Legendary Producer John Fryer’s Black Needle Noise Announces New Single “Machine”

Recently celebrating a #1 entry on the German DAC Charts with the Chiasm & John Fryer album “Missed The Noise,” the legendary producer John Fryer has wasted no time getting his latest sonic masterwork ready for distribution. As part of his acclaimed Black Needle Noise project, Fryer teams up with accomplished vocalist Attasalina and violinist Meredith Yayanos for the haunting new song “Machine.”

See the video for “Machine” HERE.

The single is the first release for Black Needle Noise on COP International Records, the independent record label where Fryer acts as A&R and a producer, helming the work of artists such as Stabbing Westward, Azam Ali, Chiasm, Stoneburner, Blackcarburning and more.

“Machine” is being released as a digital EP HERE and includes remixes from several artists on the roster including Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward), Mark Hockings (Blackcarburning) and Sick Jokes, as well as Soman and Samantha Togni (London DJ). Set to an eerie landscape of violins, the powerful track takes on a dystopian feel, engrossed in a pool of beautiful vocals and detailed sonic flourishes that have become the hallmark of Fryer.

Attasalina, best known for her collaboration with Daniel Ash (The Soldiers of Everyday), has also released music with her band The Seraphim Rising and is currently working on her first solo record in collaboration with John Fryer, to be called Freed From Rage and Sorrow. She previously collaborated with Fryer on the Black Needle Noise track “Messages By Dreams.”

Says Fryer of “Machine”: “It’s taken a while to find the right song for Attasalina so we could collaborate again. She did an amazing job on ‘Messages By Dreams’ and she has done an exceptional job on ‘Machine.’ It’s always a pleasure working with Attasalina, and it’s been great having Meredith Yayanos on board this time around playing violin on the track, adding another dimension.”

Attasalina says about the message of the track, “’Machine’ is a song about visions and change. Written and recorded just prior to the pandemic, the lyrics were inspired by distant memories of a future foretold. A future that we find ourselves living in now. Collaborating with John is a rewarding journey from inspiration to fruition. We worked long distance, sending tracks back and forth as the piece unfolded and transformed. Haunting violin, performed by Meredith Yayanos, infuses the song with a heart-rending beauty. As we find ourselves slowly emerging from this overwhelmingly tragic and challenging time, I am so very gratified to complete this second single with Black Needle Noise and release it to the world.”

Adds Meredith Yayanos, “From the first time I encountered Attasalina’s soulful words and imagery ages ago, I recognized her as a kindred spirit with a singularly powerful voice. She’s also fiercely kind. I’m so proud to call her my friend, and now, a creative collaborator. Of course, snippets of John Fryer’s exquisite songcraft have been drifting through my head since I was just a teensy wee clove-smoking kid, daydreaming during chamber orchestra rehearsals in high school. It’s an honor and a delight to work on this haunting track with people I admire as deeply as these two. There will be more to come, I hope.”

As one of the most innovative sonic architects in our age, “John Fryer has practically soundtracked your entire life” (Impose Magazine). His musical imprint is massive, having shaped the sound of bands from Nine Inch  Nails and Cocteau Twins to HIM and Depeche Mode. He is also one of just two masterminds behind This Mortal Coil (along with Ivo Watts-Russell).

John Fryer started his career in 1979 at London’s Blackwing Studios (London) and soon began working with seminal bands on 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade and Beggars Banquet, including Depeche Mode, The Wolfgang Press and Cocteau Twins. His achievement in helping develop the latter’s pioneering ethereal and ambient sound ultimately led Watts-Russell to recruit Fryer as his partner for This Mortal Coil.

Since then, Fryer has produced many iconic artists, including Love and Rockets, HIM, Cradle of Filth, Clan of Xymox, Nitzer Ebb, Dead Can Dance, Yaz (Yazoo), Xmal Deutschland, Fields of the Nephilim, De/Vision, Stabbing Westward and many others. Fryer has also produced many film soundtracks, such as Seven, Clerks, Johnny Mnemonic, Mortal Kombat, Faust and Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Currently Fryer also works closely with COP International and its roster and this debut Black Needle Noise release on the label is being hailed by COP founder Christian Petke who says, “I know how much this project means to John and I think it represents some of his finest work. Black Needle Noise is his vehicle to execute his artistic visions. It is not bound by style or fashion but represents the distilled essence of a man honing his craft for 40-plus years. To say it is an honor to represent Black Needle Noise on COP International is an understatement.”

“Machine” Promo Shot (courtesy Attasalina)

The year 2021 marks COP International’s 30th anniversary with ambitious plans for its expanding roster of artists, already including Stabbing Westward and Azam Ali, as well as Blackcarburning, Chiasm, Deathline International, Jean Marc-Lederman, Johnny Tupolev, LUNA 13, Sick Jokes, and Suicide Queen. The label reached a turning point in 2019, teaming up with legendary producer John Fryer to form a production company under the COP International umbrella. Fryer is producing and engineering the majority of the forthcoming COP catalog and also working as A&R in helping to select appropriate acts. “The level of craftsmanship, artistic talent and meticulous attention to detail is what sets John’s work a world apart,” says COP International founder Christian Petke. “When we first started talking, I brought up John’s relationship with 4AD where he was the principal engineer and producer. This is exactly what we have in mind for this collaboration. Our philosophy is quite simple: Find exceptional talent, don’t limit ourselves or the artists, and build a tribe based on the excellence of the releases. We have signed a couple bands that have major chart potential based on previous entries, and we are very excited about our projects for this year. Another thing that is rather important to us is a certain level of closeness and mutual appreciation we have as label and artist. It is our responsibility to provide a nurturing environment that allows the artist to focus on their craft. We support and shield them and provide the business machinery that will develop their full potential.”