Alec Empire

Alec Empire (born May 2, 1972) is a German musician who is best known as a founding member of the band Atari Teenage Riot, as well as a prolific and distinguished solo artist, remixer and DJ. He was also the driving force behind the creation of Digital Hardcore Recordings.

Biography

Alec Empire was born in West Berlin as Alexander Wilke. His mother was the daughter of the inventor of the first domestic knitting machine, a self-made millionaire until his company went bankrupt upon his death. His father was a working-class socialist and the son of a Jewish man who died in the concentration camps of the Second World War.

He grew up during the Cold War near the Berlin Wall, which he would pass every day on his way to school. He became aware at an early age that he was living in an occupied city through the frequent sight of patrol guards with guns. He describes Berlin at the time as: "Probably the most left radical place in Germany in the 70’s, terrorists, a lot of demonstrations, and probably the first address to hear the latest American music, because of the radio shows the US soldiers brought to Berlin."

Early influences and career

Empire's love of rap led to a breakdancing career on the streets of Berlin at the age of ten. Later disillusioned by that genre becoming increasingly commercial, he left it behind in favour of a completely different form of musical expression. He had been playing guitar since the age of eight, and that, coupled with his politically-charged upbringing, eventually led him to punk music; he formed his first band, Die Kinder, at age twelve.

By sixteen, however, Empire came to believe that punk, as a movement rather than a genre, was "dead" (though the anti-establishment punk attitude would figure significantly in his subsequent output). After leaving Die Kinder, he became fascinated by the rave scene, and, following German reunification, frequented underground raves in East Berlin, believing his native West Berlin scene to be too commercialised. During this time, he made a lot of what he refers to as "faceless DJ music". In 1991, while DJing on a beach in France with friend Hanin Elias, he caught the attention of Ian Pooley, which led to the recording and release of a series of 12" records on the Force Inc. label

Although Empire was a prolific producer and DJ at this time, and was able to make a comfortable living, he nevertheless saw the rave scene as decadent and selfish. This angered him, because he and his friends felt they lived in a city embroiled in politics, and that the demise of communist-led governments had given rise to increased conservatism in Germany, whilst few people cared. The German neo-Nazi movement had invaded the scene, declaring trance techno "true German music".

Empire retaliated by sampling 60s and 70s funk – a predominantly black style of music – and using it in his solo work. When he felt that this was not enough to get the message across, he decided to gather like-minded individuals Hanin Elias (also a former punk) and Carl Crack (a Swazi MC) to form a band. In 1992, Atari Teenage Riot emerged.

Atari Teenage Riot: 1992–2000

File:ATRPromoShot.jpg

ATR: Alec Empire, Nic Endo, Carl Crack, and Hanin Elias (L-R).

Atari Teenage Riot's sound was characterised by the use of breakbeats (again sampled from funk and hip-hop, but replayed at faster than twice the original speeds), heavy guitar riffs, and the shouting of politically-driven lyrics and slogans by any of the band members (as well as sampled dialogue). Empire provided much of the musical direction, and with the later input of Japanese-American noise musician Nic Endo, the ATR sound took on a more chaotic, arrhythmic nature marked by rough sequencing, improvised mixing and extended "noise-fests".

ATR's early singles led to a record deal with Phonogram, a major UK label, in 1993. After a few small releases, the two parted ways due to the band's refusal to play by the label's rules. In 1994, using the cash advance from the deal, Empire started an independent record label which would allow its artists to express themselves more freely. He named it Digital Hardcore Recordings; "digital hardcore" would become a general term used to describe the direction his sound had taken. That year, DHR released EPs by EC8OR, Sonic Subjunkies, and Empire himself.

While working with ATR, Empire continued steadily with his solo output. He recorded for Force Inc. under several pseudonyms, including the Detroit techno-inspired Jaguar. He also recorded several albums for Force Inc.'s experimental sub-label Mille Plateaux, including Generation Star Wars (considered his first real solo album) and Low on Ice, which was recorded entirely on his laptop during a three day tour of Iceland with ATR. In 1995, ATR released their first proper album, Delete Yourself, on DHR, and, in 1996, Empire released his first solo album for DHR, The Destroyer. In that year, Empire and Mike Diamond signed a deal to release a number of DHR's recordings on the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal record label in the United States. The label also invited DHR artists to tour the US leading to recognition by MTV and alternative radio stations.

