Coil (band)
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Coil were an English
experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...
group formed in 1982 in London and dissolved in 2005. Initially envisioned as a solo project by musician
John Balance Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton (16 February 1962 – 13 November 2004), better known under the pseudonyms John Balance or the later variation Jhonn Balance, was an English musician, occultist, artist and poet. He was best known as a co-founde ...
(of the band Psychic TV), Coil evolved into a full-time project with the addition of his partner and Psychic TV bandmate
Peter Christopherson Peter Martin Christopherson (also known as Sleazy, 27 February 1955 – 25 November 2010) was an English musician, video director, commercial artist, designer and photographer, and former member of British design agency Hipgnosis. He also found ...
, formerly of pioneering
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 ...
group
Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter (British musician), Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pi ...
. Coil's work explored themes related to
the occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...
,
sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
,
alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...
, and drugs while influencing genres such as
gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...
,
neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumenta ...
and dark ambient.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
called the group "one of the most beloved, mythologized groups to emerge from the British
post-industrial In sociology, the post-industrial society is the stage of society's development when the service sector generates more wealth than the manufacturing sector of the economy. The term was originated by Alain Touraine and is closely related to s ...
scene." After the release of their 1984 debut EP '' How to Destroy Angels'', Coil joined
Some Bizzare Records Some Bizzare Records was a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of ''Some Bizzare Album'', a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, the The, Neu Elect ...
, through which they released two full-length albums, ''
Scatology In medicine and biology, scatology or coprology is the study of feces. Scatological studies allow one to determine a wide range of biological information about a creature, including its diet (and thus where it has been), health and diseases su ...
'' (1984) and ''
Horse Rotorvator ''Horse Rotorvator'' is the second studio album by English experimental music group Coil, released in 1986. The cover photograph was shot by the band and shows the bandstand in Regent's Park, London, which was subject to the Hyde Park and Reg ...
'' (1986). In 1985, the group began working on a series of soundtracks, among them the rejected score for the first ''
Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart''. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot invol ...
'' film. After departing from Some Bizzare, Coil established their own record label,
Threshold House Threshold House is one of several record labels created by Coil to release their own work and that of affiliated projects. Associated labels include Eskaton and Chalice. It is also the name for the official Coil website. The label was initi ...
, through which they produced and released ''
Love's Secret Domain Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, doing business as Love's (or stylized as Loves), is an American family-owned chain of more than 500 truck stop and convenience stores in 41 states in the United States. The company is privately owned and he ...
'' (1991). Financial difficulties slowed the group's work in the early 1990s before they returned to the project on releases such as '' Astral Disaster'' (1999), and the ''Musick to Play in the Dark'' series composed of '' Vol. 1'' (1999) and '' Vol. 2'' (2000), as well as releasing several projects under aliases such as Black Light District, ELpH, and Time Machines. Balance and Christopherson were the only constant members; other contributors throughout the band's career included
Stephen Thrower Stephen Thrower (born 9 December 1963) is an English musician and author. Musical career Early career In 1980, Thrower formed the group Possession with Victor Watkins and Anna Virginia War and they released the album ''The Thin White Arms, Obtu ...
,
Danny Hyde Danny Hyde is an experimental musician and remix artist. Hyde has contributed to production and mixing on many Coil albums, including ''Horse Rotorvator'', ''Love's Secret Domain'', ''The Remote Viewer'', '' Black Antlers'',''The Ape of Naples'', ...
,
Drew McDowall Drew McDowall (born 28 January 1961) is a Scottish musician who has been a member, collaborator, and remixer for various influential music groups. McDowall was formerly a full-time member of Coil. History McDowall formed art-punk trio Poems in ...
,
William Breeze William Breeze, also known by his neo-Gnostic bishop title of Tau Silenus (born August 12, 1955) is an American author and publisher on magick and philosophy. He is the Sovereign Patriarch, or supreme governing cleric, of Ecclesia Gnostica Ca ...
,
Thighpaulsandra Timothy Lewis – best known by the stage name Thighpaulsandra – is a Welsh experimental musician and multi-instrumentalist, known mostly for performing on synthesizers and keyboards. He began his career working with Julian Cope in the late ...
and
Ossian Brown Ossian Brown (born 3 April 1969, London, England) is an English musician and artist, most notable for being a member of the groups Coil and Cyclobe. He joined Coil in 1999 and remained with them until the band’s cessation following the deat ...
. With involvement from these members, the group also started several smaller independent vanity labels, including
Eskaton Eskaton is a defunct Vanity label, vanity record label created by Coil (band), Coil, exclusively for albums put out by the group and their friends. Its brother labels are Threshold House and Chalice (record label), Chalice. The record label i ...
and
Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. Re ...
. The group's first live performance in 16 years occurred in 1999, and began a series of mini-tours that would last until 2004. Following the accidental death of John Balance on 13 November 2004, Christopherson formally announced that Coil as a creative entity had ceased to exist, ending the Coil discography with ''
The Ape of Naples ''The Ape of Naples'' is the final studio album by English experimental group Coil. It was released on 2 December 2005 in the UK and Thailand by Threshold House, and has subsequently been reissued by multiple labels since. The album was a defini ...
'' (2005). Posthumous releases and compilations of unreleased material have since followed this, with Drew McDowall and Danny Hyde leading the project's archive.


