John Balance 709954 225400036 2008-07-13T14:05:12Z 90.197.35.15 /* External links */ {{for|the 19th-century New Zealand premier|John Ballance}} {{Infobox musical artist |Name = John Balance |Img = Gefftwbeech-BW.jpg |Img_capt = |Background = solo_singer |Birth_name = Geff Rushton |Alias = John Balance, Jhonn Balance, Jhon Balance |Born = {{birth date|1962|2|16|mf=y}} |Died = {{death date and age|2004|11|13|1962|2|16|mf=y}} |Origin = [[Mansfield, England|Mansfield]], [[England]] |Instrument = Vocals, Keyboard, Bass Guitar, Chapman Stick, Organ, Violin |Genre = [[Industrial music]] |Occupation = Musician |Years_active = [[1979]] - [[2004]] |Label = [[Chalice (record label)|Chalice]], [[Threshold House]], [[Eskaton]] |Associated_acts = [[Coil (band)|Coil]]<br>[[Psychic TV]] }} '''John Balance''' (first name also spelled ''Jhon'' and ''Jhonn''; born Geff Rushton/Geoffrey Laurence Burton; [[February 16]], [[1962]] – [[November 13]], [[2004]]), born in [[Mansfield, England|Mansfield]], [[England]], was the founder of the experimental music group [[Coil (band)|Coil]], along with his partner [[Peter Christopherson]].<ref name="guardian">{{citation |title= Obituary: John Balance |first=Richard |last=Smith |date=[[2004-12-11]] |periodical=[[The Guardian]] |accessdate=[[2007-08-22]] |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,1371372,00.html}}.</ref> He was responsible for vocals, lyrics, chants, synthetics and various esoteric sound-making instruments and devices. Outside of Coil he collaborated with [[Nurse With Wound]], [[Death In June]], [[Psychic TV]], [[Current 93]], [[Thighpaulsandra]], and produced a couple of [[Nine Inch Nails]] remixes. His early work and wide-ranging collaborations made him one of the most influential figures in the [[industrial music|industrial]], experimental [[minimal music|minimalist]] and [[neofolk]] music scenes. ==Magick== Balance had strong interest in [[Magick|magickians]] and [[occultists]] such as [[Brion Gysin]], [[John Dee]], [[William Burroughs]], [[Aleister Crowley]] and [[Austin Osman Spare]]. He was inspired by the works of Crowley, Dee, Spare, Ex-[[the Velvet Underground|Velvet Underground]] member/mystical poet/percussionist [[Angus Maclise]], poet/painter [[William Blake]] and [[Surrealism|Surrealist]] painter/sculptor [[Max Ernst]]. Balance expressed interest in belief systems such as [[Shamanism]], [[Christianity]], [[Buddhism]], [[Paganism]], [[Hermeticism]] and [[Gnosticism]] and applied certain aspects of these to his musical projects. Balance referenced magick devices such as [[sigil (magic)|sigils]]. ==Alcoholism and death== He had long struggled with [[alcoholism]], which was cited as one of the major contributing factors to the breakup of his long-standing relationship with [[Industrial Records]]' co-founder [[Peter Christopherson]], and was a recurring theme in his later musical work. Balance died after tipping over the banisters at his home[http://www.thresholdhouse.com/departures.html] while under the influence of alcohol. ==Discography== Balance's first known track is under the alias "Merderwerkers" titled "Blue Funk (Scars For E)" on the cassette compilation ''Standard Response''. Balance also published a magazine called "Stabmental" and released a track titled, "A Thin Veil Of Blood" under the alias Stabmental, on the cassette compilation ''Deleted Funtime - Various Tunes For Various Loons''. Balance then joined up with Peter Christopherson and [[Boyd Rice]] recording ''[[Nightmare Culture]]'' under the alias "The Sickness of Snakes" and performed alongside Christopherson in [[Psychic TV]] before the duo formed Coil. A