Dark ambient/Avant Noise act helmed by producer/designer puppy38 since 1997. Originally formed in Austin, Texas as a trio, consisting of Puppy38, artist Claire Richards and programmer Aaron DuBois, Hiroshimabend is currently based in Vienna, Austria. Aside from various collaborators, such as Zoe Dewitt (Zero Kama, Nekrophile Rekords), Michal Turowski (Mazut) and other guest artists, the only other primary member is Austin, Texas-based guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Evaristo Castillo, who has appeared on many releases, including the epic "xPOL" (an almost three -hour longform work), the award-winning "Rednow Gnir", and a majority of the "Pain Bells" box set, which is a series of all-new original works spaced over the course of 11 CDs.
Listening to the music of hiroshimabend has been likened to swimming in a milky lake of black ink. The scope of sound genres includes Industrial, Post-Industrial, Sound Collage, Broken Beat, Drone, Experimental Electronic, Glitch, Minimal Techno, IDM, Musique Concrète, Noise, Field Recordings, Harsh Noise Wall and Power Electronics,
Hiroshimabend has performed many solo and headlining shows, and has opened for artists such as The Legendary Pink Dots, Skinny Puppy, Becoming /// Animal (side project of Cindytalk's Cindy Sharp), Thighpaul Sandra (Coil), Job Karma, Fetisch Park, and Farbfelde (aka Codex Empire). In Nov 2016, Hiroshimabend played the 15th annual Wroclaw Industrial Festival in Wroclaw, Poland...sharing the bill with such luminaries as DAF, Psychic TV, Asmus Tietchens, Main, Ramleh, Reutoff, Monoton, and many more.
With over 35 studio albums, several live recordings albums – released primarily by the independent label Opiumdenpluto – and appearances on compilations by Fourth Dimension Records and Drone Records, the combination of found sounds, field recordings, industrial rhythms, lingering drones, dark and unsettling ambient soundscapes, plus experimental noises are elements making up the project's aural offerings. Hiroshimabend is not only an atmospheric, sonic experience, it is often psychosomatic, giving rise to a variety of associations that refer to deep layers of the subconscious. It's the kind of music which has the ability to mesmerising the listener with a whole range of effects, rich structures and multiple layers of sound. It is not simply plain ambient, nor is it ordinary noise music – Hiroshimabend's pieces deliver both industrial-like rebelliousness and peculiar beauty alike.