(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)
New Mind, the project of British electronic musician Jonathan Sharp (who does not appear to be related to Jonah Sharp of Spacetime Continuum), debuted with
the EP Body Politics (Sadisque, 1991), containing
White Star Falling.
The album Fractured (Machinery, 1993), and especially the chaotic, manic arrangements of Like Love and Enviro 2, as well as the apocalyptic Life in Hell, suggested that behind this pseudonym there was a more ambitious project than the usual techno or ambient rip-offs. His single Guilt became a club hit.
New Mind came to wider attention with the single Touch, taken from his second album Zero To The Bone (Cyber-tec, 1995), on which Sharp experiments with sampling (3angel, Turn to Stone) and which includes one of his most compelling tracks (Left To Fade).
On Forge (Offbeat, 1997 - 21st Circuitry, 1997) his style fluidly alternates between industrial balladry (Providence), ambient music (LD 100), aggrotech (Forge), and various forms of techno (Furnace, Stone Hate Steel, and Purify). It is perhaps a bit generic, but consistently respectable. The only slightly jarring element is the vocal delivery, whose ferocity does not always seem justified by the more upbeat rhythms and lighter harmonies.
(Original English text by Piero Scaruffi)
Sharp also briefly played in Cyber-Tec Projekt with
Front 242's Jean-Luc DeMeyer .
Hyperdex-One-Sect is a collaboration between Sharp
and Sevren Ni-Arb of X Marks The Pedwalk.
Mind, on the EP Metachrome (21st Circuitry, 1998), couples
dark backdrops and catchy melodies.
Les Amants, on the same EP, is upbeat bouncing frantic techno with female and male vocals and an epic refrain.
Bio-Tek is Sharp's techno project.
A God Ignored Is A Demon Born (Zoth Ommog, 1996) includes brutal tracks
like Die-Sect, Human Weapon, Ashes.
Darkness My Name Is (Zoth Ommog, 1997) is a blasphemous concept on
religion and murder (Communion, Hate Like A Fire, Veronika Voss, Murderworld, City of Steel, Thorns).
Punishment For Decadence (Doppler Effect, 1999) is a more sophisticated
work (Leviathan).
Furnace (Offbeat, 1997) marks the return of New Mind.
On Deepnet (Offbeat, 1998) New Mind returns to the chaotic style of
Zero To The Bone (We Can Be Together,
Left to Fade).
Hexedene's Choking On Lilies (Cargo, 1998) is a far more commercial
(female-fronted) project.
Turn is driving and catchy metal-techno.
Breathe, Damage, Close My Eyes
offer more variations on that panzer attack.
Sharp is also active under the names Tryophex14 and Psionic.
Takshaka make their debut with the six-track EP
20 Minutes Into the Future (Gun Music, 1999)
New Mind returned with Phoenix (Doppler Effect, 2001)
and
Bio-Tek returned with
The Ceremony Of Innocence (Doppler Effect, 2002).
