Source: Underground Press (Underground Press 19 August 2009)

NuL is more than a band. NuL is part of a revolution, rising from the undiscovered underground of the Internet to surface randomly all across the worldwide web. It exploits the greed of the modern commercial Music Industry, by placing itself in the ever-widening cracks in the Music Industry’s draconian marketing strategy. The music of NuL does not adhere to any formula. It is raw, pure, and from the gut. NuL is musical guerilla warfare.

All of NuL’s music is freely available as high-quality downloads, and being Creative Commons licensed, NuL allows the music to be freely copied and distributed by anyone for non-commercial purposes.

NuL

History

Adriaan Pelzer and Simon Kruger have been working together since helping to form the avant-garde rock group Nothing in 1996. After Nothing broke up in 1998, they started experimenting with electronic music on a Pentium II 350 Mhz. Using mainly Soundforge, Fruity Loops and Cool Edit Pro, the machine was barely capable of keeping up with their immense creative drive. During this time, they often resorted to Open Source tools on the Linux Operating system, like Csound, ECASound and raw programming to generate sounds and noise with often very random results. Their style of preference during these early days was mainly glitch and drum ‘n bass, inspired by artists such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher and even Sigue Sigue Sputnik. These early works resulted in their first CD, EeN, released by themselves in 2004. This release is in itself an interesting case study, as all of the music on the CD as well as the CD artwork are available as free downloads, allowing anyone to create their own CD. This is marketed as the “Please Pirate” campaign, aimed at attracting the Pirate CD market of Southeast Asia. In 2004 Pelzer moved to Singapore with his wife, Mareli Minnaar, and together they started developing a more hard-edged industrial sound. They also started experimenting with vocals on most of the music. In 2005, while in Singapore, they created the NuL website, http://www.nul.com.sg, which acts as the central seeding point for all of NuL’s media online. In 2009 the total downloads have reached an astounding 50000 on the website alone.

When Pelzer and Minnaar returned to South Africa in 2006, they found an overwhelming awareness of NuL, mainly as a result of their online endeavours whilst living in Singapore. They subsequently started NuL as a live show, together with Kruger and two new members, Dawid Kahts (guitar) and Niel de Lange (video jockey). The live show has been a huge success, and incorporated for a time the shocking though energetic live video mixing of Niel de Lange. The number of fans is still growing with every gig, and NuL plans to grow its live show accordingly.

The second CD, Twee, was released in 2007. The band has been joined by Gerrie Roos, who does full-time sound, and Chris Erasmus, who handles Cameras and Lighting.

In 2007 NuL signed a distribution deal with OneF Records, run by Paul Riekert of the first ever, hugely successful Afrikaans Industrial band, Battery 9.

2009 saw an increase in activity for NuL following the launch of their third album, Drie, In June. 2009 also brought about some changes in the lineup with the departure of VJ Niel De Lange. The band, opting not to try and replace his artistry, compensated by focusing on introducing a more organic and dynamic feel to their live shows utilising Chris Erasmus’ phenomenal ability as a lighting technician.

NuL is:

• Adriaan Pelzer – Keyboards and Vocals
• Simon Kruger – Bass Guitar
• Dawid Kahts – Guitar
• Mareli Minnaar – Analog Synth
• Gerrie Roos – Sound Engineer
• Chris Erasmus – Cameras & Lighting

Influences:

Combichrist, Rammstein, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Front242, NIN, Kraftwerk, Skinny Puppy
Einsturzende Neubaten, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Mr Bungle, John Zorn

Discography:

Een

Een (2004)

1. Wakkerslaap
2. Op die Spykertafel
3. Rina
4. Die Gatsometer
5. 280g
6. Atari
7. In die Aand in die Spens
8. Die Ysterkoei met Beet
9. Cancancancancancancan
10. Hie Haai Hie Haai Hou
11. Don’t mock the Animals
12. Somer III
13. Guy W Brush
14. Nooit op Mars
15. Die Generiese Ooms met die Ligblou Windbreakers

Twee

Twee (2007)

1. Online Superstar
2. Vrees
3. Swart
4. Pyn
5. Kokainekop Kosie
6. Kaper
7. Rina
8. Kontaminasie
9. Gerome Djimbovski
10. Hardcore Rina
11. Utopia

Drie

Drie (2009)

1. Elektro-Berzerk
2. Über-Rampokker
3. Mystic Bohemia
4. Die Man Van Telkom
5. God red die President
6. Hoëveld
7. Utopia
8. Vloek
9. Kokainekop Kosie (kom af)
10. Vloek dub mix
11. Elektro-Berzerk (refleksie)

Unreleased (But downloadable from the website)

1. Laan van Smarte
2. Plek

Nul’s official website: Nul
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