Babyland was an American

performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

-based independent

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

junk

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, featuring

Dan Gatto Dan Gatto (born Dan Merrick Gatto; September 21, 1970) is an American musician best recognized as the vocalist for synth punk band Babyland. He also collaborated with Vampire Rodents composer Daniel Vahnke on a project called Recliner. After Ba ...

performing vocals and electronics and Michael Smith on percussion. The band released six

studio albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

before disbanding in 2009: ''

You Suck Crap ''You Suck Crap'' is the debut studio album of Babyland, released in 1992 by Flipside Records. Reception Ned Raggett of AllMusic describes the album as "frenetic, outraged experimental techno-industrialized hardcore." The critic went on to not ...

'' (1992), ''

A Total Letdown ''A Total Letdown'' is the second studio album by Babyland, released on March 4, 1994, by Flipside Records. Reception Ned Raggett of AllMusic says, "Babyland continue the same perfect bland of aggro-electronics, personal/political punk lyrical ...

'' (1994), '' Who's Sorry Now'' (1995), ''

Outlive Your Enemies } ''Outlive Your Enemies'' is the fourth studio album by Babyland, released in 1998 by Mattress Recordings. Reception Ned Raggett of AllMusic awarded ''Outlive Your Enemies'' four out of five stars, describing the album as "brilliant" and sayin ...

'' (1998), ''

The Finger In Western culture, "the finger", or the middle finger (as in giving someone the (middle) finger, the bird or flipping someone off) is an obscene hand gesture. The gesture communicates moderate to extreme contempt, and is roughly equivalent i ...

'' (2004), ''

Cavecraft } ''Cavecraft'' is the fifth and final studio album by American punk band Babyland, released on September 19, 2008 by Mattress Recordings. Track listing Personnel Adapted from the ''Cavecraft'' liner notes. Babyland * Dan Gatto – ...

'' (2008).}

History

Babyland was formed in 1989 by vocalist and programmer

and percussionist Michael Smith out of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. They were advocates of the

DIY punk ethic "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

and part of the musical underground culture and well regarded in

Industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...

, punk rock,

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

and

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 ...

communities. In 1991, the band released their debut EP ''

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

'' and later that year the single ''Reality Under Smrow-Toh'' on the Los Angeles Punk rock label Flipside. In 1992 the song " Mindfuck" was provided to the If It Moves... compilation ''

The Cyberflesh Conspiracy ''The Cyberflesh Conspiracy'' is a various artists compilation album released in 1992 by If It Moves.... The theme of the album is anti-ivory, as indicated by the display of an elephant killed for its tusks on the front cover. Track listing Pe ...

'' and the following year the band produced a cover of

Madonna's Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

" Burning Up" for the '' Shut Up Kitty: A Cyber-Based Covers Compilation'' by

Re-Constriction Records Re-Constriction Records was a division of Cargo Music based in California. The label was founded in 1992 and headed by Chase, who was previously the Music Director at KCR, a student radio station on the campus of San Diego State University. The ...

. Recordings prior to 1996 continued to be released by Flipside, including the band's first three albums: ''

'' (1992), ''

'' (1994) and '' Who's Sorry Now'' (1995). These albums were positively received by critics, with ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'' crediting the band with embodying "all the confusion, resentment, anger, and frustration felt by an entire generation." The band released their fourth studio album ''

'' on Mattress Recordings in 1998. The band also participated in several of Flipside's

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

events. Subsequent material has been released by the band's own label, Mattress. The fifth full length ''

'' and a compilation of earlier songs '' Decade One'' was released in Europe by

dependent A dependant is a person who relies on another as a primary source of income. A common-law spouse who is financially supported by their partner may also be included in this definition. In some jurisdictions, supporting a dependant may enabl ...

. Most recently, a deal with

Metropolis Records Metropolis Records is a record label founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1993 by the late Dave Heckman. The label's all-electronic format closely tracked with European contemporaries, such as Off Beat, and, since 1995, has been instrumenta ...

has resulted in the wider commercial release of the sixth album ''

''. A post to the band's Myspace site on October 9, 2009, confirmed the long-lived group's breakup. In 2013 the

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' LIVE EXECUTION'' was released and documented a live performance made on January 1, 2009 at The Smell in

Live performances

Known for their live performances, Babyland shared the stage with bands such as

The Offspring The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...

Ethyl Meatplow Ethyl Meatplow was an American dance-rock band best known for their sole album, '' Happy Days, Sweetheart'', released in 1993 by Dali Records. History Ethyl Meatplow gained media coverage for its sexually explicit, burlesque-inspired live perfo ...

