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Regarded as a leader of the French industrial scene, Amadou
Sall is both a sound engineer, producer and musician.
From 1991 to 1993, this huge fan of Joy Division, Nine Inch
Nails, Sepultura and Einstürzende Neubauten was also
a bassist in Treponem Pal, a band breaking new ground on
the French scene by mixing machines and guitars.
After recording Excess and Overdrive, Amadou left the band
and joined Pierre Gutleben, a longtime friend with whom
he had another group named Silver Rocket: it became Collapse
by the end of 1994.
 In
1997 a first six track CD, One
Back and No Return, layed the foundations of Collapse
with distorted guitars, tribal percussions, ethnic sounds
and electronic sounds. Produced by its own label company
Low Light, this mini-album led the group to give some concerts
demonstrating their mastery of sound and scene.
 Amadou
working as sound engineer and producer (for Treponem Pal,
Les Tétines Noires or Nox) and Pierre who lived in
Toulouse, Collapse took their time to release their first
real album Inbreeding.
Meanwhile, Amadou also developed Primitive, a dub industrial
project, with Marco Neves from Treponem Pal. A maxi vinyl
with four titles was released in 1997 on the Hammerbass
label.
Finally in 1999 Collapse released the ten
track lp Inbreeding,
that significantly hardened the tone of the band. Emphasizing
different aspects (electro, ethno, industrial, metal), the
duo developed a very personal style, between trance, tribal
and urban beats based on lyrics, referring to many anticipation
movies such as Logan’s Run, Planet of the Apes or
Soylent Green.
 One
year later , Collapse released Link-The
Inbreeding Remixes (2000), in which Mlada fronta,
Sin, Punish Yourself or members of Naked Apes and Treponem
Pal reconstructed the ten tracks of Inbreeding.
 In
2002, Amadou finished the first version of Humans
. It was a difficult time for Collapse because Peter was
overall very busy with his job and was as a result less
available for the band. Ready to sign a contract with a
record label Collapse started promoting Humans through interviews
and concerts. But Amadou was ultimately not satisfied, and
stopped his efforts to release Humans.
Finally Pierre left the band. Amadou then chose to completely
re-record the album. The new version of Humans
was released twp years later (2004) with the impressive
opening "Tidal Wave" track. The new record turned
its back on ethnic influences and ambient beginnings, going
further in the fusion between guitar and electronic sequences
and beats.
With easier to grasp melodies and rhythms Humans
was much more mature. Amadou also took a more dedicated
stand on issues such as the environment and capitalistic
imperialism in his lyrics.
But the project was far from over...
 With
the release of Embryo
in April 2006, Collapse reached to another level.
The guitars were less aggressive, more balanced with the
machines, the vocals were more melodic and the overall tone
closer to a form of cold-wave doped with industrial rock.
As far as the lyrics are concerned, they were more ecological
and humanistic than ever.
Instead of mentally and physically exhausting
himself by touring or meddling around with make do projects
in order to earn a living, Amadou took time to refine his
albums. He also chose to create stunning acoustic concerts
with his friends Jabberwock under the name of The Federation...
 If
Embryo was haunted
by the ghost of Joy Division, now it is rather the shadow
of VNV Nation (Judgement) that hangs on In
Despair. Resolutely turned towards the future but
having learned the lessons of the past, Collapse celebrates
its twelve years of life with a record that picks up the
key elements of his previous accomplishments (tribal beats,
electronic programming, metallic guitars, danceable beats)
with increasingly fluid vocals and melodies more direct
than ever. Collapse takes time to refine its records (and
one can hear it), makes each concert as intense as possible
and remains fiercely independent since the beginning (using
its own label company: Low Light)...
The music of Collapse continues to evolve,
without denying its strength and its uniqueness. At a time
when the survivors of the first wave of French industrial
rock can be counted on the fingers of one hand, it is good
to see that Collapse is among those who have never given
up, and it continues to renew itself without losing inspiration.
Christophe Lorentz
Translated by Amadou Sall and Florence Martin
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