Disco Inferno (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 in Essex, England |
| Founder | Ian Crause, Paul Willmott, Daniel Gish, Rob Whatley |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Essex , England |
| Products | Experimental rock music, post-rock music |
Disco Inferno was an English experimental rock ensemble active from 1989 until 1995. Originally formed as a trio featuring guitar, bass, and drums with a post-punk influence, they became pioneers in blending traditional instrumentation with innovative digital sampling techniques. Although they did not achieve commercial success during their active years, they are now acknowledged as a seminal post-rock group.
History
Established in 1989 in Essex by Ian Crause (guitar, vocals), Paul Willmott (bass), Daniel Gish (keyboards), and Rob Whatley (drums), the band soon became a trio after Gish departed to join Bark Psychosis. Drawing inspiration from acts such as Joy Division and Wire, they launched their first album, Open Doors, Closed Windows, in July 1991. This release was accompanied by the single "Entertainment" and the 1992 Science EP; both were later combined into the compilation In Debt (1992).
Following exposure to the sounds of My Bloody Valentine, the Young Gods, and the production techniques of the Bomb Squad for Public Enemy, Crause redirected the band's style towards a sample-driven electronic approach, beginning with the Summer's Last Sound EP in 1992. They distinguished themselves by incorporating environmental noises—such as flowing water, wind, birdsong, and car crashes—into their compositions through samplers, rather than relying on sampling pre-existing media clips. Crause dedicated six months to refining this method using a Roland S-750 sampler. Willmott later reflected on their desire to differentiate themselves from conventional indie bands and explore new creative possibilities despite limited commercial recognition.
The Summer's Last Sound EP received acclaim for its adventurous soundscapes, followed by releases like A Rock to Cling To (1992) and The Last Dance (1993). After Cheree Records ceased operations, Rough Trade Records signed them, which Kellman described as having "saved the band's life." Their challenging output stood in stark contrast to the dominant Britpop movement at that time. They attracted a devoted audience due to their inventive style and emerged as one of the earliest groups identified with the post-rock genre. Crause and Whatley utilized MIDI-controlled instruments to replicate samples during live performances, supported by Willmott’s bass lines. Their sample-based innovations are regarded as trailblazing within indie electronic music.
Crause noted that other early post-rock bands viewed them somewhat skeptically as a "tinker-toy" outfit because of their combination of pop song structures with extensive sampling, which limited wider critical acceptance despite their influences from Public Enemy and the Young Gods.
Their sophomore album, D. I. Go Pop, released in February 1994, featured abrasive and succinct tracks driven by bass melodies layered over intricate sample collages including sounds like water splashes, breaking glass, car crashes, and fax machines. The follow-up Second Language EP presented a more subdued tone with optimistic lyrical themes. The single "It's a Kid's World" incorporated a drumbeat sampled from Iggy Pop’s "Lust for Life" merged with children's television theme tunes.
Despite receiving strong critical praise, commercial success remained out of reach. Financial difficulties and creative tensions eventually caused the band to dissolve acrimoniously in 1995, prior to the posthumous release of their final album Technicolour in July 1996.
In 1999, Tugboat issued The Mixing It Session, containing six instrumental tracks recorded for radio broadcast. One Little Indian Records later reissued D. I. Go Pop and facilitated a US release of Technicolour in 2004. In 2011, One Little Indian compiled The 5 EPs, assembling material from five previously out-of-print EPs released between 1992 and 1994.
Ian Crause
Following the band's dissolution, Ian Crause established Floorshow and worked on an album titled The Vertical Axis, which remained unreleased. Some of these tracks were later featured on his early 2000s solo singles "Elemental" and "Head Over Heels," both of which included drummer Ritchie Thomas (known for his work with Dif Juz and The Jesus and Mary Chain). Crause then took an extended hiatus from the music scene, during which he moved to Bolivia.
In 2012, he made a comeback with "More Earthly Concerns," embracing the sample-rich approach characteristic of Disco Inferno, distributing it through online blogs. That November, Crause released "The Song of Phaethon" on Bandcamp, drawing inspiration from Greek mythology and Britain's role in the Second Gulf War. Early 2013 saw the release of additional tracks including "The Vertical Axis," "Suns May Rise," "Black Light," and "A World of Ghosts." Finally, in December 2013, Crause issued his long-awaited debut solo album, The Vertical Axis, on Bandcamp.
Paul Wilmott
Paul Wilmott went on to create Transformer, contributing a cover of Wire's "Outdoor Miner" for the 1996 Wire tribute compilation Whore. Subsequently, he performed with Lisp, a trip hop group signed to London Records.
Albums
- Open Doors, Closed Windows (Ché, July 1991)
- D. I. Go Pop (Rough Trade, February 1994)
- Technicolour (Rough Trade, July 1996)
Compilations
- In Debt (Ché, 1992)
- The 5 EPs (One Little Indian, September 2011)
Singles and EPs
- "Entertainment"/"Arc in Round" single (Ché, 1991)
- Science EP (Ché, 1991)
- Summer's Last Sound EP (Cheree Records, October 1992)
- A Rock to Cling To EP (Rough Trade, July 1993)
- The Last Dance EP (Rough Trade, November 1993)
- Second Language EP (Rough Trade, May 1994)
- It's a Kid's World EP (Rough Trade, September 1994)
- The Mixing It Session EP (Tugboat, September 1999)