History


1982–1983: Formation and early years

In 1978, John Balance (born Geoff eyBurton; also known as Rushton, by his stepfather's surname) was a teenage zine journalist, writing—along with his schoolmate Tom Craig, a grandson of
Edward Carrick Edward Carrick (born Edward Anthony Craig; 3 January 1905 – 21 January 1998) was an English art designer for film, an author and illustrator. Carrick was born in London. His father was Edward Gordon Craig, the theatre practitioner and stage d ...
and grand-grandson of
Edward Gordon Craig Edward Henry Gordon CraigSome sources give "Henry Edward Gordon Craig". (born Edward Godwin; 16 January 1872 – 29 July 1966), sometimes known as Gordon Craig, was an English modernist theatre practitioner; he worked as an actor, director and ...
—under a moniker '' Stabmental'', through which he published the articles on UK underground artists, including seminal industrial bands
Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter (British musician), Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pi ...
and Cabaret Voltaire. A Throbbing Gristle fan, Balance had contacted them via mail, and thus befriended the Throbbing Gristle frontperson
Genesis P-Orridge Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (born Neil Andrew Megson; 22 February 1950 – 14 March 2020) was a singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, visual artist, and occultist who rose to notoriety as the founder of the COUM Transmissions arti ...
. In February 1980, Balance had attended a Throbbing Gristle gig recorded and released as ''
Heathen Earth ''Heathen Earth'' is a live album by the English industrial band Throbbing Gristle, released in 1980 through Industrial Records. Background Tracks 1–8 document their performance 16 February 1980 at the Industrial Records studio in front ...
'', where he had first met P-Orridge's bandmate
Peter Christopherson Peter Martin Christopherson (also known as Sleazy, 27 February 1955 – 25 November 2010) was an English musician, video director, commercial artist, designer and photographer, and former member of British design agency Hipgnosis. He also found ...
and befriended him as well. Following the dissolution of Throbbing Gristle in 1981, P-Orridge, Christopherson, and Alex Fergusson (formerly of
Alternative TV Alternative TV (sometimes known as ATV) are an English band formed in London in 1977. Author Steve Taylor writes: "Alternative TV pioneered reggae rhythms in punk and then moved on to redefine the musical rules". History Alternative TV were for ...
) went on to form the new project, titled Psychic TV, along with the accompanying fellowship titled
Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, abbreviated as TOPY, was a British magical organization, fellowship and chaos magic network founded in 1981 by Genesis P-Orridge, lead member of multimedia group Psychic TV. The network, including later members of ...
. Balance, who had attended the
University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...
for a short time and participated in Brian Williams'
Lustmord Brian Williams is a Welsh industrial musician, sound designer and film score composer. He is often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord. His experimental work has been described as "not tra ...
project, returned in London to live with Christopherson—with whom a romantic partnership had begun. As a Psychic TV member, Balance participated in the recording of the single "Just Drifting" (from the album '' Force the Hand of Chance'') and, the following year, of the album ''
Dreams Less Sweet ''Dreams Less Sweet'' is the second studio album by English experimental band Psychic TV, released in 1983. It was the last Psychic TV album to feature co-founder Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson. Recording The album was recorded using Zucca ...
''. Already having an experience of performing and recording previous to his tenure in Psychic TV, Balance went on to use the name Coil in 1982, originally envisioned for a solo project. In 1983, Balance wrote a manifesto titled ''The Price of Existence Is Eternal Warfare'' and sent a tape of the song "On Balance", dated 5 May 1982, to Gary Levermore's label
Third Mind Records ''Third Mind Records'' was a British independent record label, founded in February 1983 by Gary Levermore. Name The label derived its name from the book ''The Third Mind'', a work compiled by Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs and art ...
for an inclusion on a compilation album ''Rising From The Red Sand''; Levermore, however, had rejected the track. Despite this, Balance had recorded three more new tracks—"S for Sleep", "Red Weather", and "Here to Here (Double-Headed Secret)"—on 11 May 1983. On 4 August 1983, Coil—as the duo of Balance and Christopherson—had played its first gig in London at the Magenta Club, during a screening of films by
Cerith Wyn Evans Cerith Wyn Evans (born 1958 in Llanelli) is a Welsh conceptual artist, sculptor and film-maker. In 2018 he won the £30,000 Hepworth Prize for Sculpture. Early life and education The son of Sulwyn and Myfanwy Evans, Evans was born in Llanelli. ...
and
Derek Jarman Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, gardener and gay rights activist. Biography Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing Home ...
. Since Christopherson's commitments for Psychic TV—in which he had become disillusioned due to growing conflict with P-Orridge—still limited his participation in Coil, Balance approached John Gosling—also Psychic TV member who fronted his own project
Zos Kia ''Zos Kia'' (also credited as Zoskia) was a British musical group initially formed by John "Zos Kia" Gosling along with John Balance. This trio, along with Peter Christopherson on sound, and sometimes other guests, recorded and performed severa ...
—to work with. Balance's and Gosling's collaboration resulted in the next three gigs during 1983, with the last one being performed in December on Berlin Atonal festival, where Balance participated as both Psychic TV and Coil member. The recordings from aforementioned gigs, as well as "On Balance", were later included on Zos Kia/Coil split album ''
Transparent Transparency, transparence or transparent most often refer to: * Transparency (optics), the physical property of allowing the transmission of light through a material They may also refer to: Literal uses * Transparency (photography), a still, ...
'', released in February 1984 by Austrian label Nekrophile Records. Since January 1984, Balance and Christopherson had departed from Psychic TV and the Temple of Psychic Youth, in order to make Coil as a full-time concern.


