"I was born on 2 May 1972 in West Berlin. At the age of eight I started playing the guitar, at ten I was one of the city's best breakdancers, and at eleven I witnessed rap, the first music I ever really liked, being commercialised like crazy...

"I hated everything and became a punk, listening only to UK punk from 1977, a little US punk, no 1980s Exploited shit. I formed my first band, Die Kinder, who sounded like Dead Boys with German words (as we found out later). At 16 we split up, disillusioned, because we found that punk was dead. That was 1988..."

Empire later formed noise-niks Atari Teenage Riot and released a series of acclaimed solo recordings, including the albums; Limited Editions (1994), Low On Ice and Generation Star Wars (both 1995), Hypermodern Jazz 2000.5 and The Destroyer (both 1996), Miss Black America (1999) and Intelligence And Sacrifice (2002).

Releases

• The Golden Foretaste Of Heaven - album, out 14/01/2008. (post review)
• Panic DHH - Panic Drives Human Herds - album, out 19/04/2004 on Digital Hardcore Recordings. 1 review (read/post)
• The Ride - single, out 07/10/2002 on Digital Hardcore Recordings. 1 review (read/post)
• Intelligence And Sacrifice - album, out 22/04/2002 on Digital Hardcore Recordings. 1 review (read/post)
• Addicted to you - single, out 01/04/2002 on Digital Hardcore Recordings. (post review)
• Addicted To You - single on Digital Hardcore Recordings. 1 review (read/post)

Past events

• Fri 07 Mar at Manchester Academy. (post review)
• Thu 06 Mar at Exeter Cavern. (post review)
• Wed 05 Mar at London Camden Lock 17/Dingwalls. (post review)
• Fri 04 Oct at London Astoria 2 formerly Mean Fiddler. 1 review (read/post)
• Thu 06 Dec at Northampton Roadmenders. 1 review (read/post)

News

• 06/07/2007: Non-Essential Festival: Loads of last second cancelations...
• 18/01/2006: Digital Hardcore go it alone: label breaks from distributors
• 16/11/2002: ATR redefine their enemy
• 08/10/2002: Alec Empire takes us for a ride
• 18/06/2002: Primal Scream - Release the 'Evil'!
• 18/03/2002: Alec Empire gets addicted to you

Features

• 06/07/2007: Carling Weekender: Evening Session Tent Reviews
• 06/07/2007: Raz on The Raz @ Reading
• 06/07/2007: Essential Festival Preview - Sleazenation Arena
• 10/10/2002: “Ooh I’m crying, my girlfriend left me, it’s raining”!
• 19/08/2002: Reading preview #3: Ollie, Colin and Gareth's picks
• 12/04/2002: "One more evil than the devil..."

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