Kraftwerk (0) 37 views 0 favorites The influential electronic music project Kraftwerk, meaning power station) from Dusseldorf, Germany, was formed by Ralf Hatter and Florian Schneider (1947-2020) in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008. The signature Kraftwerk sound combines driving, repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies, mainly following a Western Classical style of harmony, with a minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group's simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software. Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kraftwerk's distinctive sound was revolutionary, and has had a lasting effect across many genres of modern music.
Florian Schneider (flutes, synthesizers, electro-violin) and Ralf Hütter (electronic organ, synthesizers) met as students at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf in the late 1960s, participating in the German experimental music and art scene of the time, which the British music press dubbed "krautrock".
The duo had originally performed together in a quintet known as Organisation. This ensemble released one album, Tone Float, issued on RCA Records in the UK, but the group split shortly thereafter.
Early Kraftwerk line-ups from 1970 to 1974 fluctuated, as Hütter and Schneider worked with around a half-dozen other musicians over the course of recording three albums and sporadic live appearances; most notably guitarist Michael Rother and drummer Klaus Dinger, who left to form Neu! The only constant figure in these line-ups was Schneider, whose main instrument at the time was the flute; at times also playing violin and guitar, all processed through a varied array of electronic effects. Hütter, who left the band for six months in 1971 to pursue studies in architecture, played synthesizer keyboards (including Farfisa organ and electric piano).
Their first three albums were free-form experimental rock without the pop hooks or the more disciplined song structure of later work. Kraftwerk, released in 1970, and Kraftwerk 2, released in 1972, were mostly exploratory jam music, played on a variety of traditional instruments including guitar, bass, drums, electric organ, flute and violin. Post-production modifications to these recordings were used to distort the sound of the instruments, particularly audio-tape manipulation and multiple dubbings of one instrument on the same track. Both albums are purely instrumental. Live performances from 1972 to 1973 were made as a duo, using a simple beat-box-type electronic drum machine, with preset rhythms taken from an electric organ. These shows were mainly in Germany, with occasional shows in France. Later in 1973, Wolfgang Flür joined the group for rehearsals, and the unit performed as a trio on the television show Aspekte for German television network ZDF.
With Ralf und Florian, released in 1973, Kraftwerk began to move closer to its classic sound, relying more heavily on synthesizers and drum machines. Although almost entirely instrumental, the album marks Kraftwerk's first use of the vocoder, which would in time become one of its musical signatures. Kraftwerk's futuristic and robotic sound was influenced by the 'adrenalized insurgency' of Detroit artists of the late 60's such as MC5 and the Stooges.
Joy Division (0) 35 views 0 favorites Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion).
Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences to develop a sound and style that pioneered the post-punk movement of the late 1970s. According to music critic Jon Savage, the band "were not punk but were directly inspired by its energy". Their self-released 1978 debut EP, An Ideal for Living, caught the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson. Joy Division's debut album, Unknown Pleasures, was released in 1979 on Wilson's independent record label, Factory Records, and drew critical acclaim from the British press. Despite the band's growing success, vocalist Ian Curtis was beset with depression and personal difficulties, including a dissolving marriage and his diagnosis of epilepsy. Curtis found it increasingly difficult to perform at live concerts, and often had seizures during performances.
On the eve of the band's first American tour in May 1980, Curtis committed suicide. Joy Division's posthumously released second album, Closer (1980), and the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" became the band's highest charting releases. After the death of Curtis, the remaining members continued as New Order, achieving critical and commercial success.
Stabbing Westward (2) 150 views 0 favorites Vocalist Christopher Hall and keyboardist Walter Flakus met in 1985 and formed the industrial rock band Stabbing Westward in Chicago. They released an EP in 1990, and recruited guitarist Stuart Zechman, bassist Jim Sellers, and drummer David Suycott. In late 1993, Columbia issued the band's major-label debut, Ungod. Although the album wasn't a success, the group promoted it relentlessly, touring constantly and doing scores of interviews. The groundwork paid off in 1996, when the group released their second album, Wither Blister Burn & Peel. The touring and promotion had built a solid, albeit small fan base which provided the launching pad for the second record's first single, "What Do I Have to Do." The single became a Buzz Clip on MTV, and by the summer, it was a modern rock radio hit that pushed the album to gold status. Stabbing Westward received further exposure that summer when they opened several dates for the reunited Sex Pistols.
Following the success of Wither Blister Burn & Peel, Stabbing Westward spent most of 1997 in seclusion, working on their third album. That record, entitiled Darkest Days, was finally released in April 1998. However, it failed to match the sales figures of its gold-certified predecessor, and Columbia dropped the band in the spring of 2000. A year later, the band inked a deal with Koch Records and issued a self-titled release. Plans for a fifth studio effort were in the works in late 2001, however things abruptly stopped when Stabbing Westward disbanded in February the following year. Material culled from those sessions were likely to turn up on solo efforts from Hall and Kubiszewski.
