The Hafler Trio is an English
conceptual,
performance and
sound art
Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in hybrid forms. According to Brandon LaBelle, sound art ...
collaborative between Andrew M. McKenzie, the only permanent member, and guest sound artists, performers, and/or musicians. The project has seen the release of numerous albums and CDs in
experimental musical styles ranging from
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
,
cut-up
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 ...
,
ambient, environmental soundscape,
musique concrète,
electro-acoustic, and audio-montage as cinema for the ears from 1982 to present, each of which use
graphic design and text for contextual juxtaposition with the recordings, as well as having a diverse but concrete philosophical and sometimes quasi-religious framework to place them in.
History
Despite the name, The Hafler Trio is essentially the work of one man, Andrew M. McKenzie, born in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
in 1963 and whose family moved to
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
shortly after. McKenzie released his first 7" single at the age of 16, having formed a post-punk rock group named Flesh.
There have been numerous members and collaborators alongside Andrew M. McKenzie, including
Cabaret Voltaire co-founder
Chris Watson, the fictitious Dr. Edward Moolenbeek, Steven Stapleton of
Nurse With Wound, Adi Newton of
Clock DVA
Clock DVA are a musical group from Sheffield, England, whose style has touched on industrial, post-punk, and EBM. They formed in 1978 by Adolphus "Adi" Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name wa ...
,
Z'EV
Z'EV (born Stefan Joel Weisser, February 8, 1951 – December 16, 2017) was an American poet, percussionist, and sound artist. After studying various world music traditions at CalArts, he began creating his own percussion sounds out of indust ...
,
Fluxus
Fluxus was an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finished product. Fluxus ...
artist
Willem de Ridder
Willem de Ridder ('s-Hertogenbosch 14 October 1939 – 29 December 2022) was a Dutch anarchist and artist, known as a founder of Fluxus. He was the foremost Fluxus member in the Netherlands. He showed and sold Fluxus works in his gallery, Amst ...
,
David Tibet
David Tibet (born David Michael Bunting; 5 March 1960) is a British poet and artist who founded the music group Current 93, of which he is the only full-time member.
He was given the name "Tibet" by Genesis P-Orridge, and in January 2005 he ...
(of
Current 93
Current 93 are an English experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet, who has been Current 93's only constant member.
Background
Tibet has been the only const ...
),
Genesis P-Orridge,
Annie Sprinkle,
Jónsi Birgisson (of
Sigur Rós),
Michael Gira
Michael Rolfe Gira (; born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans and fronted Angels of Light. He is also the founder of ...
(of
Swans
Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...
and
Angels of Light
Angels of Light were an American folk band that was formed circa 1998 by singer-songwriter and musician Michael Gira after he disbanded Swans, the group he had founded in 1982. The band has marked a distinctly different style for Gira since he ...
),
Chloe Vevrier, Erla Þórarinsdóttir,
Blixa Bargeld,
Netochka Nezvanova,
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (; born 23 April 1958), also known as HÖH, is a musician, an art director, and '' allsherjargoði'' (''chief goði'') of Ásatrúarfélagið ("the Ásatrú Association").
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was a pioneer in the use ...
,
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...
, John Lacey of
COUM Transmissions
COUM Transmissions was a music and performance art collective who operated in the United Kingdom from 1969 through to 1976. The collective was influenced by the Dada and surrealism artistic movements, the writers of the Beat Generation, and underg ...
, 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 ...
among many others. McKenzie was also part of
Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to:
People
* Charles S. Whitehouse (1921-2001), American diplomat
* Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor
* E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883-1965), American diplomat
* Elliott Whitehouse (born 1993), ...
along with
Steven Stapleton and William Bennett for their first live performance.
In addition to the 6-part retrospective set released by The Grey Area of
Mute Records titled ''The Golden Hammer'' (including many early LPs and EPs such as ''The Sea Org'', ''"Bang" – An Open Letter'', ''Three Ways of Saying Two'', ''All That Rises Must Converge'', ''Seven Hours Sleep'', ''A Thirsty Fish'' and more), CD releases include: ''Intoutof'', ''A Bag of Cats'', ''Mastery of Money'', ''How to Reform Mankind'', with several notable stand-out collaborations: ''One Dozen Economical Stories by
Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are th ...
