In 1992 with the ever-growing new sounds, political movements and discourse happening around Techno music and culture Alec Empire with his friends Hanin Elias and MC Carl Crack forms the band Atari Teenage Riot. Born as a protest against the rising number of fascists and neo-nazis in the Techno scene the band takes the Techno sound to new grounds and creates a new sound called ‘Digital Hardcore’ which heavily uses amiga samplers, punk riffs, techno drums and scream vocals in a heavy and condensed form.
The influences of acid, techno and speed core music can be heard in their early music Hetzjagd Auf Nazis! And Sex.
While born within the techno scene Alex Empire creates and pioneers a new sound with the addition of the iconic band member Nic Endo in 1997.
Their debut Burn Berlin Burn (also known as Delete Yourself) is angry, fast and has a strong message to their audience. Their music mostly talks about a new revolution influenced by the new technologies happening in the scene such as computers and the fast growing media. Their take on the techno sound is much more political and harsh. The album is sample heavy. It is a new merge of noise, industrial and punk music within the techno elements that is quite unique for the time and its scene.
The music rapidly evolves and distances itself from its original techno roots with more releases they create and the more live shows they play and comes into its form, the signature of of ATR that can be called digital-hardcore. Heavy breaks, guitar riffs, noise melodies, samples and a rave aesthetic they become a polarising figure in the scene. Their performance at the Berlin Wall in May 1st, 1999 solidifies them as strong performers and dedicated artists in the eyes of music lovers while they get describes as violence promoters in the eyes of some media and public because of their strong political stance against fascism.
In some interviews the band members also calls the music that they do ‘Techno-Punk’. Atari Teenage Riot’s influence in today’s music can be heard from Crystal Castles to Machinegirl. I personally also got really inspired by the boldness of their music when I first started to make music. Their newer releases like ‘Is this Hyperreal?’ Or 2015’s ‘Reset’ experiments more and more with electronic music sounds and creates even bigger sonic spheres. ATR still makes music to this day even though they had some fall-outs during 2000s and they still make music with their original signature Atari ST computer while adding new equipments to their set. Alec Empire the frontman says in one interview to the wired: ‘People look at technology as a religion and say, ‘This will solve all our problems.’ I’m very sceptical about that.”
Burton, C. (2011) Atari Teenage Riot frontman Alec Empire on old tech and new music. Available at: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/techno-reboots-the-atari (Accessed: 6 November 2022).
Resident Advisor (no date) ATARI TEENAGE RIOT. Available at: https://ra.co/dj/atariteenageriot/biography (Accessed: 6 November 2022).
Soundsphere (no date) Interview: Atari Teenage Riot. Available at: https://www.soundspheremag.com/features/interview-atari-teenage-riot/ (Accessed: 6 November 2022).