Seven Mary Three (2) 121 views 0 favorites Seven Mary Three, occasionally abbreviated to 7 Mary 3 or 7M3, is an American hard rock band. They have released seven studio albums and one live album, and are best known for their hit singles "Cumbersome", "Water's Edge", "Lucky", and "Wait".
Seven Mary Three formed in 1992 when Jason Ross and Jason Pollock met while attending The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Originally an acoustic duo, Ross and Pollock split song-writing duties and performed with Ross singing and Pollock playing guitar. Later, drummer Giti Khalsa and bassist Casey Daniel joined the band, and the foursome played coffeehouses and clubs. Paul Smith of Megaphone contributed guitar tracks to Seven Mary Three's second and third studio albums (Rockcrown, and Orange Ave.), and toured as an additional guitarist with the band in support of both albums.
The present members of the band are Casey Daniel, Jason Ross, Thomas Juliano, and Mike Levesque. Giti Khalsa has stopped touring with the band, but still performs on studio recordings.
Jason Pollock revealed in The Cavalier Daily that they came up with the name while watching the 1970s TV series CHiPs. '7 Mary 3' was the call sign for Officer Jon Baker, who was played by actor Larry Wilcox. (7M3: police radio call sign; 7 designates the patrol beat, M for Mary designates that he is a motorcycle unit and 3 is his unit number.) Pollock noted, "There's no great significance or anything. We were just tired of trying to think of a cool name."
1994's album Churn, a self-produced independent release garnered the band airplay on an FM rock station in Orlando, Florida for the future hit single "Cumbersome". Given this minor success, the band relocated to the Orlando area where they continued to expand their fan base. This regional success soon caught the attention of major-label scouts. In May 1995, Ross, Pollock, and Khalsa graduated from William & Mary and moved to Florida. The band signed with Mammoth and rerecorded the songs on Churn, plus two new ones, to create the commercially successful American Standard in 1995. Despite criticism of mimicking Pearl Jam and other alternative rock acts, only seven months after its release, American Standard achieved platinum status. This accomplishment can certainly be attributed to the success of "Cumbersome," which was a Top 40 hit, as well as another popular single, "Water's Edge" and "My My".
After touring throughout 1996, the band returned to the studio for a follow up to American Standard. During this time, Mammoth and Atlantic split, forcing Seven Mary Three to sign with Atlantic Records, releasing RockCrown in 1997. The album saw the band deemphasize hard rock, focusing more on acoustic folk rock and a "traditional singer/songwriter" style. Rock Crown did not match fan expectations, reaching No. 75 on the Billboard 200 and failing to match the success of its predecessor.
A second effort under Atlantic, Orange Ave. debuted the following year and charted considerably lower; although, its single "Over Your Shoulder" performed exceptionally. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Giti Khalsa explained the differences between the albums as a result of the band's maturity and position in life:
"We made American Standard when we were fresh out of college, and it represented that time. With Rock Crown, it was very much a response to going from playing bars and fraternities to getting a record deal to selling a million records in a year. And Orange Ave. is a response to the last few years and us being a little further away than at the beginning and being able to look back and go, 'Okay, I get it now.'"
In 1999 guitarist Jason Pollock left the group and was replaced by Thomas Juliano. In the summer of 2001, Seven Mary Three returned to Mammoth Records and producer Tom Morris. The resulting efforts became The Economy of Sound. This fifth studio album includes the single Wait, a catchy track that reached No. 7 on Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and became among the most well known songs of Seven Mary Three. The track demonstrated Seven Mary Three's evolving style and also served as the lead single from the Crazy/Beautiful film soundtrack.
After The Economy of Sound, the group shifted once again to DRT Entertainment and, in 2004, released Dis/Location. Their sixth studio album, it failed entirely to chart as did its only single. However, four years later, Seven Mary Three proved their resiliency by presenting a seventh album, day&nightdriving, under Bellum Records.
In December 2008, the group re-released their long out-of-print debut album Churn. On February 9, 2010, Seven Mary Three released the live acoustic album Backbooth.
Nickelback (1) 71 views 0 favorites Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Canada. The band is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. The band went through a few drummer changes between 1995 and 2005, achieving its current form when Adair replaced drummer Ryan Vikedal.
Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and ranking as the eleventh best-selling music act, and the second best-selling foreign act in the U.S. of the 2000s, behind The Beatles. Billboard ranks them the most successful rock group of the decade; their song "How You Remind Me" was listed as the best-selling rock song of the decade and the fourth best-selling of the decade. They were listed number seven on the Billboard top artist of the decade, with four albums listed on the Billboard top albums of the decade.
