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American noise music and conceptual art troupe
the noise music group

The Haters are a noise music and conceptual art troupe from the United States. Founded in 1979, they are one of the earliest acts in the modern noise scene. The group is primarily the work of the Hollywood, California based musician, artist, writer, and filmmaker GX Jupitter Larsen, accompanied by a constantly changing lineup of other "members", usually local experimental musicians and artists in whatever town a Haters performance happens to take place.

The group began as Jupitter Larsen realized he was more interested in making noise and destroying venues than in structured music. Soon the Haters established contacts with like minded artists in what would become known as the noise music scene, including Merzbow, Maurizio Bianchi, and The New Blockaders. In the late 1970s GX Jupitter Larsen was done with the Punk scene. At first, in 1979 in New York, the kind of noise he was looking for would not be audible through the ears, but through a kind of sociological transmission. A social distortion instead of sonic feedback was his personal post punk mandate. The Haters first performances did not involve any deliberate use of sound. Even if there were any sounds, the audio was secondary. Haters performances at the time were simple actions. Events such as hitting video cassettes with a video camera, watching dust form on a floor, or counting garbage cans along a street.

Haters performances typically consist of Jupitter Larsen and one other performer, both wearing masks, creating extremely loud noise using various types of machinery, with the sound distorted and amplified until it is virtually unrecognizable.

Many of The Haters later performances involved whole audiences being led by inside agitators to actually ruin or destroy entire venues. At first The Haters did not care what the sound on the tape was as long as it was constant. Otherwise they had no other interest in sound on their stage for years. This did not mean they were not interested in sounds at all. In fact, whenever The Haters were in the studio, they'd always give great detail to every aspect of the sound. A record or CD release, and a live performance are two different things; and they absolutely never saw any reason whatsoever why one had to sound anything like the other.

The Haters would experiment with incorporating live sounds with the pre recorded, but this was never a high priority for them until their 101st performance. There, live sound became a central component for their theatre. San Francisco on June 10 in 1990 saw performers each rubbing a calculator against very abrasive sandpaper. Another simple action, but this time a contact mic had been mounted on the props. The sound of the rubbing was being amplified. The Haters would perform this piece, which they called "The Thinking Ross Does", several more times in many different cities over the years. In their 144th performance, in Zürich they used amplified electric drills to turn large wooden objects into sawdust. The piece was called "Building Empty Holes", but the action itself was still more important than the sounds involved. It wasn't till their 155th performance, New York City on December 28, 1991 when they found their next major audio fetish. The Haters called it the "clici clic"; a hand held hole punch mounted with a contact mic for amplification. They would perform this action again and again, over the next ten years. With their 174th performance, Paris, October 30, 1992, The Haters would slowly push a live microphone into a power grinder to gently wear it down to a stub. As GX has said in many an interview; "Erosion as penetration of the void. For erosion is the only way a solid object can truly penetrate the void." The audience cheered on. This action would become another recurring motif for The Haters for years.

During the 1990s The Haters developed many different recurring techniques using amplified gear. The only reason The Haters started incorporating live sound in performances was to re emphasize the action taking place. Not for the sake of the sound itself. There's no linear progression here. There are also frequently no verbs, either. Themes and techniques would overlap back and forth, but overall, the performances were getting louder. By 1995 The Haters had ceased using pre recorded soundtracks all together. They would now use any one of several theatrical devices to function as stage curtains. Sound became a means of illustrating a narrative. For example, from 2000 to 2002, GX Jupitter Larsen would balance an amplified calculator on top of the open grill of a small desk fan. This was his way to bring to stage an image. That of mathematician Ross Rhesymolwaith sitting by an open window so he could feel the wind against his face while he did his calculations. The piece was entitled "Dirwyn". The sound and action were the same.

The most eventful phase in The Haters use of sound in performance came when, instead of amplifying common tools, they started having their own custom devices built that were made solely for the purpose of making noise. By the late 1990s The Haters became obsessed with the idea of a contrast between what the sound was and how the sound was made. Wrestling has always been a source of inspiration for them. Wrestling is the purest form of theatre of the absurd; one of non confrontational violence where stereotypes are exaggerated beyond all recognition. The Haters latest performance entitled "Loud Luggage / Booming Baggage", first performed in 2010, has them operate amplified suitcases, shaking and banging them about till the luggage eventually breaks.