Janus (band)
Encyclopedia
Janus is a German
musical project led by Dirk "Rig" Riegert and Tobias Hahn. The name comes from Roman mythology
, specifically the god Janus
, who ruled over gates and doors.
Despite positive criticism, the debut album "Vater" failed to attract much attention. However, with further releases, Janus gained more popularity within the German alternative scene.
with influences of Drum & Bass, Trip Hop
, Tango and Film score
elements.
Like the mythological god, Janus has two faces: aggressive electronic pieces, and ballads with acoustic instruments. In their concerts, Janus is often assisted by guest musicians, who can also be found on the albums, although they are not official members of the band.
Janus uses the German language
to describe such human emotions as hate, despair, insanity, fear, and loss.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
musical project led by Dirk "Rig" Riegert and Tobias Hahn. The name comes from Roman mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, specifically the god Janus
Janus
-General:*Janus , the two-faced Roman god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings*Janus , a moon of Saturn*Janus Patera, a shallow volcanic crater on Io, a moon of Jupiter...
, who ruled over gates and doors.
History
From the beginning, Janus consisted of only two members - Dirk "Rig" Riegert, songwriter and vocalist, and Tobias "Toby" Hahn, programmer and piano player. Throughout their albums Janus has used many guest musicians, up to and including an entire orchestra.Despite positive criticism, the debut album "Vater" failed to attract much attention. However, with further releases, Janus gained more popularity within the German alternative scene.
Musical characteristics
The music style of Janus is not easy to define. It can be labeled as Neue Deutsche HärteNeue Deutsche Härte
Neue Deutsche Härte is a genre of industrial metal. The term was invented by the German music press after the release of the debut album Herzeleid by Rammstein....
with influences of Drum & Bass, Trip Hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
, Tango and Film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
elements.
Like the mythological god, Janus has two faces: aggressive electronic pieces, and ballads with acoustic instruments. In their concerts, Janus is often assisted by guest musicians, who can also be found on the albums, although they are not official members of the band.
Janus uses the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
to describe such human emotions as hate, despair, insanity, fear, and loss.
Line-up
Members- Dirk "Rig" Riegert - Vocals and lyrics
- Tobias "Toby" Hahn - Programming and piano
Releases
- ????: Liebeslieder (first demo, under the name Rorschach)
- 1995: Schlafende Hunde (second demo, limited to 25 copies)
- 1997: Vater Demo (self-distributed, limited to 500 copies)
- 1998: VaterVater (Janus album)Vater is the first full-length album of Janus. It was released in 1998, and re-released as Vater Deluxe in 2006 .-Track listing:#"Isaak"–6:02#"Schwarzer Witwer"–9:02#"Lolita / Knochenhaus"–10:32#"Exodus"–3:06...
- 1999: Isaak
- 2000: Schlafende Hunde (see German Wikipedia article)
- 2001: Hundstage
- 2002: Winterreise (self-distributed, limited to 500 copies. With German-language covers of Hallelujah by Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
and DisarmDisarm"Disarm" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the third single from their second album, Siamese Dream. "Disarm" was written by Billy Corgan and is one of the band’s most highly regarded songs...
by Smashing Pumpkins) - 2004: AuferstehungAuferstehungAuferstehung is the third full-length album of the German musical project Janus.-Track listing:Disc 1:#"Wenn du vor mir stehst"–1:40#"Paulas Spiel"–5:15#"Ich will seinen Kopf"–4:49#"Scherbengesicht"–3:32...
- 2004: Kleine Ängste (only available on the limited edition of Auferstehung, inspired by the German version of the Little Fears RPGLittle FearsLittle Fears - The Roleplaying Game of Childhood Terror is a role-playing game published in 2001 by Key 20 Publishing. The book was written by Jason L Blair, featuring illustrations by Drew Baker, Dimitrios "Jim" Denaxas, Veronica V. Jones, hive, Nick Wilson, Kieran Yanner, Bradley K. McDevitt, and...
) - 2004: Kleine Ängste (spoken word, self-distributed and limited to 666 copies)
- 2005: Live Bootleg DVD (self-distributed, limited to 400 copies. Footage from a concert in LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
) - 2005: Nachtmahr
- 2005: Die Alpträume des Herrn Riegert (spoken word, only available on the limited edition of Nachtmahr)
- 2005: Live Bootleg DVD (self-distributed, limited to 400 copies. Footage from a concert in KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
) - 2006: Vater Deluxe (self-distributed re-release of the first album Vater and bonus tracks from the Vater Demo)
Compilation appearances
- Touched By The Hand Of Goth Volume IV – Saitenspiel
- Nachtschwärmer 3 – Rorschach
- Mondenblut 1 – Gescheitert
- Sonic Seducer Cold Hands Seduction Vol. XVII – Was uns zerbricht
- Dark Roses - 36 Mystic And Electropop Romantics – Isaak (Single Edit)
- Leichenschrei - Trisol Bible Chapter 2 - Kleine Ängste
- Orkus Presents The Best Of 2004 (Part 2) – Paulas Spiel
- Orkus Presents The Best Of 2005 - Grabenkrieg