Sunnyvale Noise Sub-element profile picture

Sunnyvale Noise Sub-element

About Me

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sunnyvale noise sub-element create a place where chicago guitar noise and berlin techno come together, where kraftwerk are remixed by shellac, and where neu! apply their rhythmic aesthetic to autechre’s electronic textures.

in the past year, sunnyvale have performed a collaborative set with can legend damo suzuki, been hailed by radio 1’s huw stephens as one of the best new bands around, and have now released their debut album, box three, spool five.

formed in 2000, they were initially conceived as a live sonic experiment. early live shows were entirely improvised slabs of sound using the likes of glue, crisps, clockwork toys and kitchen utensils alongside programmed rhythms, samples, and guitars. these early dissections developed into today’s elaborate weave of sonic textures that can shift from confrontational dissonance to the kind of experimentation that can make you dance, all within the space of a single song.

sunnyvale have played with the following artists: damo suzuki, clinic, a silver mt. zion, luke vibert, scout niblett, oxes, hella, electrelane, pram, knifehandchop, max tundra, the telescopes and vibracathedral orchestra.

see a video from our recent jaunt to glasgow to perform at the centre for contemporary arts:
a long way to Glasgow from Alice Peapods on Vimeo .

‘scuzzy, unrelenting six- and four-string structured noise that you could remove the enamel from shellac's teeth with, interspersed with warped industrial beats. excuse me, i think i just came.’ – drowned in sound

‘sonically shattering, going places that the likes of aphex twin and unkle would not dare tread… sheer music genius’ - gigwise

‘imagine a david kronenberg movie set in a lift shaft. this is its soundtrack. you have been warned.’ – sandman

‘alien soundtracks for your ipod as you surf the sands of mars, wander the darkened streets of amityville, or wake up the morning after the end of the world.’ - is this music?

sunnyvale recordings

more than 20 per cent: album, available now on cd from the sunnyvale website

1. girl thief (live)
2. i love you every time you smile (karhide broken disco remix)
3. too far gone
4. how sunnyvale were tricked by the evenings
5. godzilla vs. kathleen hanna (live)
6. i love you every time you smile (jimmy evil bastard dub)
7. this far and no further (boywithatoy mix)
8. i love you every time you struggle heroically against imperialist oppression (remix by space heroes of the people)
9. i love you even when you smile
10. call this number if you hear noises (live)
11. this far and no further (rematch:remix)
12. a word about panic attacks (live)
13. all our flawed efforts
14. i love you every time you smile (nordic mix)

box three, spool five: album, available now on cd from field records

1. godzilla vs. kathleen hanna
2. how spiderman was tricked by his wife
3. i love you every time you smile
4. call this number if you hear noises
5. sputnik was the start of all this peculiar weather
6. girl thief
7. another japanese big robot story
8. using the devil as an excuse for sex
9. techno self-harm
10. a word about panic attacks
11. talking to john about punk rock
12. sunnyvale is asleep

'i love you every time you smile': split single with princess, on limited-edition 7" vinyl.

buy the record here

buy from itunes here

'techno self-harm': sunnyvale's five-track EP from 2005.

buy it here

buy from itunes here

'asking for trouble'. a double 7" box set, featuring tracks by sunnyvale, uter, a roman scandal and denim and diamonds. presented in a reel-to-reel tape box, with five inserts, a zine and one of 300 mystery objects collected by sunnyvale from around the world.

buy it here

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 07/06/2005
Band Website: http://www.sunnyvalenoisesubelement.co.uk
Band Members:

Stuart Fowkes: bass, keyboard, electronics

Simon Minter: guitars, pieces of metal

Giles Borg: guitars


Influences: hovercraft, ove-naxx, loop, this heat, shellac, prolapse, unwound, dalek, circle, tresor recordings, t.raumschmiere, fennesz, sonic youth, amon tobin, nought, steve reich, flying saucer attack, joy division, neu!, avrocar, killing joke 1980-2, white noise.
Sounds Like:

'part rock, part techno, part what the fuck, this oxford/london trio utilise all manner of instruments to create their wonderfully contorted sound. their incessant mechanised beats, chaotic time signatures and industrial loops will leave you craving for more, if your head hasn't already exploded by track three. Get this.'

- rock sound

‘firm evidence of where contemporary experimental music can – and should – be at.’

