Boyd Rice

About

In the shadowed corridors of experimental sound and noise, Boyd Rice emerges as a figure of both reverence and controversy. Since the mid-1970s, the name NON has been his chosen banner, under which he has summoned forth a soundscape that is as ritualistic as it is unyielding. From the very inception of his journey, Rice has woven together threads of harsh noise and dark ambient, creating works that provoke and challenge. His early self-released vinyls and tapes, such as the enigmatic "Boyd Rice" (1977) and the raw "Non-Logical: Music By Boyd Rice 1976/77" (1977), mark the dawn of a career that would continually defy and redefine the boundaries of industrial music. The echoes of his creations resonate through labels like Mute and New European Recordings, where releases like "Music, Martinis, And Misanthropy" (1990) find their home. These works speak in a language of starkness and transgression, their ritualistic elements and fascist aesthetics never shying from the controversy they court. With a catalog that spans formats from VHS to vinyl, Rice's influence is palpable, each release a testament to an unyielding vision. Collaborations with kindred spirits such as Rose McDowall on "Johnny Remember Me / Down from Dover" (1994) weave a tapestry of shared artistic exploration, while "Archival Rarities 1975 - 1981" (2016) on VINYL ON DEMAND offers a retrospective gaze into the formative echoes of his sound. His associations with acts like Death in June and Current 93 further entwine his legacy within a scene that thrives on its own mythologies. Yet, beyond the sonic and the collaborative, Boyd Rice stands as a figure shrouded in the elemental forces he conjures — his art a crucible where sound, image, and ideology intertwine, leaving the listener to ponder the depths of its invocation.