Culturcide

Culturcide
Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America, 1986
Background information
Origin	Houston, Texas
Genres	Experimental music, punk rock
Years active	1980–1990, 1993–present (hiatus 1990-1993)
Members	Perry Webb Dan Workman (1980-present) Ralf Armin (1982-present)
Past members	Jim Craine (1980-82) Bill Loner (1981-82)

Culturcide was a Houston-based experimental punk band, active from 1980 to 1990 and from 1993 to the present day. They were notorious for their 1986 album Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America, which earned the band a cult following, but also several legal threats.

Culturcide's first single "Another Miracle"/"Consider Museums as Concentration Camps", was released in 1980, unsupported by any live appearances. However demand grew for the band to perform, and this they did, relying on banks of portable cassette recorders to provide their samples. This was enough of a success for their debut LP Year One (1982) to be composed entirely of live material. However, Craine left the band after the album's release. A remastered version of the album that also includes the first single was rereleased in 2007 as "Year One (Again)" by Hotbox Review

The single was recorded at MRS Studio in Houston at the beginning of 1980, with Bobby Ginsburg doing the engineering on an 8-track board. Craine's earlier band, AK47, had recorded 'The Badge Means You Suck' there and Legionnaire's Disease had recorded their 'I'd Rather See You Dead' single in the studio, both using Ginsburg. Webb came equipped with lyrics for both songs while Craine had preworked the drum machine sounds and some synth sounds. Webb provided tape loops (the 'Don' and 'Adele' yells and screams denoted on the record sleeve) and Craine has said in previous interviews that he taped the climatic scene of the movie 'Attica' to provide the gunshots used at the end of 'Concentration Camps'. The tape loops were then 'treated' by running them through Craine's synth and the resulting output was duly recorded (Craine is alleged to have been a major Eno enthusiast). Webb and Craine enlisted guitarists Al Trazz (Plastic Idols) and Dan Workman To flesh out the initial sparse sound. While the Trazz parts were worked out and rehearsed in the studio, Workman's guitar tracks were improvised and done in one take in keeping with the band's initial Throbbing Gristle philosophy. Recording and mixing was done over two or three nights with no overdubbing or studio effects other than studio reverb supplied by Ginsburg. The cover illustration was done by Webb and the first pressing also included a self-addressed postcard showing the Houston Museum of Fine Art. Reviews were generally strong, including one that likened the band's sound to that of a 'stalking metronome'. Breaking their initial vow to never play live, Webb and Craine added Workman to the line-up and began to gig. After one such show, Bill Loner (Plastic Idols) declared the trio needed a bass player and he too was added to the band's ranks.

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