NITZER EBB, TENSE, & DETHLAB @ Magic Stick 11.18.10
NITZER EBB wsg //TENSE// and DETHLAB
Location:Magic Stick
Time:Thursday, 18 November 2010 20:00
With an unusual name, Teutonic beats and aggressive sound, it is often assumed that Nitzer Ebb originated within the German techno scene, but the truth of the matter is that this trio hailed from the UK, Chelmsford in Essex to be precise. Formed in 1982 by school friends Douglas McCarthy [Lead vocals, guitar], Vaughn ‘Bon’ Harris [vocals, percussion, guitars] and David Gooday, [percussion], Nitzer Ebb were influenced by the harder sounds of the early techno pop scene, distilling elements from several other genres too until they had created their own identifiable sound, characterized by extremely powerful rhythms, minimal sequenced hook lines and fierce, chanted lyrics.
From staging small shows in their local area, Nitzer Ebb’s infectious mix of pounding beats, militaristic imagery, angst and anger was soon filling alternative dance floors across the UK, leading to live dates in London where the group caught the attention of PWL producer Phil Harding. Realizing the trio’s potential he helped them establish the label Power Of Voice Communications, producing and releasing their debut single “Isn’t It Funny How Your Body Works?”(1985).
The Nitzer Ebb sound was one of an impassioned techno rage, captured perfectly on three further singles “Warsaw Ghetto”(1985), “Warsaw Ghetto Remixes”(1986) and “Let Your Body Learn”(1986) which all raised their profile considerably to the extent that in Europe they were soon regarded as the leading exponents of the new Hard Beat or Electronic Body Music (EBM) scene.
Taking Phil Harding with them, Nitzer Ebb signed to Mute in November 1986 and released the extremely brutal beats of “Murderous”(1986) followed by the ‘International Funk Aggression’ of “Let Your Body Learn” (1987) a smash hit in the clubs of New York, whilst the follow-up “Join In The Chant”(1987) was an early and somewhat unlikely hit on the UK acid house scene. Their debut album “That Total Age” (1987) captured the essence of Nitzer Ebb in a perfectly formed package, its combination of controlled anger and irresistible rhythm that becoming for many the most definitive example of the Nitzer Ebb sound.
Embarking on a worldwide tour they discovered that their energetic live show was also just what dance music fans had been waiting for, their popularity on the Spanish coast alone resulting in a demand for 3 gigs a night.
This infectious sound attracted the attention of fellow Essex lads and label mates Depeche Mode who invited Nitzer Ebb to accompany them on the lengthy European leg of a highly successful world tour, exposing them to exactly the right audience for their sound and image. Returning to the studio following the tour they completed their next album “Belief” (1989) as a duo following the departure of David Gooday and ditching their militaristic image in favor of a more subtle approach to their output. Regular producer Phil Harding also left for pastures new and was replaced by Mark “Flood’ Ellis, who in beginning a long relationship with McCarthy and Harris was also instrumental in steering them towards a more refined sound. With Nitzer Ebb’s own world tour in the pipeline the duo recruited Julian Beeston to assist them with Beeston becoming a regular contributor both on and off stage. Their third album “Showtime”(1990) revealed a less confrontational sound and an accessibility that particularly appealed to audiences in the USA. The single “Fun To Be Had”(1990) even received a groovy remix by grandfather of funk George Clinton and reached number 2 in the US dance charts.
By the time Nitzer Ebb released “Ebbhead” (1991) even a previously reluctant music press were warming to their sound. On this release Nitzer Ebb were slower and more orchestrated, mixing their hard, industrial beat with raw guitar samples and more fully developed songs. Promoting the album with a global tour that took them from the southern states of the USA to appreciative audiences in Siberia, Nitzer Ebb were enjoying the fruits of their truly international appeal.
By the time that their fifth album “Big Hit” (1995) arrived, Nitzer Ebb had been through another metamorphosis. Gone was the techno rage that had become their signature, being replaced instead with a wider use of real instruments, particularly guitars and drums. The songs too were more complex, dividing Nitzer Ebb’s fan base between those who simply wanted them to go on making Electronic Body Music and those who supported their desire to develop. David Gooday rejoined the group but purely to provide artwork for this album and McCarthy and Harris hired a third member, Jason Payne [percussion] to their main line-up, recruiting John Napier [guitars, percussion] to assist with their live performances. “Big Hit” was their last record to date with all concerned taking an ‘extended hiatus’ following its completion which effectively spelled the end of Nitzer Ebb’s activities as a group.
Since “Big Hit” Nitzer Ebb’s members have chosen to concentrate on their various solo and side projects, a practice McCarthy, Harris and Beeston had begun in 1989 with their collaboration with Die Krupps. Douglas McCarthy has been a regular collaborator with Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder on his Recoil project. Bon Harris meanwhile has relocated to Los Angeles worked as 13mg and with his latest three piece outfit Maven.
