Battery 9 (pronounced, in
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
, as ''Butteray Nea-ge''), an
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 ...
project from
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, is the brainchild of Paul Riekert, who writes, plays and records the music in a mixture of
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
. The band name is sometimes written, without a space, as Battery9.
History
Riekert started recording under the name Battery 9 in 1994, bored with the creative constraints of a standard
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band format. A platform to run various projects from, One F Music, was subsequently founded, in the form of an independent record label and a small home studio.
The first Battery 9 album, ''Protskrog'', was released in 1995. Made and backed by little more than a shoestring budget, it sold well enough to warrant a licensing deal with independent record company ''Tic Tic Bang''.
The next release, ''Strop'' (1996), saw Battery 9 break through to a wider audience, with the song "Kiss the Machine" receiving daytime airplay and eventually charting on
5FM, a major nationwide commercial radio station. For the first time, the major industry took notice and the project received major media coverage, while the live act played for increasingly bigger audiences, culminating in a solo show at the Viper Room in
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
in 1997 that drew 1200 people. In the same year, the album ''Gris'', featuring remixes, re-interpretations and interactive CD-ROM data, was released.
''Wrok'' was released in 1998 and was awarded ''Best Rock Album'' in that year's
South African Music Awards
The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in N ...
.
After a few major live performances, including supporting
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional l ...
and
Faithless
Faithless are an English band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, '' Reverence'', was released in 1996 and their most recent, ''All Blessed'', in 2020. They have sold millions ...
on their tour in South Africa, Battery 9 took a break for a couple of months to re-assemble the live act. In December 2000 and January 2001, Battery 9, with the newly formed live act, performed a well received short tour of South Africa. The set included new songs from the album ''Sondebok'' which was released in 2002.
After a long break, a sixth album, ''Straks'', was released in late 2005 with almost no marketing or promotion.
The next album, ''Galbraak'', is expected during the second semester of 2008.
Current members
The band has had quite a few members and incarnations over the years, with Paul Riekert and the 6'8" tall Huyser Burger (also known as DJ Fokkolnonsins) remaining as the only two constants from 1995. The current guitarist is Dawid Kahts, who also plays guitar for
NuL and Thys Nywerheid. The band currently performs wearing formal black suits, except for Huyser who sometimes goes casual. Huyser Burger died on 5 December 2011 from acute kidney and liver failure.
Unorthodox instruments
As befits their industrial image, Battery 9 often uses unorthodox instruments on-stage as well as for recording samples. Examples include road signs, oil drums and other pieces of scrap metal. The blade from a bulldozer was included for a time, but it was abandoned because of the hassle involved in transporting it to the venues. DIY electric implements like drills, angle-grinders and jackhammers are also used, with some more for the visual effect than the musical merit of including it.
Albums
*''Protskrog'' — Album — 20 April 1995 — One F Music / Tic Tic Bang
*''Strop'' — Album — 23 August 1996 — One F Music / Tic Tic Bang
*''Strop'' (Limited Edition) — Album (limited to approximately 300 copies) — 23 August 1996 — One F Music / Tic Tic Bang
*''Gris'' — Remix EP — 29 September 1997 — One F Music / Tic Tic Bang
*''Gris'' (Limited Edition) — Remix EP — 29 September 1997 — One F Music / Tic Tic Bang
*''Wrok'' — Album — 17 October 1998 — One F Music / Tic Tic Bang
*''Sondebok'' — Album — 14 July 2002 — One F Music / Gallo Record Company
*''Straks'' — Album — December 2005 — One F Music
*''Galbraak'' — Album — October 2008 — One F Music
*''Grimmig'' — Album — December 2016 — One F Music
Compilations
* "Ocean Culture"
*"My Generation"
*"Oppikoppi Live"
*"Akwa - Pure South African Dance"
*"Oppikoppi Live"
*"
Euphoria - Industrial EBM Compilation
Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and danci ...
"
*'Swerve"
*"Om te Breyten"
*"Essential Indie Vol. 1"
*"Alternatief op sy beste"
*"Mondmusiek - Breyten Breytenbach"
*"Orgazmatracks 3"
*"Barney Simon's Radio Revolution"
*"20 Jaar Later: Van Voëlvry tot Fokof"
Side projects
Paul Riekert
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
and various other members of the band have collaborated on many other musical projects. Examples include the "Breinskade" (Brain damage) album which mainly featured the smashing of anything they could lay their hands on. More recent projects include the General Dealer electronica album, as well as the eerie almost-
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
album "Floukop" by Paul Riekert and
Andre van Rensburg
Andre van Rensburg (born 22 December 1976 in Cape Town) is a South African avant-garde composer, producer and instrumentalist living in Tokyo, Japan. Van Rensburg is a prolific artist with dozens of credits as composer, performer and producer. ...
(a former Battery 9 guitarist) under the name of "Die Menere".
External links
www.battery9.co.za — The official Battery 9 website (updated and relaunched 2007.03.01)
Screaming Machine— An unofficial Battery 9 website
Myspace— The Official Battery 9 Myspace
{{Authority control
South African industrial music groups
Musical groups established in 1994
South African alternative rock groups
1994 establishments in South Africa