Coil
(L to R) Ossian Brown, Thighpaulsandra, Peter Christopherson, John Balance
Background information
Also known as	Black Light District, ELpH, Sickness Of Snakes, The Eskaton, Time Machines
Origin	London, England
Genre(s)	Post-industrial Experimental Acid House Dark ambient Noise Drone
Years active	1982–2004
Label(s)	Threshold House, Eskaton, Chalice, Solar Lodge
Associated acts	Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, The Threshold HouseBoys Choir, Zos Kia, SoiSong
Website	http://www.thresholdhouse.com/
Members
John Balance Peter Christopherson Thighpaulsandra Ossian Brown
Former members
William Breeze Danny Hyde Drew McDowall Rose McDowall Jim Thirlwell Stephen Thrower

Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his lover Peter Christopherson, aka 'Sleazy'. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Experimental music is a term introduced by composer John Cage in 1955 Acid house is a sub-genre of House music that emphasizes a repetitive hypnotic and trance -like style with samples or spoken lines usually used rather than sung lyrics Dark ambient is a subgenre of Ambient music that features foreboding ominous or discordant overtones Drone music, also known as drone-based music, drone ambient or ambient drone, dronescape or dronology, and sometimes simply In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Threshold House is one of several Record labels created by Coil to release their own work and that of affiliated projects Eskaton is a defunct vanity record label created by Coil, exclusively for albums put out by the group and their friends Chalice is a defunct Britain vanity record label created by Coil, exclusively for albums put out by the group The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser (subtitled The Consequences Of Raising Hell) was the fourth album that Coil released in the year 1987 Throbbing Gristle are a British Avant-garde music and Visual arts group that evolved from the Performance art group COUM Transmissions Psychic TV (sometimes spelled Psychick TV) or PTV, is a video art and music group that primarily performs psychedelic punk electronic and experimental music The Threshold HouseBoys Choir is a musical guise for Peter Christopherson, announced in 2005 as a follow up endeavor to his former group Coil. Zos Kia (also credited as Zoskia) was a British musical group initially formed by John "Zos Kia" Gosling along with John Balance and Min John Balance (first name also spelled Jhon and Jhonn; born Geff Rushton/Geoffrey Laurence Burton February 16, 1962 – November 13 Peter Martin Christopherson, aka Sleazy (born February 27, 1955) is a musician video director and designer and former member of the influential British Thighpaulsandra (Tim Lewis is a Welsh experimental musician known mostly for performing on Synthesizers and keyboards As Tim Lewis he began Ossian Brown (birth name Simon Norris) is an electronic English musician William Breeze is an American musician and Occultist best known as a member of Coil and as the current international leader of Ordo Templi Orientis Danny Hyde is an experimental musician and renowned remix artist Drew McDowall (born 28 January 1961, in Paisley, Scotland) is a Scottish Musician, most notably as a member collaborator Rose McDowall (born 21 October 1959, in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish Musician, most notably as a vocalist James George Thirlwell (born January 29, 1960) aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Stephen Thrower (born December 9, 1963 Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester, UK) is an English musician and author England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Cross-genre (Also known as Hybrid) is a term that refers to Fiction or media, such as movies, Books Music, or Video Experimental music is a term introduced by composer John Cage in 1955 John Balance (first name also spelled Jhon and Jhonn; born Geff Rushton/Geoffrey Laurence Burton February 16, 1962 – November 13 Peter Martin Christopherson, aka Sleazy (born February 27, 1955) is a musician video director and designer and former member of the influential British ^[1] The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be inspired by the omnipresence of the coil's shape in nature. Omnipresence is the ability to be present in every place at any and/or every time unbounded or universal presence A coil is a series of loops A coiled coil is a structure where the coil itself is in turn also looping Today Coil are one of the most influential and best known industrial music groups. Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of Experimental music, especially but not necessarily Electronic music.

The group's first official release as Coil was a 1984 EP titled How to Destroy Angels. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify How to Destroy Angels is a Studio album by Coil. At this point the group consisted only of John Balance and Peter Christopherson Following the EP's success Coil produced a series of three albums, Scatology, Horse Rotorvator and Love's Secret Domain, which met with little commercial success, but were praised as innovative due to their blend of industrial music and acid house. Scatology is the first LP and a second album produced by Coil. Horse Rotorvator is the second LP released by the British industrial group Coil. Love's Secret Domain (abbreviated as LSD) is the third album by Coil and was released in 1991 Acid house is a sub-genre of House music that emphasizes a repetitive hypnotic and trance -like style with samples or spoken lines usually used rather than sung lyrics ^[2][3]

In 1988 the group began working on a series of soundtracks and released experimental music under several pseudonyms. Experimental music is a term introduced by composer John Cage in 1955 Coil redefined their sound during this period, and by 1998 were incorporating drone sounds into their recordings. Drone music, also known as drone-based music, drone ambient or ambient drone, dronescape or dronology, and sometimes simply In 1999 the group gave their first performance in sixteen years, and began a series of mini-tours which would last until 2004. ^[4]

Following the death of John Balance on November 13, 2004, Peter Christopherson announced via their official record label website Threshold House that Coil as an entity had ceased to exist. Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Threshold House is one of several Record labels created by Coil to release their own work and that of affiliated projects

