Lustmord

All Music Guide:

While his days are spent working on sound design for Hollywood scores by Graeme Revell, sound designer Brian Williams records experimental ambience and dark space music as Lustmord. His recordings have been embraced by a variety of ambient fans, ranging from the '70s traditionalists at the Hearts of Space label to the ambient-techno experimentalists at Plug Research. Born and raised in Wales, Williams first performed as Lustmord in 1980 as a series of unannounced "support slots" at larger gigs, with Williams simply leaping on-stage and performing until security became aware of the situation. Though understandably brief, the rock terrorism gained Williams contact with like minds in the proto-industrial scene including SPK and Throbbing Gristle. He soon began appearing with SPK on tour and in the studio, and in 1982 released a self-titled Lustmord LP, including work by Coil's John Balance and Nocturnal Emissions' Nigel Ayers. His second album, Paradise Disowned (released by SPK's Side Effects label in 1984), featured recordings made in a variety of subterranean locales including the crypt at Chartres Cathedral, Dunster Abattoir in Bangor, Wales and on the ocean floor. By that time, Williams had also taken over running Side Effects.

Though he released no additional Lustmord material during the rest of the '80s, Williams did record (and do sound research) for albums by Current 93, Nurse with Wound, SPK, Chris & Cosey, and SPK member Graeme Revell's solo project The Insect Musicians. Lustmord returned in 1990 and released a pair of albums for Side Effects, The Monstrous Soul in 1992 and Place Where the Black Stars Hang in 1994. Williams moved to California in the mid-'90s after being recruited by Graeme Revell to work on his sound library for the scores of feature films including Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Street Fighter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Crow, and Spawn, among others.

Another Williams collaboration, this one with space music pioneer Robert Rich, debuted with the 1995 release of Rich's Stalker album, recorded for Hearts of Space. One year later, Williams responded to requests from the ambient-techno DJ community for Lustmord material on vinyl by releasing a single for Plug Research. The recording inspired his next project, a collaborative live album named Lustmord vs. Metal Beast that skirted the edges of dark-ambient-techno. Purifying Fire appeared in summer 2000, but it was his critically acclaimed Metavoid that raise eyebrows. He also has several ongoing projects including Arecibo, Isolrubin BK, and Terror Against Terror.

Wikipedia:

Brian Williams is a British electronic musician often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord.

History [edit]

Williams started recording as Lustmord in 1980 before joining SPK in 1982. Lustmord has extracted field recordings made in crypts, caves, and slaughterhouses, and combined it with occasional ritualistic incantations and Tibetan horns. His treatments of acoustic phenomena encased in digitally expanded bass rumbles have a dark ambient quality. Some of Lustmord's most notable collaborations include Robert Rich on the critically acclaimed Stalker, Jarboe, John Balance of Coil, Monte Cazazza, Clock DVA, Chris & Cosey, Paul Haslinger, and experimental sludge group The Melvins on Pigs of the Roman Empire.

Williams released the album Heresy, considered a milestone of the genre of dark ambient, in 1990. Williams contributed to 44 Hollywood film soundtracks as music and sound designer and occasionally as additional composer, most notably on The Crow and Underworld.

Around 1999, Lustmord was also involved with the video game Planescape: Torment—his work eventually went unused when the project changed direction. He provided music and sound design for a variety of other projects since, such as Far Cry Instincts, Underworld or NVIDIA demos, many of which include collaborations with Paul Haslinger.

Lustmord worked on Tool's DVD singles and remixed versions of "Schism" and "Parabola," which were released on 20 December 2005. Lustmord also contributed to Tool's 2006 album 10,000 Days with the atmospheric storm sounds on the title track, "10,000 Days". He later worked again with Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan, collaborating on Keenan's project Puscifer debut album "V" is for Vagina, as well as providing several remixes for "V" is for Viagra. The Remixes. Lustmord eventually generated a collection of dub remixes of several '... Vagina' tracks, known as "D" Is for Dubby - The Lustmord Dub Mixes. The nine track LP was released as a digital download on 17 October 2008, available directly from the Puscifer website. He also did some additional music including the track "The Western Approaches" feat. Wes Borland on guitar for the documentary Blood Into Wine.

Lustmord appeared live for the first time in 25 years as part of the high mass observance by the Church of Satan. The ceremony took place on 6 June 2006 (6-6-06). A recording of the performance entitled "Rising" was released.

Lustmord released the album [ O T H E R ] on California-based label Hydra Head Records in July 2008. It features guest appearances by Adam Jones, King Buzzo, and Aaron Turner.

Lustmord performed for the second time in 29 years at Unsound Festival Kraków on 22 October 2010.

Lustmord performed at Art's Birthday celebration (initiated by Robert Filliou) at Södra Teatern in Stockholm, Sweden, on 15 January 2011. He performed at the Unsound Festival in New York for the first time on 9 and 10 April 2011. Lustmord's first performance in the Netherlands will be in September 2011 at the Incubate Festival.

Lustmord played for the first time in Moscow, Russia, on 8 April 2012, at Cinema 35mm. Bad Sector played the first act of show.