Biography
Formed in South Africa as an industrial outfit devoted to multimedia performances, Battery 9 originated when vocalist Paul Riekert first convened the project under the name Breinskade and recorded a lone techno album called Bierbaade. From that earlier lineup, percussionist and sampler At "Devious" Nel together with Huyser Burger, whose contributions encompassed percussion, painting, and electric drill, were brought into Battery 9, while guitarist Arnaud van Vliet completed the four-member group. The first release, Protskrog, appeared in 1995 on Riekert’s own One F records label, followed the next year by the album Strop. Tic Tac Bang Records issued the third album, Gris, an enhanced CD holding radical remixes along with one new track, at the close of 1997; select copies also contained a second enhanced disc titled Gris 2.