1984–1986: ''How to Destroy Angels'' and Some Bizzare years

The band's official recording debut, an extended play titled '' How to Destroy Angels'', was released on the
Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
(20 April) of 1984 by a Belgian-based label L.A.Y.L.A.H. Antirecords. Recorded on 19 February 1984 at Britannia Row Studios, the album was dedicated to
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
as the god of spring and war, using predominantly iron and steel instruments. Shortly after in May 1984, Coil went on to record their first full-length studio album, eventually titled ''
Scatology In medicine and biology, scatology or coprology is the study of feces. Scatological studies allow one to determine a wide range of biological information about a creature, including its diet (and thus where it has been), health and diseases su ...
'', approaching
JG Thirlwell James George Thirlwell (born 29 January 1960), also known as Clint Ruin, Frank Want, and Foetus, among other names, is an Australian musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for juxtaposing a variety of different musical styles. ...
as a co-producer and co-composer; several others contributors, including
Stephen Thrower Stephen Thrower (born 9 December 1963) is an English musician and author. Musical career Early career In 1980, Thrower formed the group Possession with Victor Watkins and Anna Virginia War and they released the album ''The Thin White Arms, Obtu ...
, Alex Fergusson and
Gavin Friday Gavin Friday (born Fionán Martin Hanvey, 8 October 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter, best known as a founding member of the post-punk group The Virgin Prunes. Early life Friday was born in Dublin and attende ...
, took part in its recording. ''Scatologys themes echoed those of ''How to Destroy Angels'', while focusing mainly on alchemy as an idea of transforming matter. ''Scatology'' was released in early 1985 with a 1984 copyright date by the band's own label, Force & Form, and K.422 (a
Some Bizzare Records Some Bizzare Records was a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of ''Some Bizzare Album'', a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, the The, Neu Elect ...
sublabel), to mainly positive feedback. Shortly after, a single featuring a remix of "
Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...
" and a cover of "
Tainted Love "Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. It attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synthpop duo Soft Cell in 198 ...
" was released, with the profits being donated to the
Terrence Higgins Trust Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns about and provides services relating to HIV and sexual health. In particular, the charity aims to end the transmission of HIV in the UK; to support and empower people living with HIV, to ...
; hailed since then as the first AIDS benefit music release, it was supported with the "Tainted Love" video directed by Christopherson, which was purchased by
The Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of the ...
in New York, U.S. ''Horse Rotorvator'' followed in 1986 as the next full-length release. Although songs such as "The Anal Staircase" and "Circles of Mania" sound like evolved versions of ''Scatology'' material, the album is characterized by slower tempos, and represented a new direction for the group. The album has a darker theme than previous releases, according to Balance:
Horse Rotorvator was this vision I'd had of this mechanical/flesh thing that ploughed up the earth and I really did have a vision of it—a real horrible, burning, dripping, jaw-like vision in the night ... The
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...
killed their horses and use their jawbones to make this huge earth-moving machine."
The artwork features a photograph of the location of a notorious
IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
bombing, in which a bomb was detonated on a military orchestra pavilion. ''Horse Rotorvator'' was in part influenced by the
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
-related deaths of some of their friends. Furthermore, the song "Ostia (The Death of Pasolini)" is about the mysterious death of
Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...
, as well as what Balance described as "the number one suicide spot in the world", the
white cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, deposi ...
.


''Gold Is the Metal...'' and ''Unnatural History'' (1986–1990)

After the release of ''Horse Rotorvator'', Coil left Some Bizzare Records, since they fell out with its owner
Stevo Pearce Stephen John Pearce, commonly known as Stevo (born 26 December 1962), is a British record producer and music industry executive, best known as the owner of indie record label Some Bizzare Records. Biography He was born in Dagenham, Essex, Engla ...
. ''
Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders) ''Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders)'' was the third album released by Coil (band), Coil, in the year 1987. It is not a proper follow-up to 1986's ''Horse Rotorvator'', but more a collection of outtakes and demos from the ''Scatolo ...
'' followed as a full-length release in 1987, marking the beginning of the band's own label,
Threshold House Threshold House is one of several record labels created by Coil to release their own work and that of affiliated projects. Associated labels include Eskaton and Chalice. It is also the name for the official Coil website. The label was initi ...
—the album is described in the liner notes as "not the follow-up to ''Horse Rotorvator'', but a completely separate package – a stopgap and a breathing space – the space between two twins", which refers to ''Horse Rotorvator'' and ''Love's Secret Domain''. The 13-track ''Unnatural History'' compilation was then released on Threshold House in 1990. The first three songs on the album were first released as one half of the ''Nightmare Culture'' mini-album.


''Love's Secret Domain'' (1991–1992)

''Love's Secret Domain'' (abbreviated ''LSD'') followed in 1991 as the next "proper" Coil album, although a few minor releases had been produced since ''Horse Rotorvator''. ''LSD'' represents a progression in Coil's style and became a template for what would be representative of newer waves of post-industrial music, blended with their own style of
acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...
. Although the album was more upbeat, it was not intended as a dance record, as Christopherson explained "I wouldn't say it's a party atmosphere, but it's more positive." " Windowpane" and a
Jack Dangers Jack Dangers (born John Stephen Corrigan, 11 January 1965) is an English electronic musician, DJ, producer, and remixer best known for his work as the primary member of Meat Beat Manifesto. He lives in San Francisco. Career Prior to founding ...
remix of " The Snow" were released as singles, both of which had music videos directed by Christopherson. The video for "Windowpane" was shot in the
Golden Triangle Golden Triangle may refer to: Places Asia * Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia), named for its opium production * Golden Triangle (Yangtze), China, named for its rapid economic development * Golden Triangle (India), comprising the popular tourist ...
, where, Balance claimed, "the original Thai and Burmese drug barons used to exchange opium for gold bars with the CIA." Christopherson recalled "John alancediscovered while he was performing that where he was standing was quicksand! In the video you can actually see him getting deeper and deeper." Furthermore,
Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...
friends of the group commented that they had known of several people that died where Coil had shot footage for the music video. A music video for the song "Love's Secret Domain" was also shot, which was initially unreleased due to its nature: as Christopherson explained, "We shot 'Love's Secret Domain' in a go-go boy bar in Bangkok; with John alanceperforming on stage with about 20 or 30 dancing boys, which probably won't get played on MTV, in fact!" As of January 2015, the music video is viewable on more than one YouTube channel. '' Stolen & Contaminated Songs'' followed as a full-length release in 1992. However, as with ''Gold Is the Metal...'', it is a collection of outtakes and demos from the ''LSD'' era.


