John Balance

John Balance (first name also spelled Jhon and Jhonn; born Geff Rushton/Geoffrey Laurence Burton; February 16, 1962 - November 13, 2004) was the founder and half of the experimental music group Coil. He was responsible for vocals, lyrics, chants, synthetics and various esoteric sound-making instruments and devices. Outside of Coil he collaborated with Nurse With Wound, Death In June, Current 93, Thighpaulsandra, Nine Inch Nails, Psychic TV and many other musicians. His early work and wide-ranging collaborations made him one of the most influential figures in the industrial and neofolk music scenes.

He had long struggled with alcoholism, which was cited as one of the major contributing factors to the breakup of his long-standing relationship with Industrial Records co-founder Peter Christopherson, and was a recurring theme in his later musical work. He died after falling off a balcony at his home while under the influence of alcohol.

External sites

• Threshold House (http://www.thresholdhouse.com/) memorial site

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