Contents 1 Beginning (1982–1984) 2 Scatology, Horse Rotorvator, and Love's Secret Domain (1984–1992) 3 Soundtracks and side projects (1993–1998) 4 Late Coil (1998–2004) 5 Coil Live 6 Death of John Balance 7 Background 7.1 Limited editions 7.2 Instruments and creative methods 7.3 Religious views 7.4 Members and style 7.5 Influence 8 Discography 9 References 10 External links

Beginning (1982–1984)

Coil was formed in 1982 following Balance and Christopherson's departure from Psychic TV. Psychic TV (sometimes spelled Psychick TV) or PTV, is a video art and music group that primarily performs psychedelic punk electronic and experimental music ^[1] Balance and Christopherson began working with John Gosling on the project Zos Kia, which resulted in four live performances and the 1984 album Transparent. John "Zos Kia" Gosling is an industrial Musician. Gosling is most well known as a member of Psychic TV. Zos Kia (also credited as Zoskia) was a British musical group initially formed by John "Zos Kia" Gosling along with John Balance and Min Transparent is the first release by the band Coil. It was a collaboration with Zos Kia and Following Gosling's departure Balance and Christopherson teamed up with Boyd Rice, and under the alias Sickness of Snakes released the split album Nightmare Culture with the experimental group Current 93. Boyd Blake Rice (born July or December 1956 is an American experimental sound artist under the monicker of NON since the mid-1970s Archivist, Actor Nightmare Culture was a 12" split vinyl by Current 93 and Sickness Of Snakes Current 93 are an eclectic British Experimental music group working since the early 1980s in folk -based musical forms

While working on their first official release, 1984's How to Destroy Angels, the group settled on the name Coil. How to Destroy Angels is a Studio album by Coil. At this point the group consisted only of John Balance and Peter Christopherson According to the sleeve notes, the single track LP is "ritual music for the accumulation of male sexual energy" and was produced under a variety of technological, spiritual, and meteorological conditions which the band felt to be magickally significant. A gramophone Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary Magick, in the broadest sense is any act designed to cause intentional change

Since its initial release, Transparent has been reissued in CD format, while How to Destroy Angels has been remixed and released on a full length CD. Tracks from Nightmare Culture have featured on the group's Unnatural History compilation series.

Scatology, Horse Rotorvator, and Love's Secret Domain (1984–1992)

Following the underground hit How to Destroy Angels, Coil left L.A.Y.L.A.H. Antirecords for Some Bizzare and produced Scatology, released in 1984 as their first full length studio album. LAYLAH Antirecords is a defunct Belgian Record label, started by Marc Monin, notable for releasing early work from several renowned industrial/experimental artists Some Bizzare Records is a British Independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. Scatology is the first LP and a second album produced by Coil. The album was largely based on the sound of industrial music as well as the Post-punk movement. Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of Experimental music, especially but not necessarily Electronic music. Post-punk was a popular musical movement in the mid to late 1970s following on the heels of the initial Punk rock explosion of the early 1970s While songs such as "Restless Day", "Panic" and "Tainted Love" are representative of a mainstream style, other tracks preview what would become Coil's unique electronic style. The single Panic/Tainted Love became the first AIDS benefit music release, as the profits from sales of the single were donated to the Terrence Higgins Trust. Panic/Tainted Love is a 12" released in 1985 - and later on in 1990 a CD - single by Coil. Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns on various issues related to AIDS and ^[5] The "Tainted Love" music video, directed by Peter Christopherson, is on permanent display at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, USA, on 53rd Street between Fifth ^[6]

Horse Rotorvator followed in 1986 as the next full length release. Horse Rotorvator is the second LP released by the British industrial group Coil. Although songs such as "The Anal Staircase" and "Circles of Mania" sound like evolved versions of Scatology material, the album is characterized by slower tempos, and represented a new direction for the group. The album has a darker theme than previous releases; according to Balance, "Horse Rotorvator was this vision I'd had of this mechanical/flesh thing that ploughed up the earth and I really did have a vision of it—a real horrible, burning, dripping, jaw-like vision in the night. . . The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse killed their horses and use their jawbones to make this huge earth-moving machine. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are the forces of man's destruction described in the Christian Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation. "^[7] The artwork features a photograph of the location of a notorious IRA bombing, in which a bomb was detonated on a military orchestra pavilion. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Óglaigh na hÉireann ( IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the ^[6] Horse Rotorvator was in part influenced by the AIDS related deaths of some of their friends. ^[8] Furthermore, the song "Ostia (The Death of Pasolini)", is about the mysterious death of Pier Paolo Pasolini as well as what Balance described as "the number one suicide spot in the world", the white cliffs of Dover. Pier Paolo Pasolini ( March 5, 1922 – November 2, 1975) was an Italian Poet, Intellectual, Film director The white cliffs of Dover are Cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. ^[9] After the release of Horse Rotorvator Coil left Some Bizzare, due to the record company's debt of GB£10,000 to the group. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency ^[10] Gold Is the Metal with the Broadest Shoulders followed as a full length release, marking the beginning of the label Threshold House; however, the album is merely a collection of outtakes from earlier sessions. Gold Is the Metal with the Broadest Shoulders was the third album released by Coil in the year 1987 Threshold House is one of several Record labels created by Coil to release their own work and that of affiliated projects

