![[ cell 7 ] cell7 electronic industrial band formed in Perth, Australia. Combine the emotional vocal melodies and song structures of 80s alterna-electro-pop with abstract concussion beats and miscellaneous noise, and you might have a vague idea of [ cell 7 ]. Scientific synth bleeps, the occasional orchestral instrument and some sharp but rusty machine guitars complete the picture. [recognition cell7 braille logo]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2368/2321809516_d8428f2c7e_o.png)
"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture..." - so lets dance.
Post-Prodigy industrial pop? Broken robot funk? Depeche Mode being mugged by the Aphex Twin in a dark alleyway? Take your pick.
Combine the emotional vocal melodies and song structures of 80s alterna-electro-pop with abstract concussion beats and miscellaneous noise, and you might have a vague idea of [ cell 7 ]. Scientific synth bleeps, the occasional orchestral instrument and some sharp but rusty machine guitars complete the picture.
Standing primarily in the darker side of the musical spectrum, [ cell 7 ] has an aggressive, industrial edge that is offset by a highly melodic and atmospheric sensibility. The themes are not necessary melancholic or negative, just introspective and sometimes a little ambiguous to the listener. The rhythms are fractured, complex: never conventional but always danceable. Sometimes entering distorted cyber-breakbeat territory, other times offering a stuttering IDM skeleton to a track. Lush layers of organic and synthetic instrumentation sit within the track, with potent yet textural vocals above. Strains of Dave Gahan, Trent Reznor and David Bowie are traceable in Nick's tones, but there is also a dirty edge that implies a few 90s Seattle influences. Bleeding, metallic guitar is not used in the traditional rock sense - more as an impact device to tear through the mix.
Paul and Nick have been friends since the age of 5, growing up in the hills of Perth, Western Australia. Both received classical training, Paul on piano and Nick with violin and viola. The obligatory teen rebellion against this led to equal parts rave, techno, electro, goth, alt-metal, pop and noise influences - and these were meshed together to create the new sound of [ cell 7 ].
Over the next few years that sound was explored and defined, and a solid fan base developed in the home town. West Australian Music Industry [WAMI] award winners 3 years in a row, [ cell 7 ] have contributed tracks to a number of compilation records, featured on a TV soundtrack and were commissioned to create theme music for short films and events. A limited edition mini-album was released, selling out in under 72 hours. The buzz around the band ignited, with regular radio airplay [including a 30-minute live studio broadcast] and extensive press coverage which included a Zebra Magazine cover story. Now splitting their time between Perth and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the band is finally releasing their debut full-length CD, re:COGNITION.
Nick and Paul have worked for years in spectacularly pedantic style: tweaking, remixing, refining then discarding and starting again, then losing half the work in hard-drive supernovas. The current result is a mix of recycled song fragments completed with the latest production technologies and their own personal maturity. The music possesses an almost Vernian steampunk appreciation - visions of velvet, absinthe and arcane machinery sit alongside sci-fi digital precision/corrosion and a sense of melancholic optimism.
[ cell 7 ] is that band with the perfect blend of past and future.
::links::
[ cell 7 ] on Virb
[ cell 7 ] on MySpace
[ Nick ] as a PureVolume listener
[ Nick ] as a Last.Fm listener

License this music for commercial use through Pump Audio.
May 8
Oliver : Another track from pre:Cognition that has been reinvented. Oliver is a pretty strange track as it isnt exactly a 'song', and it has some weird harmonies. This version has tight, chemical beats, fat fuzzy bass and even an Edge U2 style guitar interlude!
And because everyone always asks why it is called 'oliver', it is because the main lyric [...i want some more...] is also in the book 'Oliver Twist'. Please sir, may i have some more?
