Holy Fuck

by Erik Leijon
The Toronto-based electronic collective Holy Fuck was formed in 2004 by Graham Walsh and Brian Borcherdt. Described as "blip-hoppers" and "a shabbily dressed Kraftwerk," Holy Fuck's lo-fi electronic noise music is created entirely with old analog musical and non-musical instruments -- including a 35mm film synchronizer. Without the use of laptops and other conventional electronic instruments, the group strives to re-create their chaotic, Casio-driven live presence on their recorded output. The group released their eponymous debut album in 2005.
Known primarily for improvising on-stage with a variety of electronic devices strewn on a table and held together with duct tape, the tracks for their 2007 album LP were written while touring. The album featured collaborations from Dave Newfield (Broken Social Scene) and Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy). They were named one of Glastonbury's top new acts in 2007 and performed at Coachella in 2005 as New York rapper Beans' backing group.