Love's Secret Domain (abbreviated LSD) followed in 1991 as the next "proper" Coil album, although a few minor releases had been produced since Horse Rotorvator. Love's Secret Domain (abbreviated as LSD) is the third album by Coil and was released in 1991 LSD represents a progression in Coil's style and became a template for what would be representative of newer waves of post-industrial music, blended with their own style of acid house. The term Industrial music was first used in the mid-1970s to describe the then-unique sound of the Industrial Records label artists a wide variety of labels and artists have Acid house is a sub-genre of House music that emphasizes a repetitive hypnotic and trance -like style with samples or spoken lines usually used rather than sung lyrics Although the album was more upbeat, it was not intended as a dance record, as Christopherson explained "I wouldn't say it's a party atmosphere, but it's more positive. "^[8][11] "Windowpane" and a Jack Dangers remix of "The Snow" were released as singles, both of which had music videos directed by Christopherson. Windowpane was a single released by the band Coil in 1990 It was released on 12" Vinyl and CD. Jack Dangers (born John Corrigan, 11 January 1965, in Swindon) is an electronic musician DJ producer and remixer best known for his work For the Adam Roberts novel see The Snow (novel. The Snow is a track by the British group Coil, available The video for "Windowpane" was shot in the Golden Triangle, where, Balance claimed, "the original Thai and Burmese drug barons used to exchange opium for gold bars with the CIA. The Golden Triangle is one of Asia 's two main illicit Opium -producing areas "^[8] Christopherson recalled "John [Balance] discovered while he was performing that where he was standing was quicksand! In the video you can actually see him getting deeper and deeper. "^[8] Furthermore, Thai friends of the group commented that they had known of several people that died where Coil had shot footage for the music video. The Thai (or Tai) are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries ^[8] A music video for the song "Love's Secret Domain" was also shot and is currently unreleased and unaired due to its nature: as Christopherson explained, "We shot 'Love's Secret Domain' in a go-go boy bar in Bangkok; with John [Balance] performing on stage with about 20 or 30 dancing boys, which probably won't get played on MTV, in fact!"^[8] Stolen & Contaminated Songs followed as a full length release. Stolen & Contaminated Songs was the first of two albums in the year 1992 that was recorded and produced by the band Coil. However, as with Gold Is the Metal. . . , it is a collection of outtakes and demos from the LSD era.

Soundtracks and side projects (1993–1998)

Coil separated their works into many side projects, publishing music under different names and a variety of styles. In Popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more persons already known for their involvement in another band The pre-Coil aliases, Zos Kia and Sickness of Snakes, formed the foundation of a style that would evolve to characterize their initial wave of releases.

Before embarking on their second wave of side projects and pseudonyms, Coil created a soundtrack for the movie Hellraiser, although they withdrew from the project when they suspected their music would not be used. Hellraiser is a 1987 British Horror film exploring the themes of Sadomasochism, pain as a source of pleasure and morality under duress and fear ^[12] Furthermore, Coil claimed inspiration for Pinhead was partly drawn from the piercing magazines director Clive Barker borrowed from the group. Fictional character biography Pinhead was not always a Cenobite, but was in fact once human Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English author film director and visual artist ^[12] Beginning in 1993, Coil contributed music to two of Derek Jarman's films, Blue and The Angelic Conversation. Derek Jarman ( January 31 1942 – February 19 1994) was an English Film director, Stage designer Blue is the twelfth and final feature film by director Derek Jarman, released just four months before his death by AIDS -related complications The Angelic Conversation is a 1985 arthouse Drama film directed by Derek Jarman. In addition, they recorded soundtracks for the documentary Gay Man's Guide to Safer Sex as well as Sarah Dales Sensuous Massage, though both remain unreleased. Gay Man's Guide To Safer Sex is the name of an AIDS awareness documentary ^[12]

Much like the pre-Coil aliases, Coil's wave of side projects represent a sort of primordial soup from which the group evolved a different style of sound. In the Natural sciences, Abiogenesis, or origin of life, is the study of how Life on Earth emerged from Inanimate Organic While Nasa Arab—credited to the group's project "The Eskaton"—was Coil's farewell to the acid house genre, the following projects, ELpH, Black Light District, and Time Machines, were all based heavily on experimentation with drone, an ingredient which would define Coil's following work. Nasa Arab was the only release ever to be credited to " Coil Vs Acid house is a sub-genre of House music that emphasizes a repetitive hypnotic and trance -like style with samples or spoken lines usually used rather than sung lyrics Born Again Pagans was the only release attributed to " Coil Vs A Thousand Lights In A Darkened Room is the only release by the group Black Light District. Time Machines is Coil 's landmark Drone music Album, released under the alias Time Machines Drone music, also known as drone-based music, drone ambient or ambient drone, dronescape or dronology, and sometimes simply These releases also kicked off the start of Coil's new label Eskaton. Eskaton is a defunct vanity record label created by Coil, exclusively for albums put out by the group and their friends

Late Coil (1998–2004)

