1000 Homo DJs was a
side project
In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style.
Usually these projects emphasize a ...
of American
industrial rock
Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...
band
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
. The project released two singles, one of which featured a cover of
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
's "
Supernaut".
1000 Homo DJs began as a side project to release outtakes from Ministry's ''
The Land of Rape and Honey
''The Land of Rape and Honey'' is the third studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on October 11, 1988, by Sire Records. This is the first Ministry album to include bassist Paul Barker and marks a departure from the ...
''. The credits read "Another Luxa/Pan Production", which was the production pseudonym for Ministry members
Al Jourgensen
Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is be ...
and
Paul Barker
Paul Gordon Barker (born February 8, 1959), also referred to as Hermes Pan, is the former bass guitarist, producer and engineer of the industrial metal band Ministry from 1986 to 2003. Prior to Ministry, Barker provided bass for the Seattle ...
.
Origin of name
In a 2004 interview, Jourgensen explained that when he played demos (presumably those which became ''Apathy'') for Wax Trax! co-owner Jim Nash, the latter replied, "No one's gonna buy this. It'll take one thousand
homo
''Homo'' () is the genus that emerged in the (otherwise extinct) genus ''Australopithecus'' that encompasses the extant species ''Homo sapiens'' ( modern humans), plus several extinct species classified as either ancestral to or closely relate ...
DJs to play this for one person to buy it."
However, according to the Wax Trax! box set ''
Black Box
In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...
'' released in 1994, Jourgensen and Nash were in the label's office listening to an unauthorized remix of the
Revolting Cocks
Revolting Cocks, also known as RevCo, are an American-Belgian industrial rock band, and sometimes supergroup, that began as a musical side project for Richard23 of Front 242, Luc van Acker, and Al Jourgensen of Ministry.
History 1984: Origin ...
' (Jourgensen's former band) single "
We Shall Cleanse the World". Nash comforted Jourgensen, who disapproved of the remix's existence, by assuring him that it would only ever be heard by "a thousand homo DJs".
Members
The members of 1000 Homo DJs were identified by pseudonyms in the CD
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
. However, most of their identities are fairly certain.
*Buck Satan:
Al Jourgensen
Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is be ...
*Officer Agro: speculated to be
Jeff Ward,
but possibly
Paul Barker
Paul Gordon Barker (born February 8, 1959), also referred to as Hermes Pan, is the former bass guitarist, producer and engineer of the industrial metal band Ministry from 1986 to 2003. Prior to Ministry, Barker provided bass for the Seattle ...
or
Martin Atkins
Martin Clive Atkins (born 3 August 1959) is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and Killing Joke. He also works as ...
*Ike Krull:
Mike Scaccia
Michael Ralph Scaccia (June 14, 1965 – December 22, 2012) was an American musician, best known as a guitarist for several heavy metal and alternative rock acts, including Rigor Mortis, Ministry and Revolting Cocks.
Life and career
Scaccia wa ...
*The Temple of Drool Choir: Mike O'Connell,
Wes Kidd
Wes Kidd was a founding member of Rights of the Accused and Triple Fast Action, the latter signing to Capitol Records and Deep Elm Records. He grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and attended Glenbard West High School
Glenbard West High School ...
,
Brian St. Clair
Brian St. Clair (born May 24, 1968) is an American drummer, best known as a member of the rock duo Local H, from July 1999 until October 2013.
Raised in Fullerton, California, Brian's family moved to the town of Glen Ellyn, Illinois in 1980.
H ...
, Herb Rosen, Joe Kelly, David "Slash" Weidman, Jerry Rodgers
*Wee Willie Reefer:
William Rieflin
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
*Viva Nova: also known as Mel'Amour and P.A.M., and later known as Vivanovachicago,
but often misidentified as Patty Jourgensen
*Count Ringworm:
Jello Biafra
Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.
Initially ac ...
*
Viktor LaMent
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
Trent Reznor's involvement
The nature of
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
frontman
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, wh ...
's contribution to 1000 Homo DJs' records has been debated. What is certain is that Reznor recorded the original vocals for "
Supernaut". This performance was not officially used because Reznor's label,
TVT Records
TVT Records (Tee-Vee Tunes) was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 24-year history, the label released 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, ...
, refused to allow his appearance on the release. Reznor's version would ultimately be released as "Supernaut (Trent Reznor Vocal Version)" by TVT four years later on the retrospective ''
Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years'', following TVT's purchase of Wax Trax!.
