UNSOUND NYC co-founder Leech (mastermind of the industrial project NAVICON TORTURE TECHNOLOGIES) has been part of the NYC underground music scene since the early 1990s, and has been DJing and involved in booking shows in NYC off-and-on since 1998,
when he co-founded the event ATROCITY.
The goal of ATROCITY was to combine experimental noise and industrial music in order to gain more exposure for the noise scene in New York.
ATROCITY took place weekly at THE BANK, but eventually became monthly and then moved around to various venues
when THE BANK closed down, from KOROVA MILK BAR to downstairs at CBGB GALLERY 313 and THE PYRAMID, until joining forces with
upstart event MALFUNCTION for various shows at THE PYRAMID, and later folding altogether.
Aside from regular DJ appearances, Leechwas involved in organising the following events from 1998-2001 (among others):
NOVEMBER 15, 1998 • THE BANK
(CO-PROMOTER/DJ)
DEATH SQUAD/HYDRA/EXERCISE IN DISGUST
APRIL 15, 1999 • THE BANK
(CO-PROMOTER/PERFORMER)
NOISEX/HOLOCAUST THEORY/THE NOIZGUILD PROJECT/NTT
MARCH 6, 2000 • THE PYRAMID
(CO-PROMOTER/PERFORMER)
IMMINENT (STARVATION)/SYNAPSCAPE/CONVERTER/SAVAK/THE NOIZGUILD PROJECT VS. NTT
APRIL 19, 2000 • THE PYRAMID
(CO-PROMOTER/PERFORMER)
DEATH SQUAD/HYDRA/NTT
JULY 27, 2000 • CBGB
(CO-PROMOTER/DJ)
NOISEX/HYPNOSKULL/TUNNEL
AUGUST 11, 2000 CBGB 313 GALLERY
(CO-PROMOTER/DJ)
P•A•L/KLANGSTABIL/THE NOIZGUILD PROJECT
APRIL 11, 2001 THE PYRAMID
(CO-PROMOTER/DJ)
VROMB/ORPHX/SILKSAW/SYNTH-ETIK
JULY 20, 2001 • CBGB
(CO-PROMOTER/DJ)
CONVERTER/ASCHE/MORGENSTERN/AURAL BLASPHEMY
After ATROCITY folded, Leech began DJing, performing and promoting standalone events under the aegis of his label ANNIHILVS
in association with various partners, such as DJ SICKROBOT/AEX TRANSMISSIONS
and DJ REXX ARKANA/RAZORBURN PRODUCTIONS.
FEBRUARY 21, 2002 • THE PYRAMID
(PROMOTER/PERFORMER)
TARMVRED/NO FESTIVAL OF LIGHT/NTT
MAY 9, 2002 • THE PYRAMID
(PROMOTER/PERFORMER)
KLANGSTABIL/NTT/FRAGMENT KING
AUGUST 1, 2002 • THE PYRAMID
(PROMOTER/PERFORMER)
TERROR ORGAN/MESON VS. MORGAN/NEXICON
AUGUST 15, 2002 • THE PYRAMID
(PROMOTER/PERFORMER)
CRUELTY CAMPAIGN/NTT/DYSMORPHIA
Since that time, Leech has assisted in the logistics and planning of several events at which he appeared as a DJ or performed as NTT.
In June 2005, Leech put together the APEX FEST, with the following lineup:
IRM
INSTITUT
KAITEN
JARL
SLOGUN
OMEI
SKM-ETR
POST SCRIPTVM
In September 2006, in partnership with fellow NYC-based promoter DJ Sickrobot, he founded the series of live events known as UNSOUND.
With the intention of breathing revitalizing air to New York City, UNSOUND has hosted a diverse range of underground industrial, ambient, post-metal, doom, drone and experimental artists:
Angel of Decay, Aidan Baker, Ästen, The Beta Cloud, Black Centipede, Casey Block, Marc Burch (a member of Industrial legends Schloss Tegal), Cenotype, Clipped, Conure, Coven of One (a member of The Legendary Pink Dots and Dead Voices on Air collaborator), Death by a Thousand Cuts, Destructo Swarmbots, Edgey, Iszoloscope, The [Law-Rah] Collective, Mekh, Todd Merrell, MGR (Mike Gallagher of Isis), Mutus Liber, Nadja, Negativehate, Novelist, Ocean, James Plotkin, Power Circus, Prometheus Burning, Radial, Replogen, Sikhara, Silent_Command, Sleep Museum, Skincage, Statas, Terrorfakt, Tonikom, Troum, Unearthly Trance, Whitehorse, Wilt, Woe is Me, Bain Wolfkind, Tim Wyskida, Zerodollars and Z'ev.
In October 2007, Leech organised APEX FEST II, a two day darkambient and power electronics event featuring performances by Deutsch Nepal, Bain Wolfkind, Land:Fire, Steel Hook Prostheses, Skincage, Herbst9, Visions, Sistrenatus, Travis Morgan and Post Scriptvm.
In the time since UNSOUND was founded, it has gone through various transformations, the first of which was our transition from THE LUCKY CAT in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to THE PUSSYCAT LOUNGE in downtown Manhattan. DJ Sickrobot formed her own label and promotional organisation called BROOKLYN DILDO FACTORY, and the event went from being presented by DJ SICKROBOT & DJ LEECH to being presented by ANNIHILVS POWER ELECTRONIX & BROOKLYN DILDO FACTORY.
Most recently, BROOKLYN DILDO FACTORY has taken a less active role in the promotion of UNSOUND and the organisation of shows has more or less become a two-man endeavour, between Leech and longtime friend and ANNIHILVS collaborator DJ TENEBRE.
On Saturday January 26, 2008, UNSOUND produced their biggest event yet. An art showing for renowned graphic artist Seldon Hunt, featuring performances by SCOTT KELLY (NEUROSIS) & JARBOE (ex-SWANS), who will be joined on stage by love is nothing. (Leech's new ambient/metal project). Also in the lineup were Crowleyan doom sorcerers UNEARTHLY TRANCE, legendary experimentalist JAMES PLOTKIN (ex-KHANATE), STEVE MOORE (of prog-horror freaks ZOMBI), and electronic/sludge/doom outfit INSWARM.
Later events in 2008 will feature collaborative promoting between UNSOUND and THTFL, an experimental and drone metal collective who formerly organised events at THE WATER STREET LOUNGE in Brooklyn. THTFL has now been re-formed as a label.
