Hafler Trio


The Hafler Trio is a conceptual, performance and sound art collaborative between Andrew M. McKenzie, the only permanent member, and guest sound artists, performers, and/or musicians. The project has seen the release of numerous albums and CDs in experimental musical styles ranging from electronic, cut-up, ambient, environmental soundscape, musique concrète, electro-acoustic, and audio-montage as cinema for the ears from 1982 to present, each of which use graphic design and text for contextual juxtaposition with the recordings, as well as having a diverse but concrete philosophical and sometimes quasi-religious framework to place them in.

History

Despite the name, The Hafler Trio is essentially the work of one man, Andrew M. McKenzie, born in Scotland in 1963 and his family moved to Newcastle upon Tyne shortly after. McKenzie released his first 7" single at the age of 14, having formed a punk rock group named Flesh.
There have been numerous members and collaborators alongside Andrew M. McKenzie, including Cabaret Voltaire co-founder Chris Watson, the fictitious Dr. Edward Moolenbeek, Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound, Adi Newton of Clock DVA, Z'EV, Fluxus artist Willem de Ridder, David Tibet, Genesis P-Orridge, Annie Sprinkle, Jónsi Birgisson, Michael Gira, Chloe Vevrier, Erla Þórarinsdóttir, Blixa Bargeld, Netochka Nezvanova, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Jóhann Jóhannsson, John Lacey of COUM Transmissions, and Autechre among many others. McKenzie was also part of Whitehouse along with Steven Stapleton and William Bennett for their first live performance.
In addition to the 6-part retrospective set released by The Grey Area of Mute Records titled The Golden Hammer, CD releases include: Intoutof, A Bag of Cats, Mastery of Money, How to Reform Mankind, with several notable stand-out collaborations: One Dozen Economical Stories by Peter Greenaway, Nurse With Wound and the Hafler Trio Hit Again!, Snuff, Soundtrack to Brion Gysin's 'Dreamachine', a substantial 2-part collaboration with Autechre, and most recently a three part collaboration with Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Rós.
2009 saw the shutdown of the Brainwashed h3o website, the renunciation of conventional CD releases, almost all internet activity, and the exclusive concentration on methods of "complementary education" and related disciplines referenced by and developed in tandem with the work of The Hafler Trio since its inception, under the umbrella of Simply Superior. The website, simplysuperior.org, became the only official source of information about The Hafler Trio and related matters.

Selected body of audio work

In 2004, Andrew announced that he was suffering from diagnosed hepatitis B and autoimmune hepatitis. Both of these conditions require drugs which McKenzie has stated he cannot afford.