British electronic musician Mark Bell died last week after complications following an operation, according to a statement on the website of his label, Warp Records. He was 43.
Bell was best known as half of the UK electronic group LFO and as a producer on Björk’s Homogenic and Volta and Depeche Mode’s Exciter. My introduction to Bell’s work was LFO’s 1991 album Frequencies, which is a classic of acid techno and house, strong from front to back like few electronic full-lengths were in that era. I wore out the cassette to this album and it powered many a drive around the Detroit area, where its futuristic textures, Kraftwerkian melodies, and post-Cybotron rhythms really resonated. When Gez Varley left LFO in 1996, Bell kept the act going and released the solid albums Advance in 1996 and Sheath in 2003, the latter of which spawned the insanely great electro single “Freak.” RIP, Mark Bell.
