Editing Assemblage 23

{{Short description|American electronic music act}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Assemblage 23
| image           = Assemblage 23 Nocturnal Culture Night 13 2018 08.jpg
| caption         = Assemblage 23 at [[Nocturnal Culture Night]] in [[Germany]] 2018
| origin          = [[Exton, Pennsylvania]], United States
| genre           = {{ hlist | [[Futurepop]] | [[Electro-industrial]] | [[Synthpop]]| [[Electronic body music]] }}
| years_active    = 1988&ndash;present
| label           = {{ hlist | Gashed! | [[Metropolis Records|Metropolis]]| [[Accession Records|Accession]] }}
| website         = [http://www.assemblage23.com www.assemblage23.com]
| current_members = *[[Tom Shear]]
*Paul Seegers
*Mike Jenney
| spinoffs        = {{ hlist | [[Nerve Filter]] | Surveillance | Helix | Ed Flesh | Thy Fearful Symmetry }}
}}

'''Assemblage 23''' is an [[Electronic music|electronic]] act from the United States, currently based in [[Woonsocket, Rhode Island]]. It was founded in 1988 by [[Tom Shear]] who writes the music and lyrics and does the recording himself. Live performances are supported by Paul Seegers on keyboards and Mike Jenney on drums.

==History==
===1980s–1990s (pre–Assemblage 23)===
Prior to starting Assemblage 23, Shear experimented with music under the name Man on a Stage, beginning in the early 1980s. Most of Shear's music at this point was instrumental, as he lacked the confidence to sing; the quality of the music itself was highly questionable by his own admission. Shear eventually began to add vocals to his music; at the same time, Shear was also playing bass in a live band called the Advocates.

Assemblage 23 was officially born in 1988, after Shear experienced the [[industrial music|industrial]] [[dance music]] played by an opening DJ for [[Depeche Mode]]. The style of this genre deeply impressed Shear; he believed he had finally found the sort of sound he wanted for his music.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://assemblage23.com/infostart.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105220119/http://assemblage23.com/infostart.html|url-status=dead|title=A23 Beginnings|archivedate=January 5, 2009}}</ref> Even so, the project was more of a hobby for Shear at this point; it took until 1998 for Assemblage 23 to gather enough positive acclaim to attract the attention of record labels.

===Late 1990s – early 2000===
Shear signed a deal in 1999 with the Canadian label Gashed! for a full-length album (''Contempt'', released in November 1999). ''Contempt'' ranked #42 on the DAC Top Albums of 2000 chart in Germany.<ref name="dac-albums-00">{{cite web |title=DAC Top 50 2000 |url=http://www.public-propaganda.de/charts/1999/dac_alb50.html |website=Trendcharts oHG |publisher=AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH |access-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010211140354/http://www.public-propaganda.de/charts/2000/dac_alb50.html |archive-date=11 February 2001 |date=2001 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A second album, ''Failure'', followed in March 2001 and was released by Gashed in North America and Accession Records in Europe. A single from ''Failure'', "Disappoint", was released on Accession in October 2001 and ranked #42 on the DAC Top Singles chart for 2001.<ref name="dac-singles-01">{{cite web |title=DAC Top 50 Singles 2001 |url=http://www.public-propaganda.de/charts/jahrescharts2001/DACSingle.html |website=Trendcharts oHG |publisher=AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH |access-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020210031908/http://www.public-propaganda.de/charts/jahrescharts2001/DACSingle.html |archive-date=10 Feb 2002 |date=2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The song dealt with Shear's sense of loss after his father's suicide on October 28, 1999, and features a sample from the film [[In the Line of Fire]].

After falling out with Gashed Records following ''Failure'', Shear signed with US label [[Metropolis Records]] (US) later in 2001; Metropolis re-released ''Contempt'' and ''Failure'' in November.  A remix release, ''Addendum'', was also released in November only on Accession. By this point, Assemblage 23 had become fairly popular within the EBM genre and closely catalogued alongside the "futurepop" genre, which Shear himself characterized — possibly tongue-in-cheek — as "mostly people who can't sing, over 90s-era trance patches."<ref name="assimilate">{{cite book |last1=Reed |first1=S. Alexander |title=Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music |year=2013|location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199832583|oclc=1147729910|via=the Internet Archive|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/assimilatecritic0000reed|page=296}}</ref>

The third album, ''Defiance'', was released in October 2002 on Metropolis and Accession, preceded by the single "Document", in September of that year.

Assemblage 23 released a fourth album, ''Storm'', in October 2004 with singles "Let the Wind Erase Me" in August and  "Ground" in November. "Ground" spent eight weeks on the DAC Singles chart peaking at #2.<ref name="dac-singles-05">{{cite web |title=DAC Top 100 Singles 2005 |url=http://charts.trendcharts.de/jahrescharts2005/DAC/index.html |website=Trendcharts oHG |publisher=AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH |access-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423203707/http://charts.trendcharts.de/jahrescharts2005/DAC/index.html |archive-date=23 April 2008 |date=2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Mid 2000 – present===
In March 2007, Assemblage 23 released a new single, "Binary", which debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard US singles chart, preceding the album ''Meta'', released in April 2007.

