Atari Teenage Riot

That we even had the chance to bring the genuinely revolutionary Atari Teenage Riot’s ‘digital hardcore’ to Offset is a dream in itself. The band that redefined and politicised the extremes of rock and electronic music in the 90s hadn’t played together since 2000, so this year’s announcement of the one-off reformation gig was a huge surprise. Less surprising was the fact ATR absolutely slayed on stage in 2010, with Alec Empire and company proving they are as vital today as they have ever been.

Alec Empire, Hanan Elias and MC Carl Crack found each other in the early 90s Berlin electronic scene – the drugs were heroin and LSD and the sound was a mindless techno but it was refreshing, liberating and exciting happening in post-unification Germany. But the ideological vacuum of democracy quickly spawned discontent. The creativity of the Berlin underground dance scene was hampered by the infiltration of neo-Nazi fascist elements. In response to this, Alec, Hanan and Carl took the music they loved and made independently and lit a firecracker under the whole scene by injecting anger, left-wing politics and radicalism as Atari Teenage Riot, the first ‘digital hardcore’ band. The first track put out under that name, ‘Hunt Down The Nazis’, created a storm in the clubs and quickly found itself banned from many venues due to the political call to arms of the record.

Signing to UK label Phonogram at their second gig in 1993 seemed a strange move – it was a label later to release the likes of Babylon Zoo – yet the band perfectly implemented a Rock n Roll Swindle on the major label, putting out only two wildly uncommercial singles (‘Atari Teenage Riot’ and ‘Kids Are United EP”) before releasing themselves from the contract holding enough money to start their own label, naming it Digital Hardcore. The band continued to drop a series of seminal singles – ‘Raverbashing’, ‘Deutschland (Has Gotta Die!)’ and ‘Speed’ – before the debut album ‘Delete Yourself!’ appeared. Year dot and Ground Zero for the digital hardcore template, ‘Delete Yourself!’ showcases the punishing 200+bpm breaks and political sloganeering which made ATR such an electrifying prospect.

Atari Teenage Riot – Speed

The band continued the assault on follow-up album ‘The Future Of War’ (1997), gaining a reputation for outrageous and intense live shows. The addition of American-Japanese noise artist Nic Endo gave the band a truly multi-cultural and multi-national outlook and feel. The increasingly incendiary nature of not just their music but the audiences’ response to it made them a perfect fit for a handful of legendary tour dates in 1997: a tour with Rage Against The Machine and Wu-Tang Clan.

Atari Teenage Riot – Revolution Action (Live 1999)

ATR’s next album was the incomparable ’60 Second Wipe Out’ (1999), somehow noisier than anything they’d done before. Long-time John Peel favourites, he brought them over to London to play Queen Elizabeth Hall and it was new track ‘Revolution Action’ that brought the riot to the quaint concert venue – the stage was stormed, London conquered. Increasing internal tensions in the band were reported – Carl’s drug use, Elias’ pregnancy and the arrest of band members – but no one expected the show at Brixton Academy to be the bizarre, ultimate noise riot it was.

It was a support slot for Nine Inch Nails, an artist who had long admitted their debt to ATR, in front of nearly 5000 people. But the years of constant touring had driven the personalities apart and the band needed a break. Hanan Elias walked out of the group before showtime (and has claimed to have been ‘back at the hotel vomiting blood’), Carl was having one of his increasingly regular psychotic episodes and Empire was in the midst of a painkiller addiction. Endo had encouraged more experimentation within the noise genre and when they took to the stage “the members of the band elected to get behind their electronics and spray their audience with sonic tear gas.” This was Metal Machine Music, Merzbow and John Cage writ large on an unsuspecting audience. For 25 minutes they continued, MC Carl stalking on and off, layers of white noise, misplaced beats, chopped samples, on it went. Where ATR songs are designed “to provoke a riot, ‘Live At Brixton Academy’ is the sound of a riot in progress.”

And that was nearly that. The split wasn’t confirmed until 2001, following the tragic death of MC Carl Crack to a drug overdose. All members were constantly active on various fronts, Alec releasing solo material on the ‘Digital Hardcore’ imprint and Hanan Elias setting up the hugely respected and influential riot grrrl label Fatal. Indeed, Elias has the honour of being namechecked on Le Tigre’s feminist anthem ‘Hot Topic’ for her work at the extreme and revolutionary end of feminist art. Alec’s collaborations have included Bjork, Nicolette, Einsturtzende Neubauten and Anti-Pop Consortium.

The initial impact of ATR was huge and they continue to be a force in both the punk and electronic scenes, and spawned healthy digital hardcore subcultures in many countries. But this is the power that started it all – Alec Empire and co on stage at Offset 2010. Start the riot.