Philip Best

Philip Neil Best (born 15 June 1968) is an English industrial musician, visual artist, and author. A pioneer of power electronics, he formed the band Consumer Electronics in 1982 at age 14.[1]

Philip Best
Born (1968-06-15) 15 June 1968
NationalityEnglish
OccupationExperimental industrial musician, author, artist
Years active1982–present
Known forFounding Consumer Electronics; founding power electronics record label Iphar, membership in Whitehouse
Spouse(s)Sarah Froelich

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

Music

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 (c. 1987–1997).[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, Dollhouse Songs was released by Harbinger Sound in 2015, and the piece "At Any Rate, It's Already Too Late" was released on the Harbinger Sound Sampler compilation in 2017.[5]

Philip Best discography
DateTitleProjectLabel
1982Public Attack 3Consumer Electronics(not on label)
LeathersexIphar
1983On To 83Male Rape GroupBroken Flag, Iphar
1995Horn Of The GoatConsumer Electronics / MerzbowFreek Records
2007Nobody's UglyConsumer ElectronicsNo Fun Productions
2009Crowd PleaserHand To Mouth
2014Estuary EnglishDirter Promotions
2015Dollhouse SongsHarbinger Sound
2019Airless Space

Writing

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

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
  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. 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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