Warp
Factor 9 Profile
So
it begins...
Russell
Kilbey and Boris Goudonof had known each other for some
time, on and off. When Boris took over the running of Karmic
Hit studios, after recording Fake and the start of the Penny
Drops, it was Russell's turn and he moved up to Sydney to
start work on an unknown recording project.
The
Fax of Facts
Under his arm he clutched a paranoid fax mysteriously sent
to him, which warned of the Earth's impending passage through
the "photon belt" an astronomical phenomenon, which only
occurred every 20,000 years. The fax warned of the end of
life as we know it, including the loss of electricity and
social upheaval a la the Y2K bug. It detailed the warning
signs to look out for.
And so the recording began.
The
style was to be dance music, in the vein of RK's "Sex Industrie",
but the content was unknown. Hot on RK's heels was friend
and new Crystal Set drummer and general good vibe merchant
- "the Fudster" or the Fud-man, Fuddles Bar-Bar, or just
Fuddy (real name unknown). Recording began at a furious
pace and at the end of the first day the first track was
finished. Almost. A chance visit by JK to hear what had
being going down led to a discussion of the music and so
on.
Names
and Games
"What
do you think of Warp Factor 9?" asked RK. "Why not do a
track based on that weird fax?" suggested JK and so it was.
As recording progressed and JK's visits became more regular
until he was a fully-fledged member of WF9.
The Rot Sets In
As
the four of them, living together above Karmic Hit studios,
became more involved in the recording they began to focus
on the strange fax and the scenario it presented. They began
to see many coincidences which pointed to there being something
in the whole Photon Belt story. Fueled by chip sandwiches
and little sleep the quartet foamed in a miniature mass
hysteria, a new twist as their life began imitating their
art.
You
Be the Judge
The
resulting album is sublime and ridiculous. The music is
a warm blend of dance beats and sweet melodies and "real'
instruments. Lyrics are taken directly from the fax and
chanted like mantras. As the record progresses it becomes
progressively weirder and mellower as we pass through the
Photon Belt and out the other side as Atmosphereans.
Why
two K's?
RK
and JK's voices blend together beautifully and truly complement
each other. Of course the date of the calamity came and
went without event, just as the record was completed and
the four musicians awoke as if from a month long dream and
went on to live almost completely normal lives…
Find
out the inside info on every 'Photon Belt' track...
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