Soundtracks and side projects (1993–1998)

Coil separated their works into many
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 ...
s, publishing music under different names and a variety of styles. The pre-Coil aliases, Zos Kia and Sickness of Snakes, formed the foundation of a style that would evolve to characterize their initial wave of releases. Before embarking on their second wave of side projects and pseudonyms, Coil created a soundtrack for the movie ''
Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart''. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot invol ...
'', although they withdrew from the project when they suspected their music would not be used. Furthermore, Coil claimed inspiration for Pinhead was partly drawn from the piercing magazines that director Barker borrowed from the group. Balance explained after the release of ''Stolen and Contaminated Songs'', in around 1992:
Yeah it would have been brilliant but we wouldn't have carried on, because they were changing everything and they weren't being very nice to us, the actual film people. They were keeping us in the dark a lot. We said we'd had enough just at the same time they decided they wanted to use Howard Shore. They just wanted normal film music. They didn't want anything too scary which is sad and ridiculous for a horror film.
Also in 1992, Threshold House released a " Remixes And Re-Recordings" version of ''How to Destroy Angels''. Nurse with Wound's
Steven Stapleton Steven Peter Stapleton (born 3 February 1957) is an English musician who is best known as the only constant member of experimental improv outfit Nurse with Wound. He is often seen as one of the pioneers of the British industrial music scene, a ...
contributed a remix of the song, "How To Destroy Angels II". In 1993, Coil contributed music to
Derek Jarman Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, gardener and gay rights activist. Biography Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing Home ...
's film ''
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
''. Their 1985 score for Jarman's '' The Angelic Conversation'' was released on CD in 1994. In addition, they recorded soundtracks for the documentary '' Gay Man's Guide to Safer Sex'' as well as ''Sarah Dales Sensuous Massage''. Much like the pre-Coil aliases, Coil's series of side projects represented a diverse basis from which the group evolved a different style of sound. While ''
Nasa Arab ''Nasa-Arab'' is a 12" single by Coil (band), Coil vs. The Eskaton. The Eskaton, however, is another alias of Coil. Eskaton is also the name of a record label that was run by Coil. Background The song "Nasa-Arab" originally appeared in a shorte ...
''—credited to the group's project "The Eskaton"—was Coil's farewell to the acid house genre, the following projects,
ELpH Coil were an English experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibiliti ...
, Black Light District, and
Time Machines ''Time Machines'' is a 1998 studio album by English experimental group Coil, originally released under the one-off project alias Time Machines. The album was created under the premise of psychedelic drone pieces named after corresponding hallu ...
, were all based heavily on experimentation with
drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...
, an ingredient that would define Coil's following work. These releases also launched the start of Coil's new label
Eskaton Eskaton is a defunct Vanity label, vanity record label created by Coil (band), Coil, exclusively for albums put out by the group and their friends. Its brother labels are Threshold House and Chalice (record label), Chalice. The record label i ...
. ''Transparent'' was reissued in CD format in 1997 on Threshold House. A disc and booklet were packaged in a "thick" slipcase, which was released in partnership with the World Serpent music company.


Late Coil (1998–2004)

After the wave of experimental side projects, Coil's sound was completely redefined. Before releasing new material, the group released the compilations ''
Unnatural History II ''Unnatural History II'' (subtitled ''Smiling in the Face of Perversity'') is the second in the ''Unnatural History'' series of compilation albums by Coil. Unlike the compilations '' Stolen & Contaminated Songs'' and '' Gold Is the Metal with t ...
'', ''
Windowpane & The Snow ''Windowpane & The Snow'' was a CD released by the band Coil. This release compiles the two EPs, " Windowpane" and " The Snow". The original versions of the songs "Windowpane" and "The Snow" appear on the album ''Love's Secret Domain''. Backgro ...
'' and ''
Unnatural History III ''Unnatural History III'', subtitled ''Joyful Participation in the Sorrows of the World'', is the third and final release in the ''Unnatural History'' series of compilation albums by British experimental band Coil. Unlike the compilations '' St ...
''. In March 1998, Coil began to release a series of four singles which were timed to coincide with the
equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...
and
solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...
s of that year. The singles are characterized by slow, drone-like instrumental rhythms, and electronic or orchestral instrumentation. The first single, '' Spring Equinox: Moon's Milk or Under an Unquiet Skull'', featured two versions of the same song, the second version of which included an
electric viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...
contribution from a newly inducted member,
William Breeze William Breeze, also known by his neo-Gnostic bishop title of Tau Silenus (born August 12, 1955) is an American author and publisher on magick and philosophy. He is the Sovereign Patriarch, or supreme governing cleric, of Ecclesia Gnostica Ca ...
. The second single, '' Summer Solstice: Bee Stings'', also featured performances by Breeze, and also included the
industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...
-
noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...
song "A Warning from the Sun (For Fritz)", which was dedicated to a friend of Balance and Christopherson's who had committed suicide earlier that year. The third single, '' Autumn Equinox: Amethyst Deceivers'', includes the track "Rosa Decidua", which features vocals by
Rose McDowall Rose McDowall (née Porter; born 21 October 1959) is a Scottish musician, forming Strawberry Switchblade with Jill Bryson in 1981. History McDowall was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1959. Her first venture into music was in the Poems, an art-pun ...
. The single also features the song "Amethyst Deceivers", later reworked and performed throughout most of Coil's tour—it was eventually re-made into an alternate version on the LP ''
The Ape of Naples ''The Ape of Naples'' is the final studio album by English experimental group Coil. It was released on 2 December 2005 in the UK and Thailand by Threshold House, and has subsequently been reissued by multiple labels since. The album was a defini ...
''. The fourth single, '' Winter Solstice: North'', also includes a track sung by McDowall, and is partially credited to the side project Rosa Mundi. The series would later be re-released as the double-CD set, ''
Moon's Milk (In Four Phases) ''Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)'' is a release by Coil that compiles four of their singles onto a double CD. The two disc album compiles the CD versions of '' Spring Equinox'', ''Summer Solstice'', ''Autumn Equinox'' and ''Winter Solstice'' (orig ...
''. '' Astral Disaster'' was created with the assistance from new band member
Thighpaulsandra Timothy Lewis – best known by the stage name Thighpaulsandra – is a Welsh experimental musician and multi-instrumentalist, known mostly for performing on synthesizers and keyboards. He began his career working with Julian Cope in the late ...
, and was released in January 1999 via
Sun Dial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...
member Gary Ramon's label, Prescription. Although the album was initially limited to just 99 copies, it would later be re-released in a substantially different form. ''
Musick To Play In The Dark Vol. 1 ''Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1'' is a studio album by Coil (band), Coil that was released in September 1999. It is the first album in the ''Musick to Play in the Dark'' series, with Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2, the second volume being ...
'' followed in September 1999, and a few months later Coil performed their first concert in 16 years. '' Queens Of The Circulating Library'' followed in April 2000, with production credit given to Thighpaulsandra. The single-track, full-length drone album is the only Coil release made without the assistance of Christopherson. ''
Musick To Play In The Dark Vol. 2 ''Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2'' (written as ''Musick to Play in the Dark²'' on the packaging) is a studio album by Coil (band), Coil that was released in September 2000. It was the second of two albums attributed purely to a style called "m ...
'' followed in September 2000, and Coil began to perform live more intensively, a period that also included writing the music for '' Black Antlers'' in between a series of mini-tours. Coil also released a series of live albums around this time. '' Constant Shallowness Leads To Evil'', a
noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...
-driven experimental album reminiscent of Christopherson's work with Throbbing Gristle, was first sold at a live performance in September 2000. Coil finally released ''Black Antlers'' in June 2004. In contrast to many of their earlier releases, Coil's later material is characterized by a slower sound which relies more on drone than acid house. This change in sound was reflected in their live performances, as songs like "Ostia" and "Slur" were slowed down from their original pace, as well as re-recordings of "Teenage Lightning" and "Amethyst Deceivers" that were later released on ''The Ape Of Naples''.


