logo Collapse (FRA-1)

Biography : Collapse (FRA-1)

Regarded as a leader of the French industrial scene, Amadou Sall is both a sound engineer, producer and musician.
From 1991 to 1993, this huge fan of Joy Division, Nine Inch Nails, Sepultura and Einstürzende Neubauten was also a bassist in Treponem Pal, a band breaking new ground on the French scene by mixing machines and guitars.
After recording Excess and Overdrive, Amadou left the band and joined Pierre Gutleben, a longtime friend with whom he had another group named Silver Rocket: it became Collapse by the end of 1994.

In 1997 a first six track CD, One Back and No Return, layed the foundations of Collapse with distorted guitars, tribal percussions, ethnic sounds and electronic sounds. Produced by its own label company Low Light, this mini-album led the group to give some concerts demonstrating their mastery of sound and scene.

Amadou working as sound engineer and producer (for Treponem Pal, Les Tétines Noires or Nox) and Pierre who lived in Toulouse, Collapse took their time to release their first real album Inbreeding.
Meanwhile, Amadou also developed Primitive, a dub industrial project, with Marco Neves from Treponem Pal. A maxi vinyl with four titles was released in 1997 on the Hammerbass label.

Finally in 1999 Collapse released the ten track lp Inbreeding, that significantly hardened the tone of the band. Emphasizing different aspects (electro, ethno, industrial, metal), the duo developed a very personal style, between trance, tribal and urban beats based on lyrics, referring to many anticipation movies such as Logan’s Run, Planet of the Apes or Soylent Green.

One year later , Collapse released Link-The Inbreeding Remixes (2000), in which Mlada fronta, Sin, Punish Yourself or members of Naked Apes and Treponem Pal reconstructed the ten tracks of Inbreeding.

In 2002, Amadou finished the first version of Humans . It was a difficult time for Collapse because Peter was overall very busy with his job and was as a result less available for the band. Ready to sign a contract with a record label Collapse started promoting Humans through interviews and concerts. But Amadou was ultimately not satisfied, and stopped his efforts to release Humans.
Finally Pierre left the band. Amadou then chose to completely re-record the album. The new version of Humans was released twp years later (2004) with the impressive opening "Tidal Wave" track. The new record turned its back on ethnic influences and ambient beginnings, going further in the fusion between guitar and electronic sequences and beats.
With easier to grasp melodies and rhythms Humans was much more mature. Amadou also took a more dedicated stand on issues such as the environment and capitalistic imperialism in his lyrics.
But the project was far from over...

With the release of Embryo in April 2006, Collapse reached to another level.
The guitars were less aggressive, more balanced with the machines, the vocals were more melodic and the overall tone closer to a form of cold-wave doped with industrial rock. As far as the lyrics are concerned, they were more ecological and humanistic than ever.

Instead of mentally and physically exhausting himself by touring or meddling around with make do projects in order to earn a living, Amadou took time to refine his albums. He also chose to create stunning acoustic concerts with his friends Jabberwock under the name of The Federation...

If Embryo was haunted by the ghost of Joy Division, now it is rather the shadow of VNV Nation (Judgement) that hangs on In Despair. Resolutely turned towards the future but having learned the lessons of the past, Collapse celebrates its twelve years of life with a record that picks up the key elements of his previous accomplishments (tribal beats, electronic programming, metallic guitars, danceable beats) with increasingly fluid vocals and melodies more direct than ever. Collapse takes time to refine its records (and one can hear it), makes each concert as intense as possible and remains fiercely independent since the beginning (using its own label company: Low Light)...

The music of Collapse continues to evolve, without denying its strength and its uniqueness. At a time when the survivors of the first wave of French industrial rock can be counted on the fingers of one hand, it is good to see that Collapse is among those who have never given up, and it continues to renew itself without losing inspiration.

Source : http://www.collapse-music.com/bio_uk.php