Nitzer Ebb

NITZER EBB IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER HAS BEEN MAKING MUSIC SINCE 1982. UTILIZING SEQUENCERS, PERCUSSION AND VOICES. THE ORIGINAL MUSICAL GROUP CONSISTED OF BON HARRIS, DOUGLAS MCCARTHY AND DAVID GOODAY. SCHOOL FRIENDS WHOM MET IN THEIR TEENS IN ESSEX, ENGLAND. INITIALLY SELF RELEASING A FOUR TRACK E.P. CALLED 'ISN'T IT FUNNY HOW YOUR BODY WORKS' IN 1984. THROUGH VIGOUROUS TOURING IN THE UK, EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA WITH ADDITIONAL SINGLES, 'WARSAW GHETTO,' 'LET YOUR BODY LEARN' AND 'MURDEROUS' THEY WERE THEN SIGNED TO MUTE RECORDS AND GEFFEN RECORDS. THEIR FIRST ALBUM, 'THAT TOTAL AGE' WAS RELEASED IN 1988. IMMEDIATELY HENCEFORTH THEY GAINED A GLOBAL FOLLOWING, NOT LEAST BECAUSE MUTE RECORDS LABEL MATES, DEPECHE MODE TOOK THEM UNDER THEIR WING.

NITZER EBB HAVE ALWAYS TOURED EXTENSIVLEY. TAKING THE APPROACH OF A ROCK BAND RATHER THAN AN ELECTRONIC OUTFIT. THEIR SHOWS ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH INTENSE ENERGY AND PERFORMANCE.

In 2019 Chris Moore (Repulsion, Coke Bust, The Rememberables) and Josephine Olivia (Blacksage) started VOSH. Their debut album ‘VESSEL’ explores an amalgam of influences that range from Bauhaus to early Ministry to Sisters of Mercy to Zounds to Killing Joke to latter day titans Nine Inch Nails. And while a wide reaching and generic term such as “synth pop” or “darkwave” could be applied to the effort in broad strokes, the drama, intensity and excellent songwriting evokes something much deeper, more sinister, and darkly beautiful.

Stretching across twelve original tracks, VOSH’s debut album “Vessel” doesn’t just slither, it bangs and bursts with explosive energy, juxtaposing an icy goth cool with red hot heightened drama and muscle. Vocalist, lyricist and front person Josephine Olivia is the musical centerpiece for VOSH, mixing the dreamy and ethereal approach of Hope Sandoval or Alison Shaw (Cranes), the versatility of David Bowie, and the commanding power of greats like Siouxsie, Diamanda Galas or Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance). Olivia’s vocal sails above it all, presenting haunting melody after haunting melody in a dramatic and forceful manner that nods to voices from goth, dream pop, indie and elements of traditional pop music.

Recorded at Moore/Olivia’s shared home in the greater Washington DC area, Moore looped in longtime collaborator/producer/engineer Kevin Bernsten from Developing Nations in Baltimore for an assist on the mix with Magnus Lindberg (Tribulation, Russian Circles, Lucifer, Hellacopters, Frida Hyvönen, etc) mastering the effort.