Anton Nielsen Hedonia - The Tombs of the Old Heroes
Anton Nilsen Hedonia - The Statue:
Early Life:
Even as a newborn he was utterly (and eventually fatally) unmovable / unresponsive.
His parents initially suspected some sort of “muscular dystrophy” (Hypotonia), “cerebral palsy” and/or “facial paralysis” (e.g. Moebius Syndrome). A large battery of test was run but the doctors were unable to ascertain any physical and/or neurological anomalies. No signs of underdevelopment of the 6th and/or seventh cranial nerve, vascular disruption, irregular posture, spinal curvature, extreme stiffness, low bone density, excessive amounts of white matter, hyperflexible joints, oxygen depravation, trauma to the spinal chord, chromosomal disorders, inborn error of metabolism etc.
After much back and forth it was decided that he was just an abnormally calm child and that he would most likely develop “more common behavioral patterns” through gradual stimulation of mirror neurons (e.g. affectionate parental care, eye contact, physical touch, movement, exploration, play and general socialization).
As a child he spent most of his time indoors reading or drawing. Whenever his parents encouraged (I.e. forced him) to engage in social activities / games with the neighboring kids he would stare at them blankly, devoid of any discernible emotional content or expression.
His classmates described him as secluded and aloof. Eventually earning him the nickname “statuen” (The Statue).
During this time of his life he discovered that he had an unusually high tolerance for pain.
Mid Life:
Biographical information about this period is quite sparse.
We are currently trying to locate and gain access to writings (primarily letters to peers) from this period.
Unfortuneatly we have been quite unsuccessful so far.
Research into new potential sources are in being investigated.
Anton Nielsen Hedonia - Blood Beech
Late Life:
Due to his compromised/failing health (obtained primarily as a consequence of his rather extreme performance practice) he eventually decided to refocus his attention and artistic output towards sound and music rather than performance art.
He moved to a secluded forest, stopped doing live performances, stopped attending galleries and in general appearing in public. Due to his physical difficulties with traveling (extreme muscular atrophy caused by intense periods of self bondage, bedrest and other forms of stasis) as well as his fascination with the non-emotive, inhumane, noisy and alien aspects of technology, he got increasingly interested in using synthesizers as a primary tool for generating, manipulating and composing with sound (this was in stark contrast to much of his earlier sound practice which often centered around the use of acoustic instruments and “Environmental sounds” gathered through the use of various field recording techniques).
Aided by a small cult following a highly productive period ensued. During this period he produced a staggering catalogue containing hundreds of tape releases with slow, melancholic, drony, noisy and atmospheric music.
Most of the music was created and recorded in his home utilizing a tape deck (Denon DR-M44HX, 1985), an old and slightly untuned upright piano, a few FX pedals (such as the Pro Co RAT, 1978 & Boss CE 2 Chorus, 1978), A digital reverb unit (Alesis MIDIFEX, 1986), and the “newly” invented, mass distributed and accessible digital synths such as the Casio MT70 (1982), Casio SK-1 (1985) and the DX7 (1983-1989). These sounds were often layered with samples, recordings and tape manipulations from either his personal sound library or with excerpts from performances of earlier work. The institutional interest in this music were unfortunately quite limited at the the time which meant that DIY tape dubbing and distribution (often in very limited quantities) was the only way for him to get his music heard. In spite of this he somehow managed to create a small but dedicated international niché / network of artist and audiences sharing music on tapes and exchanging letters discussing their rather esoteric/unusual views and theories about art, literature, music, aesthetics and philosophy.
Some of his most influential writings distributed and discussed during this period include;
“The Aesthetic of Lack”, “The Revolutionary Potential In The Rejection of Pleasure”, “At War with Stimuli”, “Cultural Anesthesia - Entertainment as Lobotomy” and “Against Biology - The Promises of Technology” .
Despite the limited amount of surviving material from this period the production of these works (and the way the music was distributed) ended up being quite culturally significant for the ethos surrounding the emergence of the 2nd wave of Scandinavian Black Metal, Dungeon Synth, Noise, Ambient and other forms of experimental electronic music emerging in the late 80’s and early 90’s.