Tank full of Oil: Knurl

Knurl

Knurl, a.k.a. Alan Bloor is one of the premier noise artists in Canada. Using contact mics and scrap metal Knurl creates incredibly powerfull harsh noise. At times reminescent of the likes of Daniel Menche and Haters, Knurl has released 2 efforts for Alien8 Recordings aswell as appearing on the Coalescence compilation. Other labels that have documented Knurl include RRR, Self Abuse, Labyrinth, Entarte Kunst and Musicus Phycus. Knurl has performed with Keiji Haino, David Kristian, Haters, Princess Dragon Mom, MSBR and Goverment Alpha and collaborated live with Jim O’Rouke and Thurston Moore.

Knurl began as a solo project in late 1994. It began as an idea to take music as we know it and strip it entirely of what we know music to be: it’s rhythm, melody, vocals, even production quality which is most associated with music today.

Recordings of Knurl are always without the assistance of computers, syntyhesizers or samplers. Cassette covers are handmade by the artist and will usually have one of his photographs. Photography is something else for which he has a passion.

Since the first release, Initial Shock, which was recorded in November 1994, he has released many cassettes on his own as well as various releases through independant record labels. Nervescrap, the second release is also availble on CD format from Pure Records, a subsidiary of RRRecords in Lowell, MA.

Bloor is originally from Windsor, Ontario, where back in the mid eighties he was involved in a couple of musical outfits, one being a hardcore band called Binge of Violence which would often play in Detroit, Mich. After the breakup of the ensemble he decided to go solo.

Over a period of about ten years he studied classical guitar, Jazz bass and flamenco guitar. In the late 1980’s he became involved as a background noisician in poetry readings in Detroit (MI) in which he experimented with his bass guitar by placing metal objects on the strings to produce the sounds. Eventualy other projects followed. He has participated in works by musician/composer Carl Harris of Windsor, Ont. and dancer/ choreographer/ videographer Dominique Banoun in Montreal, Que.

Since then he has experimented further with the idea of using found objects such as fan blades, typwriters, scrap metal and car springs prduce sounds that eventually became the Knurl project. He has also supplied musical scores for performers Andrew Hammerson (ex DV-8) from the U.K. and Jake Brown, Montreal. Since the begining of 1995 he has been performing solo as Knurl in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Detroit. He currently resides in Toronto, Canada.