Factory Floor

Combining post-punk, industrial, and dance elements with equal measures of hypnotic allure and abrasive force, the enigmatic London act Factory Floor drew early parallels to Joy Division and Throbbing Gristle after coming together in 2005. The group’s distinctive approach—hard-hitting beats, minimalist synths, and android-like vocals—only crystallized once vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nik Colk Void came aboard. Their refined command of pared-down yet subtly evolving repetition reached transcendent peaks on the self-titled 2013 album and 25 25, issued three years later.

The original trio comprised drummer and vocalist Gabriel Gurnsey, guitarist and percussionist Mark Harris, and keyboardist, bassist, and vocalist Dominic Butler. In 2008 the three issued the limited-edition single “Bipolar,” then the Planning Application EP, which included guest vocals from former KaitO singer Nik Colk Void. Harris subsequently departed to form the electronic duo Shift Work, after which Void became a permanent member.

Talking on Cliffs appeared in Japan in 2009. Following their signing to Blast First, 2010 proved especially active: the single “Lying” arrived in March, complete with a Stephen Morris remix of “Wooden Box,” and the well-received mini-album Untitled followed in May. That September the band supplied a remix for Grinderman’s second album. In 2011 Void joined Throbbing Gristle’s Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti in Carter Tutti Void; their debut performance at Mute Records’ Short Circuit Festival was documented on the 2012 release Transverse. Later that year Factory Floor made their DFA debut with the more streamlined and overtly danceable single “Two Different Ways,” while Optimo issued another single, “Real Love.”

Work on the band’s first full-length continued in 2012 during a residency at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, where the trio collaborated with artists including Dan Tombs and Peter Gordon. Colk Void also released the limited-edition single Gold E, pressed on polyurethane plastic resin engineered to warp and alter sonically over time. The single “Fall Back” preceded the September arrival of Factory Floor in 2013; Butler exited afterward, leaving Colk Void and Gurnsey to continue as a duo. In 2014 the pair issued a series of remix EPs for “How You Say” featuring reworkings by Helena Hauff, Daniel Avery, Bookworms, and Gunnar Haslam, and they teamed with visual artist Mirza on the single “/o/o/o/o/,” marking his Lisson Gallery exhibition.

For their second album Colk Void and Gurnsey explored fresh equipment to achieve greater flexibility and mobility. The tracks “Dial Me In” and “Ya” surfaced in 2016 ahead of 25 25’s August release. A year later the 25 25+5 EP appeared, containing remixes by Klara Lewis, Charles Manier, and Jlin. The two members then turned to solo endeavors: Gurnsey’s acid-house-inflected debut Physical arrived on Erol Alkan’s Phantasy label in August 2018, while NPVR, Colk Void’s project with Editions Mego founder Peter Rehberg, released its first album that January. That July she issued Recollection Pulse #3, a recorded sketch of a piece performed earlier with the orchestral collective s t a r g a z e. In October 2018 Factory Floor put out Soundtrack for a Film, their commissioned score for the 1927 classic Metropolis, via their own Heart of Data imprint.