ATR spent the next few years touring the world with artists such as Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Beck, Rage Against the Machine, the Wu-Tang Clan and Ministry, as well as headlining such memorable shows as the Digital Hardcore festival at CBGB's in New York City in 1998, and the Queen Elizabeth Hall show in London in 1999 at the request of fan John Peel. During this time they introduced Nic Endo to their ranks as a fourth member. Listener opinion was often divided over the newer sounds ATR subsequently incorporated, and this, along with other factors, began to strain the band.

All of the members found some comfort in their solo work – Empire's output at this time would include his solo release as Nintendo Teenage Robots, and the bootleg recording Alec Empire vs. Elvis Presley, as well as remixes for the likes of The Mad Capsule Markets, Mogwai and Thurston Moore. However, ATR's problems worsened. Onstage at one show in Seattle in 1999, Empire slashed his forearms with a razor. At another show that year in London, in which ATR supported Nine Inch Nails, the band dispensed with the usual song-based formula and delivered one long barrage of what could only be described as "noise"; this would later be released as Live at Brixton Academy.

By the end of 1999, Empire was mentally exhausted, Elias was pregnant and Crack was suffering from psychosis induced by prolonged drug use. The band was put on hiatus; its future was made even more doubtful following Crack's death in 2001, and Elias' decision to leave DHR and create Fatal Recordings.

After ATR

File:AlecEmpireFuturistPromoShot.jpg

Futurist promotional photo

Empire rebounded in 2001 when he, with assistance from Endo, recorded Intelligence and Sacrifice. This album contained two discs: the first retained the ATR formula, yet exhibited more polished production techniques and more personal lyrics on Empire's part; the second disc was entirely electronic and more experimental, without any vocals. He used an all-star lineup in his first live "Alec Empire" show at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan: Charlie Clouser (ex-Nine Inch Nails) played synths, Masami "Merzbow" Akita and Gabe Serbian (The Locust) both played drums, and Endo played synths and keyboards. The Japanese audience's reaction was a positive one, and this encouraged Empire to take Intelligence and Sacrifice on the road.

Empire's next lineup would include a guitarist, Robbie Furze, who would later record for DHR with Panic DHH. Empire also played a series of live shows performing material from the second disc of Intelligence and Sacrifice; one of these was released as The CD2 Sessions in 2003. He returned in 2005 with Futurist, which was less electronic than its predecessor and had more of a raw punk-rock sound, albeit assisted by drum machines and some processing.

Empire started 2006 by DJing at industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle's New Years Eve party. During that year he remixed fellow Germans Rammstein (whom he once said were "successful for all the wrong reasons") and New York punks Most Precious Blood. He also recorded a cover version of The Monks' "Monk Time" for a tribute album with that band's singer Gary Burger, and Russell Simins of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Atari Teenage Riot: 1992-2000, a retrospective album, was released by DHR on July 3 2006. During 2007 Empire plans to release a live DVD of his solo/band act containing footage of shows between 2001 and 2006, including the Fuji Rock Festival performance .

Discography

Main article: Alec Empire discography

For recordings credited to Atari Teenage Riot, see Atari Teenage Riot discography.

Studio albums

For Mille Plateaux

• 
  Limited Editions 1990-1994
  (1994)
  
• Generation Star Wars (1994)
  Generation Star Wars
  (1994)
  
• 
  Low on Ice (The Iceland Sessions)
  (1995)
  
• 
  Hypermodern Jazz 2000.5
  (1996)
  
• 
  Les Étoiles des Filles Mortes
  (1996)
  

For DHR

• 
  The Destroyer
  (1996)
  
• 
  Squeeze the Trigger
  (1997)
  
• 
  Miss Black America
  (1999)
  
• 
  Intelligence and Sacrifice
  (2001)
  
• 
  Futurist
  (2005)
  

References

• Alec Empire at All Music Guide
• Atari Teenage Riot at All Music Guide
• Alec Empire video interview at OC-TV

External links

• Official fansite
• Alec Empire at MySpace
• Official Digital Hardcore Recordings site