Black Dice

by Ron DePasquale
Hailed as sonic groundbreakers or derided as alienating and pretentious, Brooklyn's Black Dice push the limits of hardcore and noise rock. Taking their cues from Melt Banana, Merzbow, and Harry Pussy, Black Dice fixate on a few notes per "song" and focus on producing a sound that's as abrasive and distorted as possible. The group debuted in early 1998 with a single on Gravity Records and released Semen of the Sun on Tapes Records. They then appeared on Troubleman Unlimited's Mix-Tape and were picked up by Troubleman, run by Unwound. Black Dice released its debut full-length in 2000, followed by a split with Erase Errata and Cold Hands in 2001. The following year Black Dice abandoned their rock leanings and embraced the electronics that had previously peppered their avant hardcore approach. They moved to the DFA label for their 2002 album, Beaches & Canyons. A vinyl only collaboration with Wolf Eyes came out in 2003 on the Fusetron label. That same year DFA also released the almost dancefloor friendly Cone Toaster 12" and followed it in 2004 with an EP, Miles of Smiles, and another album, Creature Comforts.