Finite Automata (band)

History

Finite Automata began as a project in 2006 by musician, programmer, and visual artist Mod Eschar (Dominique Price), aiming to create a sound similar to 1980s electro industrial, with an initial emphasis on stage performance over music. In 2008, Eschar was joined by keyboardist c. Grendel (Christopher Stanley) and later by musician Mat Syn (Mathew Porter). The band's lineup has undergone several changes, with Eschar remaining the only founding member still active.

In 2010, a conversation with Ben V of the Ludovico Technique led to an invitation to perform at Beyond Therapy's annual Florida Underground Industrial Music Festival. After regional performances, the band signed with Beyond Therapy Records in 2011 and released their first EP, Here Won No One, which received criticism for amateur production quality but praise for its return to roots feel. In April 2012, Finite Automata co-headlined the week-long Medical Meat tour with Atlanta-based Prognosis.

The group released their first full-length studio album, Recurse, on Beyond Therapy Records in December 2012, containing material written between 2007 and 2010 by Eschar and c. Grendel. Three months later, c. Grendel amicably departed due to family obligations and inability to tour; Miranda Pixley, who had served as keyboardist during the Medical Meat Tour, was drafted as a tentative replacement. Work had already begun on a follow-up album, Dogma Eye, and a single was imminent.

In April 2014, Scott Storey, formerly of Skabdriver and Voodoo Velkro, joined as permanent keyboardist. In November 2014, Mat Syn was removed from the active members list; Eschar later confirmed Syn's departure was due to his conduct. The single Second Circle, intended as the first single from Dogma Eye, was released in May 2015 but is now considered standalone; it was re-released on Latex Records the following year.