Regis (musician)
Encyclopedia
Regis is a British techno
musician and record label
boss.
As label boss of Downwards Records, O'Connor, alongside his label-mate Surgeon
(aka Anthony Child), forged a sound that blended Chicago house
with darker European electronics. Although initially his plan was to take a "director of operations" role (he cites Daniel Miller has his greatest influence), O'Connor and his label partner Peter Sutton (aka Female) found it increasingly difficult to find artists to share their vision, and to this day still work with the same core artists.
area of Birmingham
. He set up the Integrale Muzique distribution company in 1996 with Sutton and Antonio Soares-Vieira. Regis' debut EP
Montreal included the hypnotic industrial track "Speak To Me". Other releases from the period include the Gymnastics 2x12", and the Application of Language EP, both featuring hard minimal electronica. The era was capped off by a remix of "Totmacher" by DJ Hell
. Things came full circle in the late 1990s, when O'Connor went on to work with and produce his childhood heroes Robert Gorl and Chrislo Hass of Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft
, but by this time he was already developing a more layered and tonal sound that would become his trademark in the following years.
In 2000, Downwards continued their unorthodox approach to dance music
by releasing a series of 7" singles. These were a collection of noise loops, cut-ups and industrial
death pop, including O'Connor's Suicide
-esque "A Man Has Responsibilities", under the Diversion Group guise. 2000 also saw the release of Against Nature for Tresor
. Recorded as Karl O'Connor and Peter Sutton, the LP
was an example of raw techno, coupled with organic field recording
s. The duo were unhappy with the way Tresor altered the album for release and it was reissued in the way they had originally intended in 2010.
2001 saw the release of Penetration a record that would move the Regis sound on yet again. A combination of tonal drones layered with heavy percussion was inspirational to a new generation of techno producers. This influence was underlined when Regis and Surgeon started the British Murder Boys (BMB) project in 2002. More a group project, BMB drew on their non-techno influences to create an original concept for the dancefloor. Their recorded output included the tracks "Don't Give Way To Fear", and "Learn Your Lesson", but the group also played live, with gigs often ending in total chaos and digital feedback. Since 2001 Regis has been less prolific, but continues to work in techno.
O'Connor joined with other artists such as Silent Servant, Female, and Function (Dave Sumner) in the Sandwell District international techno collective/label in 2002. O'Connor and Sumner also work together as club DJs under the Sandwell District name. He has also collaborated with Juan Mendez (Silent Servant/Tropic of Cancer) as Sandra Electronics, with Sumner as Portion Reform, and with former Napalm Death
drummer Mick Harris
as Ugandan Speed Trials. He has also released records under the name Kalon and CUB. One of O'Connor and Harris's collaborations was as part of the mixed media Narcissus Trance exhibition at the Event Gallery in London in June 2010, exploring the ideas of Marshall McLuhan
on the interaction of technology and humanity.
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
musician and record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
boss.
As label boss of Downwards Records, O'Connor, alongside his label-mate Surgeon
Surgeon (musician)
Surgeon is the pseudonym of Anthony Child, an English electronic musician and DJ. Child releases music on his own labels Counterbalance and Dynamic Tension. Established imprints, such as Tresor, Soma, and Harthouse, have also released Surgeon's original material and remixes...
(aka Anthony Child), forged a sound that blended Chicago house
Chicago house
Chicago house is a style of house music, a genre of electronic dance music which emerged in Chicago in the mid-1980s. Stylistically, Chicago house has no widely accepted definition, but generally includes the first house music productions by Chicago-based artists throughout the 1980s, and any later...
with darker European electronics. Although initially his plan was to take a "director of operations" role (he cites Daniel Miller has his greatest influence), O'Connor and his label partner Peter Sutton (aka Female) found it increasingly difficult to find artists to share their vision, and to this day still work with the same core artists.
