Add N to (X) were an English

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

band formed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1994. The original members were Andrew Aveling, Barry Smith (aka Barry 7) and Ann Shenton.

Steven Claydon Steven Claydon (born 1969) is a sculptor and musician based in London. Claydon was born in London. He has performed and shown work internationally in exhibitions at Tate Modern in London, Art Basel in Switzerland, in Düsseldorf and Portikus in ...

replaced Aveling in 1997. After several releases on small labels, they signed to the independent label

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grinderm ...

in 1998, and achieved modest commercial success before splitting in 2003. Several of their songs and music videos are adult/sex-related: the video for "Metal Fingers in My Body" is an animated short featuring a woman having sex with a robot, and their video for "Plug Me In" features porn actresses playing with sex toys.

Biography

In 1994, Andrew Aveling met Justin Anderson from Freaky Realistic, and together they started a band named Radix Couplment. Andrew was dating Ann Shenton at this time, and got her involved on the project. Andrew then asked his friend Barry Smith (a former Radio Prague DJ)Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography (6th Edition)'', Canongate, if he too would be interested in joining. They then spent some time gigging under this name before a fall out which led to Anderson's departure from the band. There being only three remaining Andrew then renamed the group Add N to X, based upon a mathematical formula. They kept the name but placed brackets around the X due to legal reasons. They then enlisted Steven Claydon, who remained with the group until its dissolution. The band released ''Vero Electronics'' (1996) on the Blow Up label. 1997 saw the band twice awarded 'Single of the Week' by the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' (for "The Black Regent" and "King Wasp"). Second album ''On the Wires of Our Nerves'' was released in 1998, and was described as "like

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

with a rocket shoved up their rectum". The album was played heavily by

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

DJ Mary Anne Hobbs on her show, ''

The Breezeblock {{Use British English, date=April 2014 ''The Breezeblock'' was a weekly radio programme on BBC Radio 1 that premiered on 17 February 1997 and focused on electronic music. The show's earliest broadcasts were unmixed and featured individual songs, ...

''. The group performed live regularly, often augmenting their core three-piece line up with either one or two acoustic drummers, and sometimes additional musicians playing extra synths and/or electric guitar. Equipment used live included

EMS Synthi AKS The EMS Synthi A and the EMS Synthi AKS, is a portable modular analog synthesiser made by EMS of England. The Synthi A model debuted in May 1971, and then Sythni AKS model appeared in March 1972 a with a built-in keyboard and sequencer. The EMS ...

(usually thrown around by Barry 7),

Korg MS-20 The Korg MS-20 is a patchable semi-modular monophonic analog synthesizer which Korg released in 1978 and which was in production until 1983. It was part of Korg's MS series of instruments, which also included the single oscillator MS-10, the k ...

Moog Rogue The Moog Rogue is a monophonic analog synthesizer produced by the original Moog Music in the early 1980s, but, was not designed by Bob Moog. Very basic in its design and use, the Rogue featured a 32-note keyboard and two VCOs. VCO number 2 is ...

EDP Wasp Electronic Dream Plant (EDP) was a small British synthesizer manufacturer, active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. At the time their products were not particularly successful commercially. In later years products like the "WASP" became prized ...

Omnichord The Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument introduced in 1981 by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. It typically features a touch plate known as "Sonic Strings", preset rhythms, auto-bass line functionality, and buttons for ma ...

, and

ARP 2600 The ARP 2600 is a semi-modular analog subtractive audio synthesizer produced by ARP Instruments, Inc. History Developed by a design team headed by ARP namesake Allen R. Pearlman and engineer Dennis Colin, the ARP 2600 was introduced in 1971 ...

. They often utilized distinctive artwork for the videos and record sleeves, a fetishistic collage of sexual imagery with analogue electronic equipment, based in part on the movie and book ''

Demon Seed ''Demon Seed'' is a 1977 American science fiction–horror film directed by Donald Cammell. It stars Julie Christie and Fritz Weaver. The film was based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Dean Koontz, and concerns the imprisonment and forc ...

''. The band signed to Mute Records and released three more albums, '' Avant Hard'', '' Add Insult to Injury'' and '' Loud Like Nature''. They also released the single "Little Black Rocks in the Sun", which was issued on 10 inch hexagonal vinyl. Shenton was reportedly overwhelmed by the pressures of the ''Loud Like Nature'' tour, and either left the group or was fired. In 2003, Smith and Claydon continued touring the United States without Shenton. The band broke up shortly thereafter. Barry Smith runs the Horseglue Records store and label with his partner Ethan Reid. Ann Shenton has formed a new group, Large Number, and record label, White Label Music. Steven Claydon is now known for his artwork and in 2006 was included in a group show at

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...

. Aveling now plays in Littl'ans.

Discography

Albums

* '' Vero Electronics'' (1996) * ''

On the Wires of Our Nerves ''On the Wires of Our Nerves'' is the second studio album by English electronic music band Add N to (X), released in 1998 by Soul Jazz Records subsidiary label Satellite Records in the UK and Mute Records in North America. Soul Jazz reissued i ...

'' (1998) * '' Avant Hard'' (1999) * '' Add Insult to Injury'' (2000) * '' Loud Like Nature'' (2002)

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Add N To X Electroclash groups English electronic music groups Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups from London British musical trios Mute Records artists 1994 establishments in England Rocket Girl artists