After the wave of experimental side projects, Coil's sound was completely redefined. Before releasing new material, the group released the compilations Unnatural History II, Windowpane & The Snow and Unnatural History III. Unnatural History II (subtitled Smiling in the Face Of Perversity) was the second in a series of three compilation albums by Coil. Windowpane & The Snow was a CD released by the band Coil. This release compiles the two EPs Windowpane and The Snow. Unnatural History III was the third in a series of three compilation albums by Coil. In March 1998, Coil began to release a series of four singles which were timed to coincide with the equinox and solstices of that year. An equinox is the event of the Sun passing over the Earth's equator in its annual cycle Solstices occur twice a year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes The singles are characterized by slow, drone-like instrumental rhythms, and electronic or orchestral instrumentation. ^[13] The first single, Spring Equinox: Moon's Milk or Under an Unquiet Skull, featured two versions of the same song, the second version of which included a electric viola contribution from a newly inducted member, William Breeze. Spring Equinox Moon's Milk or Under an Unquiet Skull is part one of the four part Seasons collective created by Coil. The viola is a bowed String instrument. It is the middle voice of the Violin family, William Breeze is an American musician and Occultist best known as a member of Coil and as the current international leader of Ordo Templi Orientis The second single, Summer Solstice: Bee Stings, also featured performances by Breeze, and also included the industrial-noise song "A Warning from the Sun (For Fritz)", which was dedicated to a friend of Balance and Christopherson's who had committed suicide earlier that year. Summer Solstice Bee Stings is part two of the four part Seasons collective created by Coil. Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of Experimental music, especially but not necessarily Electronic music. ^[14] The third single, Autumn Equinox: Amethyst Deceivers includes the track "Rosa Decidua" which features vocals by Rose McDowall. Autumn Equinox Amethyst Deceivers is part three of the four part Seasons collective created by Coil. Rose McDowall (born 21 October 1959, in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish Musician, most notably as a vocalist The single also features the song "Amethyst Deceivers", later reworked and performed throughout most of Coil's tour, and eventually re-made into an alternate version on the LP The Ape of Naples. Amethyst Deceivers is a song by Coil which appears on several of their releases The Ape Of Naples is the final album from Coil. It was released after the death of lead Vocalist John Balance, who died on November The fourth single, Winter Solstice: North, also includes a track sung by Rose McDowall, and is partially credited to the side project Rosa Mundi. Winter Solstice North is the final release of the four part seasons collective created by Coil. Rosa Mundi was the name of a very short lived electronic music supergroup which consisted of Rose McDowall, John Balance The series would later be re-released as the double-CD set Moons Milk (In Four Phases). A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Moons Milk (In Four Phases is release by Coil that compiles four of their singles onto a double CD

Astral Disaster was created with the assistance from new band member Thighpaulsandra and released in January of 1999 via Sun Dial member Gary Ramon's label Prescription. Astral Disaster is an album by Coil, which has been released in two distinct versions Thighpaulsandra (Tim Lewis is a Welsh experimental musician known mostly for performing on Synthesizers and keyboards As Tim Lewis he began Sun Dial (occasionally spelled Sundial) is a British Space rock band formed in 1990 by Gary Ramon ^[15] Although the album was initially limited to just 99 copies, it would later be re-released in substantially different form. Musick To Play In The Dark Vol. 1 followed in September of 1999 and a few months later Coil performed their first concert in 16 years. Musick To Play In The Dark Vol 1 is a CD in its third pressing as well as a 12" vinyl, by Coil. Queens Of The Circulating Library followed in April of 2000, with production credit given to Thighpaulsandra. Queens Of The Circulating Library is a 2000 album by the experimental British group Coil. The single track, full length drone album is the only Coil release without the assistance of Christopherson. Musick To Play In The Dark Vol. 2 followed in September of 2000 and Coil began to perform live heavily, writing the music for Black Antlers in between a series of mini-tours. Musick To Play In The Dark Vol 2 is an album by Coil currently in its third pressing in CD format it was also released in double 12" vinyl format Black Antlers was originally released in CD-R format by Coil in 2004 in a limited edition ^[16] Coil also released a series of live albums around this time. Constant Shallowness Leads To Evil, a noise-driven experimental album reminiscent of Christopherson's work with Throbbing Gristle, was first sold at a live performance in September of 2000. Constant Shallowness Leads To Evil was a CD by Coil released the same year as Queens Of The Circulating Library. Throbbing Gristle are a British Avant-garde music and Visual arts group that evolved from the Performance art group COUM Transmissions Coil finally released Black Antlers in June of 2004. Black Antlers was originally released in CD-R format by Coil in 2004 in a limited edition

In contrast to many of their earlier releases, Coil's later material is characterized by a slower sound which relies more on drone than acid house. Drone music, also known as drone-based music, drone ambient or ambient drone, dronescape or dronology, and sometimes simply Acid house is a sub-genre of House music that emphasizes a repetitive hypnotic and trance -like style with samples or spoken lines usually used rather than sung lyrics This change in sound was reflected in their live performances, as songs like "Ostia" and "Slur" were slowed down from their original pace as well as re-recordings of "Teenage Lightning" and "Amethyst Deceivers" which were later released on The Ape Of Naples. The Ape Of Naples is the final album from Coil. It was released after the death of lead Vocalist John Balance, who died on November ^[17]

Coil Live

Main article: Coil Live

Coil's live incarnation has a distinct legacy of its own. Experimental music group Coil 's live incarnation has a distinct legacy of its own Experimental music group Coil 's live incarnation has a distinct legacy of its own The first live shows took place in 1983, but after only four performances, sixteen years would pass before they would play live again. ^[4]

On December 14, 1999 Coil performed elph.zwölf at Volksbuehne in Berlin. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) elphzwölf is one of two releases credited purely to ELpH although the name is merely an alias for the group Coil. The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre" is a Theater in Berlin, Germany. Although the performance lasted just under eighteen minutes, it marked the beginning of a new era of live performances. Coil would go on to perform close to fifty additional concerts, with varied set lists as well as performers. Set List is the second live album by Dublin -based rock band The Frames.

