LFO (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| LFO | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin | Sheffield, England | |
| Genre(s) | Electronic Music, Techno | |
| Years active | 1988-1996 2003 to Present |
|
| Label(s) | Tommy Boy Warp |
|
| Website | LFO Site at Warp Records | |
| Members | ||
| Mark Bell | ||
| Former members | ||
| Gez Varley | ||
LFO are an English techno outfit on the Warp Records label. LFO were one of the pioneers of the bass-heavy techno music of the late 80's to mid 90s. Originally comprising Gez Varley and Mark Bell, LFO is now Bell alone.
The band's name is derived from the abbreviation for the term low frequency oscillation, a synthesis technique widely used in electronic music.
Contents |
[edit] History
Varley and Bell met while studying at Leeds and gave their first track, the eponymous "LFO", to Nightmares on Wax. The demo's popularity in clubs lead to the track being released by the Sheffield-based Warp Records in 1990 (see 1990 in music), and was a Top 20 hit in the U.K., reaching number 12 in the singles charts.
The group's best-known track, "LFO", is one of the first pieces of music to heavily feature sub-bass and similar pure tones as primary musical instruments. This has now become commonplace in many modern electronic music genres. 21st Century UK Garage and Grime styles are, as were Jungle and Drum & Bass, undeniably influenced by LFO. A Speak and Spell device from the early 1980's (as also seen in the motion picture 'ET') was heard throughout, announcing the name of the track, and adding a light-hearted element.
The follow-up single "We are back" was released in the summer of 1991. This time a somewhat staggered Commodore Amiga voice proclaimed the phrase, "There are many imitators, but we are the true creators. We're back ..... Low Frequency Oscillation". This was generally accepted by most as being a valid statement.
Although it did not do as well as LFO in terms of chart figures, "We are back" was certainly a successful single within the rave community, its target audience.
Later signed to Tommy Boy Records in the US, the duo did remix work on Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" and LFO went on to work with Björk, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Laurent Garnier, and Andrew Weatherall (The Sabres of Paradise). Varley left in 1997 to form Feedback with Simon Hartley (aka Wild Planet). Mark Bell helped produce Homogenic with Björk and Exciter with Depeche Mode.
The song "Freak" was used in the 2005 film Hard Candy.
[edit] Partial discography
[edit] Albums
- Frequencies (1991)
- Advance (1996)
- Sheath (2003)
[edit] Singles
- "LFO" (1990)
- "We Are Back" (1991)
- "Love Is the Message" (1991)
- "Tied Up" (1994)
- "AFX/LFO" (split 12" split with AFX) (2005)
