The band, with Bob Brown replacing Dust on bass, later toured Australia and then self destructed after experiencing artistic success on the one hand but a hideously mismanaged, near career destroying financial disaster on the other.
From the ashes of the conflagration emerged a stable line-up that featured Celibate Rifles' Kent Steedman on guitar and Nik Rieth on drums along with ex New Christs and Barracudas' bass player Jim Dickson. The new band rehearsed, recorded and began playing shows around Australia in mid 1993. This line-up was to become known as The Deniz Tek Group.
Early 1994 saw them release the hard rock album Outside on Red Eye. This release was followed by a national Australian tour, and then in 1995 a gruelling world tour encompassing Australia, Europe and the west coast of America. In early 1995, while in Australia, they recorded the EP 444 The Number Of The Beat, mislabeled by the Red Eye art department as 4-4. Perhaps ominous for looming trouble, the label didn't find it worth the effort to correct the error.
At the start of 1996 they experienced major problems with Red Eye over the recording of their next album, Le Bonne Route, in Montana. Tough and experimental, this record subsequently proved to be a departure in more ways than simply it's stylistic differences to its predecessors. Red Eye dropped the band leaving them to pay the recording expenses. Red Eye was subsequently dumped in turn by it's parent company, the name continuing to exist to sell back catalogue only. The wheel of karma rolled on.
July of '96 was spent road testing the new material in Italy during what was a chaotic and unpredictable tour. A limited edition CD, the Italian Tour EP '96, was specially released to celebrate the event.
In November, three weeks of shows were undertaken in Australia to support the new album, by then released on Citadel. Le Bonne Route, unfortunately, was to be the end of the road for this exceptional line-up. Differences arose between Kent and other members. Deniz and Jim regretfully decided to abandon the line-up, while hoping to work together again some day. Nik went on to play full time with Tumbleweed. The postmortem EP Bad Road was released as a final offering.
For Deniz, maintaining an Australian based band while living in the US, without the benefit of significant financial support in the form of advances, was untenable. In the end he realised a US based three piece was his best chance to continue.
Le Bonne Route was then released in America through Minneapolis based Prospective Records. The disc gained positive responses from both US press and alternate radio. Deniz did selective shows around the country with the new band featuring local Montana musicians, bassist Todd Eagle and drummer Tony Horton.
Equinox, the latest album, was recorded in Montana with engineer, co producer, sonic explorer and electronic guru Dave Weyer. Dave was once Jimi Hendrix's amplifier mechanic and confidante. Equinox, like Le Bonne Route before it is, as all albums should be, a transition zone to the next phase. A most unusual interface indeed. Some of the old fans will be dismayed. To those who leave the fold, disgusted, Deniz says au revoir and bonne chance. Some fans new and old, however, will be encouraged and inspired to venture further.
Despite adversity and unpredictable turns of fate, Deniz continues as an outsider to produce music for devotees around the world in the same uncompromising manner that has been his way for the last quarter century.
