# B(if)tek

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**B(if)tek** was an Australian [electronic music](/source/Electronic_music) duo comprising [Kate Crawford](/source/Kate_Crawford) and [Nicole Skeltys](/source/Nicole_Skeltys), which formed in [Canberra](/source/Canberra) in 1994. They released three albums, *Sub-Vocal Theme Park* (1996), *2020* (2000) and *Frequencies Will Move Together* (2003) before disbanding in 2003. At the [ARIA Music Awards of 1999](/source/ARIA_Music_Awards_of_1999), B(if)tek were nominated as [Best Dance Release](/source/ARIA_Award_for_Best_Dance_Release) for the track "Bedrock", which appeared on their second album.[1] The group also composed a four-minute soundtrack for the Kspace exhibition at the [National Museum of Australia](/source/National_Museum_of_Australia) in [Canberra](/source/Canberra).[2]

## History

### 1994-2003: B(if)tek

In 1993, in Canberra [Kate Crawford](/source/Kate_Crawford) and [Nicole Skeltys](/source/Nicole_Skeltys) formed B(if)tek as an electronic music group, and began writing material for their first album, *Sub-Vocal Theme Park* (1996).[3] Biftek comes from [French](/source/French_language) *le biftek*, which is borrowed from the English "beefsteak", while the English "beef" is originally from the French *le bœuf*. It was sourced from Jean-Luc Goddard's 1961 film, *[Une femme est une femme](/source/A_Woman_Is_a_Woman)*.[3] According to the band's website, the album was recorded by the duo during 1995 and 1996 in a local suburban garage and was released as a limited edition of 500 copies on the independent Geekgirl label.[4][5]

*Blatant Propaganda'*s reviewer felt that *Sub-Vocal Theme Park* showed "a range of cruisey analogue-synth based tracks... Trippy listening music, with lots of burbling bass, mellow grooves, occasional samples, and spluttering filtered percussions."[6] B(if)tek had a close association with the [Clan Analogue](/source/Clan_Analogue) collective.

By 2000, the duo were based in Melbourne. They had signed with the [Murmur](/source/Murmur_(record_label)) label, distributed by [Sony Music Australia](/source/Sony_Music_Australia).[7]

For their 2003 album, *Frequencies Will Move Together*, the band received a grant from the federal government to investigate the effects of low-frequency sounds on people.[8]

### 2004-present: After break-up

After the split, Nicole Skeltys changed musical direction, forming the psychedelic folk band **Dust** and releasing the album *Songs* in 2007.[9] In late 2007, she formed the band **The Jilted Brides** and released the album *Larceny of Love*. Since 2008, she has been based in [Pittsburgh](/source/Pittsburgh), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania).

In 2006, Kate Crawford began hosting experimental music television show *Set* on the [Australian Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Australian_Broadcasting_Corporation). She is also an author and academic and lives and works in Sydney.

In 2019, Kate Crawford, as one half of a duo named Metric Systems, released an album on Best Effort Records, named *[People in the Dark](https://besteffortrecords.bandcamp.com/album/people-in-the-dark)*. Metric Systems is a collaboration with Bo Daley of Dark Network. The eight songs that make up *People in the Dark* were recorded in studios across Sydney, Melbourne, Berlin, and New York over sixteen years. The album draws from a large archive of recordings that move between minimal techno, modular downtempo, and more abstract electroacoustic experimentation.

## Discography

### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions AUS [10] Sub-Vocal Theme Park (Acid Unravelled) Released: 1996 Label: B(if)tek Formats: CD (500 copies) - 2020 Released: August 2000 Label: Murmur (MATTCD105) Formats: CD, 2×LP 60 Frequencies Will Move Together Released: 2003 Label: Inertia Recordings (SUBVOX001CD) Formats: 2×CD -

### Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album AUS [10] 1998 "Bedrock " — 2020 1999 "We Think You're Dishy" — 2000 "Machines Work" — Wired for Sound (feat. Julee Cruise) 88

## Awards

### ARIA Music Awards

The [ARIA Music Awards](/source/ARIA_Music_Awards) is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of [Australian music](/source/Australian_music). They commenced in 1987. B(if)tek were nominated for one award.[11]

|- | [1999](/source/ARIA_Music_Awards_of_1999) | "Bedrock" | [Best Dance Release](/source/ARIA_Award_for_Best_Dance_Release) | |-

## References

1. [Aria Awards 1999](http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history/year/1999)

1. [National Museum of Australia – Kspace](http://www.nma.gov.au/education-kids/families/kspace)

1. Moses, Alexa (11 July 2003). ["Hertz so good"](http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/10/1057783281473.html). *[The Sydney Morning Herald](/source/The_Sydney_Morning_Herald)*. [Fairfax Media](/source/Fairfax_Media). Retrieved 7 April 2016.

1. ["b(if)tek: *Sub-Vocal Theme Park*"](http://www.biftek.com/releases/detail3a9f.html). B(if)tek Official Website. [Archived](https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050321130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/20906/20050322-0000/www.biftek.com/releases/detail3a9f.html) 21 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 April 2016.

1. B(if)tek; Skeltys, Nicole; Crawford, Kate; Geek Girl (1996), ["Sub-vocal theme park: acid unravelled"](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/22960675), Geek Girl, retrieved 7 April 2016

1. ["B(if)tek Review"](http://www.blatantpropaganda.org/reviews/issue1/biftek.html). *Blatant Propaganda*. '***(1). Retrieved 7 April 2016.***

1. Brown, Sophia (5 December 2000). ["B(if)tek: taking the piss"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160417140255/http://inthemix.junkee.com/biftek-taking-the-piss/74). *In the Mix*. [Junkee Media](/source/Junkee_Media). Archived from [the original](http://inthemix.junkee.com/biftek-taking-the-piss/74) on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.

1. *Frequencies will move together* (insert). Subvocal. 2003.

1. ["Nicole Skeltys: Bio"](https://web.archive.org/web/20091105084851/http://www.nicoleskeltys.com/bio/). Archived from [the original](http://www.nicoleskeltys.com/bio/) on 5 November 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2009.

1. Ryan, Gavin (2011). *Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010*. PDF ed. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 30.

1. ARIA Award previous winners. ["Winners By Award - 27th ARIA Awards 2013"](http://ariaawards.com.au/history/award/best-dance-release). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 1 March 2014.

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.biftek.com/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [B(if)tek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B(if)tek) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B(if)tek?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.