The Quietus
, August 4th, 2021 08:57
From a clandestine love of ABBA to a mind-expanding teenage encounter with Pink Floyd, via Joe Meek, Wendy Carlos and Tangerine Dream, Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle writes on the music that changed his life
Photo by Paul Heartfield
One of the founder members of Throbbing Gristle, Chris Carter is one of the cornerstone figures of British electronic music. His working background was in sound engineering for TV shows including
The Old Grey Whistle Test, while he also developed an aptitude for visual effects and multimedia performance. Inspired first by Joe Meek and then prog rockers including The Nice and Pink Floyd, as well as West German experimentalists such as Tangerine Dream, Carter began to create his own electronic works, initially tape manipulations, then building his own synthesisers, when such instruments were unaffordable for most musicians off the shelf. This know-how was vital in a key aspect of his creative process as an elec