Spahn Ranch (band)
Spahn Ranch | |
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Origin | Los Angeles, United States |
Genres | Electro-Industrial |
Years active | 1992–2001 |
Labels |
Cleopatra Zoth Ommog Out of Line Cryonica Music |
Members |
Matt Green Athan Maroulis Harry Lewis |
Spahn Ranch was an electro-industrial group from Los Angeles. Active from 1992 to 2000, the band was well known in a subgenre of industrial music for its fusion of electronic dance, industrial and gothic music.
History
The band was formed in 1992 by Matt Green and his New York–based collaborator, Rob Morton. That same year, they signed to Cleopatra Records and released a self-titled, four-song EP, with vocals supplied by Scott "Chopper" Franklin (later to become bass player for The Cramps).
In 1993, they added vocalist Athan Maroulis and recorded their debut album, Collateral Damage. Their second album, The Coiled One, appeared two years later in the midst of Morton leaving the band due to creative and logistical differences. After his departure, the line-up was expanded to include Christian Death drummer David Glass, Screams for Tina guitarist Kent Bancroft, and Tubalcain drummer Harry Lewis. This offered a beginning of the fuller, more diverse, dark electro-industrial sound that Spahn Ranch would continue to pursue. By 1997, Spahn Ranch had pared themselves down to the three-piece unit of Green, Maroulis and Lewis.
Spahn Ranch continued to release albums throughout the late 1990s. Architecture, released in 1997, featured contributions from Killing Joke/Prong bassist Paul Raven and Rockats/Nancy Sinatra guitarist Danny B. Harvey. This album took an even more experimental approach to the Spahn Ranch sound, incorporating elements of drum and bass, dub and for the first time, live guitar parts. Beat Noir, in 1998, followed a similar path even further and included work with Bauhaus/Love & Rockets bassist David J.
The band regularly toured throughout North America during their existence with the likes of Front Line Assembly, Front 242, Switchblade Symphony and Apoptygma Berzerk. Spahn Ranch also made a couple of European treks prior to their demise as a group in 2000.
Closure, their final album, was recorded in 2000 and released in 2001.
Discography
Albums/EP's
- Spahn Ranch (1992) Cleopatra, US
- Collateral Damage (1993) Cleopatra, US
- Collateral (1993) Zoth Ommog, Germany
- The Blackmail Starters Kit (1994) Cleopatra, US
- Breath and Taxes (1994) Zoth Ommog, Germany
- The Coiled One (1995) Cleopatra, US
- In Parts Assembled Solely (1996) Cleopatra, US
- Architecture (1997) Cleopatra, US
- Architecture: Beta (1997) Out of Line, Germany
- Retrofit (1998) Cleopatra US / Out of Line, Germany
- Limited Edition 12" - first 4 tracks from Retrofit (1998) Cleopatra, US
- Beat Noir (1998) Cleopatra, US / Out of Line, Germany
- Anthology 1992-1994 (2000) Cleopatra, US
- Closure (2001) Cleopatra, US / Cryonica, UK
Compilation appearances
(non-LP tracks)
- The Whip - "Machine Politics (Original Version)" (1993) Cleopatra, US (CD and cassette) / Music Research, Germany / Jungle Records, UK (CD only)
- Mysterious Encounters - "Antibody (Alternate Mix)" (1994) Cleopatra, US (CD and cassette)
- Industrial Revolution Second Edition - "Succumber (Blacklist)" (1994) Cleopatra, US (CD)
- Body Rapture Volume 4 - "Succumber (Blacklist)" (1994) Zoth Ommog, Germany (CD)
- A Saucerful of Pink - "One of These Days" (1995) Cleopatra, US / Cherry Red Records, UK (CD)
- The Digital Space Between Vol 2 - "Forceps (Fezmix)" (1995,)Cleopatra, US / Hard Records, Denmark (CD)
- There Is No Time - "One of These Days (different mix)" (1995) Ras Dva, US (CD)
- Industrial Revolution Third Edition - "Vortex (Extended Mix)" (1996) Cleopatra, US (CD)
- Vertigo Compilation 3 1996 - "Locusts (Pygmy Children Mix)" (1996) Germany (promo-only CD available with Vertigo magazine)
- Covered in Black - "Shot Down in Flames" (1997) Cleopatra, US / RCA Victor, Japan / Zebra-Cherry Red Records, UK (CD)
- Ultimate Drum 'N' Bass - "The Mark Inside" (1997) Hypnotic, US (CD)
- Electronic Lust v. 1 - "In the Aftermath (Astralasia Mix 2)" (1998) Orkus, Germany (CD)
- Hymns of the Warlock - "Dig It" (1998) Cleopatra, US (CD)
- The Black Bible - "An Exit (Alternate Mix)" (1999) Cleopatra, US (CD)
- Virgin Voices - "Swim" (1999) Cleopatra, US / RCA Victor, Japan (CD)
- We Will Follow - "I Will Follow" 1999, Cleopatra, US / Anagram Records, UK (CD)
- Awake the Machines Vol. 2 - "Remnants (CKultur Mutation mix)" (1999) Out of Line, Germany (CD)
- Darken My Fire - "Strange Days" (2000) Cleopatra, US / EMI, Japan / Anagram Records, UK (CD)
Music videos
- Breath and Taxes (1993)
- Locusts (1995), directed by Joseph Kahn
External links
- Spahn Ranch on facebook official page
- MTV Biography
- discogs Discography
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