Lee Howard has been working hard in the UK industrial, noise and power electronics scene for many years, under numerous names, performing, recording and releasing. These days, he is known widely as Iron Fist Of The Sun, blending power electronics with electro acoustics and an underlying black metal influence, not to mention an obsession with the late Princess Diana. With recent releases on Cold Spring and Unrest Productions and more to come on both labels plus more works to be confirmed, Lee has established Iron Fist Of The Sun as one of the highlights of today's UK power electronics scene.
He kindly agreed to answer a few things and also provide an exclusive MP3 download entitled "I Shall Do No Wrong and I Shall Hurt No Man".
Click to download "Iron Fist Of The Sun - I Shall Do No Wrong and I Shall Hurt No Man"
- With regards to your old DIY label, Birmingham Nihilism - you've hinted that this may be something you'd like to pick up again... what's the likelihood of this becoming reality now?
IFOTS: I’ve toyed with the idea over the past few years, but the truth is I found it increasingly unrewarding running a label and probably still do deep down. Birmingham Nihilism was a sonic/visual/ideological anti-reaction from running my old label E.S.R for all those years. The freedom that the self dubbed/burned, tape/CD-R’s I was producing at home with BN was extremely refreshing, as opposed to countless limited edition coloured vinyl and lavish digi-packs with E.S.R. Fantastic items that didn't sell and were a nightmare to produce at vast expense to mind, body and wallet.
My hat goes off to any D.I.Y label prepared to put their money where their mouths are and put out releases. As an artist I actively try and lessen the financial burdens where possible i.e with mastering/artwork/printing etc. I think that attitude only comes when you realize how hard it is running a label!
I’ve thought about the re-activation of the label but time will tell. Maybe for future IFOTS items, maybe special limited edition items… who knows… probably when I become untouchable by any other label!!
- Would you build off the foundations already laid or would your approach differ this time around?
IFOTS: I’d definitely build on the foundations already laid out! More of the same principles… Strong music, strong visuals, limited editions, D.I.Y but not shoddy or low quality! Items that scream of uniqueness in look and sound without the silliness of the noise culture art-house trappings.
- You've worked under names other than IFOTS in the past, is there anything from your other identities that you'd like to see re-issued?
IFOTS: Some of the very early primitive IFOTS recordings maybe of some minor interest to re-issue to a few people. As regard the other guises I have recorded under... No, there is only IFOTS at the moment that contains any real musical relevance to my life.
- Or any of your previous projects that we could ever expect anything new from?
IFOTS: I’ve been working on various things that I don’t see as being under the IFOTS banner. The main one being an electro-acoustic piece which has been an ongoing obsession for some time. The main aim once it’s finished is for it to be performed as part of a diffusion-sound piece based around these recordings .
The other is a film score to a film that doesn’t exist. It will feature a sense of narrative in the music, more so than anything else I’ve been working on! I’ve been fleshing out ideas for some time on both projects. These will probably be produced under my real name.
- You see many acts and artists doing one-off releases on many labels now, whereas you're onto your second album on Cold Spring, got two tapes on Unrest (with Martin keen to continue your relationship) and I've even worked with you twice myself - do you think this is by chance or is creating a good working relationship with a label important to you?
IFOTS: It’s essential! I’ve been very lucky to have worked with some exceptional people. Going back to my point about running a label, I have the utmost respect to ANY bloke who wants to put his rent money into releasing my music, I’ve done it… it’s a fucking hard and thankless task! In a way that’s why I try and be accommodating towards the label/gig promoter I’m working with.
In the past I’ve had my track titles changed without consent, I’ve had to drop tracks at labels request as well as countless artwork issues! But I’ve just tried to resolve the issues instead of acting like a childish tit. Many artists have a “zero-compromise” attitude and I can understand that too. But at the end of the day I’m “working with a label” not against them… It’s a mutual vision you both have to reach. There are going to be a few stumbling blocks, more so when you’re dealing with language barriers and international air mail!
A good example of this is a situation I was in around the recording of "Behavioural Decline" for Cold Spring. The original album was running at 70 minutes and had dynamic changes of tension rather than the full on short and sweet burst it is now. I presented this to Justin Cold Spring, totally convinced I’d written the third coming of P.E., and he just pulled it apart! At this point I was totally demoralised with the idea of continuing with the album.
