Alec Empire - The Destroyer 7"

I first heard Atari Teenage Riot at college in 1996. It's not like it was the most original stuff I'd ever heard, but it was some of the loudest, angriest and fiercest music my young mind had ever absorbed, and that meant a lot to me at the time. I bought the Not Your Business EP on vinyl, even though I didn't have a turntable to play it back with at the time, and made a tape of Burn, Berlin, Burn! from the CD at the radio station I dj'd at. It was very good stuff and I tried to follow their exploits, but not much else happened for the group until they released their follow-up album, 60 Second Wipe Out, a few years later.

Alec Empire, regardless of his group's popularity, continued to release a multitude of remixes and solo records that even now many people haven't been able to find. One of these days I'll post the ridiculous Alec Empire vs. Elvis Presley, Empire's attempt at remixing selections from Elvis' catalog in breakcore style, but for now I want to share a record that isn't that rare but still not easy to come by.

In 1996, via the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal label which then had distribution for Empire's Digital Hardcore Recordings, a 7" named The Destroyer and credited to Alec Empire was released. Not to be confused with Empire's album of the same name, this release featured only two tracks, the first being 22:24 which was also released on Empire's Low On Ice album, with the second being The Peak which also appeared on The Destroyer album.

The title for the release made things a little confusing, especially for myself as I thought 22:24 was actually named The Destroyer and that Empire had credited himself solely as The Destroyer, but that's another reason the internet is so great as it made possible that something so confusing for so long could be made so thoroughly clear so quickly. That's all kind of beside the point though as this is an amazing record with Empire manipulating a James Brown beat and processing the hell out of it in a much softer and dubbier style than he was then known for on 22:24. It's a real triumph of a track, announcing for those unaware that Alec Empire could do much more than make a racket. The Peak, on the other hand, sounded basically like an Atari Teenage Riot track without the vocals, but that's okay because it still pounds like a jackhammer fourteen years later!

If you think that Alec Empire is just the guy who made the beats for Atari Teenage Riot, grab this single and let yourself be surprised. If you find yourself wanting more, may I suggest the aforementioned Low On Ice and the excellent Generation Star Wars, both of which are solo Empire releases that go far beyond his basic breakcore formula. The first Curse Of The Golden Vampire album is also worth checking out, as it's a devastatingly heavy collaboration between Empire and the guys from Techno Animal. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Re-uploaded for anyone having trouble. If it continues, I'll just upload the tracks individually.

Alec Empire - The Destroyer 7"

01 22:24
02 The Peak