About

Photo: Federico De Maio

Download : HD PHOTOS

EN / 1987-2001 will be updated soon.

Permanent Fatal Error is a solo/band project by Olivier Manchion, Ulan Bator founder member (1993-2001) and long time Faust collaborator. Olivier defines this music as deaf-blues (file under post-rock).

Original PFE members are Olivier Manchion with Akabondage, Giulio C. Vetrone (maffia sound systerm) and Francesco Bolognini (cut, iosonouncane). They were later joined by Seb Martel (M, Camille, Femi Kuti…), Nicholas Thomas and Franck Lantignac (Ulan Bator).

After the first collaboration with godfathers of krautrock Faust (1996-97) and the release late 2000 of Ulan Bator Ego:Echo (produced by Michael Gira of Swans) Olivier moves from Paris FR to live in Reggio nell’Emilia (IT) and ends his partnership with Cambuzat. There, he recorded Law Speed as Permanent fatal error (band) at URS Studio, based in in the Apennines. This first ‘Pfe’ recording was released in 2004 by Wallace Records (It), Ruminance (Fr) and Klangbad (Ww) by Faust core member Hans-Joachim Irmler.

In 2003 meeting Damo Suzuki of the legendary CAN. They’ll perform around 20 times together (until 2009) in France with French Doctors collective and Italy. In 2005 Damo released the very first meeting in Paris on the 2cd box Hollyaris.

Around 2005 PFE turned into solo or duo performances like Pop Montreal festival (CAN), Avant garde festival (GER, hosted by JH Péron of Faust) or Santarcangelo festival (IT, with visuals by Andrea Bernabini).

Olivier joined again Ulan Bator and Faust (Uk tour) to perform live between 2005 and 2007. Also a tour in duo as “Cargo Cult” with A. Cambuzat. On the same years Olivier created Bias! with Xabier Iriondo (Afterhours, Buñuel…) and released a first EP.

In the late 00’s for some exhibitions the Permanent fatal error music is associated to the works of contemporary italian artist Simone Pellegrini.

In 2009 – following a Damo Suzuki’s Network concert near Reggio Emilia with a dozen of local musician including Olivier – was born the idea with Roberto “Ape” Fabbi (Aperto festival) of the super reggiani collective: Arzân! orchestra. Then the two first performances at Aperto (2009, 2010).

Being then father of three, willing to keep contact with music/ians… From 2013 and 2019 Olivier organized circa 300 performances in Reggio Emilia IT as Red Noise, pushing the indie local scene to grow up and re-lauching the Arzân! collective (several performances with more than 30 performers) and also some international guests (Thurston Moore/Charles Hayward, Laetita Sadier, Julia Kent, Silver Apples, Kristopher Hahn, Jochen Arbeit…).

Permanent fatal error came back a first time in 2015 with Deaf sun / Deaf blues (EP), recorded in 2008 and finally released with Secret furry hole. On tour Simone Romei (guitar, key) and Skarfo (bass) of Julie’s Haircut joined the band.

In the winter 2024 P f e reborns with some solo concerts in Emilia-Romagna (It), starting with opening for the old friend Zappi with his Faust, in Bologna.
On january 16 2025 Olivier joins again the “italian network” in Milan (with members of Aftherhours, Calibro 35, Starfuckers, Larsen, Zu, Julie’s Haircut…) to celebrate Damo Suzuki on his birth day (a wonderful night cured by Xabier Iriondo).

The work for a new “P f e” album and more has started in the autumn of 2025. Also the collaboration with Andrea Bernabini was relaunched with a first performance at Aperto Festival (Nov 22, 2025).

On May 26, 2026, was released the Hommage to Antonin Artaud, collaboration with Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo of Larsen. The track was originally recorded in 2001 and comes out now with a new video by Francesca Bonci.

To be continued…

They said about Ulan Bator (1993-2001)

ALTERNATIVE PRESS: “To say that this is the best rock music France has ever produced is to damn it with faint praise. This trio may be the only band from that oversauced nation to be worth a damn in a long time—maybe since Metal Urbain or Magma.” Dave Segal, 1996

They said about Permanent fatal error (FR, IT, EN)

MOUVEMENT/Octopus: “Un hors-piste à couper le souffle”.

“Faust meet The Necks” (Chris Cutler / Rèr megacorp)

MAGIC!: “Une precision quasi clinique. Tel un Mogwai sans sucre ou un Bästärd revenu des enfers”.

RUMORE: “Un disco fatto di ampi spazi e minimi particolari. Melodioso e vivo, lontano dalla maniera di tanto post-rock di quarta generazione come da pretese sterili di avanguardia, al meglio nella melancolia retrò di BLU. Non si dovrebbe ma per una volta ci uniamo al comunicato stampa e citiamo John Fahey, rock krauto e Constellation. Allez les bleus!”

ARTE tv: “Music hasn’t been as filigree, as harmonic and at the same time as varied and clearly composed as by Permanent Fatal Error”.

