Nitzer Ebb

With an unusual name, Teutonic beats and aggressive sound, it is often assumed that Nitzer Ebb originated within the German techno scene, but the truth of the matter is that this trio hailed from the UK, Chelmsford in Essex to be precise. Formed in 1982 by school friends Douglas McCarthy [Lead vocals, guitar], Vaughn 'Bon' Harris [vocals, percussion, guitars] and David Gooday, [percussion], Nitzer Ebb were influenced by the harder sounds of the early techno pop scene, distilling elements from several other genres too until they had created their own identifiable sound, characterised by extremely powerful rhythms, minimal sequenced hooklines and fierce, chanted lyrics. From staging small shows in their local area, Nitzer Ebb's infectious mix of pounding beats, militaristic imagery, angst and anger was soon filling alternative dancefloors across the UK, leading to live dates in London where the group caught the attention of PWL producer Phil Harding. Realising the trio's potential he helped them establish the label Power Of Voice Communications, producing and releasing their debut single "Isn't It Funny How Your Body Works?"(1985). The Nitzer Ebb sound was one of an impassioned techno rage, captured perfectly on three further singles "Warsaw Ghetto"(1985), "Warsaw Ghetto Remixes"(1986) and "Let Your Body Learn"(1986) which all raised their profile considerably to the extent that in Europe they were soon regarded as the leading exponents of the new Hard Beat or Electronic Body Music (EBM) scene. Taking Phil Harding with them, Nitzer Ebb signed to Mute in November 1986 and released the extremely brutal beats of "Murderous"(1986) followed by the 'International Funk Aggression' of "Let Your Body Learn" (1987) a smash hit in the clubs of New York, whilst the follow-up "Join In The Chant"(1987) was an early and somewhat unlikely hit on the UK acid house scene. Their debut album "That Total Age" (1987) captured the essence of Nitzer Ebb in a perfectly formed package,…