David Tibet
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| David Tibet | |
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| File:Current931.jpg
David Tibet performing with Current 93 in 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Michael Bunting |
| Born | 5 March 1960 Batu Gajah, Malaysia |
| Origin | England |
| Genres | Apocalyptic folk, neofolk |
| Labels | Durtro, Jnana, Coptic Cat |
| Associated acts | Current 93, Nurse With Wound, Psychic TV, Death in June, Myrninerest |
| Website | Davidtibet.com |
David Tibet (born David Michael Bunting, 5 March 1960) is a British poet and artist who founded the music group Current 93, of which he is the only full-time member.
He was given the name "Tibet" by Genesis P-Orridge, and in January 2005 he announced that he would revert to the name David Michael, although he continues to use the well-known "Tibet" in his public career to date.
Contents
Career
David Bunting was born in Batu Gajah, Perak Malaysia. Early in his career, he collaborated with Psychic TV and 23 Skidoo. Tibet left Psychic TV in 1983 and founded Current 93 the same year. He has worked with Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound (of which band he is a member), Michael Cashmore, Douglas P. (of Death in June, on whose albums he has appeared several times), Steve Ignorant of Crass (using the name "Stephen Intelligent"), Boyd Rice, Little Annie, Björk, Nick Cave, Rose McDowall, Tiny Tim, and Ian Read of Fire and Ice.
Related bands
Tibet's main musical outlet is the band Current 93, the only constant member of which is Tibet himself. Current 93's first release was the cassette-only Mi-Mort, a split C60 with Nurse With Wound. The first vinyl release was LAShTAL, with the line-up of Tibet, John Balance of Coil and Psychic TV and Fritz Haaman (Fritz Catlin) of 23 Skidoo. David Tibet, the soul man of Current 93, often participated in making and producing several records by a number of industrial bands individually or in the name of Current 93. Those industrial bands include the Nurse With Wound, Coil, and some labels producing industrial noise music, such as Dark Vinyl. Among many important figures of the main line of industrial noise music, the network among David Tibet, Steven Stapleton and John Balance is an indispensable one. These people are proficient in various related musical styles from dark ambient to industrial noise music. They sometimes acquired knowledge from each other when working together, thus it is easy to see that in the music of David Tibet/Current 93, there are mainly two important genres of underground industrial music including ambient music and dark industry. These mixed styles of music represents the development of the industrial noise music. At the same time, as David Tibet used to be a member of Death in June, which is a band of death folk, the band Current 93 also has some works of neo-folk which are truly related to Death. It is not tough to see that the music created by David Tibet/Current 93 is a production mingled with industrial music, death folk and dark ambient music.
Influences
Tibet believes in mysticism, which derived from several kinds of fields including the realms of religion, philosophy, witchcrafts, poetries and paintings. He is always trying to acquire inspiration from them, then blends those ideas into his works. Their particular style of music works are closely linked with the mysterious ideas of David Tibet.
When talking about the objects which can make David feel energy as well as acquire inspiration, he initially points out religions. Other than Christianity, He believes Buddhism as well. David Tibet concentrates on Vajrayana, one kind of religions of Tibet. He also regards the Padmasambhava (a famous Buddhist in India. Padmasambhava has a high reputation in the field of Tibetan Buddhism) as his own tutor. The album "Buddhist Monks of the Maitri Vihar Monastery" of Tibet in the year 1997 is just a paternoster from Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet always keeps modest towards religions no matter which religion it is.He said that one must has a strong faith when one believes a new religion. David was affected by the theories of Aleister Crowley (1875–1947, a famous author and mystic in the 20th Century) since he was still ten years old. The influence by Crowley is apparent in many aspects of Current 93's covers, lyrics and themes.[1]
Tibet's lyrical subject matter reflects a consistent preoccupation with all aspects of apocalypse. He has long been a student of Christian eschatology. At a precocious age, he developed a strong interest in Aleister Crowley and the Ordo Templi Orientis. He joined the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis and borrowed the term "93 Current", the current of Thelema or Agape, from Crowley. His initial recording as Current 93, LAShTAL, was, according to Tibet, "the invocation of Malkunofath on the Nightside of Eden, the reverse of the Tree of Life". He has long proclaimed a virtual anathema to Crowleyism (despite a strong appreciation for Crowley as an individual) and instead has embraced at various intervals, Tibetan Buddhism and esoteric Christianity. His projects continue to focus on the multifaceted aspects of apocalypse, mainly death, loss and destruction. Progressively, his works are tempered by Christian mysticism and an increasingly strong faith in the end of the world.
Other influences include Noddy, Gnosticism, Austin Osman Spare, Stock, Aitken and Waterman, Bobby Beausoleil, and a variety of occult topics.
In April 2006, Ordo Templi Orientis formed the International OTO Cabinet, an advisory, non-voting panel made up of both OTO Initiates and Non-Initiates. David Tibet was named among the initial non-member appointments.[2]
Other activities
He is an established outsider artist and painter with much of his work in well-known galleries such as the Henry Boxer Gallery and Isis Gallery.[3] Tibet is interested in the work of Count Stenbock, whose writings he has worked to republish. He also ran the Durtro publishing imprint and record label (1988–2010) which has since been replaced by an earlier label, Coptic Cat, where many Durtro releases continue to be available.[4] He attended Newcastle University.[5]
References
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- ↑ [1] Archived 27 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ [2] Archived 18 October 2004 at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Keenan, David (2003) England's Hidden Reverse: a secret history of the esoteric underground, London: SAF Publishing.
External links
- Tibet's Coptic Cat label, features weblog style news from Tibet
- Jnana Records
- Photo and list of "Involvements"
- Recordings
- Interview with FluxEuropa, April, 1997
- 1997 Interview with 'The Wire' magazine
- Isis Gallery Presents David Tibet
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