Battles is an American

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

group, founded in 2002 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

by Ian Williams (formerly of

Don Caballero Don Caballero (often shortened by members as 'Don Cab') was an American instrumental rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although the band has had numerous lineup changes with co-founder Damon Che (drums and percussion) being the only con ...

and

Storm & Stress Storm & Stress (alternately styled as Storm&Stress or Stormandstress) were an American experimental rock band formed in Pittsburgh and later based in Chicago. The band's name is derived from the German literary movement Sturm und Drang. Storm & S ...

). The current line-up is a duo, composed of guitarist/keyboardist Williams and drummer John Stanier (formerly of

Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Europ ...

and

The Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physica ...

). Former members include composer/vocalist

Tyondai Braxton Tyondai Adaien Braxton (born October 26, 1978) is an American composer and musician. He has been writing and performing music under his own name and collaboratively under various group titles and collectives since the mid-1990s, including in ...

and guitarist/bassist

Dave Konopka Dave Konopka is an American musician who is best known as the former bassist and guitarist in the experimental rock band Battles. A graphic design major at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, he also designed the band's record covers ...

. The band has released four studio albums to date, with the most recent ''Juice B Crypts'' being released in 2019. The band are regarded as one of the most innovative

math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...

bands of both the 2000s and the 2010s, with critics praising the band's unique sound. In 2007, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' wrote that "Battles have done more to extend the idea of a flesh-and-blood band enhanced by computer technology than anyone since the late, lamented

Disco Inferno "Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their 1976 fourth studio album of the same name. With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had limit ...

Career

Battles released two EPs, '' EP C'', '' B EP'', and the single "Tras" before signing to

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, ...

. Warp compiled these early recordings and released them as an album, titled ''

EP C / B EP ''EP C/B EP'' is a two disc compilation by the American math rock band Battles. It brings together the two previous EPs, '' EP C'', '' B EP'' and the "Tras" single. It was released in 2006 on Warp Records. ''EP C'' was originally released on J ...

'', in February 2006. Their first studio album, ''

Mirrored ''Mirrored'' is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Battles. It was released on May 14, 2007 in the United Kingdom, and on May 22, 2007 in the United States. ''Mirrored'' marked the first album in which the band incorporated ...

'', was recorded by Keith Souza at Machines with Magnets, and released on May 14, 2007, preceded by a single, "

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

". The single was 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 ...

's Single of the Week, and went on to be number one in the

Dandelion Radio Dandelion Radio is an internet radio station founded in June 2006 with the aim of pursuing the musical legacy of the popular and influential BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel. The station takes its name from the record label Dandelion Records found ...

Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

. The album received positive reviews and appeared on several top album lists for 2007. The group would go on to play at 2007's All Tomorrow's Parties festival and on BBC television's Later With Jools Holland. Before the end of the year they collaborated with

United Visual Artists United Visual Artists (UVA) is a London-based art practice founded in 2003 by British artist Matt Clark (b.1974). UVA's diverse body of work integrates new technologies with traditional media such as painting, sculpture, performance, and site-sp ...

in a video for track ''"Tonto"''. Battles' music was used in video games such as

LittleBigPlanet ''LittleBigPlanet'' (stylized as ''LittleBIGPlanet''; abbreviated ''LBP'') is a puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in the series ...

, short films, television programs, and on the soundtracks of films '' Twilight Saga: Eclipse'' and '' Big Fan'' in the following years. Braxton left the group in August 2010, indicating that he did not wish to tour although Battles already had a touring schedule lined up for the upcoming year. Speaking about the split in 2013 to ''The Brag'', Braxton pointed to a "long standing divide" between himself and his bandmates. Battles' second album, ''

Gloss Drop ''Gloss Drop'' is the second studio album by American experimental rock band Battles, released on Warp Records in June 2011. Most of the album is instrumental, but vocals are provided by various guests performers, including electronic musician G ...

'', was released on June 6, 2011 featuring guests including

Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...

Kazu Makino Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Kazu Makino (vocals, keys/rhythm guitar) and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace (drums/keys and lead guitar/bass/keys/vocals, respectively) that formed in New York City in 1993. ...

, and

Yamantaka Eye (born , 13 February 1964) is a Japanese vocalist and visual artist, best known as a member of Boredoms and Naked City. He has changed his stage name three times, from Yamatsuka Eye, to Yamantaka Eye, to Yamataka Eye, and sometimes calls hims ...

, and the band announced a spring tour in support of the record. In December 2011 the band curated the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

"Nightmare Before Christmas" festival in Minehead, England alongside co-curators

Les Savy Fav Les Savy Fav ( ) is an American indie rock band based in New York City. Their style is influenced by art punk and post-hardcore. The group is known for the stage presence of lead singer Tim Harrington. The band is signed to Frenchkiss Record ...

and

Caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

. From February to April 2012, a series of four 12" vinyl EPs were released, titled ''

Dross Glop ''Dross Glop'' is a remix compilation album by American experimental rock band Battles. It was released on April 16, 2012, and compiles remixes by various artists of Battles' songs from '' Gloss Drop'' (2011), eleven of which were originally rel ...

'' (a

spoonerism A spoonerism is an occurrence in speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words in a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and ordained minister William Archibald Spooner, w ...

of the album's title) 1 through 4, featuring

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

remixes of all the songs on ''Gloss Drop'' by various artists, including

Gui Boratto Guilherme Boratto (born 1974 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian electronic music producer. In the 1990s, he was a member of Sect. His debut solo album '' Chromophobia'' was awarded the title of Mixmag Album of the Month. Regarding why he chose the na ...

