Jason Mendonca
Encyclopedia
Jason Mendonca is a British multi-instrumentalist
and composer
.
He is best known as the vocalist and guitarist
of the British progressive blackened death metal band Akercocke
, although he also achieved notoriety throughout the experimental electronic movement of the 1990s.
suburb of West Drayton
and educated in Hillingdon
. The youngest of four children, he was raised in a house where music was always being played; either by his sister on the piano or his older siblings listening to bands such as Led Zeppelin
, The Rolling Stones
and the Sex Pistols
as well as a collection of classical music
records that the family owned.
He had piano lessons from the age of 5 and at primary school began playing B flat Cornet
. Later playing Cornet from age 7 and then Baritone Euphonium
with the Yiewsley and West Drayton Silver Band. At the age of 10, he acquired a three quarter size Spanish guitar from his Uncle and attempted a few basic chords.
Soon after starting secondary school
at age 11, already keenly interested in bands such as Rush
, Iron Maiden
, Motörhead and Black Sabbath
, he was introduced to the music of Jimi Hendrix
by a school friend. This was the turning point at which Mendonca realised he must obtain an electric guitar. Allegedly saving up £4.50 a week from a Saturday job, he accumulated sufficient funds to buy a guitar from the older brother of a classmate.
in Guitarist magazine
. Gray answered the advert and the ensemble began playing covers as a three piece. Gray thought they needed a second guitarist and Mendonca was introduced to the fold. The originators of this school days project faded away as Mendonca and Gray began to explore more aggressive influences such as early Bathory
, Venom
, Celtic Frost
, Possessed
and Voivod
. These experimentations led to the formulation of numerous proto-projects with numerous collaborators until approximately 1989.
Their efforts culminated in the 1991 recording of the "Sempiternal Suffering" demo. This recording would later catch the attention of Nihil from Cacophonous Records (who would later sign Cradle of Filth
) who expressed an interest in signing the band. Word of this reached a former guitarist Jeff Godwin (who had invented the band's moniker) who threatened legal action if Cacophonous signed the band as Salem Orchid. Frightened by the threat of litigation, the record label
directed their interest elsewhere.
By 1992, frustrated by the sonic restrictions of bass
, drums and guitar
but without the skills to employ a broader palette of instrumentation, Mendonca left Salem Orchid. In addition to emerging artistic differences, this split was also motivated by a falling out between Mendonca and drummer Gray when a female singer was introduced to the line-up.
.
Wilson-Claridge gave Mendonca access to his impressive studio. This afforded Mendonca the opportunity to experiment with sampling
and sequencing
technologies. As his audio engineering
skills developed he became fascinated by the science of psychoacoustics
and began creating sounds through experimentation. Shunning pre-set sounds and settings from synthesisers, his objective was to make sounds that had never been heard before.
was that they put their own spin on rock music
to create an original sound, they were inspired to attempt the same. The project was even given a name, long before the pair returned to their instruments: Akercocke was born. Taking the name from Robert Nye
's book "Faust" the band have gone on to have a career that has taken them most of the way round the World and included 5 successful studio album
s.
Heist - "Dystrophic" (remix as Neuroviolence) Praxis Records 011
DJ Yubba/DJ Deviant - Worlds Fattest Split" Praxis 012 - Producing all tracks and appearing as DJ Yubba
Lorenz Attractor - "Strange Attractor EP" Praxis 013 - Collaboration with DJ Warlock
Disciples of Belial "The Goat of Mendes" Praxis 17
Praxis 10CD - V/A : Paraphysical Cybertronics - The Experiments of Bloor Schleppy - Appears as 9901
ZTR001 Neuroviolence "Shattered EP" (12", EP) 1996
ZTR002 Lorenz Attractor Phaze Transition EP (EP) 1996 - Collaboration with DJ Warlock
ZTR006 Neuroviolence STP (12") 1996
ZTR010 Tunk Systems / George Sabellicus Untitled (12", W/Lbl, TP) - Appears as George Sabellicus
SS 17 - Johnny Two Times and Pete the Killer - Planet Core Productions - Collaboration with Heist
The Goat Of Mendes Peaceville 2001
Choronzon Earache 2003
Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone Earache 2005
Antichrist Earache 2007
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
He is best known as the vocalist and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
of the British progressive blackened death metal band Akercocke
Akercocke
Akercocke is an English progressive blackened death metal band from London, England. They take their name from a talking monkey in Robert Nye's interpretation of the Faust-legend, and are notable for their heavily Satanic and sexual lyrical content....
, although he also achieved notoriety throughout the experimental electronic movement of the 1990s.
Early life
Mendonca was born of an English mother and a Portuguese father in the west LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
suburb of West Drayton
West Drayton
West Drayton is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the far west of London, England. Formerly part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District of Middlesex, the district became part of Greater London in 1965....
and educated in Hillingdon
Hillingdon
Hillingdon is a suburban area within the London Borough of Hillingdon, situated 14.2 miles west of Charing Cross.Much of Hillingdon is represented as the Hillingdon East ward within the local authority, Hillingdon Council...
. The youngest of four children, he was raised in a house where music was always being played; either by his sister on the piano or his older siblings listening to bands such as Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
and the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
as well as a collection of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
records that the family owned.