Music career
O'Connor began making music in the early 1990s and founded Downward Records with Sutton in 1993 in the HalesowenHalesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
area of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. He set up the Integrale Muzique distribution company in 1996 with Sutton and Antonio Soares-Vieira. Regis' debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Montreal included the hypnotic industrial track "Speak To Me". Other releases from the period include the Gymnastics 2x12", and the Application of Language EP, both featuring hard minimal electronica. The era was capped off by a remix of "Totmacher" by DJ Hell
DJ Hell
This article is about Helmut Josef Geier. You may also be looking for Darryl Hell.Helmut Josef Geier, professionally known as DJ Hell is a German house-techno DJ...
. Things came full circle in the late 1990s, when O'Connor went on to work with and produce his childhood heroes Robert Gorl and Chrislo Hass of Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft
Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft or D.A.F. is an influential German electropunk/NDW band from Düsseldorf, formed in 1978 featuring Gabriel "Gabi" Delgado-López , Robert Görl , Kurt "Pyrolator" Dahlke , Michael Kemner and Wolfgang Spelmans...
, but by this time he was already developing a more layered and tonal sound that would become his trademark in the following years.
In 2000, Downwards continued their unorthodox approach to dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
by releasing a series of 7" singles. These were a collection of noise loops, cut-ups and 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...
death pop, including O'Connor's Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
-esque "A Man Has Responsibilities", under the Diversion Group guise. 2000 also saw the release of Against Nature for Tresor
Tresor
Tresor is an underground techno nightclub and record label. The club was founded in March 1991 in the vaults of the former old Wertheim department store in Mitte, the central part of the former East Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz, however the history of the club goes back to 1988 when...
. Recorded as Karl O'Connor and Peter Sutton, the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
was an example of raw techno, coupled with organic field recording
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
s. The duo were unhappy with the way Tresor altered the album for release and it was reissued in the way they had originally intended in 2010.
2001 saw the release of Penetration a record that would move the Regis sound on yet again. A combination of tonal drones layered with heavy percussion was inspirational to a new generation of techno producers. This influence was underlined when Regis and Surgeon started the British Murder Boys (BMB) project in 2002. More a group project, BMB drew on their non-techno influences to create an original concept for the dancefloor. Their recorded output included the tracks "Don't Give Way To Fear", and "Learn Your Lesson", but the group also played live, with gigs often ending in total chaos and digital feedback. Since 2001 Regis has been less prolific, but continues to work in techno.
O'Connor joined with other artists such as Silent Servant, Female, and Function (Dave Sumner) in the Sandwell District international techno collective/label in 2002. O'Connor and Sumner also work together as club DJs under the Sandwell District name. He has also collaborated with Juan Mendez (Silent Servant/Tropic of Cancer) as Sandra Electronics, with Sumner as Portion Reform, and with former Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
drummer Mick Harris
Mick Harris
Mick Harris commonly known and credited both as Mick Harris or occasionally M.J. Harris, is an English musician....
as Ugandan Speed Trials. He has also released records under the name Kalon and CUB. One of O'Connor and Harris's collaborations was as part of the mixed media Narcissus Trance exhibition at the Event Gallery in London in June 2010, exploring the ideas of Marshall McLuhan
Marshall McLuhan
Herbert Marshall McLuhan, CC was a Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar—a professor of English literature, a literary critic, a rhetorician, and a communication theorist...
on the interaction of technology and humanity.
Albums
- Gymnastics (1996), Downwards
- Delivered Into The Hands Of Indifference (1998), Downwards
- Againstnature (2000), Tresor - Karl O'Connor & Peter Sutton
- Penetration (2001), Downwards
- Necklace of Bites (2008)
Singles
- "Untitled" (1996), Downwards
- "We Siad No" (1996), Downwards
- "Facilities" (1998), Downwards
- "Divine Ritual" (1999), Downwards
- Blood Into Gold EP (1999), Downwards
- "Born-Against" (20??), Downwards - as Kalon