A to Z 2017: PITCHSHIFTER

This entry may have seemed like a no-brainer, but there were a few artists I wanted to feature. I decided to go with the more obscure band, Pitchshifter, passing on The Prodigy (another band highly influential in my creative endeavors). However, one of the members of Pitchshifter played with The Prodigy, so there's at least a loose connection.

I can't recall when I first heard the UK-based Industrial band. I do know it was during the peak of their popularity, around the release of www.pitchshifter.com. The song that sparked my interest was "Genius":

They had many of their songs featured on soundtracks of both video games and movies, so it's possible that's where I picked up on them. Or at a live outdoor concert?! I bought this album and the handful that came out thereafter, but I don't believe I ever explored their earlier CDs. Or if I did, I don't remember much of them. I'll have to revisit.

Another popular song from their fifth release was "Microwaved":

From reading up on Pitchshifter, it appears they have had a lot of member changes throughout the years, eventually going on an "indefinite" hiatus in 2003. They had two more releases after www.pitchshifter.com, each one less of a commercial success than the last, unfortunately. I'll share one song from each.

Here we have a demo or promo video for "Hidden Agenda" which was from their 2000 release, Deviant:

I know it says "HQ" for that video, but it sounds really quiet to me. Anyhow, I liked the video and the song a lot, so I wanted to share it.

The next, despite being a good song, was chosen largely in part of the irony involved. "Shutdown" appeared on Pitchshifter's final album, PSI:

As it were, Pitchshifter was eventually shut down. I know they had to change labels near the end of their run. I'm assuming that that, along with their steady decline in populrity, played a role in the band dissolving. Throughout the years, though, they've done some additional work (None for All and All for One) and live performances. Maybe you can't keep them down?

They've made the claim that they are working on new material and plan on touring again, so maybe we will be seeing a resurgence of their presence in the music scene? I'd like that. Honestly, they've stuck to their style and I could even see the older tracks still being used for games, movies, etc. I'm curious to see what develops in the next year or two.

Are you familiar with Pitchshifter? Did you enjoy the songs/videos? Do you have a favorite song and/or album? Have you ever seen them live? If so, how was the performance? Do you think Pitchshifter will put out another album? Would you want them to keep their original style or change it up?