short collaboration between [[Zos Kia]] produced the album [[Transparent (album)|Transparent]]. The album was dually credited and marked Coil's first release. During the 23 year career of Coil, Balance collaborated with many other artists such as [[Thighpaulsandra]], [[Current 93]], and [[CoH (musician)|CoH]], appearing on many albums other than Coil's. ===With Psychic TV=== *''[[Dreams Less Sweet]]'' *''[[Just Drifting]]'' *''[[Berlin Atonal Vol. 2]]'' *''[[N.Y. Scum]]'' *''[[Thee City Ov Tokyo/Thee City Ov New York]]'' *''[[Mein-Goett-In-Gen]]'' ===With Coil=== {{main|Coil discography}} ===Other groups=== *Merderwerkers: "Blue Funk (Scars For E)" on [[Sterile Records]] compilation ''[[Standard Response]]''. (1979) *Stabmental: "A Thin Veil Of Blood" on compilation ''[[Deleted Funtime - Various Tunes For Various Loons]]''. (1980) *Sickness of Snakes: ''[[Nightmare Culture]]'' (1985) *[[Rosa Mundi]]: "The Snow Man" on compilations ''[[The Final Solstice]]'', ''[[The Final Solstice II]]'' and split album ''Grief'' (1999) ===Other contributions=== {| class="wikitable" border="1" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ! Date of first pressing !! Song title !! Released on !! Group name released under !! Musical Role |- |1981 |"Yellowsong" |[[Video Rideo]] |[[Cultural Amnesia]] |organ and violin |- |1982 | |[[Endzeit (compilation album)|Endzeit]] |(various) |compiled songs on compilation |- |1983 |"Here to Go" |[[Sinclair's Luck]] |Cultural Amnesia |wrote lyrics, also designed packaging and sleeve notes for album |- |1983 |"Scar For E" |[[The Uncle Of The Boot]] |Cultural Amnesia |wrote lyrics |- |1983 | |[[Music For Hashashins]] |[[Vagina Dentata Organ]] |created wolf growl sample (along with Peter Christopherson) and helped in the recording process of the album |- |1984 January | |[[LAShTAL]] |[[Current 93]] |featuring |- |1985 | |[[Bar Maldoror]] |Current 93 |bass guitar, miscellaneous |- |1985 | |Live At Bar Maldoror: Gyllensköld, Geijerstam And Friends |[[Nurse With Wound]] |featuring |- |1985 | |[[The Sylvie And Babs Hi-Fi Companion]] |Nurse With Wound |featuring |- |1986 | |[[Happy Birthday Pigface Christus]] |Current 93 |featuring |- |1986 | |[[In Menstrual Night]] |Current 93 |featuring |- |1987 |"Europa: The Gates of Heaven" |[[To Drown A Rose]] |Death In June |vocals |- |1987 |"We Are The Lust" |[[Brown Book (album)|Brown Book]] |Death In June |co-wrote and appears on track |- |1987 | |[[Dawn (Current 93 album)|Dawn]] |Current 93 |bass guitar, miscellaneous |- |1987 | |[[Imperium (album)|Imperium]] |Current 93 | |- |1988 | |[[Earth Covers Earth]] |Current 93 |performer |- |1988 |"Anti-Christ Anti-Christian" |[[Peyrere]] |Current 93 |performer |- |1988 | |[[Swastikas For Noddy]] |Current 93 |featuring |- |1988 | |[[The Red Face Of God]] |Current 93 |featuring |- |1989 | |[[Crooked Crosses For The Nodding God]] |Current 93 |vocals |- |1991 | |[[A Document Of Early Acoustic & Tactical Experimentation]] |[[Lustmord]] |featuring |- |1992 |"LAShTAL", "Salt" |[[Nature Unveiled]] |Current 93 |performer |- |1992 |"All The Stars Are Dead Now", "Rosy Star Tears From Heaven" |[[Thunder Perfect Mind (album)|Thunder Perfect Mind]] |Current 93 |vocals |- |1993 | |[[The Nodding Folk]] |[[The Apocalyptic Folk In The Nodding God Unveiled]] | |- |1993 |"Great Black Time I (Excerpt)", "Sucking Up Souls (Excerpt)", "Great Black Time II (Excerpt)", "Great Black Time III (Excerpt)", "Maldoror Is Ded Ded Ded Ded" |[[Emblems: The Menstrual Years]] |Current 93 |featuring |- |1993 |"Hitler As Kalki (SDM)", "Christ And The Pale Queens Mighty In Sorrow" |[[Hitler As Kalki]] |Current 93 |featuring |- |1994 |"Lucifer Over London Parts I & II" |[[Lucifer Over London]] |Current 93 |vocals |- |1995 |"Where The Long Shadows Fall (Beforetheinmostlight)" |[[Where The Long Shadows Fall (Beforetheinmostlight)]] |Current 93 |vocals |- |1996 |"The Long Shadow Falls", "Twilight Twilight Nihil Nihil", "The Inmost Light Itself" |[[All The Pretty Little Horses]] |Current 93 |vocals |- |1998 |"To Drown A Rose" |[[Kameradschaft]] |Death In June |provides vocals, this is an outtake version of the song |- |1999 |"Grief" |[[Borderlands]] |Tactile |provides vocals |- |1999 |"The Snow Man" |[[The Final Solstice]] |[[Rosa Mundi]] |provides vocals |- |1999 |"Lucifer Over London" |[[Calling For Vanished Faces]] |Current 93 |vocals |- |1999 |"Misery Farm" |[[Misery Farm]] |Current 93 |featuring |- |2000 |"Silence Is Golden" |[[Vox Tinnitus]] |[[CoH (musician)|CoH]] |wrote lyrics |- |2000 March 01 |"Black Nurse", "Tudor Fruits" |[[Some Head EP]] |Thighpaulsandra |vocals |- |2001 |"Love's Septic Domain (Health & Dificiency)" |[[Love Uncut]] |CoH |provides vocals, duet with Louise Weasel |- |2001 | |[[Cats Drunk On Copper]] |Current 93 |featuring |- |2001 August 06 |Fouled |[[The Michel Publicity Window E.P.]] |[[Thighpaulsandra]] |"vocals and text", album art |- |2001 |Optical Black |[[I, Thighpaulsandra]] |[[Thighpaulsandra]] |"vocals and text" |- |2003 June 23 |"He Tastes Of The Sea" |[[Double Vulgar]] |Thighpaulsandra |featuring |- |2004 |"Lucifer Over London" |[[Sixsixsix Sicksicksick]] |Current 93 |vocals |- |2004 |"E2 = Tree 3" |[[Toilet Chants]] |[[Black Sun Productions]] |provides vocals |- |2005 |"Fj Nettlefold", "Make Room For The Mushrooms" |[[A Nature Of Nonsense]] |[[Danny Hyde|Aural Rage]] |vocals, written by |- |2005 |"A List of Wishes" |[[operettAmorale]] |[[Black Sun Productions]] |vocals |- |2005 December 23 |"Christ's Teeth" |[[...It Just Is]] |Thighpaulsandra |vocals |- |2006 February |"Star Malloy" |[[Not Alone]] |Thighpaulsandra |[[ARP 2600]] synthesizer |- |2006 July 01 |"A Tree Now" |[[The Impossibility of Silence]] |[[Black Sun Productions]] |provides vocals (howling) |- |2007 July |"Fetish for Today", "Scars for E", "Here to Go" |[[Enormous Savages]] |[[Cultural Amnesia]] |wrote lyrics |- |2007 November |"Hot in the House", "Scars For E (Alternate Take 2)", "Spoilt Children" |[[Press My Hungry Button]] |[[Cultural Amnesia]] |wrote lyrics |- |2007 November |"Scars For E (Alternate Take 1)" |[[Still Hungry (Cultural Amnesia album)|Still Hungry]] |Cultural Amnesia |wrote lyrics |} ==References== <references /> * [http://www.thresholdhouse.com/departures.html Peter Christopherson's announcement of John's death] ==External links== * [http://www.heathenharvest.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20041209134726123 John Balance Heathen Harvest Memorial] * [http://www.brainwashed.com/coil The Solar Lodge] * [http://www.thresholdhouse.com/ Threshold House] memorial site * [http://www.13t.org/decondicionamiento/forum/viewtopic.php?t=182 John Balance long biography (spanish)] * [http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,1371372,00.html The Guardian's obituary of John Balance] [[Category:1962 births|Balance, John]] [[Category:2004 deaths|Balance, John]] [[Category:Accidental deaths from falls|Balance, John]] [[Category:British experimental musicians|Balance, John]] [[Category:British industrial musicians|Balance, John]] [[Category:Chaos magicians|John Balance]] [[Category:English songwriters|Balance, John]] [[Category:English male singers|Balance, John]] [[Category:Gay musicians|Balance, John]] 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