Nodens Ictus formed in 1986 as an offshoot of British psychedelic rock band Ozric Tentacles. History Nodens Ictus began life in 1986 when Ozric Tentacles guitarist Ed Wynne and keyboardist Joie Hinton were asked by the promoters of the infamous Crypt club in Deptford, South London, to produce an ambient set for the club's (non existent) "chillout" room. Nodens Ictus explored ethereal, Tangerine Dream-like soundscapes using synths, samples and loops (almost always unseen sitting behind a bank of equipment), in contrast to the driving space-rock which characterised the sound of The Ozrics. The limited-run, independent cassette-only album The Grove of Selves was issued in 1987 - sold initially at gigs and by mail order, it has subsequently become a rare and sought-after item of Ozric memorabilia. Due to the success of Ozrics, Nodens Ictus played infrequently throughout the late '80s and early '90s. The band occasionally ventured into electronica/dance territory following the addition of Ozric drummer Merv Pepler to the lineup. Pepler and Hinton meanwhile concentrated on their techno-trance act Eat Static, which had become successful enough in its own right for them to leave the Ozrics permanently in 1994. Nodens Ictus resurfaced in 2000 with the release of Spacelines, a collection of old and new studio tracks along with a handful of live cuts dating back as far as 1988. Released on the Ozrics' own Stretchy Records label, the album generated reasonable interest, and Nodens Ictus soon returned to the live arena, most notably at the "Pongmaster's Ball" extravaganzas held in London in 2002 and 2004. An appearance at the Glastonbury festival was made in 2003, and Nodens Ictus continued with a pair of small-scale headline shows in Exeter and London in 2005. 2007 saw the band play at the Solfest in Cumbria alongside Mixmaster Morris and System 7 Noden was a cat. Neptune-Nodens the god of the deep. Nodens is a form of Chozzar (Choronzon) whose symbol is the trident or triple-tongued fire of Shin (or Sin) the letter of Set. The feminie aspect of the beast - balanced by the male aspect - Shugal. Discography Albums * The Grove of Selves (1987) * Spacelines (2000) Known "bootleg" recordings * Live at Club Dog (1988) * Live at the Angel Centre, Tonbridge (1989) * Live at the Scala Cinema (1989) * Live at the Brixton Fridge (1991)
