Ectogram

Ectogram were a Welsh band from Bangor, United Kingdom. Ann Matthews and Alan Holmes were previously members of Welsh language post-punk band Fflaps between 1987 and 1993, touring Europe, releasing three LPs, and recording two John Peel Sessions during that time. When the band's drummer Jonny Evans left in 1993, they recruited old friend Maeyc Hewitt and morphed into the quite different sounding Ectogram. The band initially recorded two singles for the small Welsh independent label, Atol, before being signed to the more well-known Ankst label, for whom they recorded an album and two EPs. When that label dissolved in 1998, Ectogram stayed with Ankstmusik, the label set up by one of the former Ankst partners. Their music combines conventional rock elements such as repetitive rhythms and vocal melody with atonal discord and improvisation. Their style has been influenced by bands such as Sonic Youth, Faust, Pere Ubu, My Bloody Valentine and Acid Mothers Temple. All three members of Ectogram were also members of the experimental rock supergroup The Serpents, who released an album on the Ochre label in 1999. During 2005, Ectogram played a series of gigs with krautrock group Faust, at times joining them on stage for a collaborative performance, and in 2012 they acted as a backing band for a performance by ex - Can member Damo Suzuki. Drummer Maeyc Hewitt died of cancer 2 October 2015 and the band's website suggested that this was possibly the end of Ectogram as a band.