ARTE tv: “La virtuosite de Tortoise, le son limpide et appuyé de Shellac et une celebration de la lenteur dans le style de Slint“.

IL MANIFESTO: “Permanent Fatal Error è il nuovo gruppo di Olivier Manchion, ex Ulan Bator. Di quel gruppo, qui, si conserva il marchio di musica scura e una potenza che pero’ viene maggiormente addomesticata (…) Al centro della musica c’e’ il pulsare cardiaco del basso: caldo e pieno di frequenze che si dispiegano per intero, senza tagli. Tutto intorno lo spazio: ora fratturato, ora diluito oppure organizzato, ora silenzioso, ora rumoroso. (…) Lavoro tanto fisico quanto cerebrale, tra ipnotismi e scosse telluriche. Ad ogni modo, sembra suonare sottopelle. Somiglianze e richiami vanno a gruppi come GodspeedYou! BlackEmperor o agli Swans e Michael Gira”.

NORMAN RECORDS: “In each of their chosen folk fashion styles, Permanent Fatal Error rock the sadness and jubilation — the very essence of their timeworn influences.”

RUMORE: “Uno straordinario disco di canzoni che rimandano a Spector e Mark Linkous (…) quanto a certi Death in june… E ovviamente agli Ulan Bator, di cui Manchion fece parte nel periodo più florido (…) Un paesaggio cotto e desolato come la straordinaria copertina del disco. Il tono, dimesso ma per nulla rassegnato di qualcuno che sembra aver qualcosa di importante da dire, un ritorno spettacolare sotto ogni punto di vista.”

ROCKIT ~ “Cinque nuove tracce dalla produzione eccellente e delicate come i petali di un fiore. Un sound ai confini dell’onirico, a tratti naïf, dondolando tra gli Sparklehorse e gli Air di “Moon Safari”, per la precisione un songwriting sospeso tra trip-hop, la psichedelica ed il post-rock (…) Un ep dalle proporzioni perfette che non può lasciarci senza la promessa di un ritorno a breve distanza.”

IT / Biografia

IT / Olivier Manchion (Francia, 1971). “Permanent Fatal Error è dal 2002 il suo progetto indie/post-rock principale. Parigino, è membro fondatore, coproduttore e bassista del trio Ulan Bator (scoperto in Italia dai C.S.I.), con cui tra il 1993 e il 2001 pubblica classici del post-rock come “Polaire”, “Végétale” e “Ego:Echo” prodotto da Michael Gira degli Swans. Ha collaborato con i Faust e Damo Suzuki dei Can, padri del krautrock e del post-punk. Per 10 anni (2009-2019) si è dedicato allo sviluppo e promozione delle band emergenti indie di Reggio Emilia, dove vive, organizzando 250 concerti con il moniker Red Noise e creando il mega collettivo reggiano Arzân! Sta lavorando a un nuovo disco”.

Main projects since 1987

Permanent Fatal Error, Ulan Bator, Miss Marvel, French Doctors, Bias!, Arzân! orchestra | Musical collaborations with Faust, Damo Suzuki, Sleaze Art (Kasper T. Toeplitz), Heldon… | Video: Argilla, Andrea Bernabini… | Art: Simone Pellegrini.

Labels

Permanent fatal error: Wallace Records, Klangbad, Ruminance, Secret Furry Hole | Ulan Bator : Les Disques du Soleil et de l’Acier, Young God Records, Consorzio Produttori Indipendenti, Sonica, Ruminance, Jestrai, Jelodanti, Improved Sequence…

Main Discography

PERMANENT FATAL ERROR “Deaf sun / Deaf Blues” (2015) EP-CD
FRENCH DOCTORS “Au chevet des blessés” (2012) album LP
FAUST “… in autumn” UK tour (2007) 3cd+Dvd box
ULAN BATOR “Ulaanbaatar, 1993-98” (2007) album CD
DAMO SUZUKI’S NETWORK “Hollyaris” Live in Paris (2005) album CD
BIAS! Bias! with Xabier Iriondo (2005) EP-CD3”
PERMANENT FATAL ERROR “Law speed” (2004) album CD
ULAN BATOR “OK:KO” (2002) album CD
PERMANENT FATAL ERROR “De Breath and its Double” (2001, 2026) single DIG
ULAN BATOR “Ego:Echo” (2000) album CD
PERMANENT FATAL ERROR “Little red piano EP” (1998, 2026) EP dig
ULAN BATOR “Végétale” (1997) album CD
ULAN BATOR “Polaire” (1997) V/A CD
ULAN BATOR “2°” (1996) EP CD
ULAN BATOR “Ursula Minor” (1996) single 7”
ULAN BATOR “Ulan Bator” (1995) album CD
MISS MARVEL “Miss Marvel” (1992, 2023) album LP

Complete discography

Photo : Olivier Manchion by Olivier Manchion — August 2024 in Lagos, Portugal