Jourgensen's immediate response to TVT's ultimatum is uncertain. An oft-repeated story tells that instead of recording new vocals, Jourgensen merely ran Reznor's performance through a
distortion
In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...
effect to mask its identity. According to this story, every WaxTrax! recording of "Supernaut" contains Reznor's vocals. However, a dissenting group claims this is an
urban legend
An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
, and that Jourgensen did record new vocals for the EP—albeit in a similar style to Reznor's initial performance. Statements made by both Reznor and Jourgensen seem to confirm the latter view. In a 1992
Prodigy
Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to:
* Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer
** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess
Arts, entertainment, and ...
post regarding "Supernaut", Reznor said,
finally told Al to redo it without me. The version that Wax Trax put out is Al, the version on the NIN bootleg recording">bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
] single is me.
Reznor referred to the two-track ''Suck'' bootleg, which contained the recording of "Supernaut" that later appeared on ''Black Box''. Jourgensen made a similar statement in a 2003 interview. When asked whose vocals appear on "Supernaut", Jourgensen replied, referring to the WaxTrax! EP, ''Black Box'', and ''
Greatest Fits
''Greatest Fits'' is a greatest hits album by American industrial metal band Ministry (band), Ministry, released on June 19, 2001 by Warner Bros. Records.
Background
The compilation was released to coincide with the release of the movie ''A.I. A ...
'' versions, respectively (and corroborating that only the "Trent Reznor Vocal Version" contained Reznor's performance, and that Jourgensen in fact sang on most versions of the song):
That would be me on the original, on WaxTrax! The later version released on TVT was Trent Reznor... then the remixed version had my vocals on it.
Discography
Singles
*"Apathy"
12" single (1988,
Wax Trax! Records
Wax Trax! Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago. It began as a record shop in Denver, Colorado, opened by life partners Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher, who sold the store in 1978 and moved to Chicago. In November of that y ...
)
*"
Supernaut" 12" single/CD single (1990, Wax Trax! Records)
Compilation appearances
*"Supernaut" on ''Pure Devotion'' (1992, Devotion)
*"Supernaut (Trent Reznor Vocal Version)" on ''
Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years'' (1994, Wax Trax! Records)
*"Supernaut" on ''
Nativity in Black: Tribute to Black Sabbath'' (1994,
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
)
*"Supernaut" on ''Moshpit Madness'' (1994, SPG Music Productions Ltd.)
*"Supernaut" on ''The Black Bible'' (1998,
Cleopatra Records
Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, Dea ...
)
*"Supernaut" (remixed) on
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
's ''
Greatest Fits
''Greatest Fits'' is a greatest hits album by American industrial metal band Ministry (band), Ministry, released on June 19, 2001 by Warner Bros. Records.
Background
The compilation was released to coincide with the release of the movie ''A.I. A ...
'' (2001,
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
)
*"Supernaut" on ''Hardest Hits - Modern Rock of the 80s'' (2003, SPG Music Productions Ltd.)
*"Apathy", "Supernaut", "Better Ways" and "Hey Asshole" on Ministry's ''
Side Trax
''Side Trax'' is a compilation album from industrial metal band Ministry. The album was released in October 2004. It compiles EPs from four Ministry side projects recorded in the late 1980s: Pailhead, 1000 Homo DJs, PTP, and Acid Horse. All of ...
'' (2004,
Rykodisc
Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.
History
Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...
)
*"Supernaut" (remixed) on Ministry & Co-Conspirators' ''
Cover Up
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to :wikt:conceal, conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassment, embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own ...
'' (2008,
13th Planet Records
13th Planet Records is an American record label founded by Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen in October 2005. In addition to its function as an artist-run, artist-friendly independent label, 13th Planet encompasses several realms of the music indu ...
)
*"Apathy", "Supernaut", "Better Ways", "Hey Asshole", "Supernaut (Trent Vocal)" and "Supernaut (Dub Mix)" on Ministry's ''
Trax! Box'' (2014, Cleopatra Records)
*"Supernaut (Die Krupps Remix)" on ''Occult Box'' (2015, Cleopatra Records)
References
External links
Discography and artist page at CyberNoise
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1988
Musical groups disestablished in 1990
American industrial rock musical groups
Trent Reznor
Wax Trax! Records artists