C-Tec

History

C-Tec began as a one-off project called The Cyber-Tec Project, but the members chose to continue making music under that name. The idea arose during a period when Front 242 was inactive and De Meyer, the group's original lead singer, along with other members, pursued solo and side projects. In 1995, Synthetic Symphony released the debut EP Cyber-Tec, later reissued in the United States by Fifth Colvmn Records with a different track listing; the EP reached number seven on the CMJ RPM Chart in the U.S. After shortening their name to C-Tec, the band released the full-length album Darker in 1997 on the Wax Trax! label. A tour in early 1996 was cut short after only one New York City show due to contract issues. In 1998, C-Tec toured North America twice with a hybrid lineup that included other members of Cubanate and Julian Beeston, a former drummer for Nitzer Ebb. The second album, Cut, came out in 2000 on Synthetic Symphony; it was originally planned for US release on Wax Trax! but that label closed, so Cut never received an official American release. Darker features a downbeat, moody collection with strong electronic influences and more ambient textures than the industrial backgrounds of its participants might suggest. Cut is faster in tempo, with De Meyer's vocal mixed low. Most material on both albums was co-written by Marc Heal and Jean-Luc De Meyer. In 2018, both Darker and Cut were remastered and re-released by UK label Armalyte Industries as Darker/Cut, and the band reformed for a North American tour featuring De Meyer, Heal, Denton, and Sean Payne of Cyanotic on drums.