Coil's performances were surrealistic visually and audibly. Balance, Christopherson, Thighpaulsandra and Ossian Brown were known to dress in fluffy suits; an idea inspired by Sun Ra. Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, Legal name Le Sony'r Ra; ^[18] The suits would later be used as album covers for the release Live One; other costumes appear on the covers of Live Two and Live Three (straightjacket and mirror-chested hooded jumpsuit respectively). Live One was a double live album released by Coil. This CD was the fourth of four releases in a series Live Two was a CD by Coil which documents their live performance on 2001 September 15 at DK Gorbunova in Moscow, Russia Live Three was a CD by Coil which documents their live performance on 2002 April 06 at Teatro delle Celebrazioni in Bologna, Italy Video screens projected footage and animations created by Christopherson, while fog machines created a thick eerie atmosphere. Balance would often screech and howl during performances, which would add to the effect.

John Balance's problem with alcohol would often reflect the way in which the Coil performances were carried out. His drinking problem became so well known that during the 2003 All Tomorrow's Parties performance a fan asked if there is any "blood in his alcohol", a reference to the Coil song "Heartworms". All Tomorrow's Parties is a Music festival which takes place in England at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday Balance replied that there is no "alcohol in my blood at the moment", later adding "I've got horse tranquillizer for later". The performance, including the dialogue, was released on ...And The Ambulance Died In His Arms.

Many Coil performances were released, including the widely available releases of Live Four, Live Three, Live Two, Live One and ...And The Ambulance Died In His Arms, as well as several very limited editions such as Selvaggina, Go Back Into The Woods and Megalithomania!. Live Four was a compilation CD of live Coil songs This CD was the first of four releases in a series Live Three was a CD by Coil which documents their live performance on 2002 April 06 at Teatro delle Celebrazioni in Bologna, Italy Live Two was a CD by Coil which documents their live performance on 2001 September 15 at DK Gorbunova in Moscow, Russia Live One was a double live album released by Coil. This CD was the fourth of four releases in a series Selvaggina Go Back Into The Woods was originally released in CD-R format by Coil in a limited edition of 230 copies Megalithomania! was an official CD-R release by Coil limited to a pressing of 230 copies 123 of which were available in their box set The Key Video recordings of several concerts are expected to be released on the upcoming DVD box set Colour Sound Oblivion. ^[19] Coil's final performance was at DEAF (Dublin Electronic Arts Festival), Dublin City Hall in Ireland.

Death of John Balance

John Balance died on 13 November 2004 after having fallen from a second floor landing in his home. Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Peter Christopherson announced Balance's death on the Threshold House website and provided details surrounding the tragedy. Balance's memorial service was held near Bristol on November 23 and was attended by approximately 100 people. ^[20] On 25 November 2004 Christopherson announced he was in agreement with Balance's partner, Ian Johnstone, that any releases, either as Coil or solo work that Balance was working on at the time of his death, would be put on hold. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " They decided that time was needed to mourn Balance's passing, recuperate from the loss, and assess the quality of the unreleased work. It was also decided that existing video, audio and other works that were in various states of completion at the time of Balance's death would eventually be released under the name Coil, and all other planned appearances and releases would be canceled. The already-planned live album ...And The Ambulance Died In His Arms was released in April 2005, the name having been chosen by Balance before his death.

Several tribute albums were released in memory of Balance including the compilations Full Cold Moon, The Loneliest Link In A Very Strange Chain, Coilectif: In memory ov John Balance and homage to Coil, ...It Just Is and X-Rated: The Dark Files. Rotorelief is a Record label for artists with record pressings fine art and graphic arts editions in any format The album How He Loved The Moon (Moonsongs For Jhonn Balance) by Balance collaborator David Tibet was released under his group Current 93. How He Loved The Moon (Moonsongs For Jhonn Balance is a 2005 tribute album to John Balance by the English group Current 93. David Tibet (born David Michael Bunting, 5 March 1960 in Batu Gajah, Malaysia) is a British poet and Artist who Current 93 are an eclectic British Experimental music group working since the early 1980s in folk -based musical forms A live album by Throbbing Gristle was also dedicated to Balance. Live December 2004 A Souvenir Of Camber Sands is a live album by Throbbing Gristle released on the night of the performance Throbbing Gristle are a British Avant-garde music and Visual arts group that evolved from the Performance art group COUM Transmissions On December 23, 2005, a memorial concert was held for Balance. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Performers included Christopherson's new solo effort The Threshold HouseBoy's Choir, Alec Empire and CoH. The Threshold HouseBoys Choir is a musical guise for Peter Christopherson, announced in 2005 as a follow up endeavor to his former group Coil. Alec Empire (born Alexander Wilke-Steinhof on May 2 1972 in Charlottenburg, West Berlin) is a German musician who is best known as a founding member of CoH is the musical alias of Иван Павлов (Ivan Pavlov a Russian-born sound artist and engineer