'', ''Nurse With Wound and the Hafler Trio Hit Again!'' (collaboration with
Nurse with Wound), ''Snuff'' (with ''Willem De Ridder''), ''Soundtrack to
Brion Gysin's '
Dreamachine
The Dreamachine (a contraction of Dream Machine) is a stroboscopic flickering light art device that produces eidetic visual stimuli. Artist Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs' "systems adviser" Ian Sommerville created the Dreamachine after r ...
(which included detailed historical documentation and instructions for use), a substantial 2-part collaboration with
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 ...
, and most recently a three part collaboration with
Jónsi Birgisson of
Sigur Rós.
2009 saw the shutdown of the Brainwashed h3o website, the renunciation of conventional CD releases, almost all internet activity, and the exclusive concentration on methods of "complementary education" and related disciplines referenced by and developed in tandem with the work of The Hafler Trio since its inception, under the umbrella of Simply Superior. The website, simplysuperior.org, became the only official source of information about The Hafler Trio and related matters.
In 2017, Andrew McKenzie was interviewed by the Data.Wave webzine.
Selected body of audio work
* ''The Hafler Trio – An Introduction'' (1983, Cassette, ROBOL Sound Recordings (UK), white plastic wallet, cards, this is first release)
* ''"BANG" – An Open Letter'' (1984 LP, Re-issued on CD with extra material in 1994)
* ''Soundtrack To "Alternation, Perception, And Resistance" – A Comprehension Exercise'' (1985 12", Re-issued as part of the 1994 CD, "Walk Gently Through the Gates of Joy")
* ''Seven Hours Sleep'' (1985 Double LP, Re-issued on CD in 1994 and re-issued/re-mastered again on CD in 2006)
* ''Hotondo Kiki Torenai'' (1985 Cassette, Limited edition of 100)
* ''Brain Song'' (1986 12", Limited edition of 1000, Re-issued in 1987 as the A side of a split LP with Luciano Dari titled "Ben, Ruach, Ab, Shaloshethem, Yechad Thaubodo / Idrogeni Superiori", Re-issued again on CD with extra material as part of the 1994 CD, "All That Rises Must Converge" Some of the original material actually recorded by Ema Maynard now known as Ema Lea)
* ''Redintegrate'' (1986 Cassette, Re-issued on CD in 1991)
* ''The Sea Org'' (1986 10", Re-issued on CD with extra material as part of the 1994 CD, "All That Rises Must Converge" and re-issued/re-mastered again in 2004 on CD with completely different extra material under the original title of "The Sea Org")
* ''Three Ways of Saying Two'' (1986 LP, Re-issued on CD with extra material as part of the 1994 CD, "Four Ways of Saying Five")
* ''A Thirsty Fish'' (1987 Double LP, Re-issued on CD in 1994 with fewer tracks, then re-issued/re-mastered in full on Double CD in 2005)
* ''Dislocation'' (1987 Cassette, Re-issued on CD in 1990)
* ''Nurse With Wound and the Hafler Trio Hit Again!'' (with
Nurse With Wound) (1987 Cassette, Re-issued on CD in 1995 under the title, "The Murray Fontana Orchestra Plays The Hafler Trio" in a limited edition of 1000)
* ''Untitled'' (with
Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth) (1987 Cassette, Limited edition of 100, somewhat re-issued on the 1989 release, "Present Brion Gysin's Dreamachine")
* ''Intoutof'' (1988 LP, Re-issued on Limited edition CD in 1990 and again in 1998)
* ''Ignotum per Ignotius'' (1989 CD, Re-issued/re-mastered in 2007)
* ''Present Brion Gysin's Dreamachine'' (with
Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth) (1989 LP and CD, larger scale re-issue of 1987 cassette, "Untitled")
* ''A Bag of Cats'' (1990 CD, Re-issued in 1992)
* ''Alaura/Slave Priest'' (1990 CD Single)
* ''Kuklos'' (1990 Cassette)
* ''Kill The King'' (1991 CD, Re-issued/re-mastered in 2003)
* ''Masturbatorium'' (with
Annie Sprinkle) (1991 CD)
* ''The Hafler Trio Play The Hafler Trio'' (1991 CD)
* ''The Hafler Trio Play The Hafler Trio Play The Hafler Trio'' (1991 Cassette, Limited edition of 30)
* ''FUCK'' (1992 CD)
* ''Mastery of Money'' (1992 CD, Re-issued/re-mastered in 2004)
* ''Snuff'' (with Willem De Ridder) (1992 CD)
* ''Resurrection'' (with The Sons of God) (1993 CD)
* ''Walk Gently Through the Gates of Joy'' (1994 CD)
* ''Four Ways of Saying Five'' (1994 CD)
* ''All That Rises Must Converge'' (1994 CD)
* ''Designer Time'' (with
Reptilicus
''Reptilicus'' is a 1961 Danish-American Monster film, giant monster film about a prehistoric reptile. The film was produced by Cinemagic and Saga Studio and separate versions were released in Denmark and in the United States, with American Inter ...
