The Formative Years - Atari Teenage Riot
I have always loved my first Atari ST computer, so even if Atari Teenage Riot had not fused anarchist and radically socialist views with screamed vocals and gabba techno to create their idiosyncratic melange of what became known as digital hardcore, I would have probably purchased their debut 1995.
Having recorded their album 1995 with fairly simple simplistic tools, sonically it was a wonderfully assault on all senses ranging from drawing on looped metal guitar riffs, all out noise, skits based on excerpts from cartoons and a focus firmly centered around unambiguous sloganeering to unapologetically get their political points across.
While one could argue that beneath all the hullaballoo and rage there was not necessarily a clearly defined concept, the nihilism, desperation, aggression and conviction it was delivered with, left an indelible impact, was fun and after tours with a range of big alternative acts saw their debut album eventually being released in the US by Grand Royal Records under the title “Delete Yourself”.
Apart from their musical output, Atari Teenage Riot managed to exert their version of the Rock’n Roll Swindle by setting up their own label by channelling a handsome advance they had secured from a major label without delivering something commercially viable in return.
Atari Teenage Riot’s live performances were never not a memorable event, with a performance at a protest march in Berlin being a particular standout as it resulted in them igniting and providing the soundtrack to a full blown riot.
Following a reunion, Atari Teenage Riot refined its approach and was able to excite huge festival crowds, especially in Japan which cemented their status as a powerful, volatile futuristic outfit which continued to proudly wave the flag of their punk rock roots and DIY ethics.
