Coil – Biography
August 16th, 2003
Coil
Formed in 1983 in London by vocalist John Balance as a solo project of his own, the band was set up with the joint of keyboard player -ex Throbbing Gristle and founder of Psychic TV, Peter Christopherson.
In 1984, Coil became the most significant industrial bands in Europe with the release of the “Scatology” album. Two years they became a trio with the arrival of Stephen Thrower.
After having mixed industrial stuff with different music styles such as gothic rock, jazz, classical music, ethnic music, and the influence of krautrock bands like kraftwerk and Can, Coil band split in 1990 due to financial troubles, and re-appeared a year later influenced by the emerging acid house scene.
In 1995, Stephen Thrower was replaced by Dean McDowall, and the band started a new series of experimental electronica works under the name of Elph, running their own Eskaton label. In 1999, Coil released the first album of a series under the title of “Music to Play In the Dark”. Coil has always worked closely with visual arts, videos such as a version of Soft Cell’s classic “Tainted Love”, and films working with directors such as Derek Jarman.
Sadly, Johnn Balance (age 42) passed away in November 13, 2004 after an accident in which he fell from the first floor landing in his home, hitting his head on the floor. Coil announced their definitive split shortly after Balance’s death.
Johnn Balance was also a member of the bands 23 Skidoo, Current 93 and Zos Kia. He was one of the most innovative a creative artists of our time and his death is an irreplaceable loss for the world of electronic music.