Marc Heal and Phil Barry, otherwise known as industrial terrorists Cubanate… Read Full Bio ↴Marc Heal and Phil Barry, otherwise known as industrial terrorists Cubanate, have explored the hybrid style created by mixing industrial music with the high-speed rhythms of techno. The group formed in London in late 1992 with Heal on vocals and Barry playing guitar, along with keyboard player Graham Rayner and percussionist Steve Etheridge. Cubanate began recording soon after, and played their first live show that same year. In early 1993, the group signed to Berlin's Dynamica label and released the "Bodyburn" single a few months later. It earned good reviews (Single of the Week according to Kerrang!), but Rayner and Etheridge left not long after. Ex-Nitzer Ebb drummer Julian Beeston replaced the two for a while, but Heal and Barry decided to continue the core of the group as a two-piece.

September 1993 brought the duo's debut album Antimatter, and the Metal EP followed in 1994. Controversy followed Cubanate around the British Isles during a 1994 tour with Carcass, as death threats and near riots caused the London Evening Standard to declare that the band had "provoked an outbreak of demented carnage." Late in 1994, Cubanate delivered "Oxyacetylene," the trailer single for second LP Cyberia, which appeared in early 1995. "Oxyacetylene" was a hit of some note, featuring on "Mortal Kombat II" and "Gran Turismo" soundtrack LP's.

Heal and Barry once again enlisted extra members -- this time guitarist Shep Ashton and keyboard player Darren Bennett -- for a European tour with Front Line Assembly in 1995. The duo's third album Barbarossa, was released in April 1996.

Two years later, "Interference" appeared on TVT / Wax Trax! Recordings. The album was a departure from the previous sound, featuring intense drum and bass rythyms and a more personal lyrical style. "Interference" received mixed reactions and Cubanate had disbanded by 2000.

Autonomy
Cubanate Lyrics

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Somebody's laughing at you

Autonomy (x2)

In the home of the brave
In the land of the free
In the cult of the number
You won't get far

You won't catch me

Gonna beat you if I can
Gonna hurt you if I can
Gonna beat you if I can
Gonna hurt you if I can

Autonomy (x3)

In the home of the brave
In the land of the free
In the cult of the number
You won't get far
You won't catch me

Gonna beat you if I can
Gonna hurt you if I can
Gonna beat you if I can
Gonna hurt you if I can

Autonomy (x6)

Gonna beat you if I can
Gonna hurt you if I can
Gonna beat you if I can
Gonna hurt you if I can

Autonomy (x15)

Somebody's laughing at you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Cubanate's song Autonomy are a critique of the societal pressures to conform and the cult-like obsession with success and achievement. The repetition of the phrase "in the home of the brave, in the land of the free" emphasizes the irony of a society that claims to value freedom and individuality, while simultaneously enforcing conformity to the "cult of the number," or the pressure to succeed at all costs. The singer seems to be rejecting this pressure to conform and asserting their autonomy and independence.

The repeated refrain of "gonna beat you if I can, gonna hurt you if I can" suggests a fierce determination to resist the forces of conformity and maintain their individuality, even if it means being at odds with those who subscribe to this cult of success. This determination is further emphasized by the repetition of the word autonomy throughout the song, as the singer affirms their own agency and autonomy in the face of societal pressure to conform.

Overall, the lyrics of Autonomy are a powerful critique of the pressures to conform in a society obsessed with success and achievement, and an assertion of individual autonomy and independence in the face of these pressures.

Line by Line Meaning

Somebody's laughing at you
Someone is ridiculing you

Autonomy (x2)
Self-governance

In the home of the brave
In the supposed place of courage and bravery

In the land of the free
In the supposedly free country

In the cult of the number
In the society that values numbers and productivity over human life

You won't get far
You will not succeed or make significant progress

You won't catch me
You will not be able to capture or hold me

Gonna beat you if I can
I will physically attack you if I am able

Gonna hurt you if I can
I will harm you if I am able

Autonomy (x3)
Self-governance

Gonna beat you if I can
I will physically attack you if I am able