As it stands, 2000 should not be the year of the Dragon, but the year of Pitchshifter. --the Chinese symbol of vitality and strength--should instead be replaced with Pitchshifter's , a sign of indomitable creativity in the face of abject mediocrity. In fact, if there were any justice in the world and we were judged on the merits of our creative genius and steadfast work ethic, most of the past decade would belong to these Nottingham noiseniks.

From the relentless grindcore sounds of their first three releases [Industrial ('91), Submit ('92) and Desensitized ('93)] to the juggernaut-on-methamphetamine industrial drum 'n' bass of Infotainment? ('96) to the snotty techno of www.pitchshifter.com ('98) to, most recently, the decidedly guitar and punk leanings of Deviant, Pitchshifter [Jon Clayden on vocals, brother Mark on bass, Jim Davies on lead guitars, and new members Matt Grundy and Jason Bowld on guitars and drums, respectively] has been a continuous study in musical evolution. The band's musical and ideological core have never changed, but the process by which they redefine the way it is expressed has kept the music both vital and fresh, something few others are ever able to accomplish with this kind of intensity and consistency.

But the Clayden brothers et al have never needed the music industry to prove their worth to either themselves or their fans. Home in England, the band have long been able to sell out multiple nights at large venues, and here in the States they have created such an underground buzz that Sharon Osbourne (Ozzy's wife and financial genius) handpicked the band to appear on this year's Ozzfest summer tour. They have some of the most dedicated fans around--fans whose antics and fervent devotion range from gifts of giant, handmade steel clocks to various tattoos of the band's logos to creating MIDI files of the band's music for use on cell phones. As well, Pitchshifter just very well might count alien life among their supporters. Back in 1995, on the eve of the band's performance at the Phoenix Festival, a giant crop circle in the shape of the band's logo appeared near the festival site. The band have always denied involvement in the incident and Michael Green, chairman of the Center for Crop Circles Studies at the time, publicly pronounced it as being genuine and staked his reputation on it (Stratford Eye Analysis ).

Guitarist Matt Grundy sums up best the love and devotion people feel for the band: "It doesn't matter what I do after this. [...] Because I can say to people, 'Fuck you! I was in Pitchshifter.'"

On the tails of the release of their new album, Deviant, and during a recent stint on the Ozzfest 2000 tour, I had occasion to catch up with the mastermind behind Pitchshifter's chaos engine: Jon Clayden. Between swilling Coronas and practicing our golf swing (proving that you can teach old punkers new tricks) we caught up on the state of affairs with the band, giving away all your worldly possessions, being banned by the Norman Rockwell Foundation for one Deviant album cover and then banned in Poland for the next, tattoos, inarticulate DJs, and so much more. This isn't the first time I've interviewed Jon, and I certainly hope it's not the last! Pitchshifter are one of a rare breed whose creative genius keeps challenging the face of music as we know it--and it's certainly time the rest of the world stood up and took notice.

Last time we spoke it was November of last year when you were in the studio recording Deviant. The album's been out now for a few months and, as always, Pitchshifter are on tour in support of it. Bring us up to date as to where things are at with the album and the band.

So we've just been slaved to touring really. Haven't managed to do any remixes or anything else. I've got a couple waiting for us when we get back. So I'm hoping to be able to get that stuff done, but it's just been touring, touring, touring nonstop. Right now, we're touring until the first of November, but I'm sure it will get worse.

How's touring been treating you?

Jon: Personally, I enjoy it because I don't have anywhere to live.

Nowhere to live? Did you cast off all your worldly possessions or something?

Jon: Yeah, I gave it all away. My car, my television, my stereo, most of my clothes... I gave it all away.

Why did you give it all away?

Jon: It's just "stuff," you know?

So, where are you staying then?

Jon: I don't know, I haven't been back to England since I did that. While I was in the U.K. I was staying in residential studios while we were getting the sampled stuff ready for playing live, so it didn't matter. But...I dunno. It's the adventure that awaits, my friend. So we'll see what happens.

