Download (band)
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Download is a
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
electronic music group formed by
Dwayne Goettel Dwayne Rudolph Goettel (February 1, 1964August 23, 1995) was a Canadian electronic musician, best known for his work in the industrial music group Skinny Puppy. Starting his career playing for a variety of acts around Edmonton, he joined Skinny P ...
and Kevin Crompton (aka
cEvin Key Kevin William Crompton (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as cEvin Key, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as a member of the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded in 1982 ...
) of
Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
in 1994. The initial lineup also included Off & Gone's
Phil Western Phillip Charles Western (August 12, 1971 – February 4, 2019) was a Canadian musician, based in Vancouver and a founding member of the bands Download, PlatEAU, Frozen Rabbit, and Off and Gone. Biography Having started his career as a drumm ...
and
Mark Spybey Dead Voices on Air is Mark Spybey's experimental and industrial project formed after his departure from Zoviet France.Lengel, Kerry (December 2, 1999). "Dead Voices' Music Comes Alive", ''The Arizona Republic'', p. 47. Dead Voices on Air has col ...
of
Dead Voices on Air Dead Voices on Air is Mark Spybey's experimental and industrial project formed after his departure from Zoviet France.Lengel, Kerry (December 2, 1999). "Dead Voices' Music Comes Alive", ''The Arizona Republic'', p. 47. Dead Voices on Air has col ...
, but has since been particularly fluid, with Key and Western being the only constant members following Goettel's death. Download's music has been described as
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 ...
, drawing from the band's genesis as part of
Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
but also sharing common stylistic ground with such artists as
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 ...
and
Autechre Autechre () is an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are among the best known acts signed to UK electronic label Warp Records, through which all of Au ...
. The primary instrumentation common throughout their albums is a blend of
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s and
sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...
d instruments; the music is particularly centered on elements of
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 ...
and
rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...
. Other artists that have been involved are Genesis P. Orridge, Anthony Valcic, Bill Van Rooy, and Ken Marshall. Earlier releases frequently included
vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production i ...
elements and
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...
, but since III (and Mark Spybey's departure in 1996) their work has been strictly instrumental.


History


Formation

As tensions within
Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
began to mount in the early nineties, band members
Dwayne Goettel Dwayne Rudolph Goettel (February 1, 1964August 23, 1995) was a Canadian electronic musician, best known for his work in the industrial music group Skinny Puppy. Starting his career playing for a variety of acts around Edmonton, he joined Skinny P ...
and
cEvin Key Kevin William Crompton (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as cEvin Key, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as a member of the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded in 1982 ...
began experimenting with musical improvisations that they felt were more true to their "roots." Early on, the duo brought in
Mark Spybey Dead Voices on Air is Mark Spybey's experimental and industrial project formed after his departure from Zoviet France.Lengel, Kerry (December 2, 1999). "Dead Voices' Music Comes Alive", ''The Arizona Republic'', p. 47. Dead Voices on Air has col ...
who Key had met in Vancouver some years previous through Spybey's involvement with Zoviet France. The name for the band came from the last track on Skinny Puppy's album ''Last Rights'', an especially abstract track for the band produced by Goettel and Anthony Valcic.


''Furnace'' and ''Microscopic''

In the first era of Download's career, the band's sound was an Experimental Industrial style which featured vocals by Mark Spybey and guest vocals by Genesis P. Orridge. Their first LP, ''
Furnace A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion. Furnace may also refer to: Appliances Buildings * Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings * Boiler, used t ...
'', was arguably their least accessible—most of the tracks lasted for over four minutes, some lasting as long as nine minutes. Their next release, the '' Microscopic EP'' continued this style. It featured three remixes of tracks from ''Furnace'' (only one of which was remixed by the band itself, the other two were remixed by
Biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be ...
and
Newt A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aqua ...
), along with five original tracks.


''Charlie's Family''

''
Charlie's Family ''Charlie's Family'' is the third LP release by the industrial music group Download. It was initially released through Download's 1996 tour in a limited run of 2,000 copies, though it was later re-issued as a digipak through Metropolis Records ...
'' was another experimental industrial LP by Download, except this LP was a soundtrack to the movie of the same name, and it had significantly different sound than the previous two releases. Instead of the beat-oriented music that dominated ''Furnace'' and ''Microscopic'', this LP's music was mostly dominated by a simple beat along with many samples of anything from women
orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region charac ...
ing to
airplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spe ...
s taking off.