He had piano lessons from the age of 5 and at primary school began playing B flat Cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
. Later playing Cornet from age 7 and then Baritone Euphonium
Euphonium
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
with the Yiewsley and West Drayton Silver Band. At the age of 10, he acquired a three quarter size Spanish guitar from his Uncle and attempted a few basic chords.
Soon after starting secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
at age 11, already keenly interested in bands such as Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Motörhead and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, he was introduced to the music of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
by a school friend. This was the turning point at which Mendonca realised he must obtain an electric guitar. Allegedly saving up £4.50 a week from a Saturday job, he accumulated sufficient funds to buy a guitar from the older brother of a classmate.
Meeting with David Gray
In 1987 some school friends were trying to start a band and advertised for a drummerDrummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
in Guitarist magazine
Guitarist (magazine)
Guitarist is a monthly music making magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. The magazine features reviews of newly released guitars, amplifiers and other equipment, plus interviews with guitar players, features on the guitar industry, news articles, and features on playing...
. Gray answered the advert and the ensemble began playing covers as a three piece. Gray thought they needed a second guitarist and Mendonca was introduced to the fold. The originators of this school days project faded away as Mendonca and Gray began to explore more aggressive influences such as early Bathory
Bathory (band)
Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...
, Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
, Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost was a metal band from Zürich, Switzerland. They are known for their heavy influence on the extreme metal genres. The group was first active from 1984 to 1993, and re-formed in 2001. Following Tom Gabriel Fischer's departure in 2008, Celtic Frost decided to break up again...
, Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...
and Voivod
Voivod (band)
Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...
. These experimentations led to the formulation of numerous proto-projects with numerous collaborators until approximately 1989.
Salem Orchid
In 89, Mendonca and Gray teamed up with guitarist Stephen Wood and bassist Dan Temple to form what would be one of many varied line-up configurations of Salem Orchid.Their efforts culminated in the 1991 recording of the "Sempiternal Suffering" demo. This recording would later catch the attention of Nihil from Cacophonous Records (who would later sign Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
) who expressed an interest in signing the band. Word of this reached a former guitarist Jeff Godwin (who had invented the band's moniker) who threatened legal action if Cacophonous signed the band as Salem Orchid. Frightened by the threat of litigation, the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
directed their interest elsewhere.
By 1992, frustrated by the sonic restrictions of bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, drums and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
but without the skills to employ a broader palette of instrumentation, Mendonca left Salem Orchid. In addition to emerging artistic differences, this split was also motivated by a falling out between Mendonca and drummer Gray when a female singer was introduced to the line-up.
The electronic years
Disassociating himself from the concept of "band", Mendonca re-located to North London and began promoting experimental techno parties with two close friends. It was during this time that he was befriended by Grant Wilson-Claridge of Rephlex RecordsRephlex Records
Rephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...
.
Wilson-Claridge gave Mendonca access to his impressive studio. This afforded Mendonca the opportunity to experiment with sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
and sequencing
Sequencing
In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure of an unbranched biopolymer...
technologies. As his audio engineering
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
skills developed he became fascinated by the science of psychoacoustics
Psychoacoustics
Psychoacoustics is the scientific study of sound perception. More specifically, it is the branch of science studying the psychological and physiological responses associated with sound...
and began creating sounds through experimentation. Shunning pre-set sounds and settings from synthesisers, his objective was to make sounds that had never been heard before.
Akercocke is born
In 1996, Mendonca and Gray crossed paths again and promptly buried the hatchet that had in part led them ceasing to collaborate. They began discussing ideas for a musical project that would be of mutual interest. Agreeing that the essence of seminal bands such as Voivod and Killing JokeKilling Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
was that they put their own spin on rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
to create an original sound, they were inspired to attempt the same. The project was even given a name, long before the pair returned to their instruments: Akercocke was born. Taking the name from Robert Nye
Robert Nye
Robert Nye FRSL is an English poet who has also written novels and plays as well as stories for children. His bestselling novel Falstaff published in 1976 was described by Michael Ratcliffe as 'one of the most ambitious and seductive novels of the decade,' and went on to win both The Hawthornden...
's book "Faust" the band have gone on to have a career that has taken them most of the way round the World and included 5 successful studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s.
Discography
Disciples of Belial - "Songs of Praise" - Praxis Records 007Heist - "Dystrophic" (remix as Neuroviolence) Praxis Records 011
DJ Yubba/DJ Deviant - Worlds Fattest Split" Praxis 012 - Producing all tracks and appearing as DJ Yubba
Lorenz Attractor - "Strange Attractor EP" Praxis 013 - Collaboration with DJ Warlock
Disciples of Belial "The Goat of Mendes" Praxis 17
Praxis 10CD - V/A : Paraphysical Cybertronics - The Experiments of Bloor Schleppy - Appears as 9901
ZTR001 Neuroviolence "Shattered EP" (12", EP) 1996
ZTR002 Lorenz Attractor Phaze Transition EP (EP) 1996 - Collaboration with DJ Warlock
ZTR006 Neuroviolence STP (12") 1996
ZTR010 Tunk Systems / George Sabellicus Untitled (12", W/Lbl, TP) - Appears as George Sabellicus
SS 17 - Johnny Two Times and Pete the Killer - Planet Core Productions - Collaboration with Heist
Akercocke Releases
Rape Of The Bastard Nazarene Goat Of Mendes Records 1999The Goat Of Mendes Peaceville 2001
Choronzon Earache 2003
Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone Earache 2005
Antichrist Earache 2007