Nitzer Ebb
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| Nitzer Ebb | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
| Genres | electronic body music rock music |
| Labels | Mute Records Geffen Records |
| Members | Douglas McCarthy Bon Harris Kourtney Klein (live) |
| Past members | David Gooday Namen Duc Nhan Julian Beeston Dave Lovering (live) Jason Payne (live) |
Nitzer Ebb (pronounced night-zer or nit-zer—the band themselves pronounce it either way) is a music group formed in 1982 by Essex schoolfriends Douglas McCarthy (vocals, synthesizer), Vaughan (Bon) Harris on synthesizers and drums, and David Gooday.
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[edit] Beginnings
The trio began with shows in small local venues, but their arresting stage presence, military image and energy garnered a growing base of followers and soon led to appearances in larger clubs and concert venues. They released their debut single "Isn't It Funny How Your Body Works" on 7 January, 1985 on their own label Power Of Voice Communications, and their music soon became a fixture on the club scene. A double 'A' side single, "Warsaw Ghetto"/"So Bright So Strong", followed in 1985 to similar critical and dancefloor acclaim. Two further releases, "Let Your Body Learn"/"Get Clean" and "Murderous" were released on Power Of Voice Communications before they signed to Mute Records.
[edit] Late 1980s through early 1990s
In May 1987, they released their debut album on Mute Records, That Total Age, which spawned a hit with the pounding bass rhythms and barked vocals of "Join In the Chant" and "Murderous".
The second album, Belief, was released in 1989. The band was now down to a core duo of Harris and McCarthy, with Julian Beeston on drumming duty. Three more albums, Showtime in 1990, Ebbhead in 1991, and Big Hit in 1995 were also international successes as the band moved away from 4/4 130bpm stomping dance tracks and explored other musical forms - jazz, rock, blues - whilst still sounding like Nitzer Ebb, or, as Douglas Mccarthy described it in 1991, "simplistic dance music". Nitzer Ebb had also found favour with labelmates and international pop heavyweights Depeche Mode, who invited them on their European tour in 1988, and in 1990, opening on the World Violation Tour in the US. Exposure to large stadium crowds and the intensity of the whole rock and roll business provided sufficient influence for the group to start to develop a more rock-oriented approach to their razor-sharp electronic dance music, and 1991's As Is EP (produced by Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman, Flood, Depeche Mode's Alan Wilder, and Barry Adamson) paved the way for the aforementioned Ebbhead.
[edit] Recent years
The momentum and progress built up around Ebbhead was serverly hampered by the band's (very expensive) 3 years recording Big Hit (drummers were sacked, producers changed), which created a critical fracture between Harris and McCarthy. The group ground to a halt towards the end of the Big Hit tour (final dates were advertised then cancelled). Although the group never officially split, the door was effectively left open for Harris and McCarthy to reactivate the band in the future once their differences had been resolved. NovaMute later released a remix series with three 12-inch singles between 2001 and 2004 - Shame/Join in the Chant, Control I'm Here/Let Your Body Learn, and Murderous/Control I'm Here. The remix of Let Your Body Learn was particularly fruitful as it was given a radical overhaul by French techno producer Terence Fixmer which led first to a friendship and then a recording project between Fixmer and Douglas McCarthy, called simply Fixmer/McCarthy, and performing live shows around the globe, which included new versions of Nitzer Ebb songs. This also led to an album released as Fixmer/McCarthy, entitled Between the Devil....
In late 2005, Side-Line Magazine announced that McCarthy (now residing in east London working as a video producer, having studied graphic design in Cambridge after a couple of collaborations with Alan Wilder on his Recoil project and appearing live with Empirion at 1997's Tribal Gathering), and Harris (now residing in the US, and producing/engineering for Marilyn Manson and Billy Corgan) had begun to talk about the possibility of a Nitzer Ebb reunion. 2006 saw Nitzer Ebb tour once more, focusing on the more electronic phase of their career, with Mute Records finally releasing the 2 CDs set, Body of Work 1984-1997 in June 2006. A companion piece Body Rework, featuring remixes from cutting edge contemporary techno artists such as Motor, Black Strobe, the Hacker, Derrick May, and the Whignomy Brothers, highlights the interest and respect still shown for this groundbreaking, unique, and original electronic outfit.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- That Total Age (1987)
- Belief (1989)
- Showtime (1990)
- Ebbhead (1991)
- Big Hit (1995)
- Body of Work - 1984 - 1997 (2006)
- Body Rework (2006)
[edit] EPs
- As Is (1991)
[edit] Compilations
- So Bright So Strong (1988)
[edit] Demos
- Basic pain procedure (1983)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | US Dance | US Modern Rock |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Isn't It Funny How Your Body Works" | - | - |
| 1985 | "Warsaw Ghetto" | - | - |
| 1986 | "Get Clean" | - | - |
| 1986 | "Murderous" | - | - |
| 1987 | "Let Your Body Learn" | - | - |
| 1987 | "Join In The Chant" | 9 | - |
| 1988 | "So Bright, So Strong" | - | - |
| 1988 | "Control I'm Here" | 14 | 25 |
| 1989 | "Hearts And Minds" | 16 | - |
| 1989 | "Shame" | - | - |
| 1989 | "The Machinerys Of Joy" (Die Krupps with Nitzer Ebb) | 25 | - |
| 1989 | "Lightning Man" | 14 | 28 |
| 1990 | "Fun To Be Had" | 5 | - |
| 1991 | "I Give To You" | - | - |
| 1991 | "Godhead" | - | - |
| 1992 | "Ascend" | - | - |
| 1995 | "Kick It" | - | - |
| 1995 | "I Thought" | - | - |
| 1995 | "Cherry Blossom" | - | - |
[edit] Music videos
- Murderous (1987)
- Let Your Body Learn (1987)
- Control I'm Here (1988)
- Hearts and Minds (1989)
- Shame (1989)
- Lightning Man (1990)
- Fun To Be Had (1990)
- Family Man (1991)
- I Give To You (1991)
- Godhead (1992)
- Ascend (1992)
- Kick It (1995)
[edit] Tributes
- Muscle and Hate - Nilaihah Records, (2005)
