Xymox

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Biography

The band Clan of Xymox , also known as Xymox , formed in the Netherlands in 1981. Clan Of Xymox featured a trio of songwriters - Pieter Nooten, Ronny Moorings and Anke Wolbert - and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on a prestigious List of independent UK record labels|independent UK label , a third and fourth album on a Record label|major US label and scoring a hit single in the United States. Early pioneers of the dark and moody electronic music known as darkwave , their 1980s releases included synthpop / electronic dance music .

Though the band is still active and continues to tour and release records, of the original songwriters (Nooten, Moorings and Wolbert), only Moorings remains in the band today. After the departure of Nooten and Wolbert in the early 1990s, their music turned increasingly Goth_subculture|Goth (they have since been referred to as the "founding fathers of goth.")

History

1981–1991

The band formed in Amsterdam in 1981, consisting of Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, Frank Weyzig, and Pieter Nooten, and released a mini-album, Subsequent Pleasures (album)|Subsequent Pleasures , in 1983. They were invited to support Dead Can Dance and were signed to the indie label 4AD , which released their eponymous debut album in 1985. The track 7th Time , with Anka Wolbert on lead vocals, was picked up by John Peel , leading to the band recording two of the List_of_Peel_sessions#C|Peel Sessions at the BBC , in June and November 1985.

In 1987, now abbreviated as Xymox, they released their second and last album on 4AD, Medusa (Clan of Xymox album)|Medusa , before signing with PolyGram . Simultaneously, Pieter Nooten recorded and released his album Sleeps With The Fishes (4AD, 1987), in collaboration with Michael Brook .

The band's third album, Twist of Shadows , was released in 1989. This album, and its successor Phoenix (Clan of Xymox album)|Phoenix , were released by Wing Records , a subsidiary of Polydor Records / PolyGram . In the United States, these two albums created a cult following for the band. The first two singles taken from the Twist of Shadows album, Blind Hearts and Obsession proved big college and club hits in the United States with Obsession charting on Billboard s Alternative Songs chart and both tracks hitting the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs|Club Play Chart .
It was the album’s third single, Imagination (with Anka Wolbert on lead vocals), that brought the band the most mainstream attention, charting at #85 on Billboard Hot 100 , generating Top 40 radio airplay and MTV rotation of the Imagination (Edit) single. Twist of Shadows proved their most commercially successful album, selling more than 300,000 copies worldwide.

By this time the band had moved to England, and released their fourth album, Phoenix (Clan of Xymox album)|Phoenix , on PolyGram in 1991; after this album, Anka Wolbert and Pieter Nooten left the band due to disagreements about the band's musical direction.

1991 – present

Xymox, without Nooten and Wolbert, left PolyGram to release Metamorphosis (1992) and Headclouds (1993) independently. In 1995 Ronny Moorings toured under the banner of Xymox in the Netherlands, including girlfriend and future band member Mojca.

In 1997 the band's name was reverted to Clan of Xymox; Moorings recruited new live members, besides Mojca, and started touring. The band signed with the independent US label Tess Records and released Hidden Faces , produced by David M. Allen . In 1998 Clan of Xymox got signed by Metropolis Records in the USA, at a time of increasing US interest in the band, and released Creatures . That same year, 4AD re-released Clan of Xymox and Medusa in the USA, and a US tour was planned for April and May 1999. The band at that time consisted of Moorings, Mojca (bass), Rob Vonk (guitar), Sharon Soffner (keyboards), and Rui Ramos (drums).

In October 2000 the band, without Vonk and Soffner, and with the addition of Nina Simic (keyboards), released Live , a double CD with nineteen tracks and two videos. In 2001, they released Notes from the Underground . In September 2004, Best Of Clan of Xymox was released, with re-recorded versions of early hits as well as later offerings.

Early 2009 Clan of Xymox switched labels, going to Trisol Records in Europe but staying on Metropolis in the USA and Gravitator in Russia. In July 2009 the single "Emily" was released.

Discography

Studio albums

Clan of Xymox (album)|Clan of Xymox (LP, 4AD, 1985)

Medusa (Clan of Xymox album)|Medusa (CD, 4AD, 1986)

Twist of Shadows (CD, Wing, 1989)

Phoenix (Clan of Xymox album)|Phoenix (CD, Wing Records/ Polydor Records|Polydor , 1991)

Metamorphosis (CD, Mogull Entertainment/X-ULT, 1992)

Headclouds (CD, Zok/Off-Beat, 1993)

Hidden Faces (CD, Tess, 1997)

Creatures (CD, Metropolis Records|Metropolis /Pandaimonium, 1999; re-released, Gravitator, 2006)

Farewell (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2003; re-released, Gravitator, 2007)

Breaking Point (CD, Gravitator/Metropolis/Pandaimonium/Vision Music, 2006)

Notes from the Underground , (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2001; re-released, Gravitator, 2007)

In Love We Trust , (CD, Trisol/Metropolis/Gravitator, 2009)

Darkest Hour , (CD, Metropolis Records 2011)

Singles/EPs

" Subsequent Pleasures (album)|Subsequent Pleasures " (vinyl 12", self-released, 1983)

"A Day" (12", 4AD, 1985; re-released, Old Gold, 1998)

"A Day/Stranger" (12", Contempo, 1985)

"Louise" (7", Megadisc, 1986)

"Muscoviet Musquito" (promotional 7", Virgin France 1986)

"Blind Hearts" (12", 4AD/Rough Trade, 1987; re-released, Wing, 1989)

"Obsession" (12", Wing/ PolyGram , 1989)

"Imagination" (12" and CD-single, Wing, 1989)

"Phoenix" (CS and LP, Polydor, 1991)

"Phoenix of My Heart" (Maxi CD and 12", Wing/Polydor, 1991)

"At the End of the Day" (Maxi CD and 12", Wing, 1991)

"Out of the Rain" (Maxi CD, Tess, 1997)

"This World" (Maxi CD, Tess, 1998)

"Consolation" (Maxi CD, Metropolis, 1999)

"Liberty" (Maxi CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2000)

"The John Peel Sessions" (CD EP, Strange Fruit, 2001; re-released, Celebration, 2003)

"There's No Tomorrow" (Maxi CD, Pandaimonium, 2002)

"Weak In My Knees" (Maxi CD, Pandaimonium, 2006)

"Heroes" (Pandaimonium, 2007)

"Emily" (Maxi CD, Trisol, 2009)

Remixes

"Dream On/XDD" (12", X-ULT, 1992)

"Reaching Out" (Maxi CD and 12", Zok, 1993)

"Spiritual High (Club Mix)" (promotional 12", Zok, 1993)

"Remix" – (CD, Zok, 1994)

Live albums

Live (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2000)

Compilations

Remixes from the Underground (double CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2002)

The Best of Clan of Xymox (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium/Vision Music/Irond, 2004)

Visible (double DVD, Pandaimonium/Gravitator/Vision Music, 2008)

Remixes of other artists

I:Scintilla , "Scin", on Optiks (2007)

Copyright Citations

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