Alec Empire-The Destroyer (1996)

Artist: Alec Empire

Title:  The Destroyer 

Label: Grand Royal/Digital Hardcore Recordings

Format: 7"

Cat #: GR034/DHQ US 7.4

Year of Release: 1996

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1996

Listed Condition: VG+/VG+

Sell Date: 1/7/21

Sell Price:$3.99

Discogs Last Sold: 12/10/20 NM/NM $3.00

Low: $1.95

Median: $3.00

High: $8.54

Current low price: $3.92 VG+/VG+

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 15

Have/Want: 359/70

Where Sold:  Brooklyn, NY

Time it took to sell: 5  years

Where and When Bought: Adult Crash NYC new mid 90's

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: C

Sad To See It Go: No

Part of the first four singles of the Beatie Boys' fledgling Digital Hardcore, Alec Empire was both it's flagship artist and producer of the least interesting of EC8TOR, Shizuo and the infinitely better group he was a part of, Atari Teenage Riot.

Bleeps and blurps and electronic noise, this was somehow the blandest of these 4 releases. A quarter century later,   I played it at 45 then realized midway through the voice bleating from nowhere in a high pitch that this was indeed 33 RPM.  Discogs backed that up for me as I wasn't 100% sure.  Not an accidental revelation like "The Shah Sleeps In Lee Harvey's Grave" by the Butthole Surfers over a decade prior, but that was fast played slow and encouraged with a 69 RPM.  There was no speed listed on the label.

Hearing it at "normal" speed didn't shed any new revelation.  It was ok background music but without Carl Crack (RIP) and the anonymous screaming girl with a black bob, there was only techno emptiness with occasional glitching.  I got to witness the anarchy of ATR at CBGB's and if I remember correctly Alec Empire did a solo set opening.  Carl Crack too!

Teutonic anarchy!