Bowery Electric

Based in Manhattan, the drone-rock duo Bowery Electric featured vocalist/guitarist Lawrence Chandler, who had studied under minimalist composer LaMonte Young, together with vocalist/bassist Martha Schwendener. The project began as a trio completed by rotating drummers and entered the scene in 1994 through a double 7" issued on the pair’s own Hi-Fidelity Recordings; that release secured a contract with the indie imprint Kranky, which put out their self-titled debut LP the following year. On 1996’s Beat the duo’s dense, turbulent textures began absorbing elements of the electronica movement, a development underscored by a run of 12" remixes from Disjecta, CHASM, and Immersion as well as the 1997 remix compilation Vertigo. The long-awaited Lushlife finally surfaced in early 2000.