Digital Poodle

Digital Poodle
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Electro-industrial/EBM
Years active 1986 (1986)–1995 (1995)
Past members
  • Heiki Sillaste
  • Pupka Frey
  • Reduct

Digital Poodle was a Toronto, Canada-based, electro-industrial/EBM band formed in 1986 and remained active until about 1995.

Background

Formed in 1986 by vocalist/programmer Heiki Sillaste (aka Mouth 392), the project was considered Toronto's answer to the established Vancouver-based industrial acts like Skinny Puppy, and Front Line Assembly.[1] Digital Poodle's sound can be best described as house/techno mixed with European Electronic body music (EBM) and occasionally skirting experimental and ambient soundscapes. Sillaste's lyrical themes and choice of audio sampling typically covered the ending of the Cold War, as well as the following political independence struggles in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.[2]

Digital Poodle originally released a series of cassette tape demos and full release albums on Sillaste's own Shadow recording label. The first CD release was "Work Terminal" in 1992, which was distributed in North America under the Death of Vinyl label and in Europe on Germany's Hyperium Records label. The band's final release was the "Combat!" EP in 1997, which contained mainly remixed material from previous releases.

Other Digital Poodle studio members have included keyboardists Pupka Frey (of the band D.I.N.) and Reduct. Keyboard players Jean-Claude Cutz and Dave Rout were also associated with the band.[3] Post Digital Poodle, both joined a later configuration of Rational Youth. Live shows of Digital Poodle featured the drummer/percussionists Kristian Helstrom and Andreas Gregor.

In 1995, Sillaste co-founded the Nice+Smooth Ultramedia label and has gone on to create 45 synthesizer-based albums and 120 compilation appearances. He has worked on other music projects in the genre of electronic dub, down beat, and house/techno music such as Kinder Atom and Lazer Caps, and is an accomplished graphic designer. He has also worked on music and sound for television shows such as CSI: Miami and commercials for Nissan.[4]

Discography

Album Format Label Year Notes
Pay Attention CS Shadow 1987
Poodle Crematorium CS Shadow 1988 Limited edition 250 copies
Snivel CS Shadow 1989
Live Death CS Shadow 1990 Recorded live at the Slither Club, Toronto, March 4, 1989
Soul Crush CS Shadow 1991
CD Death of Vinyl Entertainment (DOVe) 1991
Soul Crush 12" 12" Shadow 1991
Work Terminal CD DOVe, Hyperium Records 1992 Germany
Crack 12" DOVe 1993
Elektronik Espionage CD EP DOVe 1993
Division! CD Cleopatra 1994
12" 2x12" DOVe 1994
Work Terminal CD Metropolis Records 1994 reissue
Noisea CD Cleopatra 1995
Combat! CD EP Cleopatra 1997

Compilation appearances

References

  1. ↑ Digital Poodle's entry at Metropolis Records
  2. ↑ "Industrial Revolution", by Dave Thomas ISBN 0-9636193-0-6 (Cleopatra) (1994)
  3. ↑ Discogs, Profile of Digital Poodle. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  4. ↑ Heiki Sillaste's user profile on Nice+Smooth.com

External links

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