Editing Nothing Records (section)

=== Meat Beat Manifesto (Subliminal Sandwich era) ===
[[Meat Beat Manifesto]] would have many encounters with [[Trent Reznor]] in the years leading up to their arrival on Nothing Records. However, the partnership was born out of a dark period for the group, due to difficulties with their European label, [[PIAS Recordings|Play It Again Sam]]. Meat Beat Manifesto, originally the duo of [[Jack Dangers]] and Johnny Stephens, struggled to find any labels willing to support them in the UK throughout their formative years in the late 1980s. This prompted the band to accept an unfavorable deal with Belgian label [[PIAS Recordings|Play It Again Sam]]. Jack Dangers recalled, "I couldn't get a label to sign me in the UK, and that's why I ended up in a disastrous contract with Belgian label PIAS (Play It Again Sam)."<ref name="Lowrey, Nick">{{cite web| url = http://thequietus.com/articles/05135-jack-dangers-interview-meat-beat-manifesto| title = "An Amazing Drug Like Quietus": Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto Interviewed| author = Lowrey, Nick| work = The Quietus| date = October 21, 2010| access-date = September 10, 2016}}</ref> In spite of this, the deal sparked interest from many labels in the US. Venerable imprints such as [[Wax Trax|Wax Trax! Records]] and [[Mute Records]] would license the band's early material in the United States, such as ''[[Storm the Studio]]'', ''[[Armed Audio Warfare]]'', ''[[99% (Meat Beat Manifesto album)|99%]]'' and ''[[Satyricon (Meat Beat Manifesto album)|Satyricon]]'', which gave MBM an increased Stateside following. Dangers reflected, "I remember going to see [[Mute Records]] in 1988 and they weren't interested in the slightest in what I was doing. Two years later they were running all over the world to sign me for the American end of the deal because PIAS only had me signed for Europe. It's funny how two years prior they wouldn't even listen to my records."<ref name="Lowrey, Nick"/>

Their early work would capture the attention of [[Trent Reznor]], leading to an invitation in 1990 for Meat Beat Manifesto to perform as openers during [[Nine Inch Nails|Nine Inch Nails']] ''Hate '90'' tour (a tour which also included a guest appearance from one of the earliest incarnations of [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]], who performed as local openers when the tour ran through Florida).  Meat Beat Manifesto were also invited to remix Nine Inch Nails, first on the [[Closer To God]] remix disc in 1994, followed by [[The Perfect Drug]] in 1997 (the former also featured Nothing Records act [[Coil (band)|Coil]], while the latter also featured Nothing act [[Luke Vibert|Plug]]).

In 1993, Dangers relocated from [[England]] to [[San Francisco, California]] and began work on a follow-up to 1992's ''Satyricon''. By this time, Dangers had become the sole, constant member of the band and recording of the subsequent album, ''[[Subliminal Sandwich]]'', would mark a dark time in his life, due in part to the death of his father, as well as increasing tension with his label, PIAS. Dangers stated, "''Subliminal Sandwich'' was done while I was in the middle of trying to get out of my label deal, which is always a bad thing, so I just made the best of a terrible thing and did a double album. I was just waiting to get out of that miserable, boring, heard-it-all-before stuff."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.audiohead.net/interviews/jackdangers/index2.html| title = Jack Dangers: Meat Beat Manifesto Returns| author = Jorgi, Stephanie| work = Audiohead| date = 2002| access-date = September 10, 2016}}</ref>

Throughout the recording of ''Subliminal Sandwich'', the band faced uncertainty regarding their Stateside distribution. [[Mute Records]] was in the process of downsizing, while their licensing contract with Play It Again Sam was likewise nearing its conclusion. A US 12" single for ''Nuclear Bomb'' from the ''Subliminal Sandwich'' sessions made it as far as the test pressing stage at Mute in late 1995, before plans for a commercial release were scrapped.

MBM's North American licensing via Mute soon lapsed and the band found themselves without U.S. distribution, paving the way for Nothing Records to begin licensing their work in the United States in 1996. ''Subliminal Sandwich'' was released as a double album on June 4, 1996 on Nothing Records. The album was led by a cover of the [[World Domination Enterprises]] song "Asbestos Lead Asbestos," which was released as commercial single in Europe on PIAS and as a promo only CD/12" single on Nothing in the US. A video for the song also received minor US airplay on MTV. Additionally, a single for ''Transmission'' was released in Europe on PIAS, though it was not picked up for US release by Nothing.

Meat Beat Manifesto would support ''Subliminal Sandwich'' with extensive touring across the United States and Europe, featuring a line-up of Jack Dangers, John Wilson on guitar, Lynn Farmer on drums and Mike Powell on samples and keys. In 1996, the band took part in the "Nights Of Nothing" label showcase, which featured label-mates [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]] and [[Nine Inch Nails]], with the latter's line-up including [[Clint Mansell]] of [[Pop Will Eat Itself]] and [[Kevin McMahon (musician)|Kevin McMahon]] from [[Prick (band)|Prick]].

The band would go on to become one of the more prolific acts on Nothing, releasing many additional titles in the years to follow, as well as helping reshape the sound of the label. However, Dangers and Reznor maintained a mostly professional relationship throughout their tenure, with Dangers stating, "I was never really hanging out with Trent. I don't know if that was the perception."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.slugmag.com/music-features/meat-beat-manifesto-an-unexpected-rhythm/| title = Meat Beat Manifesto: An Unexpected Rhythm| author = Madden, Dave| work = Slug Magazine| date = November 11, 2010| access-date = September 10, 2016}}</ref> Despite the fact the band was only ever licensed via Belgian label PIAS, Meat Beat Manifesto's relationship with Nothing Records was considered a positive one, with Dangers describing Nothing Records at the time as "the best label we've ever been a part of."<ref>{{Cite episode |title=120 Minutes of Nothing |series= 120 Minutes|network= Viacom|station= MTV|date= 1996}}</ref>