Lustmord

Lustmord
Lustmord playing at Norbergfestival, 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Brian Williams
Origin	North Wales[1][2]
Genres	Dark ambient
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Synthesizer, programming
Years active	1980–present[2]
Labels	Hydra Head, Soleilmoon
Associated acts	Tool, Puscifer, SPK, The Melvins
Website	lustmord.com
Notable instruments
Mac Pro Logic Pro[3] EMS Synthi AKS[4] Ableton Live[5]

Brian Williams is a Welsh industrial musician, sound designer and film score composer. He is often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord. His experimental work has been described as "not traditionally 'musical'" with "more clearly visual aspects".^[6]

Biography

Williams was raised in rural Wales, before relocating in London in his late teens. In London, Williams befriended Throbbing Gristle members Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter, who urged him to make his own music.^[1] He started recording as Lustmord in 1980 before joining SPK in 1982.^[1][7] Lustmord has extracted field recordings made in crypts, caves, and slaughterhouses, and combined it with occasional ritualistic incantations and Tibetan horns. His treatments of acoustic phenomena encased in digitally expanded bass rumbles have a dark ambient quality. Some of Lustmord's most notable collaborations include Robert Rich on the critically acclaimed^[8] Stalker, Jarboe, John Balance of Coil, Monte Cazazza, Clock DVA, Chris & Cosey, Paul Haslinger, and experimental sludge group The Melvins on Pigs of the Roman Empire.

Williams released the album Heresy, considered a milestone of the genre of dark ambient,^[9] in 1990.

Williams collaborated with Graeme Revell and Paul Haslinger to contribute as "musical sound designer"^[6] and occasionally as additional composer to 44 Hollywood film soundtracks, most notably on The Crow and Underworld.

	Black Star Sample of Lustmord "Black Star", from Purifying Fire CD (2000).
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Around 1999, Lustmord was also involved with the video game Planescape: Torment—his work eventually went unused when the project changed direction.^[10] He provided music and sound design for a variety of other projects since, such as Far Cry Instincts, Underworld or NVIDIA demos, many of which include collaborations with Haslinger.^[11] He was also involved with the 2003 game Master of Orion.

Lustmord worked on Tool's DVD singles and remixed versions of "Schism" and "Parabola," which were released on 20 December 2005. Lustmord also contributed to Tool's 2006 album 10,000 Days with the atmospheric storm sounds on the title track, "10,000 Days". He later worked again with Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan, collaborating on Keenan's project Puscifer debut album "V" is for Vagina, as well as providing several remixes for "V" is for Viagra. The Remixes. Lustmord eventually generated a collection of dub remixes of several '... Vagina' tracks, known as "D" Is for Dubby - The Lustmord Dub Mixes. The nine track LP was released as a digital download on 17 October 2008, available directly from the Puscifer website. He also did some additional music including the track "The Western Approaches" feat. Wes Borland on guitar for the documentary Blood Into Wine.

Lustmord appeared live for the first time in 25 years as part of the high mass observance by the Church of Satan. The ceremony took place on 6 June 2006.^[1][12] A recording of the performance entitled "Rising" was released. Lustmord himself noted that the offer was "one of those things that was just too funny to say "no" to".^[13]

Lustmord released the album [ O T H E R ] on California-based label Hydra Head Records in July 2008. It features guest appearances by Adam Jones, King Buzzo, and Aaron Turner.

Lustmord performed for the second time in 29 years at Unsound Festival Kraków on 22 October 2010.^[14]

Lustmord performed at Art's Birthday celebration (initiated by Robert Filliou) at Södra Teatern in Stockholm, Sweden, on 15 January 2011.^[15] He performed at the Unsound Festival in New York for the first time on 9 and 10 April 2011.^[16] Lustmord's first performance in the Netherlands was in September 2011 at the Incubate Festival.

Lustmord played for the first time in Moscow, Russia, on 8 April 2012, at Cinema 35mm. Bad Sector played the first act of show.

Personal life

In early 1990s, Williams relocated to California from London with his wife Tracy, who is a recording studio manager.^[1] He is an atheist.^[1] He noted that while his ominous music gives an impression to some people that he's "somehow dark and [he] live[s] in a castle or in a dungeon", and that he's "very serious about certain aspects of [his] work", he's "not that serious about [himself]".^[13]

Discography

References

External links

• Official website