Add N to (X)
Formed 1994 in London, England and on the Mute label, Add N to
X are electro-historians of a sort, collectors of vintage synthesizer
technology and fierce propagators of the man-machine aesthetic
(the cover of their second album features member Ann Shenton on
the operating table with a synthesizer either being inserted or
taken out of her organ cavity).
The trio formed when Shenton met Barry Smith in 1993; both were
fans of vintage synth and the proto-electronica crafted in the
1960s and '70s by such luminaries as Wendy Carlos, Pierre Henry
and even Roxy Music.
After becoming Add N to X one year later, Shenton and Smith recruited
theremin expert Steven Claydon plus an organic rhythm section
for their live show, consisting of Stereolab's Andy Ramsay on
drums and Rob Hallam from the High Llamas.
After the debut Add N to X album Vero Electronics was released
in 1996 on Blow Up, the group toured America, where their propulsive
live show earned more comparisons to Suicide than an ostensibly
sympathetic group like Tortoise. On the Wires of Our Nerves appeared
in 1998 and Avant Hard followed in April of 1999.