The band signed with Roadrunner Records in 1999 and re-released their once-independent album The State. The band achieved commercial success with the release of their 2000 album The State and then they achieved mainstream success with the release of their 2001 album Silver Side Up. Following the release of Silver Side Up the band released their biggest and most known hit today, "How You Remind Me" which peaked number 1 on the American and Canadian charts at the same time. Then, the band's fourth album The Long Road (2003) spawned 5 singles and continued the band's mainstream success with their hit single "Someday" which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 at the Canadian Singles Chart. Afterwards, the band put out their biggest album to date, All The Right Reasons (2005) which produced 3 top 10 singles and 5 top 20 singles, on the Billboard Hot 100 example of songs like "Photograph", "Far Away", and "Rockstar". The band's album Dark Horse (2008) was a success which produced eight singles, one of which peaked on the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and two of which peaked on the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2011, the band released their seventh album Here and Now which again topped the charts. Their eighth studio album No Fixed Address was released on 17 November 2014.
The band is based in Vancouver, Canada. The band's original domestic signing was with EMI Canada. They subsequently obtained an American deal with global distribution via Roadrunner Records. For the release of their seventh album, the band parted from EMI Canada and signed a new Canadian domestic distribution deal with Universal Music Canada.
Limp Bizkit (1) 117 views 0 favorites Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1994. As of 2012, the band consists of Fred Durst (vocals), Wes Borland (guitar), Sam Rivers (bass), and John Otto (drums). Formed in 1994, Limp Bizkit started playing in the Jacksonville, Florida underground music scene in the late 1990s, signing with Flip Records and releasing their début album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$ in 1997. The band achieved mainstream success and notoriety with their second and third studio albums, Significant Other (1999) and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000). To date, the group has sold over 33 million records worldwide.
Borland left the group in 2001, and Durst, Rivers, Otto and Lethal continued to record and tour with guitarist Mike Smith. Following the release of their album Results May Vary (2003), Borland rejoined the band and recorded The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) (2005) with Durst, Rivers, Lethal and drummer Sammy Siegler before going on hiatus. In 2009, the band's original lineup reunited and began touring, culminating with the recording of the album Gold Cobra (2011), after which they left Interscope and later signed with Cash Money Records.
Fred Durst grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina, where he took an interest in breakdancing, hip hop, punk rock and heavy metal. He began to rap, skate, beatbox and deejay. While mowing lawns and working as a tattoo artist, he developed an idea for a band that combined elements of rock and hip hop. Durst played with three other bands, Split 26, Malachi Sage, which were unsuccessful, and 10 Foot Shindig, which Durst left to form a new band. Durst told Sam Rivers, the bassist for Malachi Sage, "You need to quit this band and start a band with me that's like this: rappin' and rockin'." Rivers suggested that his cousin, John Otto, who was studying jazz drumming at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and playing in local avant garde bands, become their drummer. Durst, Rivers and Otto jammed and wrote three songs together, and Wes Borland later joined as a guitarist.
John Cougar Mellencamp (2) 145 views 0 favorites John Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951) is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. He has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and has amassed 22 Top 40 hits in the United States. In addition, he holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number-one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with seven, and has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning one. His latest album, No Better Than This, was released on August 17, 2010 to widespread critical acclaim.
Mellencamp is also one of the founding members of Farm Aid, an organization that began in 1985 with a concert in Champaign, Illinois to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. The Farm Aid concerts have remained an annual event over the past 27 years, and as of 2012 the organization has raised over $40 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture.
Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008 by Billy Joel. His biggest musical influences are Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, James Brown and The Rolling Stones. Said longtime Rolling Stone contributor Anthony DeCurtis: "Mellencamp has created an important body of work that has earned him both critical regard and an enormous audience. His songs document the joys and struggles of ordinary people seeking to make their way, and he has consistently brought the fresh air of common experience to the typically glamour-addled world of popular music."
Cristoph (1) 70 views 0 favorites Cristoph hails from Newcastle upon Tyne, coming from a family deeply entrenched in the art of DJing. With both his father and older brother working in the industry, Cristoph was always destined to take the spotlight. Immersing himself in the club environment from an early age, it wasn’t long until he found himself cutting his teeth on vinyl and diligently studying the tools of the trade.
Cristoph found his first heroes in legendary figures like John Digweed and Sasha. Enamored by their spell-binding DJ sets and masterful approach to production, Cristoph developed an insatiable drive to commit himself to his craft. His steady devotion was rewarded early on with big releases on Selador and Truesoul -- a testament to his budding abilities.
