C-Tec
Encyclopedia
C-Tec was a band originally formed as a side project in 1995 by Jean-Luc De Meyer
(of Front 242
), Jonathan Sharp (of New Mind
), and Ged Denton (of Crisis NTI) as The Cyber-Tec Project. The name was taken from Cyber-Tec Records, who released their first album
. This EP was also released on Fifth Column Records in the US. After this release, Jonathan Sharp left the band (due to problems with Cyber-Tec Records manager Paul M. Green), and Marc Heal
(of Cubanate
) joined as a full-time member.
The band had been conceived as a one-off project, but the members at this point decided to pursue further material. In 1997, after shortening their name to C-Tec, they released a full album, Darker, on the US industrial Wax Trax! label.
C-Tec existed during the late 1990s hiatus in the Front 242 line-up, with De Meyer (the original lead singer in 242) apparently leaving that band for a period. The band toured North America twice in 1998 with a hybrid lineup featuring other members of Cubanate and Julian Beeston
, one time drummer in Nitzer Ebb
. The second album, Cut
, was released in 2000 on SPV
imprint Synthetic Symphony. The album was originally slated for US release on Wax Trax! but the label closed around this time. Thereby, Cut never had an official American release.
In terms of how C-Tec sounded, Darker contains a surprisingly downbeat, moody collection of songs, showing strong electronic influences but with more ambient textures than would be suggested by the industrial music
backgrounds of the main participants. Cut is faster in tempo, with De Meyer’s vocal mixed low. Most of the material on the two full-length C-Tec albums was co-written by Marc Heal and Jean-Luc De Meyer.
Since Cut, C-Tec appears to have been inactive, though lead singer Jean-Luc De Meyer later resurfaced with a new Front 242 album in 2003.
Jean-Luc De Meyer
Jean-Luc De Meyer is a vocalist and lyricist who is best known as the lead vocalist of the Belgian EBM group Front 242.He started singing in the experimental group "Under Viewer" with Patrick Codenys...
(of Front 242
Front 242
Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
), Jonathan Sharp (of New Mind
New Mind (band)
New Mind is an electro-industrial band from Cumbria, Great Britain. Jonathan Sharp is behind this project, in addition to Bio-Tek.-Discography:* Fractured * Zero to the Bone...
), and Ged Denton (of Crisis NTI) as The Cyber-Tec Project. The name was taken from Cyber-Tec Records, who released their first album
Let Your Body Die (Cyber-Tec album)
Let Your Body Die is a 1995 EP by The Cyber-Tec Project , released on Cyber-Tec Records .-Releases:Synthetic Symphony a division of SPV GmbHCat# SPV 076-61112 CD - Track listing :...
. This EP was also released on Fifth Column Records in the US. After this release, Jonathan Sharp left the band (due to problems with Cyber-Tec Records manager Paul M. Green), and Marc Heal
Marc Heal
Marc Heal is an English musician. He was one of the most prolific and influential Industrial music artists in the 1990s, mixing metal and techno with more traditional Industrial sounds...
(of Cubanate
Cubanate
Cubanate is a crossover band from London, founded in 1992 by Marc Heal and Graham Rayner with Phil Barry and Steve Etheridge. The group became well-known known for its early fusion of distorted metal guitars, and techno percussion .-History:Cubanate played their first UK tour in November 1992...
) joined as a full-time member.
The band had been conceived as a one-off project, but the members at this point decided to pursue further material. In 1997, after shortening their name to C-Tec, they released a full album, Darker, on the US industrial Wax Trax! label.
C-Tec existed during the late 1990s hiatus in the Front 242 line-up, with De Meyer (the original lead singer in 242) apparently leaving that band for a period. The band toured North America twice in 1998 with a hybrid lineup featuring other members of Cubanate and Julian Beeston
Julian Beeston
Julian Beeston is an English musician, mainly noted for his time in the electronic groups Nitzer Ebb and Cubanate. He has spent time as a remixing engineer working on artists such as Bob Marley...
, one time drummer in Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb is a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris , Douglas McCarthy , and David Gooday .-Band name:...
. The second album, Cut
Cut (C-Tec album)
Cut is an album by C-Tec originally released in 2000.-Releases:Synthetic Symphony a division of SPV GmbHCat# SPV 085-62422 CD -Track listing:# "Brutal" – 5:08...
, was released in 2000 on SPV
SPV GmbH
SPV GmbH is an independent German record label.Founded on January 1, 1984, it has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide....
imprint Synthetic Symphony. The album was originally slated for US release on Wax Trax! but the label closed around this time. Thereby, Cut never had an official American release.
In terms of how C-Tec sounded, Darker contains a surprisingly downbeat, moody collection of songs, showing strong electronic influences but with more ambient textures than would be suggested by the industrial music
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...
backgrounds of the main participants. Cut is faster in tempo, with De Meyer’s vocal mixed low. Most of the material on the two full-length C-Tec albums was co-written by Marc Heal and Jean-Luc De Meyer.
Since Cut, C-Tec appears to have been inactive, though lead singer Jean-Luc De Meyer later resurfaced with a new Front 242 album in 2003.
Discography
- Cyber-Tec Project (1995) (as Cyber-Tec)
- Let Your Body Die (1995) (as Cyber-Tec - US version of self-titled album with different Track 10)
- Darker (1997) (as C-Tec)
- CutCut (C-Tec album)Cut is an album by C-Tec originally released in 2000.-Releases:Synthetic Symphony a division of SPV GmbHCat# SPV 085-62422 CD -Track listing:# "Brutal" – 5:08...
(2000) (as C-Tec)