I was having a moan and explaining this to a good old friend who works as a major distributer/label p+d broker over a beer. He said “Lee do you think that this guy might ACTUALLY know what he is talking about? How long has Cold Spring been in the business?” The penny dropped, I was clouded by my my own ideas, which is easy to do when you’re locked into your own vision. He was right… I listened back to the old demo, it didn’t work! Too long. Too confused! Justin was 100% right! So I implemented the changes and it’s a better, stronger piece now.
With regards to working with Cold Spring… I will definitely be continuing our relationship. Justin has a very clear direction on what he wants from IFOTS - some of the more abstract non-vocal material I produce is not for him. There has always been two sides to the IFOTS sound - the traditional and non-traditional P.E style and also the more linear non-vocal industrial sound pieces. This gives me scope to release more of the latter style via Unrest productions etc. But Justin has been totally instrumental to IFOTS as a mentor and a good friend and I look forward to working with him and Jo as long as I continue to work under iron fist of the sun.
I will also continue working with Martin Shift on his Unrest Productions. The thing I love about people like Martin Shift is their honesty, their almost brutal honesty that is found in Northern Europeans. I think we in the UK have been converted into a “mini America” where we sugar coat our true thoughts and feelings at the risk of offending others. The people of Sweden/Finland/Norway don’t! If they think it’s GOOD they mean it… and if they hate it… well… then you’re fucked! It’s quite a rare and refreshing quality to re-discover in people.
I’m very proud of my output so far on Unrest, it’s a great label. I always view Unrest as the kind of label that other P.E. artists really like to play a lot and collect and follow. No bullshit, no fuss… just strength of content! My next release on Unrest Productions will be an LP called Tears Royal. It picks up where Danny la Rue Died in his Sleep left off. I wanted it out in time for the royal wedding but due to Martin’s schedule that was unrealistic .
- Do you think with the amount of DIYers and indie labels around now, it's too easy to release and forget (or be released and forgotten)?
IFOTS: Yes maybe. I think you get points for longevity in this scene like no other scene. Even if an artist/label is banging out dross they’re admired because they’re wearing a stripe due to the time served in the industrial scene. It’s almost akin to some form of prison code. The young guys who start a micro-label want instant access to this world. I’ve turned down a lot offers in order to keep quality control but on top of this I don’t want to be seen as an artist that’ll jump ship to every label that offers a release. I want to keep working with the core of labels I’ve worked with so far… and vice versa… I want to be associated as an artist who is on that labels roster.
I do feel sorry for new artists/labels who’ve discovered this scene, they must get put off by the penetrability of the genre… a very few amount of forums, zines and fewer shops do now exist. After an initial burst of enthusiasm, lack of interest will crush their hopes very quickly. Weak people will come, weak people will go. Anything of any true worth will be discovered in time! Any advice I can give would be to hang on in there, be true to your code, be polite, release music of integrity and in time things will fall into place.
- Do you think it's positive for the scene, as more and more people look to get involved in the physical production of noise and related genres?
IFOTS: I think the majority of people view P.E./NOISE as a easy genre to create and infiltrate. Hence the influx of dross! I’ve seen many artists “dabble” and get it completely wrong. Out of 90% of things I hear about only a few really resonate with me, however, I welcome new blood and I buy a lot of stuff. I actively take an interest in all aspects of industrial culture. There are still some fantastic things going on around the world, the trick is discovering them amongst the all shit.
- To touch a little further on the increase in new artists, it has been said that the impact of themes associated with noise/P.E./industrial culture has become diluted by a tendency to stick to almost formulaic representations, both visually and sonically. Do you think there is still life in the common themes of this type of genre? Has controversy transcended into acceptability?
IFOTS: The classic P.E. “theory and tradition" is routed in the common themes we all know only too well. I have nowt to do with serial killers, fucking weak bully boy paedo's or violent / deviant sexual topics. As I have said before, my topics are from my life experiences and themes and concepts that are important to me and others close to me. I couldn’t give a fuck about any of that bollocks… it’s so boring. I’m not having a pop at people who produce this style of music, it just ain’t for me. I still listen to and buy a lot of orthodox P.E. but only a small percentage seems to stand out!
