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Biography
Refimprove|date=October 2010Infobox musical artist| name = The Legendary Pink Dots| image = Tierecke LegendaryPinkDots.jpg| caption = LPD vocalist Edward Ka-Spel on the keyboard and Niels van Hoorn at an 14 October 2007 show at the Stubnitz boat in Amsterdam | background = group_or_band| origin = London , England|UK || genre = Avant-garde rock Experimental music|Experimental Neo-psychedelia Ambient music|Ambient Post-punk Industrial music|Industrial Noise music|Noise Synthpop Industrial rock Noise rock | years_active = 1980–present|| label = ROIR Beta-lactam Ring Records Terminal Kaleidoscope Car Crash International Flesh Eating Ants Records Soleilmoon Play It Again Sam (record label)|PIAS InPhaze || associated_acts = Mimir (band)|Mimir The Tear Garden | website = http://legendarypinkdots.org/ LegendaryPinkDots.org|| current_members = Edward Ka-Spel Phil Knight Erik Drost Raymond Steeg|| past_members = Ryan Moore Bob Pistoor April White Patrick Wright Lilly Ak "Macrobiotic" Bart Marylou Busch Rik Chevrolet Tony Copier Sally Graves Barry Gray Vincent Hoedt Calyxx Ka-Spel Lisa Michael Marshall Hans Meyer Nienke Elke Peucker Jason Salmon Mark Thrasher Keith Thompson Edwin von Trippenhof Frank Verschuuren Julia Niblock Waller Patrick White Graham Whitehead Halekka Malaizhista Martijn de Kleer Niels van Hoorn The Legendary Pink Dots ( LPD ) are an United Kingdom|Anglo - Netherlands|Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in August 1980. Although far outside the mainstream (in terms of their music and career path), LPD have released more than 40 albums, have a devoted worldwide following, and tour frequently.
Overview
The Legendary Pink Dots formed in August 1980 in London. In 1984 the band transplanted itself to Amsterdam which led to a shift in the original lineup, the original bassist Roland Callaway leaving at this time.
The core members of the group are vocalist/songwriter/keyboardist Edward Ka-Spel and keyboardist Phil Knight. Many others have passed through the group over the years. As of 2010 the group is composed of:
Edward Ka-Spel - vocals, keyboards, songwriter
Phil Knight (rock musician)|Phil Knight (a.k.a. The Silverman) - keyboards, electronics
Erik Drost - guitars
Raymond Steeg - live sound engineer
The story behind the band's name is a source of speculation because Edward has given multiple explanations behind its origins. The most plausible and common explanation traces back to the mysterious pink dots on certain keys of the band's main recording studio piano named "Osbert"; the dots that can be found at either end of the keys do not make any particular chord or scale pattern and the reason for them remains unknown to this day. The piano itself is still owned by one of the founding band members, April White, and can be found at her home recording studio in Chatteris , Cambridgeshire.
Their music touches on elements of neo-psychedelia , ambient music , electronic music , tape music , Industrial music|industrial , psych folk , synth-pop , post-punk , progressive rock|progressive , jazz , noise , pop music|pop , and goth rock , with a distinctly experimental music|experimental / avant-garde bent; their sound has evolved over time and remains distinctive, making it difficult to place the group into a concise style or genre. The group's overall sound combined with Ka-Spel's distinct lyrics and singing have earned comparisons to Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett ;Allmusic|class=album|id=r836058|pure_url=yes Mason, Stewart: "Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves", Allmusic.com review. Retrieved February 3, 2007. the group also has links to the sounds of krautrock bands such as Can (band)|Can ,Allmusic|class=album|id=r495708|pure_url=yes Mason, James: "A Perfect Mystery", Allmusic.com review. Retrieved February 3, 2007.Faust (band)|Faust , Brainticket , Magma (band)|Magma or Neu! (whose "Super" they covered on the 1999 tribute album "A Homage to NEU!"), as well, to some post-industrial`pioneers as Nurse With Wound and the neo-folk of Current 93 . Edward Ka-Spel has said their musical influences range from the likes of Abba to Iannis XenakisDisambiguation needed|date=June 2011
Related bands
The Pink Dots also collaborated with Skinny Puppy 's cEvin Key , forming a side project named The Tear Garden . Key also appears on the 1994 LPD album 9 Lives to Wonder . Others groups related to present and past Pink Dots members are Strange Attractor, Mimir and Minizza.
Ryan Moore (musician)|Ryan Moore , who provided drums on studio and live performances for the Legendary Pink Dots, departed to work on his own musical outlet, the Twilight Circus Dub Sound System . He has found notable success with Twilight Circus in the Reggae / Dub music|Dub genre. He even wrote and produced new albums for grammy-award winning singer Michael Rose (singer)|Michael Rose of Black Uhuru , and has worked with other notable Reggae figures such as Sly Dunbar , half of one of the most influential partnerships in reggae music, Sly & Robbie .
The Pink Dots have influenced a wide range of bands, such as The Dresden Dolls , the Death Party, MGMT , Electric Caves, Orbit Service, Skinny Puppy , Christus and the Cosmonaughts, The Circus of the Scars, Halbes Vakuum, Chanting Sheep, Golden Death Music, Un Festín Sagital, One for Jude , Hide n' Seek. and many others.
Raymond Steeg has also done live work, on the mixing desk for Hawkwind and Porcupine Tree , during the 1990s.
In a private interview in 1987, the band stated that they had been influenced strongly by The Residents and Tuxedomoon.
Recurring themes
There are a number of concepts and words that recur in Pink Dots lyrics, many of which also appear in Edward Ka-Spel's solo works. Some of these include:
*Has been identified by Edward Ka-Spel as his "alter-ego trying to get a little attention. Tried to spare the world by killing her off a few times but she always bounces back." http://www.postwave.gr/index.php? option=com_content& task=view& id=703& Itemid=10& limit=1& limitstart=1 Interview with Edward Ka-Spel , November 2007
http://legendarypinkdots.org/ LegendaryPinkDots.org - Official LPD Online Centraal: news, discography, etc.
http://cloud-zero.org Cloud-Zero.org – Archives and information from the Cloud-Zero mailing list members and Brainwashed
http://www.terminalkaleidoscope.com/ Terminal Kaleidoscope.com – official mail-order service for LPD
DEFAULTSORT:Legendary Pink Dots, The Category:English rock music groups Category:Musical groups from London Category:British post-punk music groups Category:Synthpop groups Category:Soleilmoon artists Category:Gothic rock groups Category:Psych folk groups Category:Musical groups established in 1980 Category:British experimental musical groups