''The Eyes of Stanley Pain'' and ''Sidewinder''

''
The Eyes of Stanley Pain ''The Eyes of Stanley Pain'' is an album by Download. Track listing # "Suni C" – 5:29 # "Possession" – 4:07 # "The Turin Cloud" – 4:31 # "Glassblower" – 3:01 # "H Sien Influence" – 4:45 # "Base Metal" – 5:00 # "Collision" – 10:37 # ...
'', arguably Download's most diverse-sounding and accessible industrial album, was released in 1996. It spanned 14 tracks, most of which were about four or five minutes long. The only exceptions were the tracks "Glassblower" and "Collision", which were 3:02 and 10:38, respectively. Later that year, the EP '' Sidewinder'' was released by the band. In the same vein as their first EP - ''Microscopic'' - it contained eight tracks, of which four were remixes. Three were remixes by Download of songs from ''The Eyes of Stanley Pain'', and one was a remix of the song "Attalal" from ''Furnace'' by the band
Haujobb Haujobb is a German electronic musical project whose output has ranged drastically within the electronic music spectrum, from electro-industrial to ambient and techno. They have become a staple crossover act, bringing several forms of electro ...
(although the packaging of Sidewinder spells it "Attallal"). The other four songs were original songs recorded by Download, and the last of Download's
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 ...
era.


''III'' and ''Effector''

'' III'' marked a turning point for Download. Their sound became more melodic and accessible while still retaining the experimental quirks of their older material. Their next album ''
Effector Effector may refer to: *Effector (biology), a molecule that binds to a protein and thereby alters the activity of that protein * ''Effector'' (album), a music album by the Experimental Techno group Download * ''EFFector'', a publication of the El ...
'' continued this direction and peaked at #12 on the
CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...
RPM Charts in the U.S.


''III Steps Forward'' and ''Inception''

Two more albums, ''
III Steps Forward ''III Steps Forward'' is a 2002 album by the band Download. It is a collection of new material, as well as outtakes from their albums ''III'' and ''Effector''. Track listing # "Sticky Glandstin" (Key/Western) – 3:14 # "Dakota" (Key/Western) – ...
'' and ''
Inception ''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infiltr ...
'' were released as part of Subconscious Studio's ''From The Vault'' series. ''Inception'' contained outtakes from Download's more experimental early era, while ''
III Steps Forward ''III Steps Forward'' is a 2002 album by the band Download. It is a collection of new material, as well as outtakes from their albums ''III'' and ''Effector''. Track listing # "Sticky Glandstin" (Key/Western) – 3:14 # "Dakota" (Key/Western) – ...
'' included outtakes from the ''III'' and ''Effector'' eras as well as new tracks. Although the original pressing of each was limited to 1000 copies, 2nd pressing editions are currently available from Subconscious Studio's website.


''Fixer''

In December 2006, cEvin Key announced that new material has been recorded for a new album (titled '' Fixer''). The album was released in April 2007.


''HElicopTEr'' & ''Wookie Wall''

In late 2009, Subconscious Communications announced the release of the ''Beyond the Vault'' series. With it, a new Download album titled ''
HElicopTEr A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
'' was included in the series which was written by cEvin Key and Phil Western with a guest appearance by Mark Spybey. As stated on the official Subconscious Communications website, the album employs some of the oldest synthesizers the studio has in its collection. The result differs from the more ambient releases of ''Effector'' and ''Fixer'' and is more akin to Download's previous works such as ''Furnace'' or ''Charlie's Family''. Wookie Wall: For the 2010 "SubCon Beyond Fest", a tour in support of the albums released in the Beyond The Vault series, Download announced plans to release an EP that would be sold during the tour. Though Download apparently went as far as to commission album art, the so-called ''Wookie Wall EP'' never materialized during the tour though the title track was integrated into the setlist. Supposedly the band considered the possibility of expanding Wookie Wall into its own full-length album, but in 2011 three of the proposed Wookie Wall tracks were added onto a re-release of Download's Helicopter. A special-edition of ''Furnace'' (''Furnance Re:dux'') was also released with Subconscious' From the Vault II series. The new release includes a second disc with a collection of the live jams and improvisations that were the basis of the finished album.


''LingAM''

On June 11, 2013, Download released their ninth studio album ''Lingam''. In Hindu scripture, the lingam is the beginning-less and endless cosmic pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. ''Lingam'' employs some of the band's more ambient styles featured on previous albums like ''Effector'' and ''Fixer''.


''Unknown Room''

On March 8, 2019, Download released their eleventh studio album ''Unknown Room''. From the bandcamp listing: 'Unknown Room is the project's 11th studio album, recorded in Los Angeles over a several-year period, culminating in a recent two-month session in the Fall that Key describes as being "extremely intense." Unknown Room is the last album to feature Phil Western who died while the album was being prepared for release in 2019.


Discography


References


External links


Download
Official Site
Litany.net - Unofficial Site Covering Skinny Puppy and other side projects of Ogre and cEvin kEy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Download Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian electronic music groups Canadian industrial music groups Skinny Puppy Intelligent dance musicians Metropolis Records artists Off Beat label artists 1994 establishments in British Columbia