Non

announces the release of a new album, ‘Back To Mono’

Boyd Rice / NON announces the release of a new album, Back To Mono, on 22 October 2012. Back To Mono is a return to Boyd Rice’s noise roots, and the first new album since 2002’s Children Of The Black Sun.

Back To Mono’s tracklisting encompasses brand new recordings – made with Wes Eisold (Cold Cave), NY producer Bryin Dall (Thee Majesty / Hirsute Pursuit) and long time collaborator Z’ev, alongside unreleased studio and live recordings from the late 70s, plus a cover of The Normal’s ‘Warm Leatherette’, Mute’s first release which, explains Rice, is “the best electronic pop song – bar none. I bought that single fifteen minutes before meeting Daniel. And that meeting changed my life.”

It’s difficult to imagine the pioneering impact that tracks such as 1978’s ‘Watusi’ (here re-recorded by Wes Eisold) and ‘Scream’ (recorded live in 1979 at LA’s Whiskey A Go-Go) must have had at the time, now that noise is a recognised genre.

Says Rice, “I was doing sample-based music about a decade before the advent of samplers, when everyone else was using bass, guitars, keyboards and drums. It has been said that I invented the first sampler. Perhaps I did. At the time I called it the N.M.U. (or noise manipulation unit). It allowed me to essentially sample numerous tracks of noise and mould them into rudimentary rhythms. This was my principle instrument for a good many years and can be heard on Back to Mono, in the late 70’s archival recordings.”

Turn Me On, Dead Man and Turn Me On, Dead Man (Reprise) are both collaborations with musician, artist, poet, dancer and “long time partner-in-crime” Z’ev, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Merzbow, and Psychic TV amongst others

Cold Cave’s Wes Eisold produced and recorded the title track at Cold Cave’s Philadelphia studio.

Boyd Rice / NON’s first release was what is known as the Black Album (1975). “When I started to compose and perform noise music in the ‘70s there simply were no other noise groups.” As noise became more commonplace, Rice moved into more subtle and complex recordings.

Explains Rice, “Back to Mono was my attempt to demonstrate that the genre I created still had room to grow; that it could still be re-imagined.”

Boyd Rice / NON, will also play a series of European dates to support the album, following 2011’s now legendary Short Circuit presents Mute festival at the Roundhouse. Details to be announced shortly.

BACK TO MONO TRACKLISTING
Turn Me On, Dead Man
Watusi
Back To Mono
Seven Sermons To The Dead
Obey Your Signal Only
Man Cannot Flatter Fate
Scream
Back To Mono (Live)
Turn Me On, Dead Man (Reprise)
Fire Shall Come
Warm Leatherette