Anyway, hope you like it. Please let us know what you think :o)
xNick
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February 18
Red : The Perth crew will remember this song - it was the closing track for most of the gigs we played there. Red was the [ cell 7 ] signature tune with a mix of industrial 'chugging' guitars, sweeping synths and big, sharp, crunchy breaks to push along the sparse vocals. Hope you like it. Please comment :o)
xNick
ps: im living in Amsterdam now while Paul is still in Perth, so [ cell 7 ] has become a multi-national corporation!
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May 1
"I'll have to admit from the get go that I am new to the music of [ cell 7 ] but these two tracks alone merited further investigation.
Through some hard work (and it was hard) I was able to track down a copy of the EP "pre:COGNITION" which appears to the groups only publicly released CD.
The result? A new absolute favorite on my regular playlist and a definite prediction that this band is going to go places.
A slick polished sound with a depth and professionalism that truly outshines their humble public recognition, [ cell 7 ] have a melodic sound torn apart by uncomfortable crunches in all the right places. At once romantic and violent the music is like watching a robot die. While the songs bring to mind a range of ideas from classical music through to Filter and David Bowie, there is in this eclectic mix a totally new sound which sounds to my ears like the perfect soundtrack to the newly emerging century. At once timeless and futuristic, studied and yet innovative [ cell 7 ] are the aural equivalent of twilight in Tokyo. A band I can't recommend enough.
See when i was young (and i was young so if i saw it now I'm sure it would seem lame) there was this episode of astroboy where these two racing car robots were in love and at the end they melted into one another and died [astroboy shakespearean tragedy]. It was the first time i can remember having a concept of both romance and tragedy or melancholy that seems heroic maybe - i dunno. Anyway THAT's what [ cell 7 ] sounds like."
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June 12
Ok i know this is an incredibly nerdal thing to do, but i for one love finding out what equipment people use to create their sound.
So here it is, our current kit list [at least the things we can remember]:
Synths
Kurzweil K2000
Roland JV1080 x 2
Roland SH09
Roland Juno 106
Yamaha FS1R x 2
Korg MS2000
Korg ER-1
Clavia Nord Micromodular x 2
Kawai K5000s
Control Synthesis DB9
Alesis DM5 with triggers
Guitars
Ibanez RG-550 x 2
Hohner Jack
Hohner 5-string bass
Westone Headless
Roland G-707 [w/GR-700] synth guitar
Digitech GSP-2101
Native Instruments Guitar Rig
Roland Vg8-EX
Processing
Electrix Filter Queen
Mindprint Envoice
Various pedals & rack units
Miscellaneous
Violin
Viola
6-string Juliet electric violin
Premier drum kit
Circuit-bent audio toys
Theremin
Various mics & mixers
KRK monitors
Blue Sky Exo 2.1 monitors
Computers
PCs
Laptops
Alesis ADAT XT
Creamw@re Pulsar
Presonus and M-audio firewire interfaces
Logic Studio
Steinberg Wavelab
Plugins & VSTIs x infinity
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May 22
Fragility : actually its another old track that has been revisited for maximum impact and earthquake bass. Includes a fairly extended intro but its an integral part of the song. The mix is a little crunchy towards the end - i will update once it has been remastered.
Nick
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view all 7 posts
bumgrapes17
I listen and I'm not sure whether I want to dance
interpretively with leg warmers or murder innocents in
a highly stylised fashion. You will surely incite mass
cerebral rioting or torture and homocide if this gets
out. My hat is off to you sirs.
posted 1 week ago
*CRAZY*~ *BITCH* (*HOLLY*) *100%*
you are awsome............. my name is kammie24! thanks
nice to know you guys!
posted Jul 06
darkraven63
you guys rock! You have real potential, you're better
then most of the bands around right now.
posted Jun 24
Dazed and Konfused
awesome new photos! how have you been?
posted Jun 10
Victoria
nice C:
posted May 28
ladybeat
I love your music!!! WOW!!!
posted Apr 24
beforever
i love the sound u guys are dishing out...keep it up
posted Apr 11
xMaladjustedx
Your music is the best thing since... since... I don't
know but I like you so much
posted Mar 10