) (1994 CD)
* ''How To Reform Mankind'' (1994 CD, Re-issued/re-mastered in 2004)
* ''Negentropy'' (1994 LP, Limited edition of 1000)
* ''One Dozen Economical Stories by Peter Greenaway'' (1994 CD)
* ''Unentitled'' (with
Zoviet France and
Jim O'Rourke) (1995 CD)
* ''An Utterance of the Supreme Ventriloquist'' (1996 LP, Limited edition of 451, then re-issued/re-mastered in 2005 on a CD limited to 1000 copies)
* ''I Was There/That Would Be'' (with Stilluppsteypa) (1996 7", Limited edition of 500)
* ''Infidelity to Reason'' (1996 7", Limited edition of 111)
* ''Right Here Where You Are Sitting Now'' (1996 7", Limited edition of 333)
* ''The Day I Married The World'' (1996 7", Limited edition of 479)
* ''Who Sees Goes On #1: Timerape'' (1997 10", Limited edition of 333, 111 of which are signed)
* ''Who Sees Goes On #2: Broadcast in White'' (1997 10", Limited edition of 333, 111 of which are signed)
* ''Who Sees Goes On #3: Lipchamber'' (1997 10", Limited edition of 333, 111 of which are signed)
* ''Who Sees Goes On #4: Godfood'' (1997 10", Limited edition of 333, 111 of which are signed)
* ''Who Sees Goes On #5: Solvitur Ambulado'' (1997 10", Limited edition of 333, 111 of which are signed)
* ''Who Sees Goes On #6: Dream Adjustments'' (1997 10", Limited edition of 333, 111 of which are signed)
* ''Who Sees Goes On #7: Avec Le Vide Les Pleins Pouvoirs '' (1997 10", Limited edition of 333, 111 of which are signed)
* ''Who Sees Goes On'' (1998 Boxed 10" Set with bonus CD titled "Hand Wave", Limited edition of 46, 25 without the original cover)
* ''Hljóðmynd'' (2000 CD, Limited edition of 1000)
* ''Cleave: 9 Great Openings'' (2002 CD)
* ''La Chanson Dada'' (2002 10", Limited edition of 500)
* ''A House Waiting For Its Master'' (2003 10", Limited edition of 400)
* ''A Small Child Dreams Of Voiding The Plague'' (2003 CD, Limited edition of 500, 100 of which come with a signed photo)
* ''æ³o & h³æ'' (with
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 ...
) (2003 Double CD)
* ''How To Slice A Loaf of Bread'' (2003 Triple CD, Limited edition of 500)
* ''Kisses With Both Hands From Gods Little Toy'' (2003 CD, Limited edition of 500, 100 of which come with a signed photo)
* ''No Man Put Asunder: 7 Fruitful and Seamless Unions'' (2003 CD, Limited edition of 1500)
* ''No More Twain, Of One Flesh: 11 Unequivocal Obsecrations'' (2003 CD, Limited edition of 1000)
* ''Normally'' (with
Blixa Bargeld) (2003 Double CD, Limited edition of 500)
* ''The Birds Must Be Eliminated'' (2003 10", Limited edition of 500)
* ''The Man Who Tried To Disappear'' (2003 10", Limited edition of 500)
* ''The Moment When We Blow The Flour From Our Tongues'' (2003 10", Limited edition of 500)
* ''Untitled'' (with Ditterich Von Euler-Donnersperg) (2003 7", Limited edition of 500, 200 of which come with an additional 7" by Kontakt Der Jünglinge and
Asmus Tietchens
Asmus Tietchens (born 3 February 1947, in Hamburg), who also records under the monikers Hematic Sunsets and Club of Rome, is a German composer of avant-garde music.
Tietchens became interested in experimental music and musique concrète as a chi ...
