EAT STATIC
Eat Static was formed in 1989 by Merv Pepler and Joie Hinton as a creative outlet for the diverse range of electronic music the pair were writing. This year sees them reach the magical milestone of 30 years of performing!
Always intended primarily as a live band, Eat Static can legitimately claim to be one of the UK’s first live techno outfits. They quickly developed a spectacular live show featuring a huge light rig and a giant illuminated brain. A loyal following soon formed, with crowds realising that dance music could be performed live at a time when most electronic acts were simply miming to DATs. Since then, Eat Static have played hundreds of gigs, headlining festivals and shows all over the world.
Early releases came out on the band’s own imprint, Alien Records, laying the foundations of their sound with inventive editing, B-movie samples, and a trademark sense of humour and unpredictability. They later signed to Michael Dog’s legendary label Planet Dog, which captured the spirit and idealism of the era. Their album Abduction was a particularly strong release, and the band went on to enjoy chart success with a number of EPs. At the same time, Eat Static were headlining Megadog nights, festivals, and stages at Glastonbury.
After leaving Planet Dog, the band launched their own label Mesmobeat, releasing a string of albums including the standouts Crash and Burn and In the Nude. These records saw Eat Static expand their palette into Big Beat, ’70s kitsch, psychedelic Latin, and twisted lounge music. Merv also began his side project Hi-Fi Companions with Will White (Propellerheads). Alongside their own output, Eat Static collaborated with Solstice, BNE, Twisted, TIP World, Interchill, and more. Their Interchill tracks in particular explored downtempo and chillout territory.
Merv’s collaborations are numerous: Hi-Fi Companions, The Flexitones, Strontium Dogs, MX Experiment, System Static, and more. He has worked with Steve Jolliffe (Tangerine Dream), Steve Hillage (as System Static), Robert Hjeinen (Psychick Warriors of Gaia), Robert Smith (The Cure), Georgina Brett, and many others. Eat Static also boast a long list of remixes for artists including Suns of Arqa, Shpongle, Kaya Project, Front Line Assembly, System 7, Joujouka, Uzumaki, and many more.
In 2007, after that summer’s festival season, keyboardist Joie Hinton left the band, leaving Merv to fly the Alien flag alone. More recently, however, he was rejoined in the studio by original member Steve Everitt, who made strong appearances on the acclaimed albums Last Ship to Paradise and Dead Planet.
2008 saw the release of Eat Static’s first full-length downtempo album, Back to Earth, via Canada’s Interchill label. The record blended Arabian and jazzy influences with solid dub/breaks grooves and spaced-out, otherworldly electronica.
In 2015, Eat Static released their 25th anniversary double album Dead Planet / Human Upgrade. One disc was full-on and banging; the other more experimental and exploratory. Merv deliberately went against the disposable streaming culture of the time, creating a massive statement release that many said “couldn’t – and shouldn’t – be done.”
Recent years have seen Eat Static featured heavily at festivals worldwide. Highlights include repeat appearances at Ozora Festival, Tokyo Festival of Modular, Albert Hofmann’s 100th birthday party, and of course Glastonbury.
When not on the road, Merv can be found in the studio, where in the past four years he has taken a deep dive into modular synthesis. For Last Ship to Paradise, Merv and Steve combined their modular rigs to create tracks with a constantly evolving, liquid quality – no presets, no recycled samples, and nothing predictable.
2019 marked 30 years of Eat Static, with no sign of slowing down. They signed to Cleopatra Records (Los Angeles), who are reissuing the entire catalogue in the USA, while a follow-up album to Last Ship is currently underway for Interchill Records.
As part of the 30th anniversary celebrations, an album of Classics Remixed will be released, featuring reworks by The Orb, Perfect Stranger, Dust, Flembaz, Martian Arts, Eitan Reiter, Zen Mechanics, and more.
On top of all this, Eat Static are already booked for a heavy festival season – and yes, the giant Brain has been dusted off, ready to stun the masses once again.
CLUSTERS OF EYES
Two brothers versus the machines. Clusters of Eyes debuted at Smugglers Festival 2018 and have since been inhabiting coastal Kent’s subterranean network of tunnels, honing their set of spectral electronica and robot-rocking gutter funk.
Tickets available here:
https://thelighthousedeal.co.uk/tc-events/eat-static-clusters-of-eyes/
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