Academy 23
Encyclopedia
Academy 23 was a British
experimental music project created by Andy Martin and Dave Fanning, immediately after disbanding their former group The Apostles
. Founded in London
in 1989, the band released music primarily on audio cassette, as part of the cassette culture
movement. They disbanded in 1999.
Other members include Peter Williams, who also collaborated with Martin in the band Time To Think. Williams' record label Thinking Time released many of the Academy 23 recordings. Angus, another member, was also a contributor to the U.S. fanzine PC Casualties, edited by Mark Frietas]who also ran Homocore Chicago. The most enduring line up of the group comprised Martin, Fanning and Williams alongside Nathan Coles (of The Unbelievables) and Lawrence Burton (formerly of Konstruktivists).
They released seven cassette collections and two albums, one on vinyl and one on CD, as well as two singles.
The group took an experimental approach, and achieved some success in continental Europe
. Their sound combined elements from industrial
, Scottish
folk music
, punk rock
and pop music
. Their successful merging of folk and industrial music made them one of the earliest exponents of the genre of music that would come to be known as 'neo-folk'.
Between 1992 and 2001, Academy 23 edited 26 issues of the non-commercial publication SMILE
, an international magazine of which roughly 100 issues have been published in several different countries by various editors.
The group collaborated with the industrial band The Grey Wolves
on two songs, "Terror Chamber" and "Terror Intensifies", both featured on compilations. In 1990, they contributed the song "The Boy Next Door" to the J.D.s
cassette , J.D.s Top Ten Homocore Hit Parade Tape, the first queercore
compilation to be released.
After the demise of Academy 23, the group continued to perform and record with the same line up under the name Unit.
Albums
Singles
Tracks on compilation albums
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
experimental music project created by Andy Martin and Dave Fanning, immediately after disbanding their former group The Apostles
The Apostles
The Apostles are an experimental punk rock band who developed within the confines of the 1980s Anarcho Punk scene in the UK, but did not necessarily adhere to the aesthetics of that movement.-History:...
. Founded in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1989, the band released music primarily on audio cassette, as part of the cassette culture
Cassette culture
Cassette culture, or the cassette underground , refers to the practices surrounding amateur production and distribution of recorded music that emerged in the late 1970s via home-made audio cassettes...
movement. They disbanded in 1999.
Other members include Peter Williams, who also collaborated with Martin in the band Time To Think. Williams' record label Thinking Time released many of the Academy 23 recordings. Angus, another member, was also a contributor to the U.S. fanzine PC Casualties, edited by Mark Frietas]who also ran Homocore Chicago. The most enduring line up of the group comprised Martin, Fanning and Williams alongside Nathan Coles (of The Unbelievables) and Lawrence Burton (formerly of Konstruktivists).
They released seven cassette collections and two albums, one on vinyl and one on CD, as well as two singles.
The group took an experimental approach, and achieved some success in continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
. Their sound combined elements from industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Their successful merging of folk and industrial music made them one of the earliest exponents of the genre of music that would come to be known as 'neo-folk'.
Between 1992 and 2001, Academy 23 edited 26 issues of the non-commercial publication SMILE
SMILE (magazine)
SMILE is an international magazine of multiple origins. Since 1984, an estimated 100 different issues of SMILE have been published by different people in different countries of the world.-History:...
, an international magazine of which roughly 100 issues have been published in several different countries by various editors.
The group collaborated with the industrial band The Grey Wolves
The Grey Wolves
The Grey Wolves are a British Industrial music group. They were formed in 1985 by Dave Padbury and Trevor Ward.-History:The band has been credited with pioneering the 'death industrial' subgenre in industrial music. Their work has also been described as 'dark ambient' and as 'power electronics'...
on two songs, "Terror Chamber" and "Terror Intensifies", both featured on compilations. In 1990, they contributed the song "The Boy Next Door" to the J.D.s
J.D.s
J.D.s is a queer punk zine founded in Toronto by G.B. Jones and co-published with Bruce LaBruce, that ran for eight issues from 1985 to 1991....
cassette , J.D.s Top Ten Homocore Hit Parade Tape, the first queercore
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
compilation to be released.
After the demise of Academy 23, the group continued to perform and record with the same line up under the name Unit.
Discography
Cassettes- Bring Back Proof
- Europe Awake
- Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?
- Aonaibh Ri Chiele
- Look Back In Hunger
- Birth In December
- Gegenseitige Vergeltongsmabnahmen
Albums
- Relationships LP, Thinking Time Records
- Kampfbereit CD, Thinking Time Records
Singles
- "Cameo for Earth"
Tracks on compilation albums
- "Demo(n)crats" -You've Heard It All Before - the CrassCrassCrass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
covers double albumDouble albumA double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
, Ruptured Ambitions - "Gay and Proud" -Mind Pollution LP, Words Of Warning
- "The Boy Next Door" on J.D.s Top Ten Tape cassetteCassette cultureCassette culture, or the cassette underground , refers to the practices surrounding amateur production and distribution of recorded music that emerged in the late 1970s via home-made audio cassettes...