SCHIZOID.CA

BIOGRAPHY / GEAR

BIOGRAPHY:

Toronto, Canada's SCHIZOID has been doing underground extreme electronics ever since 1998, mixing a lethal combination of hardest technoise and blackened grindcore styles, along the way dabbling in digital hardcore, ambient, drone, black metal, hip-hop and other genres.

After frustration with live bands and the mechanics of having to work as part of a group, SCHIZOID began digital hardcore power violence experimentations as a solo project. Fuelled by the late 90's digital hardcore revolution, SCHIZOID took inspiration from pioneers like Digital Hardcore Recordings' ALEC EMPIRE or PATRIC CATANI, as well as EARACHE/RELAPSE Record labels' flirtation with metal meets technoise sound of the early 90's, bands like CANDIRU, MEATHOOK SEED, MALFORMED EARTHBORN, DEAD WORLD.

1996 - 1998: SCHIZOID starts off in music with MOLOTOV CHILDREN, a high school grindcore band paying tribute to d-beat heros DISRUPT and death metal stalwarts ENTOMBED. The next project also features long-time ally .miQ later AKA noCore (aka ZYMOTIC aka etc...) and the duo speed their way through blasting ANAL CUNT spazzcore worship. After re-locating to Kitchener, SCHIZOID performed briefly with thrash cover metal band, before splitting up the band in order to retain time and energy for the SCHIZOID project.

1999: The 10 track "Enough Is Enough!!!" is released, a haunting mix of sped-up Rotterdam stabs, oldschool rap loops, death metal guitar samples and ear-splitting shrieks of discontent and rebellion. It is well received by the underground electronic music media who call it "an all-out-assault on the state of the world' and "…just as riot-inducing as any of his peers."

Networking with the DIY collective DTRASH Records, SCHIZOID finds himself in good company, a competent crew of online hardcore digital trash programmers including DJ RABIES, CPUWAR, RENEGADE ANDROID, ENSC and BASTARDS UNITED.

The attention of the album paves the way for invitations onto Burzum/Brutal Truth/Pink Floyd tribute albums, as well as independent hard-industrial-noise compilations on Beergut Recordings, a track on a 9xCD Meathead Records Canadian music box set, and on a collaborative compilation by the extreme artists on mp3.com. In the hey day of MP3.com, SCHIZOID's tracks receive in the ten-thousands of plays.

2000: SCHIZOID prepares a new batch of demo material (later released as "2000 Promoganda") which shows promise and is mailbombed to industrial-noise-techno music outlets in the scene everywhere. The word gets out. Meanwhile, the initial incarnation of DTRASH crashes and burns after receiving acclaim for the first few releases, with the other DJs and groups pursuing different musical directions - J.Schizoid sits in the driver's seat and paves the way or a future generation of the best online digital-punks to release their creations to the public and receive the necessary exposure though the label.

SCHIZOID ascends the underground CD/R trappings later with the second full-length album, "All Things Are Connected", recorded for the new DTRASH* TECHNOLOGIES line, the first of the label's pressed and professionally minded CD releases - The disc floors the scene with a grinding political and anti-religious minded attack combining "the most hostile elements of black and grind metal with digital hardcore and gabba, a sensory assault on the ears and mind."

The CD spawns a remix contest which received almost a hundred different variations of the "Grim Prospect" track - resulting in a 3xCD set of the best reworkings and regurgitations of the classic track.

2001: dtrashrecords.com goes online - setup to strike a permanent blow as a formidable force of music producers on the internet - The DTRASH MP3 catalogue is placed online to expose the new generation to the sounds in the classic releases that deserve to be heard.