- nightshift, oxford’s music magazine

'sunnyvale create music that could move mountains, as their electronic beats splattered over a wall of static, whilst maintaining a beat that anyone can move to are as unnerving as they are achingly beautiful...'i love you every time you smile' is sonically shattering, going places that the likes of aphex twin and unkle would not dare tread.'

- gigwise

‘scuzzy, unrelenting six- and four-string structured noise that you could remove the enamel from shellac's teeth with, interspersed with warped industrial beats. excuse me, I think I just came.’

- drownedinsound

‘monolithic slabs of noise… like a soundtrack to dr. who fighting the daleks in the midst of a rip in the time-space continuum.’

- gigwise

‘alien soundtracks for your ipod as you surf the sands of mars, wander the darkened streets of amityville, or wake up the morning after the end of the world.’

– is this music?

‘drones, samples, clicks and throbbing guitars… takes us back to the heady days of main and the lovely loop.’

– things magazine

‘there's an understated beauty to these shards of disciplined noise & future post-rock. i can hear everything from godflesh, mogwai & joy division/new order in this music & you lot will not be disappointed.’

– norman records

'in the past you could have easily have listed a host of the finest acts ever as comparisons to sunnyvale; autechre, faust, joy division, aphex twin, shellac, can and kraftwerk to name a few... hopefully the line of tribute will now switch to Sunnyvale being mentioned as life changing by budding teenage, bedroom based, prisoners of technology all across the modern world...'

- subsiren

'did once they call this kind of thing the place where post-rock meets electronica? i'm not really sure I care, because all that really matters is the moment, is the noise, is the chiming melodies and the beats crashing like waves on the pacific shore of my childhood dreams like kerouac's shefallying words. if this isn't on all your summer mix tapes then man, did you miss out.'

- tangents


Record Label: Field Records - www.field-records.co.uk
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Sunnyvale play at Audioscope today!

hi all just a quick note to tell you that it's time for our annual audioscope festival, so please come along!doors are at 1.30pm and we're on stage at 2.00pm - it's our last show of 2008, so get down ...
Posted by on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 01:23:00 GMT

video from glasgow show, interview and new show

we've just uploaded a video of our recent journey to glasgow to perform at the centre for contemporary arts, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of diskant.net - have a look at it on our profile page. ...
Posted by on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:15:00 GMT

sunnyvale show with the kills

hello all okay okay, we're rotten filthy liars. we did say that we weren't doing any more shows for a while. but then a show with the kills comes up and, well, how could we say no to that? this sun...
Posted by on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:28:00 GMT

More Than 20% album launch this Friday

HelloThe launch gig for Sunnyvale's new album 'More Than 20%' is this Friday night (30 May). This is our last show for a couple of months while we take a break to write new material, and will also be ...
Posted by on Wed, 28 May 2008 05:02:00 GMT

Sunnyvale live in London tonight

Hello allSunnyvale are playing a show tonight in London, in the lovely environs of London Bridge. It's going to be at The Miller: http://www.themiller.co.uk,     96 Snowsfields Road, SE...
Posted by on Tue, 27 May 2008 07:17:00 GMT

New record tracklisting!

hello everyone just a quick note about our new record, 'more than 20 per cent', which we'll be releasing on friday 30 may. it comes in a specially-modified mailer box, hand-numbered, and filled ...
Posted by on Fri, 23 May 2008 08:22:00 GMT

Live show this Friday, new release & movie appearance

hello everyonea few bits of news from sunnyvale for you.live show this fridayfirst of all, we have a live show this friday at the wheatsheaf in oxford. it's in aid of oxfam's music fundraising festiva...
Posted by on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:48:00 GMT

Sunnyvale live in Oxford on Sunday

hello everyonesunnyvale are playing a headline show tomorrow night in oxford. it's at student haven the purple turtle, and only costs a pound to get in. support comes from foxes! and 1877, and we're o...
Posted by on Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:42:00 GMT

new sunnyvale release out now!

hi all just a quick note to let you know that our latest release is out now - it’s a compilation from french label rabeat’s cage records, which also features oxford bands cogwheel dogs, h...
Posted by on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:24:00 GMT

live show plus sunnyvale downloads

hello all a couple of quick bits of sunnyvale news for you. first of all, the rather wonderful northern star records are now stocking our album 'box three, spool five' as a digital release - you ca...
Posted by on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:31:00 GMT