Ultraviolence (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Jonathan Casey (Johnny Violent) |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Key people | Jonathan Casey (Johnny Violent), Mel Allezbleu |
| Products | Studio albums, EPs, singles |
Ultraviolence is a London-based British band formed in 1991, known for their blend of industrial and techno music. Fronted by Jonathan Casey, who performs under the alias Johnny Violent and has earned the nickname 'the Quentin Tarantino of techno,' the group has produced five studio albums along with a decade-spanning retrospective and six EPs or singles. Celebrated for iconic club tracks such as "Hardcore Motherfucker" and "Psycho Drama," Ultraviolence is widely regarded as a pioneering force within the UK's Industrial-Cyber genre. Their musical style fuses elements of hardcore techno/gabber, breakbeat hardcore, industrial techno, power noise, metal, and rap.
The band's work has been met with considerable critical praise; their first album, Life of Destructor, received high accolades from Kerrang! magazine. In 2004, they released a two-disc compilation titled Blown Away 1994-2004, highlighting a decade of their output.
Johnny Violent has worked alongside multiple female vocalists over the years. Since 2005, Mel Allezbleu—renowned for her vocal talents and stage presence—has been an official member of the ensemble.
History
Jonathan Casey began exploring electronic music during his teenage years. After completing a diploma in sound engineering at Goldsmiths College in London and spending time working in a record store, he started performing locally with a fellow student.
By late 1990, he embarked on serious production work under the moniker Johnny Violent (also known as Ultraviolence), a name inspired by the film A Clockwork Orange. Investing savings into studio sessions, he created tracks such as "You'll Never Sleep Tonight," which caught the attention of John Peel on BBC Radio 1 and led to a contract with London-based label Food Records in 1992.
This collaboration with indie-focused Food Records was brief. In 1994, Ultraviolence’s debut album Life of Destructor was released through Nottingham's Earache Records, a label famous for extreme heavy metal groups like Carcass and Napalm Death. The partnership with Earache’s founder Digby Pearson proved fruitful over the following ten years.
Their sophomore album, Psycho Drama (1996), significantly boosted Ultraviolence’s reputation by presenting an ambitious gabber-style "opera" that unfolds the narrative of characters "Hitman" and "Jessica."
In 1995, Ultraviolence toured the United States alongside UK industrial outfit Cubanate. However, the solo nature of Johnny Violent’s live performances limited their impact in America compared to European audiences. As a result, later shows incorporated additional singers, dancers, and visual elements to enhance the experience.
With their third album Killing God (1998), Ultraviolence shifted toward a more accessible sound occasionally described as "happy hardcore," though the lyrical content remained dark. This release also featured a rendition of Black Sabbath’s "Paranoid."
The fourth studio album, Superpower (2001), continued these efforts to appeal to wider audiences.
In 2014, Jonathan Casey earned recognition by winning the Gardens Category in the Royal Horticultural Society Photographic Competition for his image capturing Kentwell Hall Moat.
Discography
- Life of Destructor (1994)
- Psycho Drama (1996)
- Killing God (1998)
- Superpower (2001)
- Blown Away 1994-2004 (2004)