Also in 2007 saw the release of ''Early Rare & Unreleased''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=28440_0_2_0_C|title=Early, rare and unreleased Assemblage 23 tracks compiled|website=Side-line.com|accessdate=2020-03-23}}</ref> which is a collection of 14 Assemblage 23 tracks taken from the years 1988–1998. In 2009, "Early Rare & Unreleased Volume Two" was released.

Assemblage 23 performed at Montreal's Kinetik Festival in May 2009. In September 2009, Assemblage 23 released the single "Spark," followed by its sixth studio album ''Compass''.

On June 12, 2012, Assemblage 23 released the album ''Bruise''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=372874669398113&id=138651156153800|title=Official Assemblage 23|website=Facebook.com|accessdate=2020-03-23}}</ref>

The album ''Endure'' was released on August 28, 2016, and, in October 2016, Assemblage 23 began a nationwide tour in support of the album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://assemblage23.com/news|title=Assemblage 23|website=Assemblage23.com|accessdate=2020-03-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Assemblage-23-Endure/master/1055361|title=Assemblage 23 - Endure|website=Discogs.com|accessdate=2020-03-23}}</ref>

''Mourn'', was released on September 11, 2020, and was influenced simultaneously by Shear's bout with depression after the release of ''Endure'' and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also owing to the pandemic, the release of ''Mourn'' was unique in that it was not immediately followed by a tour unlike each of the band's previous seven albums.<ref name="procession_2021">{{cite journal |editor1-last=Canter |editor1-first=Christopher |title=Assemblage 23 |journal=Procession Magazine |date=Spring 2021 |issue=2 |pages=23–27}}</ref>

==Band members==
* Tom Shear - [[Singing|vocals]], [[Programming (music)|programming]]
* Paul Seegers - [[Keyboard instrument|keyboard]]s
* Mike Jenney - [[Drum kit|drums]]

==Discography==
===Demo cassette===
*''Demo, Fall 1998'' – (CS demo) 1998 – no label

===Studio albums===
*''[[Contempt (album)|Contempt]]'' – (CD album) 1999 – Gashed! • (CD album) 2000 – Accession Records • (CD album) 2001 – Metropolis
*''[[Failure (Assemblage 23 album)|Failure]]'' – (CD album) 2001 – Gashed!, Metropolis, Accession Records
*''[[Defiance (Assemblage 23 album)|Defiance]]'' – (CD album) 2002 – Metropolis, Accession Records • (CD album) 2005 – Irond
*''[[Storm (Assemblage 23 album)|Storm]]'' – (CD album) 2004 – Metropolis, Accession Records • (CD) 2005 – Irond
*''[[Meta (Assemblage 23 album)|Meta]]'' – (CD album) 2007 – Metropolis, Accession Records, Irond
*''[[Compass (Assemblage 23 album)|Compass]]'' – (CD album) Oct. 2009 – Metropolis, Accession Records, Irond
*''[[Bruise (album)|Bruise]]'' – (CD album) June 2012 – Metropolis, Accession Records, Irond
*''[[Endure (Assemblage 23 album)|Endure]]'' – (CD album) 2016 – Metropolis
*''[[Mourn (Assemblage 23 album)|Mourn]]'' - (CD album) 2020 - Metropolis

===Remix albums, EPs===
*''[[Addendum (Assemblage 23 album)|Addendum]]'' – (CD) 2001 – Accession Records

===Early, Rare, and Unreleased collections===
*''Early, Rare & Unreleased 1988–1998'' – (CD, Ltd. Edition) 2007 – 23db
*''Early, Rare & Unreleased: Volume Two'' – (CD, Ltd. Edition) 2009 – 23db

===Singles===
*"Disappoint" – (CD, Maxi) 2001 – Accession Records
*"Document" – (CD Maxi) 2002 – Accession Records
*"[[Let the Wind Erase Me]]" – (CD Maxi) 2004 – Metropolis, Accession Records
*"Ground"– (CD Maxi) 2004 – Metropolis, Accession Records
*"[[Binary (song)|Binary]]" – (CD Maxi) 2007 – Metropolis, Accession Records
*"Spark" – (CD Maxi) Sept. 2009 – Metropolis, Accession Records

==See also==
*[[Nerve Filter]], a side project by Shear.
*Surveillance, a side project by Shear.
*Helix, a side project by Shear and Mari Kattman.
*Ed Flesh, a side project of Mike Jenney.<ref name="procession_2021" />
*Thy Fearful Symmetry, a side project of Paul Seegers.<ref name="procession_2021" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Assemblage 23}}

* [http://www.assemblage23.com/ Official Website]
* [https://www.myspace.com/officialassemblage23 Official MySpace]
* [http://www.humannotmachine.com/ Human.Not.Machine Official Forum]
* [http://www.metropolis-records.com/artists/?artist=assemblage23 Metropolis Records]
* [http://www.accession-records.de/ Accession Records]
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Assemblage+23 Unofficial Releases, Remixes and Compilations]

{{Assemblage 23}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assemblage 23}}
[[Category:American industrial music groups]]
[[Category:American synth-pop groups]]
[[Category:American electronic body music groups]]
[[Category:American musical trios]]
[[Category:Electronic music groups from Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Seattle]]
[[Category:Metropolis Records artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1988]]