Dan Burke

Illusion of Safety is primarily Dan Burke working with numberous individuals (including Jim O'Rourke, Mark Klein and Kurt Greisch) in various combinations of one to 12 members.  Burke has continually recorded and performed under the name Illusion of Safety since 1983 and has released 15 CDs on labels such as Silent, Odd Size, Staalplaat, Soleilmoon, Manifold, Tesco, and Complacency since 1991.  They have completed over 170 live performances in the U.S., Europe, and Canada.  At times their work has been called ambient, post-industrial, electro-acoustic, electronica, sound collage, improvisation, and power electronics.

Dan Burke began experimenting with sound 1981 after seeing the final two performances by
Throbbimg Gristle. The original formation of IOS began in 1983 when Burke began working with
the avant-rock group Dot Dot Dot - a free form improvisation group. It was Burke's first musical collaboration with others, and for the other members it was a release from conventional musical structures (Jazz & Rock), venturing into noise and textural atmospheres. The first live performance of IOS was on June 17, 1983.

In 1986 Burke and Thymme Jones founded their Complacency label in order to release the work  of IOS and Cheer-Accident (Jones' rock group, and solo music project). In 1986, "Its A Dead Dog" - the first of 12 IOS cassettes - was released on Complacency, and IOS began performing  live again. In 1988, in association with RRRecords, IOS released their first vinyl LP "More Violence and Geography" on Complacency. In mid 1988 Jim O'Rourke began working with IOS, and soon after Mark Sorensen relocated to the bay area. Over the next few years IOS began to perform more frequently, including some performances outside the Chicago area. In 1991, "Historical", the first IOS CD was released by the Dutch label Staalplaat. The recordings were done by Burke, O'Rourke, Block, Enderle, Jones, & Klein, and feature some of the earliest use of sampling & sequencing technology by the group.

Since this period the lineup for live performance has been fluctuating, but on tour it has been primarily Burke paired with one other member. In October of 1992 Burke & O'Rourke  did the first European IOS tour. Early in 1993 O'Rourke stopped working with IOS in order to pursue his own solo projects. During 1993 Burke & Jones began rehearsing for and embarked on the first U.S. east coast tour by IOS.

Dan Burke continues to tour and perform live.  Although his studio work has slowed, new releases (including an album with Kevin Drumm) and re-releases keep appearing.  Dan has also posted many songs on mp3.com and is active in the visual arts field.

Dan Burke / Illusion of Safety Discography


Full-Lengths:

Illusion of Safety - Historical (lmtd. 500, leather pouch with .22 caliber bullet in center), Staalplaat, 1991
Illusion of Safety - More Violence and Geography LP, Complacency/RRRecords, 1988
Illusion of Safety - Finance And Ideology cassette, Complacency, 1989
Illusion of Safety - IOS live/Holeist Split LP, Complacency, 1989
Illusion of Safety - Historical (re-release in jewel case), Staalplaat, 1992
Illusion of Safety - Cancer (lmtd. 1000), Tesco, 1992
Illusion of Safety - Inside Agitator, Complacency, 1992
Illusion of Safety - Probe (initial release of 500 in wooden case with Italian coin & sealed with toy money), Staalplaat, 1993
Illusion of Safety - Fifteen/Finite Material, Context, 1993
Illusion of Safety - Water Seeks Its Own Level, Silent Records, 1994
Illusion of Safety - Distraction, Odd Size, 1994
Randy Greif & Dan Burke - Fragment 56, Complacency/Swinging Axe, 1994
Illusion of Safety - From Nothing To Less, Complacency, 1995
Dan Burke - Rules Of The Game (3" CD), em13n, 1995
Randy Greif & Dan Burke - Horror Vacuii (Split CD), 1995
Illusion of Safety - Guru Means Slayer Of Darkness, Manifold, 1996
Illusion of Safety - Of and The, Staalplaat, 1998
Illusion of Safety - Bad Karma, Soleilmoon, 1998
Dan Burke & Kevin Drumm - Mort Aux Vaches, Staalplaat, 1999
Illusion of Safety - Hz, Sonoris, 1999
Illusion of Safety - The Nature Of Sand, Manifold, 2000
Illusion of Safety - In Opposition To Our Acceleration, Die Stadt, 2001

