Purr Machine are an American

electro-industrial Electro-industrial is a music genre that emerged from industrial music in the early 1980s. While EBM (electronic body music) has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial tends to have a grittier, complex and layered sound wi ...

group based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, and comprising guitarist Kirk Hellie, bassist Kevin Kipnis and vocalist Betsy Martin. They band were known for their atmospheric blend of

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

gothic music 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 an ...

and

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...

. With Kevin Kipnis serving as their main songwriter and programmer, Purr Machine released '' Speak Clearly'' and '' Ging Ging'' respectively in 1999 and 2000 for Re-Constriction Records. Purr Machine's second studio album '' Starry'' was released in 2007 by No Bliss Lost Records.

History

Purr Machine was formed in 1996 North Hollywood by bassist Kevin Kipnis and vocalist Betsy Martin, both of whom were recording as a duo under the name Kore. The idea for the band name Purr Machine was conceived by Betsy Martin in relation to her obsession with cats. Previously Betsy Martin had been in the Phoenix-based band Caterwaul and later Drumatic, while Kevin Kipnis was recognized for his work with the seminal death rock group Kommunity FK. Guitarist Kirk Hellie of Pink Noise Test later joined the duo to record the EP '' Speak Clearly'' for Re-Constriction Records, which contained " Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" from the '' Cyberpunk Fiction: A Synthcore "Soundtrack"'' with three original tracks. The band's debut studio album '' Ging Ging'' was released in 2000 and was praised for its "combination of heavy metal aggression fused with electronica soundscapes" and "moments of beauty." After a seven-year hiatus, Purr Machine released their second full-length album '' Starry'' on No Bliss Lost Records in 2007. The band collaborated with several artists on the release, including Chris Vrenna of

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 ...

William Faith William Faith (born August 28, 1967) is an American goth/punk musician. He is a former member of the gothic bands Rozz Williams' Christian Death, Shadow Project, Mephisto Walz and briefly as support for Sex Gang Children during a one-off ...

Faith and the Muse Faith and the Muse is an American rock band composed of Monica Richards and William Faith. Their music encompasses many genres, from folk music to dark wave, drawing on many sources and influences, notably Dead Can Dance. Richards is the primary ...

and Statik from Collide. In 2015 Kevin Kipnis was asked to perform bass and guitar for the band Silver Ghost Shimmer fronted by John Fryer, who later collaborated with Betsy Martin on the track "Dead Star" from Black Needle Noise's 2017 album ''Before the Tears Came''. A third Purr Machine album is in production and planned for release in 2020.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Ging Ging'' (2000,

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 ...

) *'' Starry'' (2007, No Bliss Lost) ;EPs *'' Speak Clearly'' (1999,

)

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1996 1996 establishments in California Musical groups from Los Angeles American gothic rock groups Electro-industrial music groups American industrial rock musical groups Re-Constriction Records artists