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Disco Inferno were an English
experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...
band active in the late 1980s and the 1990s. Initially a trio of guitar, bass, and drums performing in an identifiable
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
style, the band soon pioneered a dynamic use of digital sampling in addition to standard rock instruments. While commercially unsuccessful during their existence, the band is considered to be a key
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 ...
act.


History

Disco Inferno formed in 1989 in
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
by teenagers Ian Crause (guitars and vocals), Paul Willmott (bass), Daniel Gish (keyboards) and Rob Whatley (drums), although Gish soon quit the band to join
Bark Psychosis Bark Psychosis is an English post-rock band/musical project from east London formed in 1986. They are one of the bands that Simon Reynolds cited when coining "post-rock" as a musical style in 1994, and are thus considered one of the key bands d ...
, leaving Disco Inferno as a trio. They were initially a
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
band heavily influenced by bands such as
Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...
and
Wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
, releasing their first album '' Open Doors, Closed Windows'' in July 1991, alongside the "Entertainment" single, also from 1991, and 1992's ''Science'' EP, all of which were compiled onto the compilation album ''
In Debt ''In Debt'' is a compilation album by Disco Inferno (band), Disco Inferno, initially released in 1992 on Ché Records in the United Kingdom, in 1995 on Carrot Top Records in the United States, and reissued in May 2017 by Rocket Girl Records. The ...
'' (1992). However, Crause soon became infatuated with the unique sounds of bands My Bloody Valentine and
the Young Gods The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler, sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. For most of their history, the band mainta ...
, as well as
the Bomb Squad The Bomb Squad was an American hip hop production team known for their work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad are noted for their dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. ...
's
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
production and sampling on the music of
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
, and with the release of the ''Summer's Last Sound'' EP, released later on in 1992 by, the band's musical style changed towards sample-based
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...
sounds. The band "hit upon a seemingly simple but ultimately world-opening idea" with the EP: to write their instruments through
samplers Sampler may refer to: * Sampler (signal), a digital signal processing device that converts a continuous signal to a discrete signal * Sampler (needlework), a handstitched piece of embroidery used to demonstrate skill in needlework * Sampler (surna ...
, and unlike their contemporaries who sampled elements of music, film dialogue or other media, Disco Inferno "engaged with the whole world", using their set up to record sounds ranging from running water, the wind, whistling birds, boots, car crashes and angry voices. Crause had purchased a
Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...
S-750 sampler with his savings and started programming towards the band's sound for six months. In a 2011 interview, Wilmott recalled of the era: ''Summer's Last Sound'' was praised for its uncompromising, innovative and experimental sound, and the group expanded the approach with their subsequent EPs ''A Rock to Cling To'' (1992) and '' The Last Dance'' (1993), both of which were released on
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
after their previous label Cheree closed. According to Andy Kellman of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, the new label "saved the band's life, as the members believed that they were too challenging for anyone else to understand or care for." Kellman commented that, "disorienting, confusing, and highly schizophrenic, the challenging releases were in direct contrast to the prevailing
Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...
scene of the time," taking " A.R. Kane's futurist pop a couple steps further and secured a devout and small following that found solace in their wildly imaginative, peerless nature." The band became characterized as one of the first
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 ...
bands. Crause and Whatley purchased MIDI-controlled instruments to order the replicate the samples live, with Willmott's bass serving as an anchor to the unpredictable sounds being made.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
described their sample-based work as a pioneering example of
indie electronic Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
music. In a 2011 interview, Crause explained "Most of these other what are now called
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 ...
groups, I think they regarded us as a kind of tinker-toy group because of the pop songs and the sampling so there was little chance of them deciding to follow us in the sampling - no critical consensus had been built for them to aspire to it - we kind of got ours from Public Enemy, who were too black and the Young Gods, who sang in French, for fuck's sake! And it wasn't seen as 'serious' enough, perhaps meaning it wasn't seen as commercially viable enough... who knows. Anyway, I did it 'cos I had the ideas." The band's musical approach reached its peak on their second album ''
D. I. Go Pop ''D. I. Go Pop'' is the second studio album by English post-rock band Disco Inferno (band), Disco Inferno, released on 28 February 1994. After forming as a post-punk band in 1989, the band subsequently worked towards an innovative music productio ...
'', released in February 1994. The album's music was harsh and concise, with the melody on the eight tracks often carried by the bassline, while an array of samples (including running water, breaking glass, car crashes and fax machines) built the musical collages. After ''D. I. Go Pop'' the band opted for restraint on the ''Second Language'' EP, which also featured a new-found optimism in Crause's lyrics. The band's next single, "It's a Kid's World", sampled the drumbeat from
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
's " Lust for Life" and added in a series of old children's TV themes. Despite critical acclaim, Disco Inferno attracted little commercial success. Combined artistic and financial pressure began to erode their sense of common purpose and loyalty. The band split acrimoniously in 1995, prior to the release of their final album, ''
Technicolour Technicolor is a color film process. Technicolour ( BrE) or Technicolor (AmE) may also refer to: Music * ''Technicolour'' (Disco Inferno album), 1996 * ''Technicolor'' (Marlango album) * ''Technicolor'' (Parachute Band album), 2008 * ''Tecnic ...
'', which was released in July 1996. In September 1999, the Tugboat label released '' The Mixing It Session'', which featured six instrumental tracks the band had recorded for radio, while
One Little Indian Records One Little Independent Records (formerly One Little Indian Records) is an English independent record label. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarcho-punk bands, and managed by former Flux of Pink Indians bassist Derek Birkett. In t ...
reissued ''D. I. Go Pop'' and gave ''Technicolour'' a belated US release in 2004. In September 2011, One Little Indian released a compilation entitled '' The 5 EPs'', featuring tracks from all five of the now out-of-print EPs released between 1992 and 1994.


