John Balance
Background information
Birth name	Geff Rushton
Also known as	John Balance, Jhonn Balance, Jhon Balance
Born	February 16, 1962
Origin	Mansfield, England
Died	November 13, 2004
Genre(s)	Industrial music
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Keyboard, Bass Guitar, Chapman Stick, Organ, Violin
Years active	19?? - 2004
Label(s)	Chalice, Threshold House, Eskaton
Associated acts	Coil Psychic TV

For the 19th-century New Zealand premier, see John Ballance.

John Balance (first name also spelled Jhon and Jhonn; born Geff Rushton/Geoffrey Laurence Burton; February 16, 1962 – November 13, 2004), born in Mansfield, England, was the founder of the experimental music group Coil, along with intimate partner Peter Christopherson. He was responsible for vocals, lyrics, chants, synthetics and various esoteric sound-making instruments and devices. Outside of Coil he collaborated with Nurse With Wound, Death In June, Psychic TV, Current 93, Thighpaulsandra, and produced a couple of Nine Inch Nails remixes. His early work and wide-ranging collaborations made him one of the most influential figures in the industrial, experimental minimalist and neofolk music scenes.

Contents 1 Magick 2 Alcoholism 3 Discography 3.1 with Psychic TV 3.2 with Coil 3.3 Other groups 3.4 Other contributions 4 References 5 External links

Magick

Balance had strong interest in magickians and occultists such as Brion Gysin, John Dee, William Burroughs, Aleister Crowley and Austin Osman Spare. He was inspired by the works of Crowley, Dee, Spare, Ex-Velvet Underground member/mystical poet/percussionist Angus Maclise, poet/painter William Blake and Surrealist painter/sculptor Max Ernst. Balance expressed interest in belief systems such as Shamanism, Christianity, Buddhism, Paganism, Hermeticism and Gnosticism and applied certain aspects of these to his musical projects. Balance referenced magick devices such as sigils.

Alcoholism

He had long struggled with alcoholism, which was cited as one of the major contributing factors to the breakup of his long-standing relationship with Industrial Records co-founder Peter Christopherson, and was a recurring theme in his later musical work. He died after apparently losing his balance and tipping over the banisters at his home [1] while under the influence of alcohol.

Discography

Balance's first known track is under the alias "Merderwerkers" titled "Blue Funk (Scars For E)" on the cassette compilation "Standard Response". Balance also published a magazine called "Stabmental" and released a track titled, "A Thin Veil Of Blood" under the alias Stabmental, on the cassette compilation "Deleted Funtime - Various Tunes For Various Loons". Balance then joined up with Peter Christopherson and Boyd Rice recording Nightmare Culture under the alias "The Sickness of Snakes". A short collaboration between Zos Kia produced the album Transparent. During this time Coil was formed.

During the 23 year career of Coil, Balance collaborated with many other artists such as Thighpaulsandra, Current 93, and CoH, appearing on many albums other than Coil's.

with Psychic TV

• Dreams Less Sweet
• Just Drifting
• Berlin Atonal Vol. 2
• N.Y. Scum
• Thee City Ov Tokyo/Thee City Ov New York
• Mein-Goett-In-Gen

with Coil

Main article: Coil discography

Other groups

• Merderwerkers: "Blue Funk (Scars For E)" on compilation Standard Response. (1979)
• Stabmental: "A Thin Veil Of Blood" on compilation Deleted Funtime - Various Tunes For Various Loons. (1980)
• Sickness of Snakes: Nightmare Culture (1985)
• Rosa Mundi: "The Snow Man" on compilations The Final Solstice, The Final Solstice II and split album Grief (1999)