The final studio album, The Ape Of Naples, saw release on December 2, 2005. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In August of 2006 the rare CD-R releases The Remote Viewer and Black Antlers were "sympathetically remastered" and expanded into two disc versions, which included new and recently remixed material. The Remote Viewer was originally released in CD-R format by Coil. A comprehensive DVD boxset, titled Colour Sound Oblivion, is also in the works and was scheduled to be released by Christmas of 2006. ^[21] However, no announcement has been made for a future release date. Christopherson has also discussed the possibility of releasing Coil's entire back catalogue on a single Blu-ray disc. ^[22]

In November 2006 the official Coil website posted the following announcement: "Following the success of Thai pressings of The Remote Viewer and Black Antlers, and after many requests, we are planning to expand the CD catalog still further. " A few days later Duplais Balance and Moon's Milk In Six Phases were announced. Duplais Balance is a box set by Coil, first available for preorder in November and offered for sale in "mid December" Moons Milk In Six Phases is release by Coil that compiles four of their singles onto a double CD ( Moons Milk (In Four Phases) and an additional ^[21] Furthermore, an expanded vinyl version of The Ape Of Naples, which includes the album The New Backwards, and a two disc version of Time Machines have been announced. The New Backwards is an album by Coil released in 2008 The album is comprised of material remixed and reworked from the Backwards demo which was submitted to Torso Time Machines is Coil 's landmark Drone music Album, released under the alias Time Machines ^[21]

Background

Limited editions

Coil's distribution and marketing techniques sometimes included releasing a limited number of albums making them collectors' items among devotees. ^[23] Including things such as "art objects", blood stains and sigil-like autographs in the packaging of their albums, Coil claimed that this made their work more personal for true fans, turning their records into something akin to occult artifacts. Diabolical signatureA sigil ( or /ˈsɪgəl/ pl sigilia or sigils is a symbol created for a specific magical purpose The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine hidden secret referring to "knowledge of the hidden" ^[9] This practice was markedly increased in the later half of Coil's career. However, Balance expressed interest in having regular Coil albums in every shop that wanted them. ^[9] Some critics have accused Coil and its record company of price gouging. ^[24] In 2003, Coil began re-releasing many rare works, mostly remixed, into general circulation. ^[21] They also launched a download service, where a large amount of their out-of-print music is available.

Instruments and creative methods

Coil incorporated many exotic and rare instruments into their recordings and performances. The group expressed particular interest in specific obsolete modular synthesizers, including the Moog synthesizer. The modular synthesizer is a type of Synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires (patch cords to create a so-called patch. The term Moog (ˈmoʊg as in 'vogue' Synthesizer can refer to any number of Analog synthesizers designed by Dr ^[25][26] Coil are among the few artists who have been granted permission to use the one-of-a-kind experimental ANS photoelectronic synthesizer (see ANS). The ANS synthesizer is a photoelectronic musical instrument created by Russian engineer Evgeny Murzin from 1937 to 1957 Other instruments the group incorporated into their music included the theremin and electronic shakuhachi. The is a Japanese end-blown Flute. Its name means "18 feet" referring to its size During Coil's later period, marimba player Tom Edwards joined the group and performed on the live albums Live Two and Live Three, as well as on the studio album The Ape of Naples. In some parts of Africa the term "marimba" refers to the Kalimba. Live Two was a CD by Coil which documents their live performance on 2001 September 15 at DK Gorbunova in Moscow, Russia Live Three was a CD by Coil which documents their live performance on 2002 April 06 at Teatro delle Celebrazioni in Bologna, Italy The Ape Of Naples is the final album from Coil. It was released after the death of lead Vocalist John Balance, who died on November

Coil utilized techniques such as the cut-up technique, ritual drug use, sleep deprivation, lucid dreaming, sidereal sound, granular synthesis, tidal shifts, John Dee-like methods of scrying, instrument glitches, SETI synchronization and the chaos theory. The cut-up technique, also known as fishbowling, is an Aleatory Literary technique or genre in which a text is cut up at Random Drugs can be used in many different ways as detailed below Medication See also Medication People can use drugs to relieve pain or discomfort or to cure Sleep deprivation is a general lack of the necessary amount of Sleep. Granular synthesis is a basic sound synthesis method that operates on the Microsound time scale. Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609 was a noted English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, occultist "Seer stone" redirects here For the usage in Mormonism see Seer stone (Latter Day Saints. Glitch is a term used to describe a genre of experimental Electronic music that emerged in the mid to late 1990s Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence ( SETI) is the collective name for a number of activities to detect intelligent Extraterrestrial life. In Mathematics, chaos theory describes the behavior of certain dynamical systems – that is systems whose state evolves with time – that may exhibit dynamics that ^{[7][8][11][22][27][28]}

Religious views

Coil had many associations with Pagan beliefs and were sometimes labeled satanic. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world For other uses of the word see Satanism (disambiguation. Satanism can refer to a number of belief systems depending on the user and context ^[28][29] John Balance explicitly referred to himself as a "Born Again Pagan" and described his Paganism as a "spirituality within nature. "^[18]

Peter Christopherson, however, described the beliefs of Coil as unassociated: "We don't follow any particular religious dogma. In fact, quite the reverse, we tend to discourage the following of dogmas, or false prophets, as it were. And we don't have a very sympathetic view of Christians up to this point. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The thing we follow is our own noses; I don't mean in a chemical sense. "^[8]