In 2016, Cristoph achieved his biggest breakthrough yet, joining Hot Since 82’s white-hot Knee Deep in Sound imprint and becoming the inaugural artist to launch the label’s coveted ‘8-track’ album series. The concept album thrust Cristoph into the international spotlight, with anthemic vocal tracks like “Alone” and “Closer” enrapturing dancefloors around the world.
In 2017, Cristoph’s career came full circle, signing to both John Digweed’s legendary Bedrock and Sasha’s Last Night on Earth. With standout releases on both imprints, Cristoph cemented his status as one of the most exciting acts in the progressive world in years. It wasn’t long until he caught the attention of another longtime hero, Eric Prydz. Cristoph would go on to open for the Swedish legend at EPIC 5.0, even becoming a recurring staple at Prydz’s inaugural Hï Ibiza residency.
Now, Cristoph has officially joined the Pryda family, becoming the first artist to sign to Prydz’s brand new imprint, Pryda Presents. It’s a definitive nod of approval from one of the scene’s most celebrated tastemakers, and a surefire mark of Cristoph’s blossoming career.
With the guidance of Prydz’s team and the support of blockbuster imprints like Bedrock and Last Night on Earth at his back, one can only imagine what’s next for the flourishing Newcastle artist.
Fiona Apple (1) 103 views 0 favorites Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success. She received a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single "Criminal" from that album in 1998.
After Tidal, Apple released the critically acclaimed, though less commercially successful albums, When the Pawn... (1999), Extraordinary Machine (2005), and The Idler Wheel... (2012).
Apple's vocal range is contralto Her musical style contains elements of jazz and alternative rock.
Rodg (2) 75 views 0 favorites
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Smashing Pumpkins (1) 46 views 0 favorites The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1988. Formed by frontman Billy Corgan (lead vocals, lead guitar) and James Iha (rhythm guitar), the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin (drums), D'arcy Wretzky (bass guitar), Melissa Auf der Maur (bass guitar), and currently includes Mike Byrne (drums), Nicole Fiorentino (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Jeff Schroeder (rhythm guitar) among its membership.
Disavowing the punk rock roots of many of their alt-rock contemporaries, the Pumpkins have a diverse, densely layered, and guitar-heavy sound, containing elements of gothic rock, grunge, heavy metal, dream pop, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegaze style production, and, in later recordings, electronica. Frontman Billy Corgan is the group's primary songwriter-his grand musical ambitions and cathartic lyrics have shaped the band's albums and songs, which have been described as "anguished, bruised reports from Billy Corgan's nightmare-land".
The Smashing Pumpkins broke into the musical mainstream with their second album, 1993's Siamese Dream. The group built its audience with extensive touring and their 1995 follow-up, the double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. With 18.75 million albums sold in the United States, The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s. However, internal fighting, drug use, and diminishing record sales led to a 2000 break-up.
In 2006, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin reconvened to record a new Smashing Pumpkins album, Zeitgeist. The band toured with a rotating lineup of between five and nine musicians through much of 2007 and 2008 with new member Jeff Schroeder before Chamberlin left the band in early 2009. New drummer Mike Byrne and bassist Nicole Fiorentino solidified a new lineup with Corgan and Schroeder, toured through much of 2010 and 2011, and are currently recording the album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope and the album-within-an-album Oceania.
A Perfect Circle (1) 113 views 0 favorites Formed by Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan and former Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel, A Perfect Circle is an extension of the alt-metal-fused-with-art rock style popularized by Tool in the early to mid-'90s. While similar to Tool in intensity and melancholy, A Perfect Circle is less dark and more melodic, with a theatrical, ambient quality that incorporates occasional strings and unusual instrumentation.
After the release of Ænima in 1996, Tool found themselves in the midst of an extended legal battle with former label Freeworld Entertainment. When the dust settled two years later, the band reached a 50/50 joint venture agreement for future recordings and, feeling a little burned out, decided to take some time off. It was at this point that Keenan joined up with Howerdel and Paz Lenchantin to form A Perfect Circle. Keenan had met Howerdel in 1992 when Tool opened for Fishbone. Howerdel had been Fishbone's tech at the time and had played Keenan a few of his songs. Keenan was impressed and the two talked of collaborating in the future. However, the opportunity didn't present itself until after the Freeworld settlement. With Keenan on vocals, Howerdel on guitar, and Lenchantin on bass, the trio recruited ex-Failure and Enemy member Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar and ex-Vandals and Guns N' Roses member Josh Freese on drums.
The quintet rehearsed together but didn't announce the formation of a new band until performing for the first time on August 15, 1999, at a benefit concert at the Viper Room in Los Angeles. Howerdel, who had been composing songs for years, as well as working with bands such as the Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails, became the band's chief songwriter and producer. A Perfect Circle released their debut album, Mer de Noms, in 2000. Thirteenth Step followed in 2003, and the covers album Emotive appeared in 2004.