Nocturnal Emissions was formed in 1980 by Nigel Ayers, born in 1957 in Tideswell, Derbyshire, together with Caroline K and Danny Ayers. Ayers and Caroline K had founded Sterile Records the year before, and the label went on to issue early records by John Balance, Maurizio Bianchi and Lustmord.
The early work is distorted tape loops, crude electronics and dadaist provocation, made inside the cassette culture that ran alongside Throbbing Gristle, SPK and Cabaret Voltaire, and it was as uncompromising as anything in that company. Later the group turned towards a rhythm-heavy industrial with a pull towards the dancefloor, and later still Ayers moved on alone into ritual ambient.
