Description
This is the first-ever compilation bringing together Nigel Ayersʼ solo work and his long-running project
Nocturnal Emissions. Covering recordings from the early 1980s up to 2024, it spans more than four
decades of experimental sound. It has been released by Japanese label All Horned Animals.
Nocturnal Emissions is recognized as one of the earliest and most uncompromising industrial/noise
groups, standing alongside Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and Cabaret Voltaire. Their sound sits at the
intersection of raw industrial electronics, noise, and electronic Dada, fusing harsh textures, tape collage,
and rhythm in a constantly evolving hybrid form.
The compilation, fully remastered in Tokyo, traces the major phases of Nocturnal Emissions and Nigel
Ayersʼ work, spanning raw, confrontational noise rooted in the squatting scene and anti-capitalist protest
of the early 1980s; the rhythm-driven period that brought dancefloor energy to industrial grit; and Ayersʼ
later solo “Neotantric” phase of ambient, ritualistic sound exploring magick, ancient beliefs and altered
states while carrying forward a spirit of subversion and transcendence that remains entirely intact
decades later. Across these eras, the collection captures the full breadth of Ayersʼ creative journey and
moves between intense, layered noise and quiet, atmospheric soundscapes blending field recordings,
spoken word, electronics, and collage.
Born in 1957 in the windswept limestone terrain of Tideswell, Derbyshire, Nigel Ayers began his artistic
path in the late 1970s with the experimental band The Pump, later co-founding the influential Sterile
Records with Caroline K. The label became a hub for radical sound experiments and politically charged
releases, featuring artists like John Balance (Coil), Maurizio Bianchi, and Lustmord. In 1980, Ayers
formed Nocturnal Emissions with Caroline K. and his brother Danny Ayers, creating a shape-shifting
project that blended punkʼs disruptive energy with critiques of media culture, industrial sound, and
conceptual art. Though often associated with industrial music, Nocturnal Emissions has always defied
categorization, evolving constantly underpinned by philosophical exploration and sonic transformation.
Since the mid-1980s, Nigel Ayers has continued the project largely solo, collaborating with diverse
underground artists including Japanese figures such as Mayuko Hino of C.C.C.C. and Butoh dancer
Poppo Shiraishi, with whom he created live soundtracks in New York City. His work as Nocturnal
Emissions is often cited as an important reference by experimental artists and he is one of the most
important figures in underground experimental music.
In addition to his sound art, Ayers is also known for his visual art. His work has been exhibited at the
Tate and the ICA.