Subsequent projects


Ian Crause

After the split, Ian Crause formed Floorshow who recorded some material for an unreleased album which was to be called ''The Vertical Axis''. Some of these songs later appeared on his solo singles in the early 2000s ("Elemental" and "Head Over Heels"), which featured drummer Ritchie Thomas (
Dif Juz Dif Juz were an English instrumental post-punk band, formed in London in 1980 and remaining active until 1986. The band comprised Dave Curtis (guitar), Alan Curtis (guitar), Gary Bromley (bass guitar) and Richard Thomas (percussion and saxopho ...
,
The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...
). Crause would then spend the best part of a decade away from music and eventually left the UK to move to
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
. Crause returned to music in mid-2012 with a track called "More Earthly Concerns", which resurrected Disco Inferno's sample-heavy textured approach and was released via various blogs. This was followed in November 2012 by "The Song of
Phaethon Phaethon (; , ), also spelled Phaëthon, is the son of the Oceanids, Oceanid Clymene (mother of Phaethon), Clymene and the solar deity, sun god Helios in Greek mythology. According to most authors, Phaethon is the son of Helios who, out of a de ...
", a long-form single release on
Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
inspired by both Greek mythology and British involvement in the Second Gulf War. Several other tracks ("The Vertical Axis", "Suns May Rise", "Black Light", and "A World of Ghosts") were released on Bandcamp in early 2013. Crause's long-delayed debut solo album, ''The Vertical Axis'' (also a Bandcamp release) followed in December 2013.


Paul Wilmott

Paul Wilmott formed Transformer, who recorded a cover of Wire's "Outdoor Miner", which appeared on the Wire
tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
, ''Whore'' (1996). He would later play in the short-lived
London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
-signed
trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
band
Lisp Lisp (historically LISP, an abbreviation of "list processing") is a family of programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized Polish notation#Explanation, prefix notation. Originally specified in the late 1950s, ...
.


Discography


Albums

*'' Open Doors, Closed Windows'' (Ché, July 1991) *''
D. I. Go Pop ''D. I. Go Pop'' is the second studio album by English post-rock band Disco Inferno (band), Disco Inferno, released on 28 February 1994. After forming as a post-punk band in 1989, the band subsequently worked towards an innovative music productio ...
'' (Rough Trade, February 1994) *''
Technicolour Technicolor is a color film process. Technicolour ( BrE) or Technicolor (AmE) may also refer to: Music * ''Technicolour'' (Disco Inferno album), 1996 * ''Technicolor'' (Marlango album) * ''Technicolor'' (Parachute Band album), 2008 * ''Tecnic ...
'' (Rough Trade, July 1996)


Compilations

*''
In Debt ''In Debt'' is a compilation album by Disco Inferno (band), Disco Inferno, initially released in 1992 on Ché Records in the United Kingdom, in 1995 on Carrot Top Records in the United States, and reissued in May 2017 by Rocket Girl Records. The ...
'' (Ché, 1992) *'' The 5 EPs'' (
One Little Indian One Little Independent Records (formerly One Little Indian Records) is an English independent record label. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarcho-punk bands, and managed by former Flux of Pink Indians bassist Derek Birkett. In t ...
, September 2011)


Singles and EPs

*"Entertainment"/"Arc in Round" single (Ché, 1991) *''Science'' EP (Ché, 1991) *''Summer's Last Sound'' EP (Cheree Records, October 1992) *''A Rock to Cling To'' EP (Rough Trade, July 1993) *'' The Last Dance'' EP (Rough Trade, November 1993) *''Second Language'' EP (Rough Trade, May 1994) *''It's a Kid's World'' EP (Rough Trade, September 1994) *'' The Mixing It Session'' EP (Tugboat, September 1999)


References


External links


Disco Inferno on FacebookStarbound 4.0 - No-Flash-based Disco Inferno Site
*
Interview with Ian Crause (in English and Spanish translated version)
{{Authority control English post-punk music groups English post-rock groups English experimental rock groups Musical groups from Essex Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Rocket Girl artists