A male/female duo from Los Angeles consisting of Statik and kaRIN, Collide chose their name to represent the collision of techno and industrial, breakbeats with samples, ambient and noise, plus the gothic vocals that influenced them. Together, they blend electronics and guitars with a softer, ethereal aggression. While Statik had played trumpet during school, most of his musical training came from spending many months experimenting with samplers and computers. He also attended a music/engineering school in Los Angeles that helped him land his first studio job. Statik's first solo project was called Statik: Machines, and was originally issued on vinyl in 1988. Once Statik and kaRIN met, they knew they were on the same musical path. kaRIN had sung spontaneously and consistently since a child, and the lyrics she created for Collide express unconscious, flowing emotions. They self-released their first cassette demo, The Crimson Trial, in 1995, and followed it with their first full-length album, Beneath the Skin, on the Re-Constriction label. The label released the remix album Distort one year later, including the favorites "Pandora's Box" and "Violet's Dance." Compilations and singles became a strong means of expression for the duo, who sang or worked on dozens of them and remained a studio band.nn Collide self-released their next outing, Chasing the Ghost, via their own Noiseplus Music label. The Statik-produced LP featured contributions from guest musicians Tim Pierce (guitar), Fritz Heede (sitar), Kevin Kipnis (guitar), and Monica Richards (vocals). The year 2003 saw the release of Some Kind of Strange, which featured an appearance from Tool drummer Danny Carey. The remix double album Vortex followed, and in 2005 the band issued a DVD (Like the Hunted) and a concert CD (Live at the El Rey). In 2007 Statik and kaRIN collaborated with Curve's Dean Garcia under the moniker the Secret Meeting, and from that partnership emerged a pair of singles and a full-length LP, Ultrashiver. A proper Collide album, Two Headed Monster, dropped in 2008, and in 2009 the band released an album of covers, including tracks by Pink Floyd, David Essex, Radiohead, and David Bowie. A new set of originals, Counting to Zero, arrived in 2011, and in 2012 they issued Bent and Broken, which included assorted cover songs and remixes from the last two studio albums by the likes of cEvin Key (Skinny Puppy) and Chris Vrenna (Nine Inch Nails). ~ Eleanor Ditzel