Clan of Xymox
Encyclopedia
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 [also Anka] Wolbert - and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on a prestigious independent UK label, a third and fourth album on a 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
(they have since been referred to as the "founding fathers of goth.")
in 1981, consisting of Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, Frank Weyzig, and Pieter Nooten, and released a mini-album, Subsequent Pleasures
, in 1983. They were invited to support Dead Can Dance
and were signed to the indie label 4 AD, 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 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
, 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
, 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 Billboards Alternative Songs chart and both tracks hitting the Billboard 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
, on PolyGram in 1991; after this album, Anka Wolbert and Pieter Nooten left the band due to disagreements about the band's musical direction.
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.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1981. Clan Of Xymox featured a trio of songwriters - Pieter Nooten, Ronny Moorings and Anke [also Anka] Wolbert - and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on a prestigious independent UK label, a third and fourth album on a major US label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and scoring a hit single in the United States. Early pioneers of the dark and moody electronic music known as darkwave
Darkwave
Dark Wave or darkwave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands...
, their 1980s releases included synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
/electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
.
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
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
(they have since been referred to as the "founding fathers of goth.")
1981–1991
The band formed in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1981, consisting of Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, Frank Weyzig, and Pieter Nooten, and released a mini-album, Subsequent Pleasures
Subsequent Pleasures (album)
Clan of Xymox's first self-released mini-album , released in 1983.Limited to 500 copies but mostly were destroyed by the band so very few copies remain in existence....
, in 1983. They were invited to support Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance are an ethereal neoclassical duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1981, by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. The band relocated to London in May 1982 and disbanded in 1998. Their 1996 album Spiritchaser reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums Chart...
and were signed to the indie label 4 AD, which released their eponymous debut album in 1985. The track 7th Time, with Anka Wolbert on lead vocals, was picked up by John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, leading to the band recording two of the 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
Medusa (Clan of Xymox album)
Medusa is Clan of Xymox's second release on the 4AD label in 1986. The album was mixed and produced by John Fryer at Blackwing Studios, London. John Fryer had produced Clan of Xymox's EPs A Day, and Stranger, taken from their debut album...
, before signing with PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
. Simultaneously, Pieter Nooten recorded and released his album Sleeps With The Fishes (4AD, 1987), in collaboration with Michael Brook
Michael Brook
Michael Brook is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores....
.
The band's third album, Twist of Shadows
Twist of Shadows
Twist of Shadows is Xymox's third full-length album, released in 1989 on Wing Records and produced by ....
, was released in 1989. This album, and its successor Phoenix
Phoenix (Clan of Xymox album)
Phoenix is Xymox's fourth full-length album, released in 1991 on Wing Records and produced by .The album charted in the United States at No. 163 on Billboard 200....
, were released by Wing Records
Wing Records
Wing Records was a record label subsidiary of Mercury Records, founded in 1955, that enjoyed its greatest success during the late 50s. In 1986, the label was revived by Mercury's parent company PolyGram and, just before its final fade, the label enjoyed a brief success with then new R&B singers...
, a subsidiary of Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
/PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
. 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 Billboards Alternative Songs chart and both tracks hitting the Billboard 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
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, generating Top 40 radio airplay and MTV rotation of the Imagination (Edit) single. Twist of Shadows
Twist of Shadows
Twist of Shadows is Xymox's third full-length album, released in 1989 on Wing Records and produced by ....
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
Phoenix (Clan of Xymox album)
Phoenix is Xymox's fourth full-length album, released in 1991 on Wing Records and produced by .The album charted in the United States at No. 163 on Billboard 200....
, 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
David M. Allen
David M. Allen is a British record producer, engineer and mixer. He is mostly known for his work with new wave, synth pop and goth rock bands including The Cure, The Sisters of Mercy, The Chameleons, Depeche Mode, The Associates, The Human League, Clan of Xymox, Gianna Nannini, Shelleyan Orphan and...
. In 1998 Clan of Xymox got signed by Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres....
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.
Studio albums
- Clan of XymoxClan of Xymox (album)Clan of Xymox's eponymous debut in 1985, and their first release on the 4AD label .The album was produced by Ivo Watts-Russell and recorded at Palladium Studios, Edinburgh...
(LP, 4AD, 1985) - MedusaMedusa (Clan of Xymox album)Medusa is Clan of Xymox's second release on the 4AD label in 1986. The album was mixed and produced by John Fryer at Blackwing Studios, London. John Fryer had produced Clan of Xymox's EPs A Day, and Stranger, taken from their debut album...
(CD, 4AD, 1986) - Twist of ShadowsTwist of ShadowsTwist of Shadows is Xymox's third full-length album, released in 1989 on Wing Records and produced by ....
(CD, Wing, 1989) - PhoenixPhoenix (Clan of Xymox album)Phoenix is Xymox's fourth full-length album, released in 1991 on Wing Records and produced by .The album charted in the United States at No. 163 on Billboard 200....
(CD, Wing Records/PolydorPolydor RecordsPolydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, 1991) - Metamorphosis (CD, Mogull Entertainment/X-ULT, 1992)
- Headclouds (CD, Zok/Off-Beat, 1993)
- Hidden Faces (CD, Tess, 1997)
- Creatures (CD, MetropolisMetropolis RecordsMetropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres....
/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 PleasuresSubsequent Pleasures (album)Clan of Xymox's first self-released mini-album , released in 1983.Limited to 500 copies but mostly were destroyed by the band so very few copies remain in existence....
" (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/PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, 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)
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)