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Bill Leeb

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Bill Leeb
Bill Leeb performing in 2016
Bill Leeb performing in 2016
Background information
Birth nameWilhelm Anton Leeb
Also known asBill Leeb, Wilhelm Schroeder[1]
Born(1966-09-21)21 September 1966(age 57)[2]
Vienna,Austria
OriginVancouver,British Columbia,Canada
GenresIndustrial,electronica
OccupationsMusician, songwriter, composer, record producer
InstrumentsVocals,synthesizer,sampler,percussion
Years active1984–present
LabelsKK, Dossier,Third Mind,Wax Trax!,Roadrunner,Cleopatra,Off Beat,Metropolis,Dependent,Zoth Ommog
Websitehttp://www.mindphaser.com

Wilhelm Anton"Bill"Leeb(born 21 September 1966,[2]inVienna,Austria) is an Austrian-Canadian[3]electronic musicianand record producer. He is best known for being a founding member of theindustrial musicgroupFront Line AssemblyandDelerium.[4]Additionally, Leeb is known for his work with groupsNoise Unit,Intermix,Skinny Puppy,Synæsthesia,Cyberaktif,Equinox,FauxliageandPro>Tech.[5]

Career

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Leeb began his musical career withindustrialbandSkinny Puppyin 1985 under the pseudonymWilhelm Schroeder,[1]contributingbass synthand occasional backing vocals to a few of theirrecordingsand concerts. He left in 1986 and formed his own industrial projectFront Line Assemblywith Michael Balch, and laterRhys Fulber[6]andChris Peterson.Though Front Line Assembly has had consistent underground success, Leeb's most widely known efforts are through his side projectDelerium,which had a majorhitin the late 1990s with "Silence".[5]Leeb composed the soundtrack to the 1999 video game,Quake III Arena,of which the expansion pack,Team Arena,was composed by his band, Front Line Assembly.

In 2017, Leeb appeared as guest singer on the singleA Shiver of Want,a release ofJohn Fryer's project Black Needle Noise.[7]

In 2022, Leeb contributed vocals for Black Asteroid's singleMethane Rain.[8]

In June 2024, American labelMetropolisannounced Leeb's first solo albumModel Kollapse,to be released on September 13, 2024.[9]The first singleTerror Formswas released on July 9 along with a video.[10]

Dispute with Trent Reznor

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In an interview with music magazineSpinin 1992,Trent ReznorofNine Inch Nailsmade derogatory remarks about Front Line Assembly, calling them "a textbook case of a band" for industrial music and their music "monotonous, boring, uninspired bullshit".[11]Before the release of the issue, Reznor sent Leeb an apology letter.Spinprinted the letter, along with a letter from Leeb dismissing the notion that Reznor was "leading the industrial revolution in music"[12]in one of their following issues.

Acting

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In 1990, Leeb appeared in the trailer for the horror movieChunk Blowertogether withDwayne GoettelfromSkinny Puppy,[13]playing one of the victims of a killer. Due to the lack of funding, the movie was never made.[14]DirectorJim Van Bebberand Leeb would later use footage from the trailer in the video for the single "Virus".

Personal life

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Leeb has both Austrian and Canadian citizenship and speaks English as well as German. He received education at a convent school in Austria where he learned to play the violin. He moved toKitimat, British Columbia,Canada with his family when he was 14, where he learnedEnglishand developed a keen interest in music.[15][16]He was a high school student atMount Elizabeth Secondary School.[17]Leeb went to Camsoun College inVictoria, British Columbiato study journalism for two years.[17]He lives inVancouver.

Leeb was married to the Canadian artist Carylann Loeppky.[18]Loeppky was part of the tour personnel on Front Line Assembly tours "designing and selling merchandise and put together a visual presentation for the live performance."[18]She continued to create artwork for albums of Delerium.[19]

References

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  1. ^abLeeb, Bill(8 May 2013)."Bill Leeb (musician)".RAD1Radio(Radio).
  2. ^abBauer, Henrik (24 March 2004)."Mindphaser > People > Bill Leeb > Biography".Mindphaser.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2005.Retrieved27 August2014.
  3. ^Raven, Daniel (2 June 2011)."Front Line Assembly Leads Cyborg Armies Through Post-Apocalyptic Soundscapes".Phoenix New Times.Voice Media Group.Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2014.Retrieved24 August2014.
  4. ^Ankeny, Jason."Front Line Assembly Biography".Allmusic.allmusic.com.Retrieved13 October2016.
  5. ^abHuey, Steve.Bill Leeb:Artist Biography by Steve HueyatAllMusic.Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  6. ^Humberstone, Nigel (January 1995)."Bill Leeb: Front Line Assembly".Sound on Sound.Cambridge,United Kingdom:SOS Publications Group.Retrieved17 October2014.
  7. ^Palfrey, Sean (3 May 2017)."Review: Black Needle Noise w/ Bill Leeb – 'A Shiver Of Want'".Intravenous Magazine.Retrieved4 December2018.
  8. ^Teeple, Alice (17 May 2022)."Black Asteroid Debuts New Single" Methane Rain "Featuring Front Line Assembly".post-punk.com.Retrieved17 December2023.
  9. ^Yücel, Ilker (28 June 2024)."Metropolis Records announces solo album debut from Bill Leeb".regenmag.com.Retrieved29 June2024.
  10. ^Van Isacker, Bernard (9 July 2024)."Bill Leeb launches first single from upcoming solo debut: 'Terror Forms' – Out now".side-line.com.Retrieved15 July2024.
  11. ^Greer, Jim (March 1992)."Nine Inches of Love".Spin.Vol. 7, no. 12. New York City: Camouflage Associates. p. 41.ISSN0886-3032.OCLC970690651.Retrieved8 May2021.
  12. ^"Point Blank: Letters: Pretty Hate Mail".Spin.Vol. 8, no. 3. New York City: Camouflage Associates. June 1992. p. 12.ISSN0886-3032.OCLC970690651.Retrieved8 May2021.
  13. ^Hall, Oliver (14 January 2016)."'Chunk Blower', the unfinished horror movie starring members of Skinny Puppy ".Dangerous Minds.Retrieved11 May2021.
  14. ^Alexander, Chris (January 2014)."The Politic Spasmolytic".Fangoria.No. 329. Atlanta: The Brooklyn Company. p. 54.ISSN0164-2111.OCLC46637019.Retrieved11 May2021.
  15. ^Leeb, Bill(23 November 2016)."Bill Leeb talks about Front Line Assembly, Delerium and more".Altvenger Magazine(Interview). Interviewed by Marija Buljeta.Retrieved25 March2024.
  16. ^Leeb, Bill (21 August 2013)."Front Line Assembly (Bill Leeb) Interview".dsoaudio.com(Interview). Interviewed by Rob Dyer. dsomedia.Retrieved8 August2016.
  17. ^abLeeb, Bill(1999). "Q&A with Bill Leeb".Outburn(Interview). Interviewed by Rev. Moose. Thousand Oaks, California.
  18. ^abLoeppky, Carylann (12 November 2006)."Morpheus Music Interview - Carylann Loeppky".Morpheus Music(Interview). Archived fromthe originalon 22 October 2014.Retrieved17 October2014.
  19. ^Carylann LoeppkyatAllMusic.Retrieved 17 October 2014.

Further reading

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