. Power had previously worked with the band on their 2018 album ''

Violence Violence is characterized as the use of physical force by humans to cause harm to other living beings, or property, such as pain, injury, disablement, death, damage and destruction. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence a ...

'' and the alternate version of the album titled ''The Blanck Mass Sessions''.

History

''Blanck Mass'' (2011–2012)

The self-titled album ''Blanck Mass'' was released in 2011 through

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...

's Rock Action Records label and is Benjamin John Power's first solo effort after spending seven years as one half of Fuck Buttons. ''

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. Its editorial team provides news, music and ev ...

'' said that the album "makes the most sense in a car at night, or any place that you can immerse yourself in its atmospheres in cocoon-like surroundings". The album was Power's first experience with production work, and it paved the way for him to make his subsequent album '' Dumb Flesh''.

''Dumb Flesh'' (2015–2016)

'' Dumb Flesh'' is the second album by Blanck Mass and marks the switch from the Rock Action Records label to Sacred Bones Records. The album has been described by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' as danceable and more accessible than the first self-titled album: "Power's strengths come out at once: dark noise gives way to a pounding rhythm which, in turn, melts into a tapestry of airy synths". ''Dumb Flesh'' received ample critical acclaim and it was toured extensively throughout 2015.

''The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears'' re-score (2015)

''The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears'' is an original score to the 2013

giallo In Italian cinema, (; : ; from , ) is a genre that often contains Slasher film, slasher, thriller (genre), thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Sexploitation film, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural, supernat ...

film of the same name. Originally the film had no original score and used music from existing giallo films instead. The re-score of ''The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears'' is a stage experimentation and collaboration with different artists from across the globe. Every artist had a different scene assigned and were given complete freedom to score that particular scene however they wanted. The album was recorded in 2014 and was released by Death Waltz Recordings.

''World Eater''

Power's third solo album was released on Sacred Bones Records on 3 March 2017 on limited edition black/red marble vinyl, standard vinyl, CD and digital. The ''Pitchfork'' review (8.1) said that the album was "suitable for casual noise fans who have some curiosity for extreme music and a decent threshold for pain".

''Animated Violence Mild''

Power's fourth album under the Blanck Mass moniker was released on 16 August 2019 on Sacred Bones Records, with various limited edition vinyl versions available. Reviews were generally favourable, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' calling it "an album that fuses existential fear with sheer beauty".

Musical style

Blanck Mass' musical style has been described as

drone music Drone music, drone-based music, or simply drone, is a minimalist genre of music that emphasizes the use of sustained sounds, notes, or tone clusters called '' drones''. It is typically characterized by lengthy compositions featuring relativel ...

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

, electronic and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

. Power has been influenced by the likes of

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

and

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone ( , ; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, Orchestration, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 film score, scores for cinema and televisi ...

to the "infinity of nature". Power has also said that in his younger years he was a fan of

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

Personal life

In a 2015 interview, Power stated he is

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

, and prior to that he had been

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

for 10 years.

Discography

Albums

* '' Blanck Mass'' (20 June 2011, Rock Action) * '' Dumb Flesh'' (11 May 2015, Sacred Bones) * '' World Eater'' (3 March 2017, Sacred Bones) * '' Animated Violence Mild'' (16 August 2019, Sacred Bones) * ''In Ferneaux'' (26 February 2021, Sacred Bones) * ''Mind Killer'' (14 May 2021, Weirding Way)

Soundtracks

* '' Calm with Horses'' (13 March 2020, Invada Records) * '' Ted K'' (18 March 2022, Invada Records) * '' Gazza'' (21 November 2022, Weirding Way) * ''

Floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibil ...

'' (2022, unreleased) * '' The Rig - Prime Video Original Series'' (6 January 2023, Invada Records) * ''The Rig Season 2 - Prime Video Original Series'' (2 January 2025, Invada Records)

Singles and EPs

* "White Math / Polymorph" (21 August 2012, Software Recording Co.) * "Hellion Earth" (21 December 2012) * "No Lite" (12 October 2015, Sacred Bones) * ''The Great Confuso EP'' (26 October 2015, Sacred Bones) * "D7-D5" (4 November 2016, Richter Sound) * "Odd Scene / Shit Luck" (21 April 2018, Sacred Bones) * "World Eater Re-Voxed" (16 March 2018) *'' The Blanck Mass Sessions'' (3 April 2019, PIAS, with Editors) *"Bloodhound / You" (6 December 2024, Weirding Way)

Compilations

* '' A Field in England: Original Soundtrack Recording'' (18 October 2013, Death Waltz/Rook Films) * ''Blanck Mass Presents – The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears Re-Score'' (2015, Death Waltz Originals)

References

External links

Blanck Mass on Bandcamp
{{Authority control British ambient musicians English electronic musicians English male film score composers English male television composers English record producers Musical groups established in 2011 Musicians from Bristol Sacred Bones Records artists Rock Action Records artists 2011 establishments in England Musicians from Worcestershire