Coil (band)

Coil is a group that has worked in several electronic music styles including: industrial, noise, ambient, Spoken word and experimental musics and which intentionally tries to stay away from any particular genre of music. The band was formed by John Balance (sometimes credited as Jhon Balance) and Industrial Records co-founder Peter Christopherson when both left Psychic TV, an earlier industrial band.

Coil's first solo release, How to Destroy Angels was described as "ritual music for the accumulation of male sexual energy", and was said, by Coil, to have been produced under a variety of technological, spiritual, and meteorological conditions which the band felt to be magickally significant. There were several versions of this record released, on which the B-side was smooth unpressed vinyl, unplayable noise-filled grooves, layered music, test tones, and other sounds and noise of similar nature.

Coil's level of detail and non-traditional approach to music is found in all aspects of their work, with the band sometimes producing only as many as 99 copies of an album, allowing only those who are truly dedicated to the band to seek them out, due to the high prices (caused by high demand). This practice was markedly increased in the later half of Coil's career. Some critics have accused Coil and its record company of price gouging. In 2003, Coil began been re-releasing many rare works, mostly remixed, into general circulation.

Coil also has an interesting habit of separating their works into many side-projects, publishing music under different names when it is created using different styles. Some of their side-names are ELpH, Zos Kia, The Eskaton, Black Light District, Time Machines, and one of their newer members, Thighpaulsandra, produces music on his own as well. They contributed music to two of Derek Jarman's films, Blue and