SCHIZOID enters the live circuit as a band, joined by noisecore terrorist .miQ from Zymotic, noCore (guitars/harsh electronics) playing at various techno crew parties, and as well opens for Ec8or, Faxed Head (Trey Spruance/Mr . Bungle) shows in Toronto to different amazed and tranced audiences. J. Schizoid also works with .miQ on a psychodelic and mechanical side project EXIST, which spawned two releases that year, frightening and delighting listeners. Other works in progress include a safety-prone breakcore EP "Emergency Instructions" to be released in 2002, and a more challenging role as bassist/vocalist of local "true-blackmetal" band Dead of Winter and other remix collaborations, compilation appearances.

2002: With many live shows already performed this year, this is the busiest one yet. SCHIZOID continues to attack with an onslaught of exciting and new music - In April 2002, the SCHIZOID project comes full circle and beyond, with the inclusion of tracks on influential label Digital Hardcore Recordings' 3xCD showcase of the finest of the new breed, also including side project EXIST, and other comrades in arms…This leads to a North American distribution deal through which SCHIZOID's "All Things.." disc and UNITUS' "Cross Contamination" were both 're-released' under DHR and given proper distribution in stores. The Canadian media is taking notice at this point and SCHIZOID is awarded a full page article in EXCLAIM! Magazine about the DHR distribution as well as conducting an hour long interview for Brave New Waves, a program on Canada's national radio station CBC, which features SCHIZOID/DTRASH in a special interview. SCHIZOID releases the debut "J SCHIZOID" EP through mp3.com as a different face of the SCHIZOID reality. Shows throughout the year rock Ontario audiences, even including an opening spot for MERZBOW who SCHIZOID and co. brought into Canada for his first Toronto appearance ever. SCHIZOID is also invited in December to appear for a full hour on CIUT FM Toronto's EBM Show where he unveils a custom DJ set of recent remixes and material.

2003: SCHIZOID spends the rest of 2002 compiling material and putting together plans for 2003's "Rising Tide Compilation" pressed CD for DTRASH Records - this featured 2 scathingly heavy exclusive songs, which J describes as 'the best SCHIZOID material ever recorded to date'. Through SCHIZOID.CA, the ambient drone "Static Dynamics" album recorded in 2002 is released, followed by plans for "Divided and Conquered", a concept ambient album based on old Dr. Who episodes, released as J SCHIZOID. In the summer, SCHIZOID releases the long delayed "Covered in Metal" a full length release, consisting of covers of SCHIZOIDs favorite oldschool metal & industrial material, attempting to bridge the gap between heavy metal and digital hardcore even further. One cover ends up later appearing on an INVISIBLE Record RAMONES tribute album. SCHIZOID makes several live appearances in his locale performing this new material.

2004: SCHIZOID remixes TALKSHOW BOY, MORTIIS, SHIZIT, AMBASSADOR21, LEECHWOMAN, JACKYL, RED HARVEST in the course of a few months and performs these and other ambient/breakbeat tracks when invited to perform at CBC Radio Canada's "Brave New Waves" program's 20th Anniversary Party at a one-off DJ set, to be broadcast nation-wide later. DEAD OF WINTER picks up and they have almost a dozen shows in one year, in place of SCHIZOID's live hiatus, with SCHIZOID now on vocal duties only, having found a bassist. Side projects REFUZER VS SCHIZOID, and PERMANENT FROST are released to the world in the Summer. Footage is shot for the debut music video for "Generation Fuck You", taken from 2003's "Rising Tide" CD. SCHIZOID gets to release a CD from influences CANDIRU on his record label D-TRASH, and perform an exclusive remix that appears on the disc. SCHIZOID also spends a good amount of time promoting and releasing the "Enter The Winter" professionally pressed CD DTECH release from Canadian peer CONTRA through D-TRASH.

