Nocturnal Emissions, Nigel Ayers ‒ Reports of Debris   [PREORDER]

Release date: 11/21/2025 
Limited edition of 500.

Packaged in a standard jewel case with an Obi strip, manufactured in Tokyo. Artwork by Nigel Ayers.

This is the first-ever compilation bringing together Nigel Ayersʼ solo work and his long-running project Nocturnal Emissions. Covering recordings from the early 1980s up to 2024, it spans more than four decades of experimental sound.

Nocturnal Emissions is recognized as one of the earliest and most uncompromising industrial/noise groups, standing alongside Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and Cabaret Voltaire. Their sound sits at the intersection of raw industrial electronics, noise, and electronic Dada, fusing harsh textures, tape collage, and rhythm in a constantly evolving hybrid form.

The compilation, fully remastered in Tokyo, traces the major phases of Nocturnal Emissions and Nigel Ayersʼ work, spanning raw, confrontational noise rooted in the squatting scene and anti-capitalist protest of the early 1980s; the rhythm-driven period that brought dancefloor energy to industrial grit; and Ayersʼ later solo “Neotantric” phase of ambient, ritualistic sound exploring magick, ancient beliefs and altered states while carrying forward a spirit of subversion and transcendence that remains entirely intact decades later. Across these eras, the collection captures the full breadth of Ayersʼ creative journey and moves between intense, layered noise and quiet, atmospheric soundscapes blending field recordings, spoken word, electronics, and collage.

Nocturnal Emissions / Nigel Ayers ‒ Biography:

Born in 1957 in the windswept limestone terrain of Tideswell, Derbyshire, Nigel Ayers began his artistic path in the late 1970s with the experimental band The Pump, later co-founding the influential Sterile Records with Caroline K. The label became a hub for radical sound experiments and politically charged releases, featuring artists like John Balance (Coil), Maurizio Bianchi, and Lustmord. In 1980, Ayers formed Nocturnal Emissions with Caroline K. and his brother Danny Ayers, creating a shape-shifting project that blended punkʼs disruptive energy with critiques of media culture, industrial sound, and conceptual art. Though often associated with industrial music, Nocturnal Emissions has always defied categorization, evolving constantly underpinned by philosophical exploration and sonic transformation. Since the mid-1980s, Nigel Ayers has continued the project largely solo, collaborating with diverse underground artists including Japanese figures such as Mayuko Hino of C.C.C.C. and Butoh dancer Poppo Shiraishi, with whom he created live soundtracks in New York City. His work as Nocturnal Emissions is often cited as an important reference by experimental artists and he is one of the most important figures in underground experimental music.

In addition to his sound art, Ayers is also known for his visual art. His work has been exhibited at the Tate and the ICA.

1. Nigel Ayers / Tangled Clumps 02:13
From Excavations in Substation (2024)
Words and music by Nigel Ayers.

2. Nocturnal Emissions / 04 06:37
From Music for Butoh (1992)
Music made for the performance of Transearth by Poppo and the Go Go Boys.
Recorded live in La MaMa Theater, New York City, USA, October 1992.
Music composed and performed by Nigel Ayers
Originally released in 1993, edited and digitally mastered in June 2005.

3. Nigel Ayers / Nonsite Observatory 05:35
From Painted by Spirits (2019)
Electroacoustic instruments played by Nigel Ayers.
Recorded in Cornwall, October 2019.

4. Nigel Ayers / The Wise Wound 04:13
From Omega Earth Electrode (2019)
Sounds of Cornwall's industrial heritage recorded and processed by Nigel Ayers.

5. Nocturnal Emissions / Vegetation Narration 05:28
From The World is my Womb (1987)
Composed by Caroline K.
Text, narration and instruments played by Nigel Ayers.

6. Nocturnal Emissions / Night Sky 10:25
From Imaginary Time (1994)
Acoustic instruments played by Charlotte Bill.
Disarranged and decomposed by Nigel Ayers.

7. Nocturnal Emissions / Sealing a Phase 04:46
From The World is my Womb (1987)
Composition and instruments played by Caroline K.
Text and narration by Nigel Ayers.

8. Nocturnal Emissions / Rusting Shells 06:04
From Shake Those Chains Rattle Those Cages (1985)
Recorded in the studios of the Emission Control during November 1984.
Text and Voice by Caroline K. and Nigel Ayers.

9. Nocturnal Emissions / Sperm Count 04:19
From Befehlsnotstand (1983)
Recorded The Emission Control, London, England in 1983 and remixed in 1992.
Composed by Caroline K. and Nigel Ayers.

10. Nocturnal Emissions / When Were You Last in Control of Your Dreams and Aspirations ? 4:12
From Tissue of Lies (1981)
Computer and Synthetizer by Daniel Ayers.
Voice, Bass, Synthesizer and rythm by Caroline K.
Voice, Guitar, Violin and Tape by Nigel Ayers.
Recorded in South London in 1980.

11. Nocturnal Emissions / Never Give Up 4:53
From Songs of Love and Revolution (1985)
Music and voice by Caroline K.
Lyrics and voice by Nigel Ayers

12. Nocturnal Emissions / Golgotha 07:23
From Omphalos! (1998)
Decomposed and disarranged by Nigel Ayers.

13. Nigel Ayers / A Small Rectangle 02:42
From Excavations in Substation (2024)
Words and music by Nigel Ayers