Biography
First conceived in April 1983 and emerged from work on the fringes of the early Hardcore Punk and Free Improvisation scenes with the bands I/S/M, Hi Sheriffs Of Blue, and Mofungo. Elliott Sharp / Carbon debuted at the Speed Trials festival in Soho in May 1983, alongside performances by Lydia Lunch, The Fall, Swans, Sonic Youth, and Toy Killers. The name appeared earlier as a song-title on the 1981 disc ISM and seemed perfect for the band concept: a sound that would be both earthy and ethereal, groove-oriented but jagged, and powered by hacked science and punk mania. In addition to a doubleneck guitar/bass, Elliott Sharp focussed on soprano sax and bass clarinet as well as using invented string/percussion instruments: slabs, pantars, and violinoid. No digital effects were used - all sounds were generated using extended techniques, amplifier distortion, and volume.
Six Songs - Marco Polo's Argali (1985)
Read full biography ↓
Larynx (1988)
Monster Curve (1988)
Datacide (1990)
Sili/Contemp/Tation (1990)
Tocsin (1991)
Twistmap (1991) (W/ Soldier String Quartet)
Truthtable (1993)
Amusia (1994)
Autoboot (1994)
Interference (1995)
Void Coordinates (2009)
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.