Dugga Dugga Dugga
Various Artists Play Drill
WMO 8CD
57 minutes

Track Listing: faster solex drill drill drill, hammering a drill, g'schliffen, small fat drill, full frequently range, platform shoes (soles), the vibrate mix, drillu47, drill au canard, drillmeltie, paralleladrill, drill-yo-da, extramaritaldrill, 12drillu.

download the outtakes, 25 extra minutes of dugga (23mb)

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"Drill" started life as the first number that wire put together when they reformed in 1985. such was their fondness for the song that they recorded it for their debut "snakedrill" ep (also on "the ideal copy" cd). a live version appeared on the b-side of the "kidney bingos" single (also on "a bell is a cup..." cd).

In may 1988, "drill" was one of three tracks recorded for a john peel session (released by wmo on "coatings" (wmo 14cd) in october 1997). from there it took on a life of its own, developing and mutating to reach an epic 30 minute version on their 1988 us tour!

By 1991 wire had recorded "the drill" album, with nine versions (including another live recording) being reworked, reinvented, and remixed!

With the departure of drummer robert gotobed in 1991 the group mutated into wir. as a part of their live performance, they combined their earlier "12xu" with "drill" into "12drillu". this version is available on a bonus cd single included in the book "exploded views".

Finally in 1995, wire reformed for a one-off performance at the south bank, london to celebrate bruce gilbert's 50th birthday. the 20 minute piece they performed was... "drill".

In what is a logical (for us anyway) extension, wmo have invited 14 artists to put their own spin on this track. from the uk we have baboon, chris & cosey (of throbbing gristle, cti fame), put put (these records), scaredycat, and malka spigel (ex-minimal compact and co-founder of swim). from the mego table in austria we have rehberg / bauer / potuznik and from amsterdam, elizabeth esselink aka solex (matador).

From canada we have legion of green men (aka incarnate/post contemporary) and the debut recording from "nascent sound explorer", ibrahim. the remaining acts, from the us, are brad laner's (amnesia/medicine) electronic alias electric company (island), lift laboratories, phthalocyanine (plug research), pronounced thalo - sigh - a - nine, twinkotherm (boxman) and the ex-lion tamers, the pink flag tribute group who supported wire on their 1987 us tour.

The completed master tapes were then handed to hard-disk editor and london/ffrr recording artist Mark Gage (aka vapourspace, cusp, carl marks, etc.) to compile into one continuous mix, reflecting the "electronic" nature of the artists' contributions. the result is yet another reinvention of the now classic "drill".

Wire's Bruce Gilbert is quoted as saying that, "there can never be enough "drill's" in the world." who can argue with that?!

"This record offers some interesting ideas of what "Drill" could sound like... and is good listening, especially if you are into techno. You may also learn something about post-punk history if you're not careful."
tom topkoff, Fallout

"An amazing collaboration of artist's interpreting Wire's Drill. By finalizing the the product as a continuous mix of variations, (WMO) elevated what could have an awkward tribute album into a cohesive, apotheosis of the piece ...retaining the theme-centered focus of enduring great works of art. A grand opus.
tom schulte, All Music Guide