Babyland

Babyland
Company type	Independent band
Industry	Music
Founded	1989 in Los Angeles, California, United States
Founder	Dan Gatto, Michael Smith
Defunct	2009
Headquarters	Los Angeles, United States
Products	Music albums, EPs, live recordings

Babyland was an independent electronic junk punk group originating from Los Angeles, consisting of Dan Gatto (vocals, electronics) and Michael Smith (percussion). Over their career, they produced six studio albums before disbanding in 2009: You Suck Crap (1992), A Total Letdown (1994), Who's Sorry Now (1995), Outlive Your Enemies (1998), The Finger (2004), and Cavecraft (2008).

History

Established in 1989 by Dan Gatto and Michael Smith in Los Angeles, Babyland adopted a DIY punk philosophy that earned them recognition across industrial, punk, indie, and electronic music circles. Their partnership originated from a college audio-visual project which ultimately led to the band's formation.

In 1991, Babyland debuted with the EP 1991 and the single Reality Under Smrow-Toh, both released through the Los Angeles-based punk label Flipside. Their song "Mindf_" was featured on the 1992 compilation The Cyberflesh Conspiracy. In 1993, they contributed a cover of Madonna's "Burning Up" for the Shut Up Kitty: A Cyber-Based Covers Compilation issued by Re-Constriction Records.

Before 1996, Flipside released Babyland’s initial three albums: You Suck Crap (1992), A Total Letdown (1994), and Who's Sorry Now (1995). These records were met with favorable reviews; for example, Alternative Press praised them for embodying "all the confusion, resentment, anger, and frustration felt by an entire generation." Their fourth studio effort, Outlive Your Enemies, appeared on Mattress Recordings in 1998. The band also took part in events hosted in the Mojave Desert under Flipside’s banner. Subsequent releases were distributed via their own label, Mattress.

Their fifth album, The Finger, along with a compilation of earlier material titled Decade One, was issued in Europe through dependent. A distribution agreement with Metropolis Records helped broaden the reach of their sixth album, Cavecraft. On October 9, 2009, Babyland officially announced their dissolution after twenty years together. In 2013, they released a live album called Live Execution, capturing a performance from January 1, 2009 at The Smell venue in Los Angeles.

Live performances

Renowned for their energetic live shows, Babyland performed alongside acts such as The Offspring, Ethyl Meatplow, Grotus, Legendary Pink Dots, Dystopia, Foetus, Add N to (X), Nitzer Ebb, VNV Nation, and Psychic TV. Their concerts primarily took place in underground venues including LA’s Jabberjaw, Kontrol Faktory, The Smell, Long Beach’s Bogart's, and Berkeley’s 924 Gilman. Many performances incorporated industrial aesthetics with stage setups constructed from scaffolding and working televisions that were destroyed live using hand and power tools.

Other projects

During breaks from Babyland’s activities, Dan Gatto collaborated with Daniel Vahnke of Vampire Rodents to form Recliner. This project yielded tracks like "Trilobite" and "Nosedive" for the 1993 compilation Rivet Head Culture. Both songs later appeared on Vampire Rodents’ third album Lullaby Land. Recliner also produced "Zygote", which was included on the 1994 compilation Scavengers in the Matrix and featured on Vampire Rodents’ fourth album Clockseed released in 1995. In 2012, Dan Gatto introduced a synth-pop endeavor named Continues.

Discography

Albums

You Suck Crap (Flipside, 1992)
A Total Letdown (Flipside, 1994)
Who's Sorry Now (Flipside, 1995)
Outlive Your Enemies (Mattress, 1998)
The Finger (Dependent/Mattress, 2004)
Cavecraft (Mattress, 2008)

EPs

1991 (Flipside, 1991)
The Dogsnatcher EP (Flipside, 1992)
2002 (Mattress, 2002)
Past Lives (Mattress, 2004)
Not Modern (Mattress, 2008)

Live recordings

LIVE EXECUTION (Mattress, 2013)

Collections

Decade One (Dependent, 2001)

Singles

Reality Under Smrow-Toh (Flipside, 1992)
Stomach (Flipside, 1993)

External links