Bel Canto (band)
Encyclopedia
Bel Canto is a Norwegian
music
duo
, originally a trio
, fronted by Anneli Drecker
, and signed originally to Crammed Discs
.
were licensed to Nettwerk
Records in Canada
and its second album
was licensed to IRS/MCA Records. Its style has evolved over time from a gothic, ethereal dreampop sound to synth-based pop influenced by world music
.
During the years from 1985 to 2009, Bel Canto occasionally took breaks in order for Drecker to pursue a solo
career and to perform with other bands
and artists
, as well as performing in film
s and theater plays. Nils Johansen has composed
music for film and television
as well as working and performing with his other band, Vajas
. Despite these hiatuses, Bel Canto is still performing together, twenty four years after the band was founded.
In 2007 Bel Canto continued to work together, both by writing new material and by doing more gig
s. At the same time, both Drecker and Johansen continued on other projects, Johansen with Vajas and Drecker on her solo work. Side-Line
reported in March 2007 that Bel Canto would start work on a new album.
On 6 February 2009, Side-Line reported about a planned double album
package called Maskindans: Norsk synth 1980-1988 was to be released on Hommage Records. This release holds 158 minutes of music, 41 tracks, of which only one song has been released on CD
before. Included is also one previously unheard Bel Canto song, "Flowerbeds", dating from 1988.
Discographies
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
, originally a trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
, fronted by Anneli Drecker
Anneli Drecker
Anneli Marian Drecker is a German-Norwegian singer and actress from the city of Tromsø. She is the vocalist for the seminal dream pop band Bel Canto. In the fall of 2006 Bel Canto celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the first album with several concerts...
, and signed originally to Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released over 300 albums and 250 singles, working with artists from all over the world...
.
Biography
Their first two recordsGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
were licensed to Nettwerk
Nettwerk
The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
Records in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and its second album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
was licensed to IRS/MCA Records. Its style has evolved over time from a gothic, ethereal dreampop sound to synth-based pop influenced by world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
.
During the years from 1985 to 2009, Bel Canto occasionally took breaks in order for Drecker to pursue a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career and to perform with other bands
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
and artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, as well as performing in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s and theater plays. Nils Johansen has composed
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
music for film and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
as well as working and performing with his other band, Vajas
Vajas
Vajas is a Sámi-Norwegian band with Kristin Mellem on violin and vocals, Nils Johansen on guitars, computers and synthesizers and the famous Sami ethnic yoiker Ánde Somby on vocals and yoik . The band debuted in 2003 and has toured internationally ever since. In October 2006 Vajas released its...
. Despite these hiatuses, Bel Canto is still performing together, twenty four years after the band was founded.
In 2007 Bel Canto continued to work together, both by writing new material and by doing more gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
s. At the same time, both Drecker and Johansen continued on other projects, Johansen with Vajas and Drecker on her solo work. Side-Line
Side-Line
Side-Line is an online music magazine specialising in electronic music, and electro-goth/industrial in particular. It was founded in 1989 as a print publication, and had a circulation of 6,000 in Europe and America...
reported in March 2007 that Bel Canto would start work on a new album.
On 6 February 2009, Side-Line reported about a planned double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
package called Maskindans: Norsk synth 1980-1988 was to be released on Hommage Records. This release holds 158 minutes of music, 41 tracks, of which only one song has been released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
before. Included is also one previously unheard Bel Canto song, "Flowerbeds", dating from 1988.
Band membership
- 1985 – 1989 line-up: Anneli DreckerAnneli DreckerAnneli Marian Drecker is a German-Norwegian singer and actress from the city of Tromsø. She is the vocalist for the seminal dream pop band Bel Canto. In the fall of 2006 Bel Canto celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the first album with several concerts...
, Nils Johansen, Geir Jenssen (later aka BiosphereBiosphere (musician)Biosphere is the main recording name of Geir Jenssen , a Norwegian musician who has released a notable catalogue of ambient electronic music. He is well known for his "ambient techno" and "arctic ambient" styles, his use of music loops, and peculiar samples from sci-fi sources. His track "Novelty...
) - 1989 – present line-up: Anneli Drecker, Nils Johansen
Discography
- White-Out ConditionsWhite-Out ConditionsWhite-Out Conditions is the first album by the Norwegian band Bel Canto.-Track listing:CRAM057#"Blank Sheets" – 4:15#"Dreaming Girl" – 3:05#"Without You" – 4:04#"Capio" – 2:23#"Agassiz" – 3:53#"Kloeberdanz" – 3:02#"White-Out Conditions" – 4:10...
(1987) - Birds of PassageBirds of PassageBirds of Passage is the second album by the Norwegian band Bel Canto.-Track listing:#"Intravenous" – 3:18#"Birds of Passage" – 5:26#"The Glassmaker" – 4:27...
(1989) - Shimmering, Warm and BrightShimmering, Warm and BrightShimmering, Warm and Bright is the third album by the Norwegian band Bel Canto, which became a two-member group following the departure of Geir Jenssen.-Track listing:#"Unicorn" – 5:19#"Summer" – 4:47...
(1992) - Magic Box (1996)
- Rush (1998)
- Dorothy's Victory (2002)
- Retrospect - compilation album (2001)
External links
General- BelCanto.no - Official page
- AnneliDrecker.com - Official fan page of lead singer Anneli Drecker
- - Official profile on my space
- - Official Anneli Drecker's profile on my space
Discographies
- [ Bel Canto discography] at AMG
- Bel Canto discography at Music-City