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Philip Best

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Philip Best
Born (1966-06-15) 15 June 1966 (age 58)
NationalityEnglish
Occupations
Years active1982–present

Philip Neil Best (born 15 June 1966) is an English industrial musician, visual artist, and author. A pioneer of power electronics, he formed the band Consumer Electronics in 1982.[1]

Best joined the group Whitehouse, in 1983. After a nine-year hiatus starting in 1984, Best rejoined and remained with the group until departing again in 2008.[2]

Career

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Music

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In the early 1980s, Best also ran his own DIY label Iphar, releasing compilations of power electronics. Through the circulation of these controversial cassettes he succeeded in promoting the burgeoning extreme noise genre.[3] Among these cassette releases were On to 83, with Gary Mundy. Torture Music by Iphar Clinic, a solo project, and White Power, a fake neo-Nazi compilation album with artists such as Maurizio Bianchi, Sutcliffe Jügend, and Best's other project with Mundy, Consumer Electronics.

Best has been a frequent collaborator with Gary Mundy on projects such as Ramleh and Skullflower.[4] In 1995, under the Consumer Electronics moniker, Best joined forces with Japanese noise musician Masami Akita – along with several Ramleh cohorts – to release Horn of the Goat.

Best continues to tour and release music as Consumer Electronics. The current line up includes Best, Russell Haswell and Best's wife Sarah Froelich. Their most recent LP, Airless Space was released by Harbinger Sound in 2019.[5]

Philip Best discography
Date Title Project Label
1982 Public Attack 3 Consumer Electronics (Not on label)
Leathersex Iphar
1983 On To 83 Male Rape Group Broken Flag, Iphar
1995 Horn Of The Goat Consumer Electronics / Merzbow Freek Records
2007 Nobody's Ugly Consumer Electronics No Fun Productions
2009 Crowd Pleaser Hand To Mouth
2014 Estuary English Dirter Promotions
2015 Dollhouse Songs Harbinger Sound
2019 Airless Space

Writing

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In 1998, Best published his doctoral thesis at Durham University entitled Apocalypticism in the Fiction of William S. Burroughs, J. G. Ballard and Thomas Pynchon, and later received a doctorate in English literature.[6]

In 2016, a 60-page chapbook of writings by Best was published by Amphetamine Sulphate.[7]

Art

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In 2010, a collection of Best's artwork entitled American Campgrounds was published by Creation Books, with a foreword written by Peter Sotos.[8]

In December 2016, Infinity Land Press published Alien Existence,[9] a book of over 200 colour reproductions of original artwork by Best, as well as 40 pages of his creative writings, and an extensive interview conducted by Martin Bladh.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Wallis, Jennifer (14 September 2016). Fight Your Own War: Power Electronics and Noise Culture. SCB Distributors. ISBN 978-1-909394-41-4. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Philip Best discography". Korperschwache.com. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  3. ^ "Iphar". Discogs.com. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Philip Best". Discogs.com. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Consumer Electronics". Discogs.com. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  6. ^ Best, Philip Neil (1998). "Apocalypticisim in the fiction of William S. Burroughs, J.G. Ballard, and Thomas Pynchon". Durham e-Theses. Durham University. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  7. ^ Best, Philip (October 2016). Captagon. Amphetamine Sulphate. ISBN 978-0-9991825-3-6.
  8. ^ "American Campgrounds: Philip Best / Peter Sotos". Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Infinity Land Press Web Page - Alien Existence by Philip Best". Infinity Land Press Web Page. Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Please welcome to the world … Philip Best Alien Existence (Infinity Land Press) – DC's". denniscooperblog.com. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
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