SMP (also known as Synthesia Murder Program) are an American

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 formed in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. The original incarnation consisted of Jason Bazinet and Sean Ivy before Ivy left to join

Christ Analogue Christ Analogue is an American industrial rock group started in 1995 by frontman and producer Wade Alin. History Christ Analogue was devised in 1995 by programmer/vocalist Wade Alin. After Markus Von Prause joined on guitar, the duo debuted w ...

in 1998, allowing SMP to function as a solo vehicle for Bazinet's musical output. The project was then put on hiatus in 2008, before being brought back in 2010. SMP continues to issue albums digitally with '' Hacked Vol. 2'' being released in 2016 by Music Ration Entertainment.

History

Musicians Sean Setterberg, later taking the moniker Sean Ivy, and Jason Bazinet were originally based in San Diego and San Francisco before relocating to Washington and forming Synthesia Murder Program. The duo's sample-based sound was informed by

, punk music and

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. The band self-released their debut EP called ''Stalemate'' in 1994. In 1995, SMP issued their debut studio album ''

Stalemate Stalemate is a situation in the game of chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and has no legal move. Stalemate results in a draw. During the endgame, stalemate is a resource that can enable the player with the inferior ...

'' after signing to

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

. The album was critically acclaimed, with John Bush of

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 ...

declaring that "SMP recall the industrial grooves of

My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (often shortened to Thrill Kill Kult or TKK) is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based in Chicago and founded by Groovie Mann (born Frankie Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (born Marston Daley). ...

on ''Stalemate'', except with more of an emphasis on rapping." After ''Stalemates release the band decided to change artistic direction and opted to embrace a less abrasive sound. Showcasing a greater emphasis on

techno music 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 ...

, SMP issued their second album ''

Ultimatum An ultimatum (; ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series o ...

'' in 1998 on Catastrophe Records. Sean Ivy left SMP around this time to join

and was replaced by guitarist Rick Aguilar and drummer Xian Di Marris. SMP's third full-length album ''

Terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together * Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devic ...

'' saw the return of Sean Ivy and was released in 2000, a remix album titled '' Hacked'' followed in 2002.

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (

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

, 1995) *''

'' (Catastrophe, 1998) – #19

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 *''

'' (A.D.S.R. Musicwerks, 2000) *'' Hacked'' (2002, Underground, Inc./

Invisible Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light in ...

) *'' Crimes of the Future'' (2004, Music Ration Entertainment) *'' The Treatment'' (2007, Music Ration Entertainment) *''

Pissing on the Legacy ''Pissing on the Legacy'' is a remix album by SMP, released in October 2008 by Music Ration Entertainment. Track listing Personnel Adapted from the ''Pissing on the Legacy'' liner notes. SMP * Jason Bazinet – lead vocals, drums, prog ...

'' (2008, Music Ration Entertainment) *''

Coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

'' (2010, Music Ration Entertainment) *''

Death of the Format ''Death of the Format'' is the seventh studio album by SMP, released on June 11, 2013 by WTII Records. Reception DJ Arcanus of ''Lollipop Magazine'' gave ''Death of the Format'' a mixed review, saying "SMP (Sounds of Mass Production) delivers on ...

'' (2013, WTII) *'' Hacked Vol. 2'' (2016, Music Ration Entertainment)

EPs

*''

'' (1994) *'' Ultimatum EP 1.0'' (1997) *''

Shot Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 f ...

'' (2011, Music Ration Entertainment)

Singles

*"Synthesia Murder Program" (1993, DoublePlusGood Productions) *"Militia Love"/"Acid Drop" (2002) *"No Space" (iammynewt – Studio X Remix) (2011)

References

External links

* * * * Alternative rock groups from Washington (state) Musical groups from Seattle Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups from San Francisco American industrial rock musical groups Rap rock groups Invisible Records artists Re-Constriction Records artists Underground, Inc. artists 1984 establishments in Washington (state) WTII Records artists {{electronic-band-stub