Coil Live

Coil's live incarnation is associated with a distinct legacy. The first live shows took place in 1983, but after only four performances, 15 years would pass before they would play live again. On 14 December 1999, Coil performed ''
elph.zwölf ''elph.zwölf'' is one of two releases credited purely to ELpH, an alias for the group Coil. This CD was number twelve in the series ''20′ to 2000'', published on the German label Raster-Noton. Background The sparse text on the CD leads to con ...
'' at Volksbuehne in Berlin. Although the performance lasted just under 18 minutes, it marked the beginning of a new era of live performances. Coil would go on to perform close to 50 additional concerts, with varied
set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
s as well as performers. Coil performed twice at the Royal Festival Hall in 2000. The first concert was in April, as part of a weekend curated by Julian Cope, when they first performed as the full band line-up – and wearing the "fluffy suits" that would become a staple of live performances for the first time – performing ''Time Machines''. They performed again in September, sharing a bill with Jim Thirlwell (as
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 ...
) on that occasion. Both performances were full sets. Coil's performances were surrealistic visually and audibly. The signature fluffy suits, an idea inspired by
Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...
, played a foremost role at the live shows. The suits would later be used as album covers for the release '' Live One'', while other costumes appear on the covers of '' Live Two'' and '' Live Three''—straitjacket and mirror-chested hooded jumpsuit, respectively. Video screens projected footage and animations created by Christopherson, while fog machines created an eerie atmosphere. Balance would often screech and howl during performances, which would add to the effect. The band's performance at the 2003
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 ...
festival was released as '' ...And the Ambulance Died in His Arms''. Released on Threshold House in 2005 as a digipak, a Thai version was released the following year. ''...And the Ambulance Died in His Arms'' was released under a name chosen by Balance before his death in November 2004. Many Coil performances were released, including the widely available releases of '' Live Four'', '' Live Three'', '' Live Two'', '' Live One'' and ''...And The Ambulance Died In His Arms'', as well as several very limited editions, such as '' Selvaggina, Go Back Into The Woods'' and '' Megalithomania!''. Video recordings of several concerts were released on the DVD box set, '' Colour Sound Oblivion'', in 2010. Coil's final performance was at DEAF (Dublin Electronic Arts Festival), Dublin City Hall in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.


Deaths of Balance and Christopherson

Balance died on 13 November 2004, after he fell from a second-floor landing in his home. Christopherson announced Balance's death on the Threshold House website, and provided details of the circumstances of the death. Balance's memorial service was held near Bristol on 23 November 2004, and was attended by approximately 100 people. The final studio album, ''The Ape of Naples'', was released on 2 December 2005. In August 2006, the rare CD-R releases ''
The Remote Viewer ''The Remote Viewer'' is an album by Coil. The three-track album was released in May 2002 in an edition of 500 copies. The album was later re-edited by Peter Christopherson and expanded to include a second CD of two new tracks. The second editi ...
'' and ''Black Antlers'' were "sympathetically remastered" and expanded into two-disc versions, which included new and recently remixed material. A comprehensive 16-DVD boxset, titled '' Colour Sound Oblivion'', was released in July 2010. A "Patron Edition" was pre-orderable in November 2009 and sold out in three hours. Christopherson also discussed the possibility of releasing Coil's entire back catalogue on a single
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
disc. In November 2006, the official Coil website posted the following announcement: "Following the success of Thai pressings of ''The Remote Viewer'' and ''Black Antlers'', and after many requests, we are planning to expand the CD catalog still further." A few days later '' Duplais Balance'' and '' Moon's Milk in Six Phases'' were announced. Furthermore, an expanded vinyl version of ''The Ape of Naples'', which includes the album '' The New Backwards'', has been released, and a two-disc version of ''
Time Machines ''Time Machines'' is a 1998 studio album by English experimental group Coil, originally released under the one-off project alias Time Machines. The album was created under the premise of psychedelic drone pieces named after corresponding hallu ...
'' has been announced. Six years after the death of Balance, Christopherson died in his sleep on 24 November 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand.