The rediscovery of the Hard Beat/Electronic Body Music genre by a new generation of music fans has seen Richie Hawtin (Plastikman) include Nitzer Ebb’s ‘Let Your Body Learn’ on his seductive “Decks EFX & 909″(1999) mix compilation and an exciting set of Nitzer Ebb remixes commissioned by novamute. The series of three 12″ singles have seen Derrick May, Thomas P. Heckmann, Terence Fixmer, The Hacker, Phil Kieran and LFO’s Mark Bell get to grips with the classic vintage of “Let Your Body Learn” (1987/2002),”Control I’m Here”(1988/2004) “Murderous”(1986/2004),’Shame’ – Nitzer Ebb vs. Thomas P. Heckmann’ (1989/2001) and “Join In The Chant”- Nitzer Ebb vs. Derrick May (1987/2001), the latter being a previously unreleased 1989 remix by the godfather of techno himself.
Friday the 15th: “Crash” the Art of Bethany Shorb and Cyberoptix Tielab 2010
Here’s to a lady who multi-faceted talent and dedication have inspired me to re-create myself several times over. Her works an exhibition of grace in the realms of business and pleasure. Come celebrate the success and bask in the fellowship of Bethany Shorb and birthday bud Michael Doyle on this wonderful evening.
Are you fucking dumb get a map
ps check out these beauties:
sexy photo
hex tie
Don’t forget to buy something, you ought to to look this good.
Original Article:
Bethany Shorb’s Cyberoptix Tielab 2010 Preview and Photography Exhibition:
Special Musical Performance by Justin Carver from “Something Cold” and Deth Lab
Friday Jan, 15th 2010 6pm @ 323East in Royal Oak, MI.
These are not your father’s ties – let’s make that clear first. Cyberoptix? Right – and with a fresh bottle of Old Spice wrapped up with it. Knot quite.
These are the works of an imaginative artist and photographer named Bethany Shorb who took the mundane reality of neckwear and proceeded to give it a twist or two in new directions – with bold color, bolder materials, and the novel idea that a traditional symbol of subservience could be transformed into “a subversive object of desire.”
Reaching that goal was aided immeasurably by Shorb’s other talents; besides photography, she is trained in sculpture, costume design, and prop construction. And THOSE accomplishments, we hasten to add, are complemented nicely by her brutally direct understanding of what see sees or what she wants us to see. Shorb has tackled a variety of subjects and (as evidenced by a recent exhibit inspired by J.G. Ballard’s novel CRASH) her “eye” is not a blinking one by any stretch. Something is heated to an almost unbearable degree in her works. And if you can’t stand the heat … well, best you seek out an environment where the climate is more controlled.
But you don’t want to do that. What you want to do is to see the latest creations by this intriguing talent – the ones that 323 East will unveil on January 15. The cravats are cool. The pix are pulsating. Nice way to make a knot in our opinion.
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Schooled in both sculpture and photography, Bethany Shorb creates elaborate prop, costume and set constructions that blur the line between both editorial fashion photography and performance art documentation. Her recent Crash series refers to J.G. Ballard’s novel of the same name with scenes titled by the lyrics of The Normal’s song of similar influence, “Warm Leatherette.” Technology, celebrity, sex, and death are perversely glamorized and fetishised in unison in a single explosion of red Swarovski crystals and inflated black latex rubber. Models, wardrobe and set decoration all retain the same visual and emotional weight, a hyper-saturated amalgamation exploring the interstitial space between the alluring and repulsive; hedonism and restraint; the seductive speed of expressways and the still finality of Last Rights.
Bethany Shorb was born in Boston, MA in 1976. She received her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture, with an elective in Photography, from Cranbrook Academy of Art and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from Boston University with minors in Art History and Photography. Her photography and product design work have been widely published in the United States and abroad; her visual art and product work has been exhibited throughout the United States and is included in numerous private collections. This past summer she taught several printing workshops in her Detroit studio and was recently reviewed in the New York Times and Wired. Her dj alter-ego has performed as half of “Dethlab” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Shorb also founded The Cyberoptix Tie Lab in 2006. As a designer of witty hand printed neckwear, she has applied her experience as a sculptor, couture, costume and graphic designer to transform a much maligned business necessity into a subversive object of desire. Cyberoptix ties and scarves are represented by more than 150 stores in a dozen countries: from Fred Segal in Los Angeles to Libertine in Western Australia. A paradox for the times, Cyberoptix Tie Lab operates one of the largest eco-friendly, solvent-free print shops in the country in Downtown Detroit, while providing a seditious, punky fashion statement for executives bound to the neck noose, and a sharply styled alternative for those who don’t need to wear a tie, but choose to do so.
cyberoptix.com
toybreaker.etsy.com
trunkt.org/cyberoptix
toybreaker.net/blog
dethlab.net
myspace.com/teamdethlab