Members and style

Coil's expansive line-up led to an ever-evolving style not readily pigeonholed into a single genre. They worked in such genres as industrial, noise, ambient and dark ambient, neo-folk, spoken word, drone music, and minimalism, creating what Balance explicitly referred to as "magickal music". Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of Experimental music, especially but not necessarily Electronic music. Ambient music is a Musical genre in which sound is more important than notes Dark ambient is a subgenre of Ambient music that features foreboding ominous or discordant overtones Neofolk is a form of Folk music -inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles Spoken word is a form of literary Art or artistic performance in which Lyrics, Poetry, or stories are spoken rather than sung Drone music, also known as drone-based music, drone ambient or ambient drone, dronescape or dronology, and sometimes simply Minimalist music is an originally American genre of experimental or Downtown music named in the 1960s based mostly in consonant harmony, steady Magick, in the broadest sense is any act designed to cause intentional change ^[9] Balance described the early Coil work as "solar" and the later work as "moon musick". ^[9]

John Balance was the founder of Coil and is almost the exclusive vocalist of Coil as well as a composer. Peter Christopherson was the chief producer and co-founder of the group. William Breeze was Coil's electric viola player between 1997 and 2000. William Breeze is an American musician and Occultist best known as a member of Coil and as the current international leader of Ordo Templi Orientis ^[30] Ossian Brown has been a Coil collaborator since about 1992 and joined the group in 2000, touring extensively with them and working on several recordings up until the final Coil album The Ape Of Naples. Ossian Brown (birth name Simon Norris) is an electronic English musician Tom Edwards participated in Coil's live incarnation, and was Coil's marimba player from 2000 on. For other uses see Tom Edwards Tom Edwards is an English musician In some parts of Africa the term "marimba" refers to the Kalimba. ^[31] John Gosling performed with the initial live incarnation of Coil and on Transparent. John "Zos Kia" Gosling is an industrial Musician. Gosling is most well known as a member of Psychic TV. Transparent is the first release by the band Coil. It was a collaboration with Zos Kia and Danny Hyde has been a Coil collaborator since the beginning and throughout most of the group's career. Danny Hyde is an experimental musician and renowned remix artist His contributions include production and co-writing some material. Massimo & Pierce of Black Sun Productions were members of Coil Live in 2002. Black Sun Productions is the project of sound visual and performance artists & activists Massimo & Pierce. However, they were stage performers, never contributing musically other than reading the poetic introduction to "Ostia" during live performances. ^[26] Drew McDowall began collaborating with Coil in 1990 and was officially inducted in 1995. Drew McDowall (born 28 January 1961, in Paisley, Scotland) is a Scottish Musician, most notably as a member collaborator He left the group sometime between 1999 and 2000. Drew's ex-wife, Rose McDowall, provided vocals for several Coil tracks including "Wrong Eye", "Rosa Decidua" and "Christmas Is Now Drawing Near". She also collaborated with Coil for the short lived project Rosa Mundi. Rosa Mundi was the name of a very short lived electronic music supergroup which consisted of Rose McDowall, John Balance Cliff Stapleton played Hurdy Gurdy on several live performances, but also in the studio for Coil at various points throughout the 2000s. Thighpaulsandra became an official member on January 26, 1999 and participated until the final album, The Ape Of Naples. Thighpaulsandra (Tim Lewis is a Welsh experimental musician known mostly for performing on Synthesizers and keyboards As Tim Lewis he began Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Most notably, he created the entire instrumental for the album Queens Of The Circulating Library. ^[32][33] Jim Thirlwell was a member during the Scatology era. James George Thirlwell (born January 29, 1960) aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an ^[27] Stephen Thrower worked as a full time member of Coil from 1987 to 1992. Stephen Thrower (born December 9, 1963 Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester, UK) is an English musician and author Mike York was part of the Coil Live collective for a limited time. Experimental music group Coil 's live incarnation has a distinct legacy of its own

Influence

Although Coil expressed interest in many musical groups, they rarely, if ever, claimed to be influenced by them. Coil explicitly stated the influence of such non-musical sources as William Burroughs, Aleister Crowley, Bryon Gysin and Austin Spare. William Seward Burroughs II ( – ˈbʌroʊz was an American Novelist, Essayist, Social critic, painter and Spoken word Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (ˈkroʊli (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947 was a British Occultist Writer, mountaineer Brion Gysin ( January 19, 1916 - July 13, 1986) was a painter, Writer, Sound poet, and Performance Austin Osman Spare ( 31 December 1886 - 15 May 1956) was an English Artist who developed idiosyncratic magical techniques ^[9] Furthermore, the group were friends with Burroughs and owned some of Spare's original artwork. ^[26]

