| Mark Spybey |
| Background
information |
| Birth name |
Mark Spybey |
| Born |
June 2, 1961 |
| Origin |
Marske-by-the-Sea,
Yorkshire,
UK |
| Genre(s) |
Ambient
industrial, Experimental |
| Occupation(s) |
Vocalist, percussionist |
| Years active |
1985 - present |
| Label(s) |
Invisible
Kranky
Hushush
Subconscious
Communications
Soleilmoon
ex-Hypnotic
ex-Nettwerk |
Associated
acts |
Dead
Voices On Air
Zoviet*France
Spasm
Propeller
Download |
| Website |
Spybey.net |
Mark Spybey (b. June 2, 1961) is most known
for being a member of Zoviet*France, as well as the founding
member of Dead Voices On Air.
|
Contents
- 1 Early
years
- 2 Music
- 2.1 Zoviet*France
- 2.2 Dead
Voices On Air
- 2.3 Download
- 2.4 The
reformation of Zoviet*France
- 2.5 Toys
- 3 Personal
life
- 4 Discography
- 4.1 Dead
Voices On Air
- 4.2 Propeller
- 4.3 Download
- 4.4 Spasm
- 4.5 Joint
collaborations
- 5 Trivia
- 6 External
links
- 7 References
|
Early years
Mark Spybey was born in Marske-by-the-Sea
in Yorkshire,
a small town in the north of England. He lived there until the age of
two, and moved to the neighbouring town of Redcar. At the age
of 14, he discovered the experimental sounds of John Cage
and Kraftwerk.
However, by the age of 16, he discovered punk rock
and discovered the spirit of rebellion.
He began to feel his life lacked direction as he became older.
On the insistence of a career specialist, he got into the field of occupational
therapy. Spybey traveled to Newcastle (40 miles from Redcar)
in 1980, and finished the course in 1983. After completing the course,
he then went on to live in a small railway town called Darlington
for nine years. In 1992, he emigrated to Vancouver,
Canada and continued to work on his music.
Music
Zoviet*France
While living in Darlington, Spybey became very active in the
animal-rights movement, working for the Hunt Saboteurs
Association. It was there that he ran into Ben Ponton, a local resident
and member of ambient industrial group Zoviet*France.
Ponton remarked that his band was looking for a third member, which was
open to Spybey if he considered it.
He continued working for the Hunt Saboteurs, until the summer of 1987
when he and Ben got together to hear more of Zoviet France's music. Ben
invited Mark to a meeting with Robin Storey, fellow Zoviet France
member, and made music together. Mark was given a three-month
conditional offer of joining the band, which he passed. They recorded
together sporadically throughout the fall of 1987 for their release, Loh
Land.
While recording, the group took up odd jobs. Mark gained
employment through a local hospital, which allowed the group to
undertake large visual art exhibitions and public art events. Though
these exhibitions were showcases onto itself, the band had yet to play
a proper, formal live show. They got the opportunity in a small pub in
Newcastle called The Strawberry. Reviews were favorable, and the group
continued performing live shows throughout the 90's.
Zoviet France went on to release six albums after Spybey
joined the fold, though only two would feature his musical
contributions (Loh Land and Look Into Me).
His last show with the group (at the Paradiso
in Amsterdam,
December, 1988) resulted in a disastrous set, plagued with feedback and
multiple technical difficulties. He left the group in January, 1989.
Dead Voices On Air
In 1992, Mark relocated to the city of Vancouver,
where he began to work and release his own music. Under the name of Dead
Voices On Air (a name inspired by the words of Gregory Whitehead)
He released a demo tape, entitled Abrader, in
Japan, and was eventually signed to Cleopatra
Records for his 1994 release, New Words Machine.
DVOA remains Spybey's primary musical project to this day, though he
has created numerous side-projects and guest appearances on assorted
records, primarily through e-mail.
Download
While living in Vancouver, Mark met and befriended Skinny
Puppy bandmate cEvin Key. They immediately struck up a
bond, and the duo (along with Philth and Dwayne
Goettel) began to assemble a collaboration under the name Download.
Throughout late 1994 until mid-1995 (before Goettel's untimely death),
they recorded multiple tracks which resulted in two EP's and two LP's
worth of material for release through the Nettwerk and Cleopatra
record labels. The sounds were very unusual for most electronic music,
in that the lyrics were typically recited in Old
English and Latin.
Mark left the group prior to their 1997 release III,
though he has made a guest appearance on their 2002 odds-and-ends
release Inception and latest 2007 album, Fixer.
The reformation of Zoviet*France
In 2005, Mark would later go on to begin a new chapter in the
Zoviet*France story, with his project The
Reformed Faction Of Soviet-France (now known as Reformed Faction). The
group features Spybey, as well as two former members (Robin Storey and
Andy Eardley). The remaining five past (and present) members of
Zoviet*France are not involved.
Toys
Toys have become a staple on many of Mark's musical projects,
especially while touring. He enjoys modifying and experimenting with
toys to make them come alive as actual musical instruments. Most of
these are found and purchased at Toys "R" Us.
Personal life
Spybey currently resides in his origin of birth, northeast
England, with his wife Elaine (whom he married in 1986).
Discography
Dead
Voices On Air
- Abrader (1993)
- Hafted Maul (1994)
- New Words Machine (1995)
- Shap (1996)
- How Hollow Heart (1996)
- A Fire In the Bronx Zoo (vs. Not
Breathing) (1998)
- Piss Frond (1998)
- Frankie Pett Presents: The Happy Submarines
Playing the Music Of (2000)
- Live (2001)
- From Labrador to Madagascar (2007)
Propeller
Download
- Furnace
(1995)
- Microscopic
(1996)
- The Eyes of Stanley Pain
(1996)
- Sidewinder
(1996)
Spasm
- Spasm (1996)
- Smear (1997)
Joint collaborations
- Mark Spybey & Jean-Yves Theriault - Spybey:Theriault
(1997)
- James Plotkin & Mark Spybey - A
Peripheral Blur (1998)
- Ambre & Mark Spybey - Sfumato
(2000)
- Mark Spybey & Mick Harris - Bad Roads,
Young Drivers (2002)
- Niels van Hoorn & Mark Spybey - De
Klaverland Klompen Voetbal Club (2002)
- Mark Spybey & cEvin Key - I Have No Money But
I Am Antonin Artaud (2003)
- Sealey Oddie Spybey - SOS (2003) -
collaboration with Orphx
Trivia
- Is a vegetarian, and strongly influenced by the works of Joseph
Beuys.
External links
References