Artistry


Style, instruments and creative methods

While their work became increasingly difficult to describe as their career progressed, Coil's musical style encompassed genres such as
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 ...
,
noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise within a musical context. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical ...
,
ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It u ...
and dark ambient,
neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumenta ...
,
spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
,
drone music Drone music, drone-based music, or simply drone, is a minimalist genre that emphasizes the use of sustained sounds, notes, or tone clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmon ...
and
minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...
. They often considered their works more as magical rituals than as musical pieces; Balance explicitly referred to this approach as "magickal music". Balance described the first half of the Coil discography as "solar" and their later work as "moon musick". Coil incorporated many exotic and rare instruments into their recordings and performances. The group expressed particular interest in vintage electronic instruments including the
Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...
, the
ANS synthesizer The ANS synthesizer is a photoelectronic musical instrument created by Russian engineer Evgeny Murzin from 1937 to 1957. The technological basis of his invention was the method of graphical sound recording used in cinematography (developed in Ru ...
, the
Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
and the
Optigan The Optigan (a portmanteau of Optical Organ) is an electronic keyboard instrument designed for the consumer market. The name stems from the instrument's reliance on pre-recorded optical soundtracks to reproduce sound. Later versions (built under ...
. During Coil's later period,
marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...
player Tom Edwards joined the group, and performed on the live albums ''Live Two'' and ''Live Three'', as well as on the studio albums ''Black Antlers'' and ''The Ape of Naples''. Often ensuing from improvisation and intuition, Coil utilized experimental techniques such as the
cut-up technique The cut-up technique (or ''découpé'' in French) is an aleatory literary technique in which a written text is cut up and rearranged to create a new text. The concept can be traced to the Dadaists of the 1920s, but it was developed and popularized ...
, ritual drug use,
sleep deprivation Sleep deprivation, also known as sleep insufficiency or sleeplessness, is the condition of not having adequate duration and/or quality of sleep to support decent alertness, performance, and health. It can be either chronic or acute and may vary ...
,
lucid dreaming A lucid dream is a type of dream in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while dreaming. During a lucid dream, the dreamer may gain some amount of control over the dream characters, narrative, or environment; however, this is n ...
,
tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
shifts,
John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, teacher, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divinatio ...
-like methods of
scrying Scrying, also known by various names such as "seeing" or "peeping", is the practice of looking into a suitable medium in the hope of detecting significant messages or visions. The objective might be personal guidance, prophecy, revelation, or in ...
, technical glitches,
SETI The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other p ...
synchronization and
chaos theory Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary area of scientific study and branch of mathematics focused on underlying patterns and deterministic laws of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, and were once thought to have co ...
.


Releases

Coil's distribution sometimes included releasing limited editions of albums, thereby making them collectors' items among fans. Including quirks such as "art objects",
sigil A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner ...
-like autographs and even stains of blood in the packaging of their albums, Coil claimed that this made their work more personal for true fans, turning their records into something akin to
occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...
artifacts. This practice was markedly increased in the later half of Coil's career. Due to this, critics accused Coil and its record company of
price gouging Price gouging is a pejorative term used to describe the situation when a seller increases the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. Usually, this event occurs after a demand or ...
. However, Balance expressed interest in having regular Coil albums in every shop that wanted them. In 2003, Coil began re-releasing many rare works, mostly remixed. They also launched a download service, where a large amount of their out-of-print music was made available.


Religious views

Coil held
pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
and
alchemical Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...
beliefs, as well as a fixation on
chaos magic Chaos magic, also spelled chaos magick, is a modern tradition of magic. It initially emerged in England in the 1970s as part of the wider neo-pagan and magical subculture. Drawing heavily from the occult beliefs of artist Austin Osman Spare, ...
, but were sometimes labelled as Satanic.Pilkington, Mark.
Sounds Of Blakeness
". ''Fortean Times'', (2001). Retrieved 27 December 2006.
Balance explicitly referred to himself as a "Born Again Pagan", and described his paganism as a "spirituality within nature." Christopherson, however, described the beliefs of Coil as unassociated:
We don't follow any particular religious dogma. In fact, quite the reverse, we tend to discourage the following of dogmas, or false prophets, as it were. And we don't have a very sympathetic view of Christians up to this point. The thing we follow is our own noses; I don't mean in a chemical sense.


Members

*
John Balance Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton (16 February 1962 – 13 November 2004), better known under the pseudonyms John Balance or the later variation Jhonn Balance, was an English musician, occultist, artist and poet. He was best known as a co-founde ...
was the founder of Coil and was the primary vocalist and composer of Coil's music. *
Peter Christopherson Peter Martin Christopherson (also known as Sleazy, 27 February 1955 – 25 November 2010) was an English musician, video director, commercial artist, designer and photographer, and former member of British design agency Hipgnosis. He also found ...
was the chief producer. *
Stephen Thrower Stephen Thrower (born 9 December 1963) is an English musician and author. Musical career Early career In 1980, Thrower formed the group Possession with Victor Watkins and Anna Virginia War and they released the album ''The Thin White Arms, Obtu ...
worked as a full-time member of Coil from 1987 to 1992. *
Danny Hyde Danny Hyde is an experimental musician and remix artist. Hyde has contributed to production and mixing on many Coil albums, including ''Horse Rotorvator'', ''Love's Secret Domain'', ''The Remote Viewer'', '' Black Antlers'',''The Ape of Naples'', ...
was periodically involved as co-author, collaborator, studio engineer, remixer, and producer. Peter Christopherson called him as Coil's 3rd secret member. *
Drew McDowall Drew McDowall (born 28 January 1961) is a Scottish musician who has been a member, collaborator, and remixer for various influential music groups. McDowall was formerly a full-time member of Coil. History McDowall formed art-punk trio Poems in ...
began collaborating with Coil in 1990 and was officially inducted in 1995. He left the group sometime between 1999 and 2000. *
Rose McDowall Rose McDowall (née Porter; born 21 October 1959) is a Scottish musician, forming Strawberry Switchblade with Jill Bryson in 1981. History McDowall was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1959. Her first venture into music was in the Poems, an art-pun ...
, Drew's ex-wife, provided vocals for several Coil tracks including "Wrong Eye", "Rosa Decidua" and "Christmas Is Now Drawing Near". She also collaborated with Coil for the short-lived project Rosa Mundi. *
Ossian Brown Ossian Brown (born 3 April 1969, London, England) is an English musician and artist, most notable for being a member of the groups Coil and Cyclobe. He joined Coil in 1999 and remained with them until the band’s cessation following the deat ...
had been a Coil collaborator since about 1992 and joined the group in 2000, touring extensively with them and working on several recordings up until the final Coil album ''The Ape of Naples''. *
William Breeze William Breeze, also known by his neo-Gnostic bishop title of Tau Silenus (born August 12, 1955) is an American author and publisher on magick and philosophy. He is the Sovereign Patriarch, or supreme governing cleric, of Ecclesia Gnostica Ca ...
was Coil's electric viola player between 1997 and 2000. *
Thighpaulsandra Timothy Lewis – best known by the stage name Thighpaulsandra – is a Welsh experimental musician and multi-instrumentalist, known mostly for performing on synthesizers and keyboards. He began his career working with Julian Cope in the late ...
became an official member on 26 January 1999 and participated until the final album, ''The Ape of Naples''. Most notably, he created the entire instrumental for the album ''Queens of the Circulating Library''. * John Gosling performed with the initial live incarnation of Coil, as featured on ''
Transparent Transparency, transparence or transparent most often refer to: * Transparency (optics), the physical property of allowing the transmission of light through a material They may also refer to: Literal uses * Transparency (photography), a still, ...
''. * Tom Edwards of
Spiritualized Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centered on Pierc ...
participated in Coil's live incarnation, and was Coil's
marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...
player from 2000 on. * Cliff Stapleton played
hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a vio ...
on several live performances, as well as in the studio for Coil at various points throughout the 2000s. * Massimo & Pierce of Black Sun Productions were members of Coil Live in 2002. However, they were stage performers, never contributing musically other than reading the poetic introduction to "Ostia" during live performances. * Mike York was part of the Coil Live collective for a limited time.