John Balance encouraged fans to trade, discuss and discover new and different forms of music, stressing the importance of variety. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Music that Coil expressed interest in is diverse and wide-ranging, from musique concrete to folk music to hardcore punk to classical. Musique concrète ( French; literally "concrete music" is a style of Avant-garde music that relies on recorded sounds including natural Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Among the musical artists Coil expressed interest in are the early electronic, experimental and minimalistic pioneers: Harry Partch, La Monte Young, Karlheinz Stockhausen (once referred to by Balance as "an honorary member of Coil"), Alvin Lucier, and Arvo Pärt. Harry Partch ( June 24, 1901 &ndash September 3, 1974) was an American Composer and instrument creator La Monte Thornton Young (born October 14 1935) is an American Composer and musician Alvin Lucier (born May 14, 1931) is an American Composer of Experimental music and Sound installations that explore acoustic phenomena WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Arvo Pärt (born 11 September 1935 in Paide, Estonia) (ˈɑr̺vɔ ^[25][34][35] Coil also expressed interest in krautrock groups including Cluster, Amon Düül II, Can, Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Krautrock is a generic name for the Experimental music scene that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s especially in Britain Cluster is a German experimental musical group who influenced the development of contemporary popular electronic and Ambient music. Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2) is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the founders of the German rock music Can was a musical group formed in West Germany in 1968 One of the most important Krautrock groups Can had a style grounded in the Experimental rock of Kraftwerk (ˈkʁaftvɛɐk German for " power plant " or " Power station " is an influential Electronic music band from Tangerine Dream is a German Electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. Rock musicians and groups Coil have expressed interest in are: Angus Maclise, Captain Beefheart, Flipper, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, Nico, Pere Ubu, The Birthday Party, The Velvet Underground and The Virgin Prunes. Angus MacLise ( March 4, 1938 - June 21, 1979) was a percussionist Composer, Poet, Occultist and Don Van Vliet (born Donald Glen Vliet on January 15 1941, in Glendale California, U Flipper is an influential punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979 continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s then reuniting Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter Lewis Allan Reed (born March 2 1942 is an American rock Singer-songwriter and Guitarist. Christa Päffgen ( October 16, 1938 ? &ndash July 18, 1988) was a German Singer - Songwriter, fashion model Pere Ubu are an Experimental rock music group formed in Cleveland Ohio, in 1975 The Birthday Party was an Australian Post-punk group active from 1977 to 1983 This article is about the band For their self-titled album see The Velvet Underground (album; for the book see The Velvet Underground (book The Virgin Prunes was an Irish Gothic rock band The band formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1986 after the departure of member Gavin Friday. ^{[18][25][34][35][9][36]} Coil expressed an interest in the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, and in 1986 used a sample of a piece of his music on the Horse Rotorvator song "The Anal Staircase". Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to Horse Rotorvator is the second LP released by the British industrial group Coil. Furthermore, on the album Black Antlers Coil dedicated a song to Sun Ra and covered a song by Bam Bam. Black Antlers was originally released in CD-R format by Coil in 2004 in a limited edition Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, Legal name Le Sony'r Ra; ^[37]

Coil's influence on electronic music has become more evident since the death of Balance with electronic musicians from all over the world collaborating on a series of tribute albums. Some notable artists who appeared on these albums are Alec Empire, Chris Connelly and K.K. Null (see ...It Just Is). Alec Empire (born Alexander Wilke-Steinhof on May 2 1972 in Charlottenburg, West Berlin) is a German musician who is best known as a founding member of Christopher Connelly may refer to Christopher Connelly (actor, American actor Chris Connelly (musician, Scottish musician KK Null (born Kazuyuki Kishino in Tokyo) is a Japanese Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor has also expressed his influence by the group. Trent Reznor (born Michael Trent Reznor on May 17 1965 is an American Musician, singer producer, and Multi-instrumentalist. ^[38] The album Scatology by rap group The Great White Hype was a freestyle rap parody of Scatology based around its samples. Freestyle rap is an Improvisational form of Rapping, performed with few or no previously composed Lyrics, which is said to reflect a direct mapping of the Scatology is the first LP and a second album produced by Coil. The track "At The Heart Of It All" (found on Scatology) later became the name of an Aphex Twin track on Nine Inch Nails remix album Further Down the Spiral. Further Down the Spiral (also known as Halo 10 and Halo 10 V2) is a remix album by Nine Inch Nails released It is possible that Trent Reznor named the track as a reference to Coil, since Coil also provided remixes for Further Down the Spiral as well.

Discography

Main article: Coil discography

Coil's rapid musical output over two decades resulted in a large amount of releases, side projects and remixes as well as collaborations. Discography for the experimental music group Coil and their aliases

Primary, full-length, Coil studio albums:

• Scatology (1984)
• Horse Rotorvator (1986)
• Love's Secret Domain (1991)
• ELpH vs. Coil: Worship the Glitch (1995)
• Black Light District: A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room (1996)
• Time Machines (1998)
• Astral Disaster (1999)
• Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1 (1999)
• Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2 (2000)
• Constant Shallowness Leads to Evil (2000)
• Black Antlers (2004)
• The Ape of Naples (2005)

References

External links

Official

• Threshold House - The official Coil website.
• The Solar Lodge (Brainwashed) - Archival website: news, complete discography, reviews, interviews, FAQ, et cetera.

Research & Fan Sites

• Axis, an early Coil reference, at archive.org
• The Nachtkabarett. The occult and esoteric symbolism within Coil's works
• Coil at LyricWiki

Interviews

• Other interview collection
• The Wire interview with Coil. (1998 July 21)
• Heathen Harvest Interview with Coil (2004 April 01)
• Stylus interview with Peter Christopherson. (2004 April 12)
• Coil: The Million Dollar Altar interview with Peter Christopherson (2006 August 29)
• Heathen Harvest Interview with Peter Christopherson (2006 September 01)

The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and LyricWiki is a Lyrical Database -oriented Website run by a MediaWiki Wiki server

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