2005: SCHIZOID's black metal band records their debut album after 5 years together, exciting the black metal underground with these angry and primitive black metal sounds, "At The Helm Of The Abyss" makes a solid impact on the local and international black metal scene. J also releases the 18-track "Trashed (2001-2004 Remixes) disc of his recent remixes from the last few years.. SCHIZOID does cameo vocals on a collaboration song with D-TRASH artist CTRLER. The "Generation Fuck You" video is released to the world to the delight of the digital hardcore undeground. Halfway through the year, J takes off time from music to relocate from longtime homebase of Kitchener to the big city, Toronto, and do some travelling to New Orleans, NYC, San Francisco. SCHIZOID records a one-off electronic EP later released in 2007 as J SCHIZOID entitled "Repugnance". At the end of the year J plays a one-off SCHIZOID show, previewing some of the new material from the next SCHIZOID return album "The Next Extreme"

2006: SCHIZOID is asked by the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC Radio) for a DJ mix of favorite tracks, it is broadcast nationwide, featuring many favorite songs of SCHIZOID's peers and personal CD collection. SCHIZOID remixes AGNOSTIC FRONT for "Threat" movie soundtrack, where other high profile digital hardcore artists as ALEC EMPIRE, HECATE, EDGEY are participating with modern metal/punk bands like GLASSJAW, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and TODAY IS THE DAY. SCHIZOID remixes BASTARDS UNITED's "Plastic Face" for a posthumous release of "Lose Control" for which SCHIZOID compiles an entire CD of remixes of the full abum. SCHIZOID appears on the 1st track to RABBIT JUNK's 2nd album "Reframe" giving duet screaming vocals to open the disc. The rest of the year is focused songwriting and return shows, for a reunited v2006 DEAD OF WINTER line-up, with the band casting off the trauma of 2005 for more live shows and plans for a 2nd CD. SCHIZOID begins to plan remixes and artwork for an upcoming ATARI TEENAGE RIOT tribute album through D-TRASH Records.

2007: As soon as DEAD OF WINTER V2.0 gets off the ground, drama hits again and the band instantly breaks up, the band finally succumbing to the negative energy that lay at its very core. SCHIZOID begins writing material for a solo black metal album in the absence of a black metal band to perform with. SCHIZOID releases the ATARI tribute album through D-TRASH to fans of digital hardcore music worldwide, and the disc is positively received by the press, who laud the label for carrying the torch of digital hardcore, in a now dwindling scene that sees many of the genre's roster, off to safer and less abrasive musical material. The end of the year sees exclusive mixes completed for underground artists SMP, NWODTLEM, NAUZEEAUN.

2008: In the 10th year since beginning SCHIZOID, as well as D-TRASH Records' own 10th year anniversary, this year is definitely a symbolic one for the cause. A 100th-release milestone DVD "D-TRASH Records Music Videos" is released, containing all of the label's official music videos, including the SCHIZ video for "Generation Fuck You." The DVD contains true-trash-style artwork from SCHIZOID who performs graphic artwork duties for CANDIRU, HIMIKO, HANSEL, ACID ENEMA CD, while writing new material for upcoming albums, and readying for a set of 2008 concerts.

2009-2010: SCHIZOID enters a dark period of time of personal misfortune, suffering the suicidal loss of his former DEAD OF WINTER bandmate KAEHL and former muse Julia. SCHIZOID joins a 3-piece grindcore band REALITY TERROR, who jam and gig enough to be at the mini-album point, when the drummer infuriatingly flakes out and ends the band. The so called "Sloganeering" of digital hardcore proves to be truer than necessary as SCHIZOID suffers great financial fortunes, the loss of his job and even his own house...

2011: Undeterred, SCHIZOID fights back with a hoard of live gigs throughout the year, even performing guitars live. The elusive 3rd full length of original "SCHIZOID" material is now completed. Guitar tracks and bass tracks are completely redone by SCHIZOID throughout the summer, with mixing and mastering now underway. A 7" was released with HUMAN HERD on the A-Side and SCHIZOID's "The Next Extreme" appeared on the B-Side. The track spawned a series of remixes and a full-blown professional music video already at 1,000 views on YouTube. This song, the first and title track of the next SCHIZOID album "The Next Extreme" proves to be a powerful example of the forthcoming material. Pay attention for much more in the coming times...