Killing Floor (American band)
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Short description|American electro-industrial group}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Killing Floor
| image =
| caption =
| landscape =
| origin = San Francisco, California, U.S.
| genre = Electro-industrial
| years_active = 1989–1998
| label = Re-Constriction
| associated_acts =
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members = *James Basore
- John Belew
- Marc Phillips
- Karl Tellefsen
- Christian Void
}}
Killing Floor were a 1990s American electro-industrial group based in San Francisco. The original incarnation consisted of keyboardists John Belew and Christian Void before guitarist Marc Phillips, percussionist James Basore and bassist Karl Tellefsen were added to the line-up. They released two albums on Re-Constriction Records: Killing Floor in 1995 and Divide by Zero in 1997. The band ceased activities shortly after the release of their 1998 EP Come Together.
History
Killing Floor was formed in San Francisco by John Belew and Christian Void, with Void on both vocal and keyboard/sampler duties. The band is named after the sonic torture chamber in William Gibson's cyberpunk short-story Johnny Mnemonic.{{cite journal |first=Jason |last=Fine |title=Killing Floor: Divide by Zero |journal=Option |publisher=Sonic Options Network |date=1997 }} Their music was characterized by heavy use of samples and electronics over dance beats. Guitarist Marc Phillips joined the band in 1991, followed by percussionist James Basore and bassist Karl Tellefsen in early 1994. They caught the interest of the electro-industrial label Re-Constriction and were signed in mid-1994.{{cite web |first=John |last=Bush |url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=mn0000772643/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Killing Floor > Biography |website=Allmusic |access-date=October 22, 2016}}{{cite journal|first=Katarzyna NINa |last=Górnisiewicz |url=http://fabryka.darknation.eu/php-files_en/articles.php?article_id=243&rowstart=0 |title=Divide by Zero – Re-constriction, 1997 |journal=Fabryka Industrial Rock & Metal Encyclopedia |publisher=Fabryka Music Magazine |date=July 10, 2008 |access-date=August 4, 2020}}
The band issued their debut Killing Floor on March 14, 1995. The band was praised for its original balance of guitar and club music oriented material, which critics claimed made Killing Floor standout in comparison to other industrial acts at the time.{{cite journal|first=Jon |last=Worley |url=http://www.aidabet.com/archives/archK.html#KILLING |title=Killing Floor |journal=Aiding & Abetting |access-date=October 22, 2016}}{{cite journal|first=Chris |last=Christian |url=http://www.sonic-boom.com/review/killing.floor-1.html |title=Killing Floor: /dev/null |journal=Sonic Boom |date=1995 |access-date=October 22, 2016}} Their second album Divide by Zero was released on September 23, 1997. The band recorded in a more collaborative way because they had more free time to express themselves in studio. Divide by Zero was a change in artistic direction for Killing Floor and saw the band integrating stronger elements of punk and electronic into their music, which drew them comparison to grunge.{{cite journal|first=Chris |last=Christian |url=http://sonic-boom.com/interview/killing.floor.interview.html |title=Interview with Killing Floor, San Francisco |journal=Sonic Boom |date=July 6, 1996 |volume=4 |issue=11 |access-date=August 4, 2020}}{{cite journal|last=Meister-Wurst |url=https://lollipopmagazine.com/1998/03/killing-floor-divide-by-zero-review-2/ |title=Killing Floor: Divide by Zero |journal=Lollipop Magazine |date=June 1, 1997 |access-date=August 4, 2020}}
The band released their final release, the single Come Together, in 1998. The band ceased activities shortly thereafter.{{cite journal |first=Larry |last=Miles |url=http://lundinoir.com/mag/BM2_1a.pdf |title=Killing Floor: Come Together |journal=Black Monday |date=1997 |issue=7 |pages=11 |access-date=August 4, 2020}}
Discography
= Studio albums =
- Killing Floor (1995, Re-Constriction)
- Divide by Zero (1997, Re-Constriction)
= EPs =
- Come Together (1998, Re-Constiction)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs artist|artist=Killing Floor|name=Killing Floor}}
- {{MusicBrainz artist|id=fe076886-b3c3-49f7-854c-45fe9759adba}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Musical groups established in 1989
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1998
Category:1989 establishments in California
Category:Musical groups from San Francisco