Tracks on other CDs:
IOS - "Helen Your Brain, Forever since about Breakfast" on Chicago Loops comp, Sub Up, 1991   
IOS - "Devices To Be Used" on Testament LP, RRRecords, 1987
IOS - "Every Tyrant A City" on The Great New World In Environment and Acceleration, V-2 Organisation 1992
IOS - "The Line Of Least Resistance" on Arrhythmnia 2, Charnel House, 1993
IOS - "Cancer (live)" on A Blind Man's Gallery of Mirrors, Freedom In A Vacuum, 1996
IOS - "The Most Familiar Enemy" on Seedmouth, Cold Spring Records, 1996
"UFO Crash At Roswell: An Audio Documentary" IOS Soundtrack: Narration by Donald R. Schmitt 1997 CD on Baraka Foundation
IOS - "AciDiscipline" on We Hate You - A Small Tribute to Throbbing Gristle, Jazzassin Recordings, 1997
IOS - "Weeping"  on We Hate You - A Small Tribute to Throbbing Gristle, Jazzassin Recordings, 1997
IOS - "Enhanced X-S Artifact" Thirteen, klang galerie, 1999   

Singles:
Illusion of Safety - The False Mirror/7 Years Later 7" (lmtd. 500), a state of flux, 1993
Illusion of Safety - The Banishing Ritual 7", Complacency Music, 1994
Illusion of Safety - Fin De Siecle LP, Korm Plastics, 1996
Illusion of Safety - The Schmetterling E.P. 7" picture disc (lmtd. 111), Syntactic, 1996
Illusion of Safety - Kapotte Muziek by Illusion Of Safety 7", Korm Plastics, 1997

Illusion of Safety cassettes released on Complacency Records:
1986 Its A Dead Dog
1986 Ecstatic Crisis
1987 Live Sound Of IOS Post Effects
1987 My Mind Is Killing Me
1987 Violence And Geography
1988 More Altitude Than Attitude
1988 Repairs
1989 In 70 Countries
1989 Fifteen
1989 Finance And Ideology
1990 Finite Material Context
1990 Forced Cohesion
1991 RVE

Other:
cd-r created to be sold primarily at live performances, a signed & numbered limited edition of 200, in special packaging. The tracks are live unreleased performances from year 2000.
Two new studio compositions, and two previously unavailable recordings from 1994. Color grafitti artwork inserts by Burke.

Silent Release

Special silentrecords.net interview with Dan Burke

How did you meet Kim Cascone and get involved with Silent Records?

I sent them a demo they liked. I met Kim well after the release came out.


Briefly describe the "ambient" scene during the times you were putting out material for Silent.

Not sure about any scene. I was never part of one exactly.


How has it changed?

Still or even more out of touch except i know what they call ambient sure aint my idea (or Brian Eno's) of what it should be.


Is there any unreleased material from the Silent period?

Oh yes. but none of that will come out. That was a very prolific time for me and the best of it saw the light of day as Distraction (on Odd Size now a CDR on Staalplaat), Rules of the Game (3' cd on Em 13n, I still have about50 copies of it, maybe my favorite work of mine), and Probe (my work withJim O on Staalplaat, which may be rereleased again)


Any plans on re-releasing the Silent material?

It is as a CDR on Staalplaat


What are you up to now?

A lot of personal work (spiritual/psychological) and travel. Not much studio work but a few things over the last few years. I have been touring regularly, although only short ones to Europe. Playing live is very satisfying to me. There has been a few interesting releases as well. "In Opposition to ouracceleration" and "More violence and geography"  both on Die Stadt. Also just released on Staalplaat is a Mort aux vaches of Dan Burke & KevinDrumm, recorded while we were on tour together last year. Die Stadt will also be releasing a 12' record of my work with Kevin.  I have also posted on MP3.com (available as a link thru my website) over 50 full length tracks, many of which are newer unreleased live tracks.


Is there anything you would like to add?

I have a photo exhibition coming up in Portland in April, along with a live
performance.  http://www.tjnorris.net/soundvision.htm


 Please include links to any sites you would like included on the site.

http://www.illusionofsafety.com

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