Nodens Ictus
Encyclopedia
Nodens Ictus formed in 1986 as an offshoot of British psychedelic rock
band Ozric Tentacles
.
guitarist Ed Wynne
and keyboardist Joie Hinton were asked by the promoters of the Crypt club in Deptford, South London, to produce an ambient
set for the club's "chillout" room.
Essentially Ozric Tentacles
minus the guitar and rhythm section, Nodens Ictus explored ethereal, Tangerine Dream
-like soundscapes using synths and samples, in contrast to the driving space-rock which characterised the sound of parent band. The limited-run, independent cassette-only album The Grove of Selves was issued in 1987 - sold initially at gigs and by mail order, it has subsequently become a rare and sought-after item of Ozric memorabilia.
Existing as a side-project only, Nodens Ictus played semi-frequently throughout the late '80s and early '90s, often as a support act at Ozric shows. The band occasionally ventured into electronica/dance territory following the addition of Ozric drummer Merv Pepler to the lineup, until being put on the backburner for nearly a decade as Wynne focused on the increasingly commercially successful Ozrics. Pepler and Hinton meanwhile concentrated on their techno-trance act Eat Static
, which had become successful enough in its own right for them to leave the Ozrics permanently in 1994.
Nodens Ictus resurfaced in 2000 with the release of Spacelines, a collection of old and new studio tracks along with a handful of live cuts dating back as far as 1988. Released on the Ozrics' own Stretchy Records label, the album generated reasonable interest, and Nodens Ictus soon returned to the live arena, again as an occasional support act at Ozric gigs, most notably at their "Pongmaster's Ball" extravaganzas held in London in 2002, 2004 and 2006. An appearance at the Glastonbury Festival
was made in 2003, and Nodens Ictus continued with a pair of small-scale headline shows in Exeter and London in 2005.
2007 saw the band play at the Solfest
in Cumbria, alongside Mixmaster Morris
and System 7
.
Note: There are a collection of recordings circulating on the internet called "climbing trees and waterfalls" (CTAW), which many people erroneously believe to have been recorded by Nodens Ictus. The CTAW recordings were in fact created by a collection of musicians from the Stoke on Trent area in the UK. Details are sketchy but information on early copies of the CTAW recordings list the band members as Mark - Guitar & synth, Will - Drum programming, sampling & mixing and Lance - Sampling, Occasional vocals. Definitely nothing whatsoever to do with Nodens Ictus.
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band Ozric Tentacles
Ozric Tentacles
Ozric Tentacles are an instrumental rock band from Somerset, England, whose music can loosely be described as psychedelic or space rock. Formed in 1983, the band has released 28 albums as of 2011, and become a cottage industry selling over a million albums worldwide despite never having major...
.
History
Nodens Ictus began life in 1986 when Ozric TentaclesOzric Tentacles
Ozric Tentacles are an instrumental rock band from Somerset, England, whose music can loosely be described as psychedelic or space rock. Formed in 1983, the band has released 28 albums as of 2011, and become a cottage industry selling over a million albums worldwide despite never having major...
guitarist Ed Wynne
Ed Wynne (guitarist)
Edward Wynne is an English guitarist and keyboardist best known as a founding member, principal composer and the only constant member of psychedelic rock band Ozric Tentacles.-Biography:...
and keyboardist Joie Hinton were asked by the promoters of the Crypt club in Deptford, South London, to produce an ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
set for the club's "chillout" room.
Essentially Ozric Tentacles
Ozric Tentacles
Ozric Tentacles are an instrumental rock band from Somerset, England, whose music can loosely be described as psychedelic or space rock. Formed in 1983, the band has released 28 albums as of 2011, and become a cottage industry selling over a million albums worldwide despite never having major...
minus the guitar and rhythm section, Nodens Ictus explored ethereal, Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
-like soundscapes using synths and samples, in contrast to the driving space-rock which characterised the sound of parent band. The limited-run, independent cassette-only album The Grove of Selves was issued in 1987 - sold initially at gigs and by mail order, it has subsequently become a rare and sought-after item of Ozric memorabilia.
Existing as a side-project only, Nodens Ictus played semi-frequently throughout the late '80s and early '90s, often as a support act at Ozric shows. The band occasionally ventured into electronica/dance territory following the addition of Ozric drummer Merv Pepler to the lineup, until being put on the backburner for nearly a decade as Wynne focused on the increasingly commercially successful Ozrics. Pepler and Hinton meanwhile concentrated on their techno-trance act Eat Static
Eat Static
Eat Static is an electronic music project from Frome, Somerset, England formed in 1989 by Merv Pepler and Joie Hinton. Hinton left the group in February 2008 after 18 years to spend more time with his family.-History:...
, which had become successful enough in its own right for them to leave the Ozrics permanently in 1994.
Nodens Ictus resurfaced in 2000 with the release of Spacelines, a collection of old and new studio tracks along with a handful of live cuts dating back as far as 1988. Released on the Ozrics' own Stretchy Records label, the album generated reasonable interest, and Nodens Ictus soon returned to the live arena, again as an occasional support act at Ozric gigs, most notably at their "Pongmaster's Ball" extravaganzas held in London in 2002, 2004 and 2006. An appearance at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
was made in 2003, and Nodens Ictus continued with a pair of small-scale headline shows in Exeter and London in 2005.
2007 saw the band play at the Solfest
Solfest
Solfest is a Cumbrian arts organisation which runs an annual music festival held near to Silloth in Cumbria, England. It is held annually at Tarnside Farm on the August Bank Holiday weekend.- Solway Festival :...
in Cumbria, alongside Mixmaster Morris
Mixmaster Morris
Mixmaster Morris is an English ambient DJ and underground musician. Relating specifically to ambient music, Morris stated "It's exactly what you need if you have a busy and stressful life".-Life and career:...
and System 7
System 7 (band)
System 7 are a British ambient dance band. Due to the existence of another band called System Seven, they were initially marketed as 777 in North America...
.
Known "bootleg" recordings
- Club Dog 1988#
- Angel Centre, Tonbridge 1989#
- Scala Cinema 1989#
- Live 1990#
- Brixton Fridge 1991#
- The Empire, Shepherds Bush, London 29-03-02#
- Live Phoenix Arts Centre 16-01-03#
Note: There are a collection of recordings circulating on the internet called "climbing trees and waterfalls" (CTAW), which many people erroneously believe to have been recorded by Nodens Ictus. The CTAW recordings were in fact created by a collection of musicians from the Stoke on Trent area in the UK. Details are sketchy but information on early copies of the CTAW recordings list the band members as Mark - Guitar & synth, Will - Drum programming, sampling & mixing and Lance - Sampling, Occasional vocals. Definitely nothing whatsoever to do with Nodens Ictus.