Other contributions

Date of release	Song title	Released on	Group name released under	Musical Role
1981	"Yellowsong"	Video Rideo	Cultural Amnesia	organ and violin
1982		Endzeit	(various)	compiled songs on compilation
1983	"Here to Go"	Sinclair's Luck	Cultural Amnesia	wrote lyrics, also designed packaging and sleeve notes for album
1983	"Scar For E"	The Uncle Of The Boot	Cultural Amnesia	wrote lyrics
1983		Music For Hashashins	Vagina Dentata Organ	created wolf growl sample (along with Peter Christopherson) and helped in the recording process of the album
1984 January		LAShTAL	Current 93	featuring
1985		Bar Maldoror	Current 93	bass guitar, miscellaneous
1985		Live At Bar Maldoror: Gyllensköld, Geijerstam And Friends	Nurse With Wound	featuring
1985		The Sylvie And Babs Hi-Fi Companion	Nurse With Wound	featuring
1986		Happy Birthday Pigface Christus	Current 93	featuring
1986		In Menstrual Night	Current 93	featuring
1987	"Europa: The Gates of Heaven"	To Drown A Rose	Death In June	vocals
1987	"We Are The Lust"	Brown Book	Death In June	co-wrote and appears on track
1987		Dawn	Current 93	bass guitar, miscellaneous
1987		Imperium	Current 93
1988		Earth Covers Earth	Current 93	performer
1988	"Anti-Christ Anti-Christian"	Peyrere	Current 93	performer
1988		Swastikas For Noddy	Current 93	featuring
1988		The Red Face Of God	Current 93	featuring
1988		The Sylvie And Babs Hi-Fi Companion	Nurse With Wound	featuring
1989		Crooked Crosses For The Nodding God	Current 93	vocals
1991		A Document Of Early Acoustic & Tactical Experimentation	Lustmord	featuring
1992	"LAShTAL", "Salt"	Nature Unveiled	Current 93	performer
1992	"All The Stars Are Dead Now", "Rosy Star Tears From Heaven"	Thunder Perfect Mind	Current 93	vocals
1993		The Nodding Folk	The Apocalyptic Folk In The Nodding God Unveiled
1993	"Great Black Time I (Excerpt)", "Sucking Up Souls (Excerpt)", "Great Black Time II (Excerpt)", "Great Black Time III (Excerpt)", "Maldoror Is Ded Ded Ded Ded"	Emblems: The Menstrual Years	Current 93	featuring
1993	"Hitler As Kalki (SDM)", "Christ And The Pale Queens Mighty In Sorrow"	Hitler As Kalki	Current 93	featuring
1994	"Lucifer Over London Parts I & II"	Lucifer Over London	Current 93	vocals
1995	"Where The Long Shadows Fall (Beforetheinmostlight)"	Where The Long Shadows Fall (Beforetheinmostlight)	Current 93	vocals
1996	"The Long Shadow Falls", "Twilight Twilight Nihil Nihil", "The Inmost Light Itself"	All The Pretty Little Horses	Current 93	vocals
1998	"To Drown A Rose"	Kameradschaft	Death In June	provides vocals, this is an outtake version of the song
1999	"Grief"	Borderlands	Tactile	provides vocals
1999	"The Snow Man"	The Final Solstice	Rosa Mundi	provides vocals
1999	"Lucifer Over London"	Calling For Vanished Faces	Current 93	vocals
1999	"Misery Farm"	Misery Farm	Current 93	featuring
2000	"Silence Is Golden"	Vox Tinnitus	CoH	wrote lyrics
2000 March 01	"Black Nurse", "Tudor Fruits"	Some Head EP	Thighpaulsandra	vocals
2001	"Love's Septic Domain (Health & Dificiency)"	Love Uncut	CoH	provides vocals, duet with Louise Weasel
2001		Cats Drunk On Copper	Current 93	featuring
2001 August 06	Fouled	The Michel Publicity Window E.P.	Thighpaulsandra	"vocals and text", album art
2001	Optical Black	I, Thighpaulsandra	Thighpaulsandra	"vocals and text"
2003 June 23	"He Tastes Of The Sea"	Double Vulgar	Thighpaulsandra	featuring
2004	"Lucifer Over London"	Sixsixsix Sicksicksick	Current 93	vocals
2004	"E2 = Tree 3"	Toilet Chants	Black Sun Productions	provides vocals
2005	"Fj Nettlefold", "Make Room For The Mushrooms"	A Nature Of Nonsense	Aural Rage	vocals, written by
2005	"A List of Wishes"	operettAmorale	Black Sun Productions	vocals
2005 December 23	"Christ's Teeth"	...It Just Is	Thighpaulsandra	vocals
2006 February	"Star Malloy"	Not Alone	Thighpaulsandra	ARP 2600 synthesizer
2006 July 01	"A Tree Now"	The Impossibility of Silence	Black Sun Productions	provides vocals (howling)

References

• Peter Christopherson's announcement of John's death

External links

• John Balance Heathen Harvest Memorial
• The Solar Lodge
• Threshold House memorial site
• John Balance long biography (spanish)
• The Guardian's obituary of John Balance