The old story goes that I started
SICKNESS or the project that would become SICKNESS after having
no way to successfully express myself in the punk and hardcore
bands back in 1986 to 1988. Like a lot of small town bands my
friends were lazy, and unmotivated with lots of big ideas, but
no real action involved. It was always "if...",
"when...", "we should...." I wanted to
start doing. They all had ideas of what they wanted to do based
on other artists while I wanted to express something new as
well. I wanted to do something based on what was going on in my
head. So, I started doing vocals and noise, and feedback using
a ZOOM multi-effects processor. I built my own tape loop
machine, and some pedals (with the help of a good friend) to do
what I wanted. I multi- layered my tapes using the old Les Paul
method of recording or just did direct live improv sets and as
I went along after so many dubs the loops I that I was using
turned out muddy and noisy. This layered with screams, grunts,
groans, vocals, whispers, etc. and a lot of delay was how
SICKNESS started out. I had no idea about any other noise
artists at the time, and was introduced to “harsh
noise” by friends. Amazed at the variety of other
peoples work I looked at the other artists tried to do what
they did, failed miserably, and started over. I started
recording my own tapes, and quit the bands I was in to work on
this project full time which then slowed to on and off for a
number of years. I started a few other projects but SICKNESS
was my favorite and what remains today. It gives me the
greatest freedom to do what I want. I started basing my
releases around disease, filth, rot, decay, and the human
condition (including my own condition) to give it added
direction and interest. As my interests broadened so did my
subject matter and my sound. Like most people the early
tapes were terrible, without direction, and experiments (often
failed) in what I wanted and my take on what other people did.
I, like many others, got the best results following what I
wanted to do, and the slow painful process of personal
evolution. Now you have this. SICKNESS has toured extensively
in the US, Japan and Europe bringing my own brand of harsh
electronic purity and scumbag electronics to the world.
OMEI was a projected created in 1999-2000
that started to cover the more ambient, slow build material
that I felt didn’t fit into the “SICKNESS
sound”. The two projects were very separate in the
beginning but now they can easily be combined, collab’d,
etc. OMEI has no set form using elements of sound that fit the
ideas I want to work with.
To sum up the differences - SICKNESS is a
hundred thoughts in one second, and OMEI is one thought for 10
years (it used to be 100). Both require active listening.
Either shouldn’t be something you can put on and walk
away from. The listener is often a required element to make the
intent of the recording complete.
If you have interest in getting in touch
with me for projects, shows (local and international),
releases, artwork, soundtracks, etc. please email me at:
ninthcirclemusic (at) gmail (dot) com
with a the subject covering your interest.
Thank you
Chris
SICKNESS/OMEI/NINTH CIRCLE MUSIC
“Scumbag Electronics”/Harsh
Electronic Purity