The Irresistible Force

DJ, musician, journalist, and self-described "international cheerleader of ambient," <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Mixmaster Morris</a> has been one of the most active and visible proponents of new ambient and electronic music. As renowned for his inventive, wide-casting DJ sets as for his original works under the Irresistible Force name, <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a>' influence on the direction of post-rave electronica has been enormous. From his relentless tour schedule, weekly playlists, and monthly release reviews to his extensive website chronicling the evolution of ambient and experimental electronic music, <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> has helped bring a whole range of otherwise obscure artists (from <a href="spotify:artist:7fzLcx63YD00IsWgK4ypDh">Terre Thaemlitz</a> to <a href="spotify:artist:3hXDMlrPegHRO0zUvBsRSI">Photek</a>; from <a href="spotify:artist:0Jb1cpfG4GB6pZfroFhAw0">Ken Ishii</a> to <a href="spotify:artist:3ux92I3CgfnhgLyYNsXIwZ">Robert Rich</a>) to a wider audience. And while his holographic suits, Zippy connections, and soundbyte approach to musical evangelism might seem a bit ridiculous, his commitment to the music and the quality of his ongoing contribution is undeniable.

English-born Morris Gould got his start as a DJ in the early '80s -- not in warehouse party chill rooms, but in dive-bar punk clubs spinning experimental rock, jazz, electronic, and other assorted weirdness in between bands. Eventually taking his deck proficiency and rapidly expanding record collection to pirate station Network 21 (where he worked with Jonathan More and <a href="spotify:artist:2qIuYMTtZUYYLLdums3xZ3">Matt Black</a> of <a href="spotify:artist:5wnhqlZzXIq8aO9awQO2ND">Coldcut</a>), <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> earned his nickname from his eclectic radio shows, during which he might pair <a href="spotify:artist:7DnLQaXsqcYkgm0nyDrB3r">Terry Riley</a> with Tibetan monks or <a href="spotify:artist:2ebK4ueGwhVaXUm060m1BS">Captain Beefheart</a> with Amazonian field recordings. After finishing college in the mid-'80s, <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> worked in computer systems administration before forming Irresistible Force with friend Des de Moor in 1987. The pair played clubs and toured with <a href="spotify:artist:3AO9jmM1JTooPNcu9tTyZx">Meat Beat Manifesto</a>, eventually releasing a single before <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> dissolved the partnership in 1989. Retaining the name, <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> delved deeper into the growing U.K. rave scene, touring with <a href="spotify:artist:5E704N5StxMVKpalhaJ5L3">the Shamen</a> in 1989, playing side gigs and parties, and organizing London's first ambient club events, Telepathic Fish.

Although <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> had experimented with real-time tape loops and low-rent electronics since the mid-'80s, it wasn't until the early '90s that he began to seriously pursue recording. He released his first full-length work, Flying High, on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rising+High%22">Rising High</a> label, and recorded a celebrated collaboration with Frankfurt ambient composer <a href="spotify:artist:1zdrhzkCEqTrUrIiRzVeQ3">Pete Namlook</a>, Dreamfish. Both albums landed <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> at the forefront of the new ambient movement -- a position he graciously accepted -- and a string of remix work for the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:5wnhqlZzXIq8aO9awQO2ND">Coldcut</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5E704N5StxMVKpalhaJ5L3">the Shamen</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6ktud6oaujYUiQiFDRzgFx">Barbarella</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2Wdq4NIFLlABO3jeectq9z">Rising High Collective</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6DhBEniG8r8qDfe5quohYs">Higher Intelligence Agency</a> followed. Growing problems with his label, however, would plague <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> into the recording of his second album, which was delayed for two years. Following the release of Global Chillage in 1995, <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> dissolved his relationship with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rising+High%22">Rising High</a> and recorded for old friends <a href="spotify:artist:5wnhqlZzXIq8aO9awQO2ND">Coldcut</a> on their <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ninja+Tune%22">Ninja Tune</a> label. It's Tomorrow Already was released in 1998, after which <a href="spotify:artist:4YuO08xFlO9FYWKC73zov9">Morris</a> put the alias on ice and concentrated on club and radio gigs, winning numerous "best chillout DJ" accolades from the Ibiza Dance Awards and Mixcloud. The fourth Irresistible Force album, Kira Kira, was released on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Liquid+Sound+Design%22">Liquid Sound Design</a> in 2017. ~ Sean Cooper, Rovi