(20) Editions Mego Day II

His SOMA pseudonym might be a partial play on Aldous Huxley’s infamous, fictitious sorrow-obliteration drug, but Stephen O’Malley doesn’t deal in happiness. The Osiris of drone metal has been involved with several of the genre’s key bands, including Sunn O))), Burning Witch, Khanate and KTL, and has also played an important part in linking the doom-sphere with the art world. His long list of collaborators stretches from Boris, Merzbow, Jim O’Rourke, Keiji Haino and Oren Ambarchi to French theatre specialist Gisèle Vienne, American sculptor Banks Violette, Italian performance artist Nico Vascellari and Belgian filmmaker Alexis Destoop.

Following his involvement with the Southern Lord and Ajna Offensive labels, in 2011 O’Malley became the curating force behind Ideologic Organ, which also serves as a nom de plume for his art direction and design activities. Joining him will be Bruce Gilbert, Peter Rehberg, and Tina Frank.