| Throbbing Gristle | |
|---|---|
| Origin | England |
| Genres | Avant-garde Industrial Experimental Performance art Noise Dark ambient |
| Years active | 1975-1981, 2004-Present |
| Labels | Industrial Records Mute Records |
| Associated acts | Psychic TV, Coil, Chris & Cosey, Carter Tutti, SoiSong, SplinterTest |
| Website | www.throbbing-gristle.com |
| Members | |
| Genesis P-Orridge Peter Christopherson Cosey Fanni Tutti Chris Carter |
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Throbbing Gristle are an English avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions. The band consist of Genesis P-Orridge (aka Neil Megson - bass guitar, violin, vocals, vibraphone), Cosey Fanni Tutti (guitars, cornet, vocals), Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson (tapes, found sounds, horns, vibraphone, synthesizer), and Chris Carter (synthesizers, tapes, electronics).
Throbbing Gristle has been widely considered the sole founder of industrial music
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Throbbing Gristle evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions, a group of performers centered around Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti. The final performance of COUM Transmissions in 1976 was the debut of Throbbing Gristle.
Throbbing Gristle's confrontational live performances and use of often disturbing imagery, including pornography and photographs of Nazi concentration camps, gave the group a notorious reputation. However the group always maintained that their mission was to challenge and explore the darker and obsessive sides of the human condition rather than to make attractive music. Throbbing Gristle pioneered the use of pre-recorded tape-based 'samples', and made extensive use of special effects to produce a distinctive, highly distorted background, usually accompanied by lyrics or spoken-word performances by Cosey Fanni Tutti or Genesis P-Orridge. Though they asserted they wanted to provoke their audience into thinking for themselves rather than pushing any specific agenda (as evidenced by the song "Don't Do As You're Told, Do As You Think" on Heathen Earth), Throbbing Gristle also frequently associated with the anarchist punk scene. They even appeared on the infamous Crass pamphlet Toxic Grafity, with a condensation of their own propaganda parody series, Industrial News.[1]
In 1977, they released their debut single United/Zyklon B Zombie, followed by an album, Second Annual Report. Although pressed in a limited initial run of 786 copies on the band's own Industrial Records label, it was later re-released due to high demand on Mute records, however this later release was reversed with all tracks playing backwards and in reverse order. This was followed by a series of albums, singles and live performances over a four year period.
On 29 May 1981, Throbbing Gristle performed at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, California, USA. This concert marked the end of the group and its mission. As Cosey succinctly put it, "TG broke up because me and Gen broke up".
Genesis P-Orridge and Peter Christopherson went on to form Psychic TV, whilst Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter continued to record together under the names of Chris and Cosey, Carter Tutti and Creative Technology Institute. Christopherson later went on to become half of the band Coil with his partner and fellow Psychic TV member, the late John Balance. Meanwhile, Gen (now known as Genesis Breyer P-Orridge) subsequently formed Thee Majesty and PTV3 with the help of his late wife, Jacqueline "Jaye" Breyer.
In 2004, Throbbing Gristle reunited for a brief while to record and release the limited album TG Now. On April 2, 2007, TG released the album Part Two which the group had finished recording in Berlin. With the exception of the limited release TG Now, it was their first studio album in 25 years. It was originally set to be released by Mute in September 2006 but was delayed for unknown reasons.
In March 2007 Side-Line announced Part Two's final release date, adding that a string of special live events would take place in 2007.[2]
A 7-disc DVD set, titled TGV, was issued in 2007.[3] The set contains old and new footage of the band. "TGV" came packaged in a deluxe box with a 64-page book, all designed by Peter Christopherson.[4]
The group performed a reinterpretation of their debut album The Second Annual Report twice in 2008 to mark thirty years since the original release.[5] The performance in Paris on the 6th of June was issued as a limited edition framed vinyl set entitled The Thirty-Second Annual Report, which was limited to 777 copies (as the group claim the original was, although other sources claim that there were 785[6]).
Throbbing Gristle are currently recording a new album based on their interpretation of Nico's album Desertshore.[7] The group issued the entirety of the recording sessions for this album as a limited edition 12CD set packaged in a custom CD wallet, The Desertshore Installation, which sold out via mail order from the group's website.[8]
In April 2009, toured the United States, appearing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. A new release was made available at these shows, The Third Mind Movements, which was edited from jams recorded during the Desertshore recording sessions.
A collaboration with Cerith Wyn Evans titled A=P=P=A=R=I=T=I=O=N was displayed at Tramway, Glasgow from the 7th of August to 27 September 2009. Throbbing Gristle contributed a multi-channel soundtrack that was played through sixteen hanging Audio Spotlight sound panels that Evans had incorporated into his sculpture.[9]
In November 2009, Throbbing Gristle and Industrial Records are releasing their version of the Buddha Machine, Gristleism. This was designed by Throbbing Gristle and Christiaan Virant based on FM3's design. Gristleism will offer more loops and almost twice the frequency range of the Buddha Machine. The player comes in three colors: black, chrome and red.
Throbbing Gristle are noted for their live performances, which are often experimental and quite different from their recorded work. In addition to studio albums, a large number of recordings of live shows have been released.
During Throbbing Gristle's extensive career they have released numerous volumes of music including studio albums, live releases as well as box sets.
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