What is Coil
Coil is an industrial/experimental electronic band formed in 1982 by Geoff Rushton a.k.a. Jhonn Balance (Psychic TV, Zos Kia, Stabmental) and Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, COUM Transmissions, etc). It was originally intended to be a solo project for Jhonn, but bloomed into something far greater. Throughout the years, they released many albums, side projects under different aliases (Black Light District, Time Machines, ELpH), and went through many lineup changes. After the death of Jhonn in 2004, Peter would announce that Coil's run had come to an end. Though they intentionally remained underground, they went on to be a great influence on the industrial scene and to experimental music as a whole.
Why I Love Coil
I actually got into Coil a bit late. I have been listening to Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV since I was in middle school, but they somehow flew under my radar for a long time. It wasn't until last year (2023) that I had heard the posthumuous masterpiece that is "The Ape of Naples". Something about it was so haunting that it stuck with me for months. I ended up revisiting it earlier this year and I was completely hooked. Songs like Amber Rain, Tattooed Man, Going Up, and the ghostly hymn that is Cold Cell had such a profound emotional effect on me that I knew I had to go deeper into their discography. I'm now months deep into my hyperfixation and I still go back to albums like Musick to Play in the Dark or Horse Rotorvator or Scatology and seem to find something new and interesting about them. Their music has touched my soul, resparked my interest in the occult, guided me through the hardest year of my life, and even caused me to astral project many times. And that, I say, is pure Magick.
