Jason Mendonça
Jason Mendonça (born 1971) is a British multi-instrumentalist and composer.
He is best known as the former vocalist and guitarist of the British progressive blackened death metal band Akercocke, although he is also known from throughout the experimental electronic movement of the 1990s.
Early life
Mendonça was born of an English mother and a Portuguese father in the west London suburb of West Drayton and educated in Hillingdon. The youngest of four children, he was raised in a house where music was always being played; either by his sister on the piano or his older siblings listening to bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols, as well as a collection of classical music records that the family owned.
He had piano lessons from the age of 5 and at primary school began playing B flat Cornet. Later playing Cornet from age 7 and then Baritone Euphonium with the Yiewsley and West Drayton Silver Band. At the age of 10, he acquired a three quarter size Spanish guitar from his Uncle and attempted a few basic chords.
Soon after starting secondary school at age 11, already keenly interested in bands such as Rush, Iron Maiden, Motörhead and Black Sabbath, he was introduced to the music of Jimi Hendrix by a school friend. This was the turning point at which Mendonca realised he must obtain an electric guitar. Allegedly saving up £4.50 a week from a Saturday job, he accumulated sufficient funds to buy a guitar from the older brother of a classmate.
Meeting with David Gray
In 1987, some school friends were trying to start a band and advertised for a drummer in Guitarist magazine. Gray answered the advert and the ensemble began playing covers as a three piece. Gray thought they needed a second guitarist and Mendonça was introduced to the fold. The originators of this school days project faded away as Mendonca and Gray began to explore more aggressive influences such as early Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost, Possessed and Voivod. These experimentations led to the formulation of numerous proto-projects with numerous collaborators until approximately 1989.
Salem Orchid
In 1989, Mendonça and Gray teamed up with guitarist Stephen Wood and bassist Dan Temple to form what would be one of many varied line-up configurations of Salem Orchid.
Their efforts culminated in the 1991 recording of the "Sempiternal Suffering" demo. This recording would later catch the attention of Nihil from Cacophonous Records (who would later sign Cradle of Filth), who expressed an interest in signing the band. Word of this reached a former guitarist Jeff Godwin (who had invented the band's moniker) who threatened legal action if Cacophonous signed the band as Salem Orchid. Frightened by the threat of litigation, the record label directed their interest elsewhere.
By 1992, frustrated by the sonic restrictions of bass, drums and guitar but without the skills to employ a broader palette of instrumentation, Mendonça left Salem Orchid. In addition to emerging artistic differences, this split was also motivated by a falling out between Mendonça and drummer Gray when a female singer was introduced to the line-up.
The electronic years
Disassociating himself from the concept of "band", Mendonça re-located to North London and began promoting experimental techno parties with two close friends. It was during this time that he was befriended by Grant Wilson-Claridge of Rephlex Records. Wilson-Claridge gave Mendonça access to his impressive studio. This afforded Mendonca the opportunity to experiment with sampling and sequencing technologies. As his audio engineering skills developed he became fascinated by the science of psychoacoustics and began creating sounds through experimentation. Shunning pre-set sounds and settings from synthesisers, his objective was to make sounds that had never been heard before.
Akercocke is born
In 1996, Mendonça and Gray crossed paths again and promptly buried the hatchet that had in part led them ceasing to collaborate. They began discussing ideas for a musical project that would be of mutual interest. Agreeing that the essence of seminal bands such as Voivod and Killing Joke was that they put their own spin on rock music to create an original sound, they were inspired to attempt the same. The project was even given a name, long before the pair returned to their instruments: Akercocke was born. Taking the name from Robert Nye's book "Faust", the band have gone on to have a career that has taken them most of the way around the world and included 5 successful studio albums.
Present day
Mendonça lives and works in Berkshire, Southern England with his family, his most recent band, Akercocke, which he had fronted since the 90s, officially split up in 2012 and his future music plans are not currently known. For many years while active with Akercocke, Mendonça appeared with long hair. However, since 2009 he has had a shaven head due to male pattern baldness.
Discography
Disciples of Belial – "Songs of Praise" – Praxis Records 007
Heist – "Dystrophic" (remix as Neuroviolence) Praxis Records 011
DJ Yubba/DJ Deviant – Worlds Fattest Split" Praxis 012 – Producing all tracks and appearing as DJ Yubba
Lorenz Attractor – "Strange Attractor EP" Praxis 013 – Collaboration with DJ Warlock
Disciples of Belial "The Goat of Mendes" Praxis 17
Praxis 10CD – V/A : Paraphysical Cybertronics – The Experiments of Bloor Schleppy – Appears as 9901
ZTR001 Neuroviolence "Shattered EP" (12", EP) 1996
ZTR002 Lorenz Attractor Phaze Transition EP (EP) 1996 – Collaboration with DJ Warlock
ZTR006 Neuroviolence STP (12") 1996
ZTR010 Tunk Systems / George Sabellicus Untitled (12", W/Lbl, TP) – Appears as George Sabellicus
SS 17 – Johnny Two Times and Pete the Killer – Planet Core Productions – Collaboration with Heist
Akercocke releases
Rape of the Bastard Nazarene Goat of Mendes Records 1999 The Goat of Mendes Peaceville 2001 Choronzon Earache 2003 Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone Earache 2005 Antichrist Earache 2007