Kode9 Steve Goodman, known as Kode9 (born 1973) is a Scottish electronic music artist, DJ, and founder of the Hyperdub record label. He was one of the founding members of the early dubstep scene with his late collaborator The Spaceape. He has releas ...

and

Hudson Mohawke Ross Matthew Birchard (born 11 February 1986), better known by the stage name Hudson Mohawke, is a Scottish-American producer, composer, and DJ from Glasgow. He is known for his influential work in 21st century hip-hop and electronic music. A ...

. A compilation album featuring the 11 remixes (plus one not included, "Sundome") was released on April 16, 2012. Third album, In 2014, ''

La Di Da Di "La Di Da Di" is a song performed by Doug E. Fresh, who provides the beatboxed instrumental, and MC Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick), who performs the vocals. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to " The Show". The song has since ...

'', was released on September 18, 2015. This was preceded by a live session through

of them performing four new songs in New York City. The stream was up for 24 hours only, and was set on a constant loop. Konopka left the band in 2018, although the news was not confirmed until May 2019. The band played their first show as a duo in July 2019, at the Dour Festival in Belgium. Their fourth album, ''

Juice B Crypts ''Juice B Crypts'' is the fourth studio album by American experimental rock band Battles, produced by Chris Tabron, and released through Warp on October 16, 2019. It is the band's first album as a duo, following guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka's dep ...

'', was released on October 18, 2019. It features collaborations with

Shabazz Palaces Shabazz Palaces is an American hip hop group from Seattle led by Ishmael Butler a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Butterfly of jazz rap group Digable Planets). Much of the Butler's work as Shabazz Palaces has been made in collaboration with mult ...

Liquid Liquid Liquid Liquid is an American no wave and dance-punk group, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are best known for their track "Cavern," which was covered—without proper permission or attribution—by the Sugar Hill Records house band as ...

's Sal Principato,

Xenia Rubinos Xenia Rubinos (born July 24, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Background and early life Xenia Rubinos was born in Hartford, CT in 1985 to a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father. She studied jazz c ...

Jon Anderson John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...

of Yes and

Tune-Yards Tune-Yards (stylized as tUnE-yArDs) is the American, Oakland, California–based music project of Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner. Garbus's music draws from an eclectic variety of sources and utilizes elements such as loop pedals, ukulele, voca ...

' Merrill Garbus. In December 2021, it was announced the band would tour North America in April and May 2022 as the opening act on Primus' ''A Tribute to Kings'' tour.

Members

;Current members * Ian Williams –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Ableton Push Ableton AG is a German music software company that produces and distributes the production and performance program Ableton Live and a collection of related instruments and sample libraries, as well as their own hardware controller Ableton Push. ...

(2002–present);

effects Effect may refer to: * A result or change of something ** List of effects ** Cause and effect, an idiom describing causality Pharmacy and pharmacology * Drug effect, a change resulting from the administration of a drug ** Therapeutic effect, a ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, loops (2018–present) * John Stanier –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

(2002–present) ;Former members *

– guitar, keyboards,

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

(2002–2010) *

– bass guitar, guitar, effects, loops (2002–2018)

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

* '' EP C'' ( Monitor Records; June 8, 2004) * '' B EP'' (

Dim Mak Records Dim Mak Records is an independent, Los Angeles-based record label, events company, and lifestyle brand founded by Steve Aoki in 1996. The label has released music under the genres of punk, indie rock, hardcore, hip hop, and electronic dance ...

; September 14, 2004) * '' EPC'' (Japan only special mix edition; Dotlinecircle; October 2004) * ''Lives'' (Beat Records; September 27, 2007) * '' Tonto+'' (

; October 22, 2007 world, November 6, 2007 USA) * '' Dross Glop 1'' (first in a four-part 12" vinyl remix series; Warp Records; February 6/7, 2012) * '' Dross Glop 2'' (second in four-part 12" vinyl remix series; Warp Records; February 20/21, 2012) * '' Dross Glop 3'' (third in four-part 12" vinyl remix series; Warp Records; March 19/20, 2012) * '' Dross Glop 4'' (fourth and final in four-part 12" vinyl remix series; Warp Records;

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

, April 21, 2012)

Compilations

* '' EP C/B EP'' (

, February 21, 2006) * ''Warp20 (Chosen)'' (September 28, 2009) * ''

'' (CD compilation of the four-part 12" vinyl remixes; April 16/17, 2012)

Singles

* "Tras" (June 15, 2004, 12") * "

" (April 2007, 12") * "

Tonto Tonto is a fictional character; he is the Native American (either Comanche or Potawatomi) companion of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Tonto has appeared in radio and tele ...

" (October 2007) * "The Line" (August 2010, digital download) * "

Ice Cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

" (March 2011, 12") * "My Machines" (August 2011, 12") * " The Yabba" (August 2015, download) * "FF Bada" (September 2015, download) * "Titanium 2 Step" (August 2019, download)

Music videos

*"Atlas" (2007) *"Tonto" (2007) *"Ice Cream" (2011) *"My Machines" (2011) *"The Yabba" (2015) *"Dot Net" (2015) *"Titanium 2 Step" (2019) *"Fort Greene Park" (2019) *"Sugar Foot" (2020)

Filmography

* ''

'' (October 2009) * Battles: The Art of Repetition (July 2015)

References

External links

Official Battles website

Battles fansite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battles Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) American musical trios Math rock groups American post-rock groups Musical groups from New York City Musical groups established in 2003 Warp (record label) artists