Grotus Grotus, stylized as G̈r̈oẗus̈, was an industrial rock band from San Francisco, active from 1989 to 1996. Their unique sound incorporated sampled ethnic instruments, two drummers, two bassists, and featured angry but humorous lyrics. Biogr ...

Legendary Pink Dots The Legendary Pink Dots (LPD) are an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in August 1980. In 1984, the band moved to Amsterdam, playing with rotating musicians and having, as core members, singer/songwriter/keyboardist Edward Ka- ...

Dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

Foetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal develo ...

Add N to (X) Add N to (X) were an English electronic music band formed in London in 1994. The original members were Andrew Aveling, Barry Smith (aka Barry 7) and Ann Shenton. Steven Claydon replaced Aveling in 1997. After several releases on small labels, ...

Nitzer Ebb Nitzer Ebb () are a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris (programming, synthesizers, drums, vocals), Douglas McCarthy (vocals), and David Gooday (drums). History Initial releases (1983–1987) The g ...

VNV Nation VNV Nation is an Irish alternative electronic project led by Ronan Harris in the roles of singer, songwriter, and producer. VNV Nation's sound combines lyrics with sounds that ranges from melodic industrial dance anthems, to haunting ballads ...

, and Psychic TV. Most of their live performances occurred in underground locations that have included places like LA's

Jabberjaw ''Jabberjaw'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera which aired 16 original episodes on ABC from September 11 to December 18, 1976. Reruns continued on ABC until September 3 ...

, Kontrol Faktory,

The Smell The Smell is an all-ages, alcohol and drug-free, punk rock and experimental music venue in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The Smell, notable for its DIY ethic, is home to many of the area's avant-garde performers and artists. The venue is m ...

and 924 Gilman in Berkeley.

Other projects

In between recording for Babyland, vocalist

formed Recliner with

Vampire Rodents Vampire Rodents was a sound collage and experimental music ensemble based out of Phoenix, Arizona, although its core members originally came from Canada. The creative nucleus of the project comprised vocalist and composer Daniel Vahnke and keyb ...

composer

Daniel Vahnke Daniel Vahnke (born April 2, 1965), sometimes credited as Anton Rathausen, is a Canadian composer and lyricist. He is best known as a co-founding member of Vampire Rodents, a band that integrated elements of classical, ambient, and industrial m ...

and produced the song's "Trilobite" and "Nosedive", which appeared on the 1993 compilation ''

Rivet Head Culture ''Rivet Head Culture'' is a various artists compilation album released on May 30, 1993 by Re-Constriction Records, If It Moves.... Reception A critic at ''Sonic Boom'' praised the ''Rivet Head Culture'' compilation, saying "it amazes me that band ...

''. Both compositions appeared on Vampire Rodents' third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' Lullaby Land'' later that year. Another collaboration by Recliner was recorded and titled "

Zygote A zygote (, ) is a eukaryotic cell formed by a fertilization event between two gametes. The zygote's genome is a combination of the DNA in each gamete, and contains all of the genetic information of a new individual organism. In multicellula ...

", released on the 1994 compilation '' Scavengers in the Matrix'' and later on Vampire Rodents' fourth album ''

Clockseed ''Clockseed'' is the fourth studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on April 7, 1995, by Re-Constriction Records. Music and lyrics ''Clockseed'' has a larger number of guest vocalists than its predecessor, with Daniel handling vocal duties ...

'' in 1995. In 2012 vocalist Dan Gatto released a

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

project called '' Continues''.

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' ( Flipside, 1992) * ''

'' (Flipside, 1994) * '' Who's Sorry Now'' (Flipside, 1995) * ''

'' (Mattress, 1998) * ''

'' (

Dependent A dependant is a person who relies on another as a primary source of income. A common-law spouse who is financially supported by their partner may also be included in this definition. In some jurisdictions, supporting a dependant may enabl ...

/Mattress, 2004) * ''

'' (Mattress, 2008) Extended plays * ''

'' ( Flipside, 1991) * '' The Dogsnatcher EP'' (Flipside, 1992) * ''

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

'' (Mattress, 2002) * ''

Past Lives Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or physical body, body after ...

'' (Mattress, 2004) * '' Not Modern'' (Mattress, 2008) Live albums * '' LIVE EXECUTION'' (Mattress, 2013) Compilation albums * '' Decade One'' (Dependent, 2001) Singles * ''Reality Under Smrow-Toh'' (Flipside, 1992) * ''Stomach'' (Flipside, 1993)

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 2009 1989 establishments in California 2009 disestablishments in California Musical groups from Los Angeles American electro-industrial music groups American industrial rock musical groups American electronic body music groups Dependent Records artists Metropolis Records artists