Influences and legacy

Although Coil expressed interest in many musical groups, they rarely, if ever, claimed to be influenced by them. Coil explicitly stated the influence of such non-musical sources as
William Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultu ...
,
Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...
,
Brion Gysin Brion Gysin (19 January 1916 – 13 July 1986) was a British-Canadian painter, writer, sound poet, performance artist and inventor of experimental devices. He is best known for his use of the cut-up technique, alongside his close friend, the ...
and
Austin Spare Austin Osman Spare (30 December 1886 – 15 May 1956) was an English artist and occultism, occultist who worked as both a draughtsman and a painter. Influenced by Symbolism (arts), symbolism and art nouveau his art was known for its clear use o ...
. Furthermore, the group were friends with Burroughs and owned some of Spare's original artwork. Balance encouraged fans to trade, discuss and discover new and different forms of music, stressing the importance of variety. Music that Coil expressed interest in is diverse and wide-ranging, from
musique concrète Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic, ...
to
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
to
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
to classical to
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
. Among the musicians Coil expressed interest in were early electronic, experimental and
minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...
artists:
Harry Partch Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in just intonation, and was one of the first 20th-century com ...
,
La Monte Young La Monte Thornton Young (born October 14, 1935) is an American composer, musician, and performance artist recognized as one of the first American minimalist composers and a central figure in Fluxus and post-war avant-garde music. He is best kno ...
,
Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...
(once referred to by Balance as "an honorary member of Coil"),
Alvin Lucier Alvin Augustus Lucier Jr. (May 14, 1931 – December 1, 2021) was an American composer of experimental music and sound installations that explore acoustic phenomena and auditory perception. A long-time music professor at Wesleyan University in Mi ...
, and
Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...
. Coil also expressed interest in
krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of 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 ...
groups including
Cluster may refer to: Science and technology Astronomy * Cluster (spacecraft), constellation of four European Space Agency spacecraft * Asteroid cluster, a small asteroid family * Cluster II (spacecraft), a European Space Agency mission to study t ...
,
Amon Düül II Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2, PronunciationAmon Düül is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the West German krautrock scene. Their 1970 album ''Yeti (album), Yeti'' was described by British ma ...
,
Can Can may refer to: Containers * Aluminum can * Drink can * Oil can * Steel and tin cans * Trash can * Petrol can * Metal can (disambiguation) Music * Can (band), West Germany, 1968 ** ''Can'' (album), 1979 * Can (South Korean band) Other * C ...
,
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
and
Tangerine Dream Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...
. Rock musicians and groups Coil have expressed interest in are:
Angus Maclise Angus William MacLise (March 14, 1938 – June 21, 1979) was an American percussionist, composer, poet, occultist and calligrapher, known as the first drummer for the Velvet Underground who abruptly quit due to disagreements with the band pla ...
,
Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...
, Flipper,
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
,
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
,
Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company Société à responsabilité limitée#In Switzerland, limited (NICO) is a Switzerland, Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC bu ...
,
Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their d ...
,
Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been ...
,
Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...
, The Birthday Party,
The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
and
The Virgin Prunes Virgin Prunes were an Irish post-punk band formed in 1977 in Dublin, Ireland. They disbanded in 1986 after the departure of singer Gavin Friday. The other members continued under the name The Prunes until they split up in 1991. History The Vir ...
. Coil expressed an interest in the Russian composer
Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...
, and used a sample from his ballet ''
Rite of Spring ''The Rite of Spring''. Full name: ''The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia in Two Parts'' (french: Le Sacre du printemps: tableaux de la Russie païenne en deux parties) (french: Le Sacre du printemps, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral ...
'' on the ''
Horse Rotorvator ''Horse Rotorvator'' is the second studio album by English experimental music group Coil, released in 1986. The cover photograph was shot by the band and shows the bandstand in Regent's Park, London, which was subject to the Hyde Park and Reg ...
'' song "The Anal Staircase". Furthermore, on the album '' Black Antlers'' Coil dedicated a song to
Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...
and covered a song by Bam Bam. Coil's influence on electronic music has become more evident since the death of Balance, with electronic musicians from all over the world collaborating on a series of tribute albums. Some notable artists who appear on these albums are
Alec Empire Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include: People * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat *Alec Acton (1938 ...
, Chris Connelly and
KK Null , known by his stage name KK Null, is a Japanese experimental multi-instrumentalist active since the early 1980s. He began as a guitarist but learned how to compose, sing, play drums, and create electronic music. He also studied Butoh dance at ...
(see '' ...It Just Is'').
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 ...
also expressed the significant influence that the group had on his work in February 2014:
oil's'Tainted Love' video remains one of the greatest music videos of all time. I was always more attracted to Coil than Throbbing Gristle; the darkness and the scatology really chimed with me. If it's not immediately obvious: Horse Rotorvator was deeply influential on me. What they did to your senses. What they could do with sound. What Jhonn was doing lyrically. The exotic darkness of them permeated their work.
The track "At the Heart of It All" (found on ''Scatology'') later lent its name to an
Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...
track on the Nine Inch Nails remix album ''
Further Down the Spiral ''Further Down the Spiral'' is a remix album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It is the companion remix disc to the band’s second studio album, ''The Downward Spiral'', and was released on June 1, 1995 in two editions, one den ...
''; Coil also provided remixes for ''Further Down the Spiral'' as well as "Gave Up" on the remix album ''
Fixed Fixed may refer to: * ''Fixed'' (EP), EP by Nine Inch Nails * ''Fixed'', an upcoming 2D adult animated film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky * Fixed (typeface), a collection of monospace bitmap fonts that is distributed with the X Window System * ...
''. Furthermore, in 2010, Reznor,
Mariqueen Maandig Mariqueen Maandig Reznor (''née'' Maandig; born April 5, 1981) is a Filipino-American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is the vocalist for How to Destroy Angels & the former vocalist of Los Angeles-based rock band West Indian Girl. Care ...
and
Atticus Ross Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with Trent Reznor, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for ''The Social Network'' in 2010. In 2013, th ...
started a new band called How to Destroy Angels—named after the Coil song—which received Christopherson's blessing after Reznor made contact with him.


