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Disco Inferno was a band formed in Essex in the late 1980s by Ian Crause (guitar & vocals), Paul Wilmott (bass), Rob Whatley (drums) and Daniel Gish (keyboards).
After the departure of Gish (who would later join Bark Psychosis) the three-piece Disco Inferno recorded the single 'Entertainment' with producer Charlie McIntosh. Their first album, Open Doors, Closed Windows, was released in 1991 on Che and received positive reviews, although most mentioned the heavy influence of late 1970s post punk bands, particularly Joy Division and Wire (In fact Disco Inferno's manager, Michael Collins, had previously managed Wire during their 70's incarnation).
'Entertainment', Open Doors, Closed Windows and the 'Science' EP would later be collected on the album In Debt.
In 1992 the band released 'Summer's Last Sound', widely regarded as the first in a run of classic Disco Inferno EPs which saw the band's increasing use of samples.
The band's use of sampling combined with traditional instruments - particularly Wilmott's bass - continued on the EPs 'A Rock To Cling To' and 'The Last Dance' and reached it's peak on their second album D.I. Go Pop.
The melody on the album's 8 tracks is often carried by the bassline, while an imaginative array of samples (including running water, breaking glass, car crashes, fax machines) builds dense aural collages. Unlike many of the post rock bands Disco Inferno were labelled alongside, the music on D.I. Go Pop was harsh and concise, with Crause's vocals (often buried in the mix) concerning frustration rather than bliss.
After the full-on assault of D.I. Go Pop the band opted for restraint on the beautiful 'Second Language' EP which also had a new-found optimism in Crause's lyrics.
Their final single, 'It's A Kid's World', sampled the distinctive drumbeat from Iggy Pop's Lust for Life and added in a series of old children's TV themes to good effect, but despite critical acclaim the band attracted little commercial success and split before their final album, Technicolour was released in 1996.
After the split, Ian Crause formed Floorshow who recorded some material for an unreleased album which was to be called 'The Vertical Axis'. Some of these songs later appeared on his solo singles 'Elemental' and 'Head Over Heels' which featured drummer Ritchie Thomas (Dif Juz, The Jesus and Mary Chain).
Paul Wilmott formed Transformer who recorded a cover of Wire's Outdoor Miner which appeared on the Wire tribute album, Whore (WMO 1996), before making recordings under the name Lisp.
In 1999, the Tugboat label released the 'Mixing It Session' which featured 6 instrumental tracks the band had recorded for the radio, while One Little Indian gave D.I. Go Pop and Technicolour a belated US release in 2004.
Discography
- Entertainment (Che, 1990 single)
- Open Doors, Closed Windows (Che, 1991 album)
- Science (Che, 1991 EP)
- Summer's Last Sound (Cheree, 1992 EP)
- A Rock To Cling To (Rough Trade, 1993 EP)
- The Last Dance (Rough Trade, 1993 EP)
- D.I. Go Pop (Rough Trade, 1994 album)
- Second Language (Rough Trade, 1994 EP)
- It's A Kid's World (Rough Trade, 1994 EP)
- Technicolour (Rough Trade, 1996 album)
- The Mixing It Session (Tugboat, 1999 EP)
Compilation:
- In Debt (Che, 1995 album)