I think over the last seven years something has changed within P.E.. Topics and artwork have been propelled into more exciting realms, with some of the big players like Whitehouse’s side shift from the “Sotos” themed topics into almost brutal self help territories and Prurient’s poetic tragedy. These have definitely helped legitimised new theories and possibilities .
A vast chunk of industrial culture has become sonically and aesthetically lazy. P.E. by its own nature has a simple formula so unless it’s done exactly right, it can fail. I think the label Filth and Violence have got it just right. First off the music is at a very high standard and you know what you’re going to get when you pick up one of their releases. Secondly they back up the aesthetic by actually being into the topics that they explore on the releases.
Unless the artist is actually living the life that their art reflects it holds no interest for me. The likes of Taint, Grunt and Brethren for example all have very different styles but they’re all backed up 100% with a sense of honesty… almost like a gonzo documentation of their interests and passions . Anything less, then I see it as being no more than storytelling fiction. Of course there will be a vast many of people who do not want any development or progression in power electronics, those who feel P.E. should remain sonically primitive raw aggressive vocals and themes of sexualized violence. I think there is room for both camps.
- You've been looking for more religion or faith-centered P.E. - is religion or faith important to you, personally?
IFOTS: I don’t consider myself religious. My viewpoints are a confused paradox of pagan-gnosticism mixed with traditional English values, which in-turn are routed in a Christian belief structure.
I recently had a near miss car accident that would of definitely killed me if I hadn’t dived out of the way. Since then I’ve given some thought to what will happen after I die. I’ve become obsessed with the notion of spirit intervention and mediumship. The notion that past bloodlines are looking at me from another realm is hauntingly poetic. This ties in to the IFOTS manifesto of the of blood/tradition/heritage. It’s an interesting point which I’ve been exploring musically of late. The last few things have been centered on personal and symbolic sacrifice. Like much of my work, topics get confused and spliced which results in blatant contradictions!
IFOTS: I’ve never understood this myself either. Other countries have full-on noise and P.E/ industrial festivals that are well-invested, professionally managed and run with solid acts and have a good turnout. In the U.K you’re lucky if you get 50+ turnout to a Ramleh/ con-dom gig which pisses me off!! It’s almost a “pay-to play” situation here… “well we would love you to come and play but we haven’t got any budget”. I’ve played with touring bands who have been put up in a hotel and been payed and I haven’t even been offered a drink or money for a taxi home. Then there are the gigs when you know it’s going to be a fucking doss, everyone in the same room drinking and fucking about. For me, those are the ones that are totally essential to be at. So you have to make the decision… is it going to be a worthwhile experience or will the trip stink of empty pub rooms and damp promotors floors?
It’s a bit of a running joke with a few of us that power electronics is the ‘coldest road’ to take musically. Every time I’m lugging my flight-case about the UK and standing on the train platform in the rain contemplating what misery or triumph might lie ahead!
- Is there anywhere in the UK that is more of a hotbed for live shows, specifically for noise/P.E.?
IFOTS: Not that I have noticed. Just the same dead hollow faces you see at every other gig.
- Would you like to be playing shows outside of the UK and if so where?
IFOTS: I would love to! Me and Shift have talked about doing a road trip some time in the future, but he’s quite negative about playing live at the moment. He, like me, has played quite a lot in the last five years and has become more picky. However, I haven't turned down many of the offers to play but I’m starting to get tired of busting my gut, so I can see where he’s coming from! I’ve had some great experiences and also some fucking dire ones. Like Martin, I’m getting to the point where I’m thinking of being a bit more choosy about where I play and who for.
That said, at some point I would love to get over to Northern Europe and play. The talent over there is mind blowing… it must be something in the water. Hopefully America at some point. But the reality is that unless I fund it myself it’ll probably never happen!
- With an ever increasing release schedule, how often are you making new material and how often do you record?