Discography

Coil's rapid musical output over two decades resulted in a large number of releases, side projects and remixes as well as collaborations. ;Primary, full-length, Coil studio albums: *''
Scatology In medicine and biology, scatology or coprology is the study of feces. Scatological studies allow one to determine a wide range of biological information about a creature, including its diet (and thus where it has been), health and diseases su ...
'' (1984) *''
Horse Rotorvator ''Horse Rotorvator'' is the second studio album by English experimental music group Coil, released in 1986. The cover photograph was shot by the band and shows the bandstand in Regent's Park, London, which was subject to the Hyde Park and Reg ...
'' (1986) *''
Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders) ''Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders)'' was the third album released by Coil (band), Coil, in the year 1987. It is not a proper follow-up to 1986's ''Horse Rotorvator'', but more a collection of outtakes and demos from the ''Scatolo ...
'' (1987) *''
Love's Secret Domain Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, doing business as Love's (or stylized as Loves), is an American family-owned chain of more than 500 truck stop and convenience stores in 41 states in the United States. The company is privately owned and he ...
'' (1991) *'' Stolen & Contaminated Songs'' (1992) *'' Worship the Glitch'' (1995, as "ELpH vs. Coil") *''
A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room ''A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room'' is the only release by Black Light District, an alias for English experimental group Coil. The alias was one of a few assumed by them in the mid-nineties for releasing purely experimental music. Backgr ...
'' (1996, as "Black Light District") *''
Time Machines ''Time Machines'' is a 1998 studio album by English experimental group Coil, originally released under the one-off project alias Time Machines. The album was created under the premise of psychedelic drone pieces named after corresponding hallu ...
'' (1998, as "Time Machines") *'' Astral Disaster'' (1999) *''
Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1 ''Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1'' is a studio album by Coil (band), Coil that was released in September 1999. It is the first album in the ''Musick to Play in the Dark'' series, with Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2, the second volume being ...
'' (1999) *'' Queens of the Circulating Library'' (2000) *''
Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2 ''Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2'' (written as ''Musick to Play in the Dark²'' on the packaging) is a studio album by Coil (band), Coil that was released in September 2000. It was the second of two albums attributed purely to a style called "m ...
'' (2000) *'' Constant Shallowness Leads to Evil'' (2000) *''
The Remote Viewer ''The Remote Viewer'' is an album by Coil. The three-track album was released in May 2002 in an edition of 500 copies. The album was later re-edited by Peter Christopherson and expanded to include a second CD of two new tracks. The second editi ...
'' (2002) *''
The Restitution of Decayed Intelligence ''The Restitution of Decayed Intelligence'' is a 10" vinyl by Coil (band), Coil which heavily references samples from ''The Remote Viewer''. It is named in reference to ''A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence'', a book written in 1605 by Richard ...
'' (2003) *'' Black Antlers'' (2004) *''
The Ape of Naples ''The Ape of Naples'' is the final studio album by English experimental group Coil. It was released on 2 December 2005 in the UK and Thailand by Threshold House, and has subsequently been reissued by multiple labels since. The album was a defini ...
'' (2005) *'' The New Backwards'' (2008)


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Coil
at
Brainwashed Brainwashed may refer to: *Brainwashing, to affect a person's mind by using extreme mental pressure or any other mind-affecting process Music Albums * Brainwashed (George Harrison album), ''Brainwashed'' (George Harrison album), 2002, or the ...

Threshold House
online shop ; Interviews


Heathen Harvest Interview with Coil
(1 April 2004)
Stylus interview with Peter Christopherson.
(12 April 2004) * * COIL – Robert Jelinek (Ed.) DER KONTERFEI 017 / Paperback / (November 2015) {{DEFAULTSORT:Coil British industrial music groups English electronic music groups English experimental musical groups Musical groups established in 1982 Musical groups from London Ableton Live users Musical groups disestablished in 2004 LGBT-themed musical groups Dark ambient music groups Neofolk music groups 1982 establishments in England Wax Trax! Records artists Some Bizzare Records artists Soleilmoon artists