Ten Ton Pressure
Encyclopedia
Ten Ton Pressure is an EP by the industrial rock
band Chemlab
released in 1990.
The duo of Dylan Thomas Moore and Joe Frank on synthesizers later teamed up with Jared Hendrickson (now known as Jared Louche) to create this EP. It was financed by Zalman Fishman, a nightclub owner who founded the now defunct Fifth Colvmn Records
. Zalman became involved when he was introduced to Joe Frank through a mutual friend. It was recorded illegally at National Geographic's studios after hours and mixed in Los Angeles by Hilary Bercovici, a friend of Frank's.
Dylan and Jared moved to New York City where they continued Chemlab
without Frank until the band's implosion in 1997. The EP showcased Moore's burgeoning talents, his aggressive, experimental programming and Jared Hendrickson's apocalyptic vision of the world. It was noisy yet hooky, the sound a mixture of Ministry
, Front 242
, Skinny Puppy
and such first-wave industrial
bands as SPK
and Throbbing Gristle
yet distinctly their own. It instantly struck a chord in the nascent American machine rock/industrial music scene and became an instant underground hit on dance floors across the country. Hendrickson's aggressive promotion ensured that the EP was reviewed in most of the music magazines and trade journals of the day and the first 1000 vinyl copies sold out very quickly. On the strength of excellent reviews and a strong buzz the band was asked to support Nine Inch Nails
on their "Now I'm Nothing" tour in the winter of 1991. Moore wrote two songs specifically for that tour, 'Gas Mask' and 'X-Flipped' and although they performed them every night and they very much showed the harder and even more experimental direction the band would take on their subsequent albums, neither song was ever recorded. The tour was a smash success of sold-out shows that solidly planted Chemlab before the exploding underground scene and Ten Ton Pressure went into numerous reprints though never again on vinyl.
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
band Chemlab
Chemlab
Chemlab is a coldwave and industrial rock band formed in Washington D.C., USA, in 1989 by Dylan Thomas More, Joe Frank , and Jared Louche . Influenced by the pioneers of the industrial genre, such as Throbbing Gristle, Chemlab mixed experimental sounds with rock and metal, which they dubbed...
released in 1990.
The duo of Dylan Thomas Moore and Joe Frank on synthesizers later teamed up with Jared Hendrickson (now known as Jared Louche) to create this EP. It was financed by Zalman Fishman, a nightclub owner who founded the now defunct Fifth Colvmn Records
Fifth Colvmn Records
Fifth Colvmn Records was a record label based in Washington, DC. Formed in 1990 by nightclub owner and entrepreneur Zalman Fishman, the label's first release was Chemlab's debut EP Ten Ton Pressure...
. Zalman became involved when he was introduced to Joe Frank through a mutual friend. It was recorded illegally at National Geographic's studios after hours and mixed in Los Angeles by Hilary Bercovici, a friend of Frank's.
Dylan and Jared moved to New York City where they continued Chemlab
Chemlab
Chemlab is a coldwave and industrial rock band formed in Washington D.C., USA, in 1989 by Dylan Thomas More, Joe Frank , and Jared Louche . Influenced by the pioneers of the industrial genre, such as Throbbing Gristle, Chemlab mixed experimental sounds with rock and metal, which they dubbed...
without Frank until the band's implosion in 1997. The EP showcased Moore's burgeoning talents, his aggressive, experimental programming and Jared Hendrickson's apocalyptic vision of the world. It was noisy yet hooky, the sound a mixture of Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
, 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:...
, Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
and such first-wave 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...
bands as SPK
SPK (band)
SPK, formed in 1978 in Sydney, Australia, was a 1980s and early 1990s industrial music and noise music group. One member, Graeme Revell, would later go on to become a successful Hollywood movie composer.-History:...
and Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
yet distinctly their own. It instantly struck a chord in the nascent American machine rock/industrial music scene and became an instant underground hit on dance floors across the country. Hendrickson's aggressive promotion ensured that the EP was reviewed in most of the music magazines and trade journals of the day and the first 1000 vinyl copies sold out very quickly. On the strength of excellent reviews and a strong buzz the band was asked to support Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
on their "Now I'm Nothing" tour in the winter of 1991. Moore wrote two songs specifically for that tour, 'Gas Mask' and 'X-Flipped' and although they performed them every night and they very much showed the harder and even more experimental direction the band would take on their subsequent albums, neither song was ever recorded. The tour was a smash success of sold-out shows that solidly planted Chemlab before the exploding underground scene and Ten Ton Pressure went into numerous reprints though never again on vinyl.
Track listing
- "Filament" – 4:45
- "suture" – 0:30
- "I Still Bleed" – 4:45
- "Blunt Force Trauma" – 3:52
- "Black Radio (in the neon blur)" – 3:30
- "suture" (2) – 2:16