About
Regis is a name that has become synonymous with techno and like those before him -- Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Joey Beltram -- it has also become a sign of quality. The pseudonym of Birmingham, U.K.-born Karl O'Connor, Regis' story began in the early '90s. With a grounding in the post-punk and industrial scene of the '80s, O'Connor favored the rapidly increasing British techno sound being pioneered by the likes of Sweet Exorcist, Renegade Soundwave, and Cabaret Voltaire's Richard H. Kirk, and in 1993, along with Peter Sutton (Female), he founded Downwards. Approaching the label with true D.I.Y. aesthetics, Downwards released music from like-minded artists such as Surgeon and Female, but it wasn't until 1995 that the first Regis release appeared. The 12" Montreal was made up of three loop-driven slabs of industrial-techno, taking influence from Jeff Mills and Dave Clarke, a sound that Regis would become known for throughout the '90s.
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