Year: 1980
Country: UK
City: London
Label: Polydor
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 12
Time: 38 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Post Punk
Seminal post-punk band who have gone through numerous internal conflicts
and line-up changes, as well as a variety of different styles and
sounds. Formed in Notting Hill in 1979 by Jaz Coleman, Geordie Walker, Youth
and Paul Ferguson, their dark experimental style provided one of the
main steps on from punk rock. Massively influential on a range of
different styles of music, they pioneered the industrial rock style
with 90's Extremities, Dirt And Various Repressed Emotions. The band have inspired many industrial bands including Nine Inch Nails, Prong and Ministry. They have been cited by Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails 's leader, who mentioned his interest for their early material, saying that he studied their music. Al Jourgensen of Ministry has presented himself as a "big fan" of the group. Godflesh's Justin Broadrick was particularly influenced by their early releases containing dub versions. The band has also been cited by alternative music acts such as My Bloody Valentine and LCD Soundsystem. Shoegazing guitarist and composer Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine mentioned the band and praised more specifically Geordie's touch that he described as "this effortless playing producing a monstruous sound". In 2002, James Murphy of electro-punk band LCD Soundsystem sampled the music of "Change" on his debut single "Losing My Edge".
"democracy"
Year: 1996
Label: Butterfly
Format: CD, LP
Tracks: 10
Time: 54 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Post Punk
Hot on the heels of their successful 1994 Pandemonium album and tour, Killing Joke's members converged on the UK from their new-found homes in three continents, to hide away in Cornwall and Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, where the album was produced.[citation needed] Coleman had spent some time decompressing at the end of Pandemonium in Sedona, Arizona, where he had been inspired by the new interest in the Native American culture, striking a chord with his previous involvement in Māori culture in New Zealand, where he had been settled for a short while. A more optimistic and New Age-tinged album lyrically, while keeping some of the weight and import of Pandemonium, the album marked the beginning of a more settled period for singer Jaz Coleman, who had by now also made considerable progress with his orchestral career.[citation needed] Production was overseen by Martin "Youth" Glover, with live session musician Geoff Dugmore on drums. Synthesised textures from keyboardist Nick Holywell-Walker added to the concoction. The album sessions culminated in a full moon drumming fire ceremony on a small island on the river Thames at Henley, with Youth reportedly braving the murky waters for a naked swim. Democracy was mixed in Sarm West in London's Portobello Road towards the end of 1995, with the exception of the track "Savage Freedom" which was mixed at Butterfly Studios, Brixton, by celebrated British engineer-producer Ott.[citation needed] However, guitarist Geordie Walker has expressed disappointment with the resulting Democracy album.
"idem"
Year: 2003
Label: Columbia
Format: CD
Tracks: 10
Time: 60 min.
Genre: rock
Style: Post Punk
KILLING JOKE
is the twelfth studio album by Killing Joke, released on July 28, 2003
by "Zuma Recordings" and later by Columbia. Recording for the album in
2002 marked the end of a six year hiatus that began in 1996 and it was
Killing Joke's first studio album in seven years. Produced by Andy Gill
of post-punk band Gang Of Four, the album featured long-time KILLING JOKE fan Dave Grohl (of Nirvana) on drums and on vocals, the singer of anarcho-punk band Amebix, Rob Miller . This is also KILLING JOKE's
second self-titled album, as an effect of the hiatus. For many people
this one could be the best album after its debut from 1980, and in fact
both keep quite similarities.