)
* ''Whistling About Chickens'' (2003, Double CD)
* "How To Slice A Loaf of Bread (Lengthwise)" (2004, Triple CD, Limited Edition of 500, volume two of the series)
* ''Anything That Anyone Else Tells You Is Not Good Enough'' (2004 12", Limited edition of 500)
* ''Where Are You?'' (with
David Tibet
David Tibet (born David Michael Bunting; 5 March 1960) is a British poet and artist who founded the music group Current 93, of which he is the only full-time member.
He was given the name "Tibet" by Genesis P-Orridge, and in January 2005 he ...
) (2004 CD, A separate limited edition of 93 copies also exists)
* ''Exactly As I Say'' (with
Jónsi Birgisson) (2004 CD, A separate limited edition of 111 copies also exists)
* ''I Never Knew That's Who You Thought You Were'' (2004 CD, Limited edition of 500, 100 of which come with a signed photo)
* ''Only The Hand That Erases Can Write The True Thing'' (2004 Double 10", Separate limited editions of 100 white vinyl and 500 clear vinyl)
* ''Scissors Cut Arrow'' (2004 Double CD with DVD (PAL), Limited edition of 500)
* ''The Concentrated Recapturing of Thought'' (2004 10", Limited edition of 500)
* ''Wolf Sheep Cabbage (Evidence Pertaining to the Destroyer)'' (2004 7", Limited edition of 333, the first 33 of which are signed)
* ''Wolf Sheep Cabbage (Evidence Pertaining to the Creator)'' (2004 7", Limited edition of 333, the first 33 of which are signed)
* ''Wolf Sheep Cabbage (Evidence Pertaining to the Preserver)'' (2004 7", Limited edition of 333, the first 33 of which are signed)
* ''Á Ég Að Halda Áfram?'' (2005 CD, Limited edition of 500, 100 of which come with a signed photo)
* ''æo³ & ³hæ'' (with
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 ...
) (2005 Double CD)
* ''Being A Firefighter Isn't Just About Squirting Water'' (2005 CD, Limited edition of 500, 100 of which come with a signed photo)
* ''Exactly As I Am'' (with
Jónsi Birgisson) (2005 Double CD)
* ''Exactly As I Do'' (with
Jónsi Birgisson) (2005 Double CD)
* ''If Take, Then Take: Tricks, Half-Tricks and Real Phenomena'' (2005 LP, Limited edition of 400)
* ''No One Remains'' (with Willem De Ridder) (2005 10" Boxed Set, Limited edition of 200)
* ''The Explanation'' (with Fovea Hex) (2005 CD, Limited edition of 300)
* ''The Water Has No Hair To Hold On To'' (2005 10", Limited edition of 500)
* ''3 Eggs'' (with Colin Potter and
Andrew Liles) (2006 CD, Limited edition of 1000)
* ''A Pressed on Sandwich'' (with Colin Potter) (2006 CD, Limited edition of 1010)
* ''The Discussion'' (with Fovea Hex) (2006 CD, Limited edition of 300)
* ''An Answer'' (with Fovea Hex) (2007 CD, Limited edition of 300)
* ''Who Gave You The Ability To Envisage Perfection?'' (2007 7", Limited edition of 333)
* ''ah³eo & ha³oe'' (with
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 ...
) (2011 Double DVD, 5.1 Audio, Limited edition of 1000)
Selected writings
* ''Plucking Feathers From A Bald Frog'' (1991 Psychic Release Cerebrum and Press in
Stockholm, A collection of Andrew M. McKenzie's texts from 1978 to 1991, Limited edition of 500)
* ''A Conversation Through A Sheet of Glass in an Empty Room'' (1990 Psychic Release Cerebrum and Press in
Stockholm, A text in 11 parts from 1990, unknown edition)
* ''Just Because A Cat Has Her Kittens in the Oven Doesn't Make Them Biscuits'' (1992, Temple Press Limited in
Brighton, UK, A film treatment in 31 scenes printed as part of a larger publication titled "Ratio 3/TransMediators" )
McKenzie's medical condition
In 2004, Andrew announced that he was suffering from diagnosed
hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection.
Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...
and
autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune hepatitis, formerly known as lupoid hepatitis, plasma cell hepatitis, or autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, is a chronic, autoimmune disease of the liver that occurs when the body's immune system attacks liver cells, causing the live ...
. Both of these conditions require drugs which McKenzie has stated he cannot afford.
References
External links
*
*
Simply Superior
{{Authority control
English electronic music groups
English experimental musicians
Ambient music groups
Soleilmoon artists