Having an eclectic record collection is surely the best way to be when it comes to making your own music – it allows you to cherry-pick the best bits from all music’s rich spectrum and throw them together in a way no one else has managed before.
That’s exactly what Christian McKenna did when he assembled his band End Christian and got to work on their new album Bach Part One. Bringing together members of Dalek, Brutal Truth, Hex Inverter and Fad Naseum – plus guest spots from Justin Broadrick and Sun Kil Moon’s Chris Connolly – the collective have created an album which veers between gloomy black metal atmospherics, harsh electronics and drum’n’bass beats. But listen closely and you can hear the band’s predilection for pop, trip-hop, industrial and alt-rock filtering through, too.
Here, McKenna talks us through the albums which paved the way for End Christian’s sound.
- Meet the best turntables for your record collection
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James Blood - The Tales Of Captain Black (1979)
"I have my comrade and End Christian bandmate Mr. Hoak to thank for introducing me to this wonderful album. I like music that pushes... this stuff is doing exactly that."
Third Culture Kings - Is That Light You Carry? (2017)
"I wanted to have something current on this list that wasn't from many moons ago. A jam record that embraces modern technology with hooks. Alap calls the production "wrong", and I love that!"
Kanye West – Yeezus (2013)
"This album simultaneously pulls off being harsh and soothing to me at the same time. If you can paint a picture with space and simple parts, I've always felt like the artist was really pulling something off. The production is pushed as far as it can go in a direction without being unpleasant to the ears."
The Frogs - It's Only Right And Natural (1989)
"Lyrically, this record is very groundbreaking to me – it has conviction, sloppiness and an ability to not be taken so literal all at once. I also love the lo-fi production."
King Crimson – Islands (1971)
"Somehow this album managed to come off as a cohesive body of work, while displaying several different styles."
Rihanna - Anti (2016)
"It's quite a accomplishment to sell so many records with such dangerous and dirty production. The songs on this record sound super immediate to me and I can't get them out of my head!"
The Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime (1984)
"This album has such a collection of tunes. The range is quite broad and the different recording styles work together so well. It's amazing to me how well this record holds up – it sounds as relevant as ever."
Pailhead - Trait (1988)
"Love this short-lived project... very ahead of its time. A super immediate sounding record with a very purposeful lyrical delivery."
Jesu - Jesu (2004)
"This is such an organic sounding record that merges sounds together in a beautiful way. This record is incredibly vulnerable to me."
Jai Paul – BTSTU (2011)
"This isn't even a whole album but this song is super experimental and like the catchiest thing ever... game changer."
Bach Part One is out on July 27 via Translation Loss/Internet & Weed/Corpse Flower Records. Listen to single Great Escapes (featuring Justin Broadrick) below now:
