Nocturnal Emissions

This article is about the sound art group. For the biological function, see Nocturnal emission.
Nocturnal Emissions
Origin London, England
Genres Industrial, Dark ambient, post-industrial, Ambient, Experimental, Noise, Dub
Years active 1980–present
Labels Sterile Records, Staalplaat, Soleilmoon, Earthly Delights, Klang Galerie, Dark Vinyl, Iluminated Records, Vinyl On Demand
Associated acts Caroline K, C.C.C.C.
Website Earthly Delights
Members Nigel Ayers
Past members Danny Ayers
Caroline K
Reg Sailyne
Steve Tanza
Fiona Virtue

Nocturnal Emissions is a sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrète, hybridised beats, sound collage, post-industrial music, ambient and noise music. The sound art has been part of an ongoing multimedia campaign of guerrilla sign ontology utilising video art, film, hypertext and other documents.

History

The project was initiated in Derbyshire in the late 1970s by Nigel Ayers (b. 1957), a former art student who, in the period, lived in London. Together with collaborators Danny Ayers (b. 1964) and Caroline K (1957–2008). From early in their work, the group concentrated on the axiom of music being a form of social control, and highlighted concepts such as information overload, cult conditioning, brainwashing and subliminal advertising, in a critique of information society. Their music drew heavily on worldwide folk traditions as well as that of the European avant-garde. One of their earliest performances was in a railway arch in Atlantic Road, Brixton, while the 1981 Brixton riots raged outside.

Since 1984 Nocturnal Emissions has continued mainly as Nigel Ayers' solo project. Line-up has varied from one to a dozen musicians. Nocturnal Emissions temporary members have included net artist Stanza, Ben Ponton of Zoviet France and life coach Fiona Harrold.

Nocturnal Emissions ran their own record label, Sterile Records and later worked closely with the editors of the art music label Touch, later with both the Netherlands- based Staalplaat and USA- based Soleilmoon recording labels. All three labels came to the fore as part of 1980s cassette culture.

In 1990–92 Nocturnal Emissions collaborated on Butoh dance performances in Europe & the USA, with the Japanese choreographer Poppo Shiraishi. Around this time Nocturnal Emissions' Situationist-influenced practice became increasingly informed by magick, stone circles, techno–shamanism, neo-paganism, animism and Fortean research. There were many collaborations on animated films by Mancunian TV director Charlotte Bill. Bill was never an official member of Nocturnal Emissions, but admits to being one of the legion of members of The Fall (band)[1] .

Nocturnal Emissions were later to be associated with the Kernow section of the Association of Autonomous Astronauts [2]

and to feature in a best-selling story by the novelist Stewart Home.

Partial discography

Collaborations

The Beauty of Pollution (with C.C.C.C.) (Endorphine Factory, 1996)

Side projects

Oedipus Brain Foil 3xCD (with Randy Greif and Robin Storey) (Soleilmoon, 1998)

Mesmeric Enabling Device CD (with John S. Everall and Mick Harris) (Soleilmoon, 1999)

The World Turned Gingham CD (with Robin Story, released under the name Hank & Slim) (Caciocavallo, 2000)

Transgenic CD (Solo album released under the name Transgenic) (Soleilmoon, 2000)

Selected Video works

Bleeding Images (1982)

The Foetal Grave of Progress (1983)

Soundtracks

The Three Trials – Adventures in Psychotica (Randy Greif dir.) www.thethreetrials.com

See also

References

  1. ↑ David Simpson , The Fallen: Life In and Out of Britain's Most Insane Group (Canongate Books, 2009), ISBN 1847671446
  2. ↑ Oberhaus, Daniel, "Smash the Hotels Squat the Moon", Vice, Vice.com, retrieved September 24, 2015
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