Back to the new album--how's Deviant doing?

Jon: Sales-wise?

Overall. How are people liking it?

Jon: I think it goes down really well. American crowds understand this album better because there's more guitar work in it. The programmed drums are also less tricky now because we've got an amazing live drummer. Jason [Bowld], the new drummer, is an awesome drummer, so I'm trying to have him drum in as much as possible. He replicates some of the loops in the verses and whatnot. He's got two snares on his drum kit: a high snare to do the more loopy sounds and stuff, then he's got his main snare for the bits that actually are the live drums on the album.

The album goes down really well, and we're really enjoying playing it live. We should just be selling more records, obviously, so we can all be millionaires snorting cocaine off of hookers' asses.

It seems like the dilemma of trying to sell more records is not for the band's lack of trying. We were talking previously about the first single off the album, "Condescension," and how it failed as a radio single because apparently DJs couldn't pronounce "condescension" properly so they wouldn't play it.

Jon: Yeah, apparently the feedback was that they couldn't pronounce it.

You and Jim Davies did all the writing for the album. I'm curious if Johnny Carter [founding member of Pitchshifter who departed from the band and music as a whole after Deviant was recorded to focus on other interests] had left before the album was recorded whether you would have taken a different approach to the writing and recording.

Jon: Johnny didn't write any of the tunes. He basically left before we wrote the album and just stuck around to be helpful with the engineering and the additional programming. He didn't actually do any creative work on the album. I'd be programming drums and I'd tell him I needed more hip-hop sounding drums on something and he'd go out and find it. He didn't actually write any of the tunes, so I don't think it would have made any difference. This album would have sounded exactly the same.

Why did Johnny leave?

Jon: Everyone gets to that point, you know? Johnny's thirty-two years old, he's got a mortgage, a cat, a car and a girlfriend that he lives with. A lot of people get to that point where it's like: "You know what? I don't want to go on tour for two years again. I want to stay home and be loved by my girlfriend." I obviously am a soulless void. Ha! So I don't have any of those withdrawals. Me and Jim are the single, crazy ones so we're like: "Yeah, ten-month tour? Great!" Less time to pay bills, sit around watch TV and get bored!

How is the creative writing process between you and Jim?

Jon: Good! This was the quickest album we've ever written...three months. The only thing that got frustrating... Johnny's well documented as preferring keyboards to a fretboard. Johnny himself will tell you that he wasn't a very good guitarist. He wasn't bad, he just wasn't amazing. I would hear guitar parts--which I couldn't physically play obviously, because I'm not a guitarist--and Johnny and I only got about sixty, seventy percent of them down. But with Jim I can say: "Play a chord that fits with this..." Then I'd say: "Okay, now make it a bit more minor...a bit darker... Now open up the fifth so it sounds weirder..." And Jim could do all of it, 'cause he can do anything.

He plays against some pretty strange tunings, doesn't he?

How are the new players, Matt Grundy and Jason Bowld, working out? And how did they come into the fold?

Jon: They're working out really good! D. [Walters] left the band when Johnny did. There was no animosity... Johnny decided to go and he and D. were best pals. D. never recorded a song, never wrote a song, never went into the studio with us. He only played live percussion on top of sampled drums. Although he was with the band for five years, his involvement was strictly limited to touring. Matt and Jason were the first choices. As soon as I spoke to Johnny and he said he didn't really want to make music any more, Matt was my first choice for a rhythm guitarist. And Jason was drumming in a band called Stimulator [both bands are managed by Knightmare], and it just hadn't been any fun for him because it was all 4/4 rock stuff. He's a really great drummer and I think he was just totally frustrated playing AC/DC-type drumming when he wanted to be doing more drum 'n' bass stuff, which is what we do.

But they're working out great. No detriment to Johnny and D., but I think Matt and Jase add to the show: they're more active live, they're young and hungry; whereas D. would just be mad and Johnny would just stand still, put his face down and look at his guitar.

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