darryl hell
[s6k founder, operation:mindwipe, dj darryl hell, emergency broadcast network]
       john bechdel
[false icons, killing joke, ministry, prong, murder inc., fear factory]
deftly d [aka david dodson]
[nau-zee-aun, voidstar prods., zero times infinity, hawaiian teeshirt mafia]


Abstinence is an experimental industrial project founded in 1985 in Belmar, NJ, now based in Brooklyn, Earth. Its sound ranges from bombastic to noise, ambient soundtrack to earbleeding powertool squeals. All in a lush tapestry of video/audio dialog and sound-samples.
 Since 1985, Abstinence has created experimental industrial music that follows in the traditions of the Beats, the Dada movement, the Futurists, the raw vision of punk rock, the origins of industrial music, the freedom of the experimental art movement and the eternal global human rights art movement.

Many people have commented about the name over the years. The name Abstinence [to us] means; "abstaining from the redundancy of what people think." To be staunch in a vision that isn't influenced by music/art/technology trends and to maintain a commitment to pure artistic exploration.

Abstinence utilizes tunnels, decommissioned military bases, warehouses, bathrooms, abandoned buildings, basements, freeway underpasses and various indoor/outdoor environments as sound laboratories to create unique soundscapes that coalesce with powertools, a variety of traditional analog / digital instrumentation and bombastic percussion.

Our lyrics and audio/video samples are focused on demystifying the political and societal world in which we live.

 [update mark: 3.30.09]  There's a myriad of things going on in the world of Abstinence... Deftly D's main project Nau-Zee-auN has been developing an interesting 3-D video sampling multimedia performance... John's primary project False Icons has a new release... As Hell renovates his new home, the new Abstinence studio project is on hold... John [who's also a member of Ministry] played on the final Ministry tour and is on the final release... Hell is about to celebrate his third wedding anniversary... We are saddened by the death of Paul Raven [Killing Joke/Ministry/Murder Inc/Prong]. We were and are honored that he played on our Theorem CD in 1996. Through the years, he became a very wonderful friend and comrade. He will be missed... Darryl is returning to his hardcore punk roots [25+ years after Public Disturbance] with his new side project Digital Disturbance--stay tuned.