Regis (musician)

Regis (real name Karl O'Connor) is a British techno musician and record label boss.

As label boss of Downwards Records, O'Connor, alongside his label-mate Surgeon (aka Anthony Child), forged a sound that blended Chicago house with darker European electronics. Although initially his plan was to take a "director of operations" role (he cites Daniel Miller has his greatest influence), O'Connor and his label partner Peter Sutton (female) found it increasingly difficult to find artists to share their vision, and to this day still work with the same core artists.

Music career

Regis' debut EP "Montreal" included the hypnotic industrial track "Speak To Me". Other releases from the period include the "Gymnastics" 2x12", and the "Application of Language" EP, both featuring hard minimal electronica. The era was capped off by a remix of "Totmacher" by DJ Hell. Things came full circle in the late 1990s, when O'Connor went on to work with and produce his childhood heroes Robert Gorl and Chrislo Hass of Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft, but by this time he was already developing a more layered and tonal sound that would become his trademark in the following years.

In 2000, Downwards continued their unorthodox approach to dance music by releasing a series of 7" singles. These were a collection of noise loops, cut-ups and industrial death pop, including O'Connor's Suicide-esque "A Man Has Responsibilities", under the Diversion Group guise. 2000 also saw the release of "Against Nature" for Tresor. Recorded as Karl O'Connor and Peter Sutton, the LP was an example of raw techno, coupled with organic field recordings.

2001 saw the release of "Penetration" a record that would moce the Regis sound on yet again. A combination of tonal drones layered with heavy percussion was inspirational to a new generation of techno producers.fact|date=September 2008 This influence was underlined when Regis and Surgeon started the British Murder Boys (BMB) project in 2002. More a group project, BMB drew on their non-techno influences to create an original concept for the dancefloor. Their recorded output included the tracks "Don't Give Way To Fear", and "Learn Your Lesson", but the group also played live, with gigs often ending in total chaos and digital feedback. Since 2001 Regis has been less prolific, but continues to work in techno.