IFOTS: I have a room in a lock-up complex so I have to set aside and manage my time very strictly. My day job is quite demanding time wise and physically. Sometimes I have to work away so there are long stretches where I can’t be producing any music, but I’m always thinking of ideas, lyrics more ideas. Usually I’ll get to the studio one or two nights in the week and one full day on the weekend with more time spent there on the weekdays if I’m rehearsing for up coming gigs. Nothing is “thrown” together meticulously, I plan everything when rehearsing and recording.
I record specifically for a project in mind rather than loosely jamming. I find it helps me focus when I have a idea and vision. Sometimes the creative process is quite quick and fluid, sometimes it’s more challenging. Being obsessive the way I am takes up a large chunk of my life and has had financial and personal side effects… and like many other artists I’ve paid the price for dedicating my life to my music. However, having a partner that understands and tolerates this, is a big help.
- Are there any artists you'd like to work with as IFOTS, either collaboratively or in "split" format?
IFOTS: I don’t collaborate! I find it personally very uncomfortable unless I know the people I’m dealing with very well. I’ve worked with Andy Cooke from Cities Prepare For Attack. We’re old friends, so it seems quite natural.
The split format is a great way of presenting similar or polar opposite audio / ideological view points across in one item. The next IFOTS release will be a split with Burial Hex via Cold Spring on 12” lp. I’d certainly like to do more splits in the future. In time I’ll only be releasing on Tape and Vinyl and phasing out releasing on CD. As we are all aware manufacturing good quality vinyl is very expensive! I’m sick of people thinking it’s ok to rip and share people’s music for free. I couldn’t give a fuck about ever seeing a penny from sales, but there’s a generation of people who see music as worthless and feel wronged to pay for it. They don’t appreciate the extent of hard work and cost that goes in to creating a record. Their lack of respect for the industry as a whole is effecting the whole creative-label-sales process. Maybe in ten years time we will all of found our proverbial feet on this subject but as it stands i still think we are on shaky ground!
- A recent discussion point I've been reading is whether an "old-timer" of the scene is wrong to dismiss and, to an extent, dissociate himself from newer noise releases... should people expect that such an artist would retain an enduring interest in the modern scene? Personally, I have no such expectation, but I would have thought it constructive to keep tabs on what's happening.
IFOTS: I don’t necessarily believe that he could be that arrogant! I’ve heard that a few of the ‘founding fathers’ say they don’t follow any of the newer noise/P.E. stuff, but I think that’s bollocks… I’m sure they do a bit… How can they not? I think they just say it for effect. Merzbow collaborates with 20 people a week. I’m sure he must be aware of them before he jumps in to bed with them.
- About the track...?
IFOTS: Recorded at the same time as the recording of Behavioural Decline at my old crushing obelisk studio set up, which was part of a much larger complex of lock up’s housed in a fucking rundown industrial shithole.
That place was shut down by the fire department due to poor health and safety conditions and minimal fire safety. Located in Handsworth (a notorious area of Birmingham, infamous for its multi-cultural riots in the 80’s) I would make the trek into town then walk two miles to the lock-up. Quite often addicts would spray their diarrhea on the roller shutter entrance! Once past the 7 or 8 sets of home made security doors, the smell of dead rats would hit your nostrils (they used to crawl between the plaster board and get trapped and rot!) In winter it was so cold most of the equipment wouldn't work and I had to place heaters over my computer just to boot up!
Sonically I think this track will surprise many people, a style of noise I’m not normally recognised for producing. I’ve never managed to find a home for it.
The final track was mastered my Ian Sherwen of www.ghosteffects.co.uk who gave the final mix a needed lift and a punchy feel that was lacking in the original.
Dedicated to drugs and rodents and the city.
- Coming up...?
IFOTS: Burial Hex/IFOTS - Grown Under English Ice
Split LP (Cold Spring)
IFOTS/Skullflower/MZ412 - Live
CD (Cold Spring)
IFOTS - I Will Never Have The Right
CD (T.B.C)
IFOTS - Tears Royal
LP (Unrest Productions)
IFOTS 7” (T.B.C)
Live dates..
VOMIR/IFOTS/SAFE
Sunday13th November@ the croft BRISTOL
Many thanks for reading this.
ironfistofthesun@hotmail.co.uk
Diana20011
Many sincere thanks to Lee for taking the time to answer and for providing the track.
