SOFT RIOT is JJD — or Jack Duckworth, also currently of the London, England-based punk/electronic/psychedelic group SAVAGE FURS. Yes — SOFT RIOT is project ushered through the creaking back door starting in 2006, although traces of the soft thudding sounds can be found buried elsewhere in his long, weaving timeline.

The genesis of this thing, this idea, can be traced back to adolescent years spent in the basement working with a cheap soundcard on a eclectic Tandy computer; an activity that took place is the gaps between rehearsing and thrashing out with various punk/hardcore/noise bands back in various smaller towns in British Columbia, Canada, in the first half of the 90’s. Any reference to these computer recordings are documented in white noise hiss on overdubbed C90 cassette tapes under the guise of various names.

The waves of the nineties punk/hardcore revolution bled into new areas and pushed these ideas forward into long running tenures with the Vancouver-based bands RADIO BERLIN and A LUNA RED. The former was at the first wave of the post-punk revival; the DIY aesthetic fused with ideas explored by bands further back such as Killing Joke, Wire, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Josef K, etc. The latter took the same working model but drew from more darker, synth punk/EBM sounds such as DAF, Cabaret Voltaire, etc. Both released a number of albums, singles, and compilations on labels such as Gold Standard Labs, Ache Records, Action Driver, and Kill Rock Stars over the course of 7-8 years. Many miles in questionable vans were clocked up ripping around North America on a wide variety of tours.

Those projects dissolving in the mid naughties, there then came PRIMES; scaled down — from raging techno punk to atmospherics, psychedelics, gritty textures, and elements of electronic pop in a cut-and-paste collage. Sitting on the flanks were HEAVY PARTY and WINNING, beating apart the traditions of “rock” with a giant stick into weird and challenging forms.

But enough about that: SOFT RIOT’s ambition comes from what happens after the loud music is done — you come back inside to the empty quiet sounds of night — the ghosts in the hallways and in your head — the footsteps across the courtyard — the running journal inside one’s head of things gone by and the things to come. Primitive electronics rolling in faint R&B, dub styles – rhythms collapsing and coming back together again. The music coming from down the hall…