Irklis
Irklis is a post-industrial electronics band that was originally founded in Leichlingen in 1988 under the name Formā Anonym . The founders are Roman Alexander Brüning and Aleksandrs Olgerts Berzins.
Musical and philosophical classification
Inspired by pioneers of electronic and industrial music such as Kraftwerk , Skinny Puppy , The Klinik , Front 242 , Clock DVA or Laibach and Pan Sonic , Irklis have always processed deep philosophical topics in their music. Originally as a mouthpiece for individualization and the associated negation of categories and index finger rhetoric, they were also particularly interested in topics from the field of science fiction literature to be taken seriously , such as works by Philip K. Dick and Stanisław Lem . Later, especially for the album "The Plague Year", fictional reporting novels such as The Plague in London by Daniel Defoe also served as concrete influences. The rough, electric and yet organic sound of Irklis is due to the mostly analog instruments that the members still use in the studio (EMS VCS 3, ARP 2600, Doepfer A-100, Korg 770, Roland TR-808, Moog Source , Roland Alpha Juno, Yamaha SS30, Korg VC-10, Korg MS-20, Roland Space Echo RE-201 and others). The band's singing is characterized by its subtle and accentuating character and is mostly alienated with vocoders or other effects. Irklis is an old Latvian word for an oar that is mostly used in a poetic or philosophical sense.
history
In 1992 the band already consisted of four members - the two founders as well as Robin Brüning and Kai Franke. In the same year the band name was changed to Audioscope . After various concerts and demo tapes, the debut album 1 followed in 1996 on CD. This album was released by the label Succession Records (an offshoot of Accession Records ) and distributed by EFA . A follow-up album called TWO - the weird / wired one was rejected by the label, as it did not fit their genre stylistically. Regardless of this, the four members continued to shape their sound, which was made more difficult by Roman Brüning's move to Norway in 1997, but also enriched, because from then on his recordings under the name Studio kHz had a special coldness and minimalist note. On March 19, 1999, a concert took place in the Johanneskirche in Düsseldorf, which was a challenge and enrichment for the musicians because of the location and its acoustics alone. On December 11, 1999, a concert followed along with a reading by the ex-drummer from Kraftwerk Wolfgang Flür . This was followed by a creative rest phase and all musicians worked in depth on their own compositions.
In 2001 Roman Brüning moved back to Germany. At this time the sound that is typical for Irklis today was formed, because the band remembered more and more stylistically on their early days, also through the conscious use of their preference for analog synthesizers and modular systems. This led to a manifest reorientation in 2003/2004 and the concept album The Plague Year , but without Kai Franke as a member. More than that was The Plague Year , a live concept that has the band in Latvia, Norway and Germany appear before it became final in 2014 released on CD. At the same time, the three members took the decision to rename the band name Irklis. The album was released by the Latvian industrial label Sturm . The album was mastered by Eric van Wonterghem , who also recorded it in his distribution ( Sleepless Records Berlin ). Although the band members had been living at a greater distance from each other for a long time (Germany, Latvia and Norway), this had hardly influenced the musical development, except for the fact that Roman Brüning was increasingly leaving the group as a silent member.
In 2017, the third album Aus der Ruder was released on the Sleepless Records Berlin label and distributed by Ant-Zen . In contrast to its predecessor, this is a regular album, which impresses with its compactness and innovation. The musical style from the previous album was continued and expanded. The cover is the picture "Orga II" by New York artist Edward Quist (known as Embryoroom), who commented on the album as follows: It's good to hear how your band uses analog synths ... it sounds as if "The Normal" continued into the 21st century. Great. The press also responded with appreciation (Side-Line, Peek-a-boo, Sequencer).
Current band line-up
- Robin Brüning (synths, drums, acoustic instruments)
- Aleksandrs Olgerts Berzins (synths, drums, acoustic instruments, vocals)
Discography
Albums
- 1 (Succession Records - BN 03.01.D01, as Audioscope, 1996)
- TWO - The Weird / Wired One (Unreleased, 1998/1999)
- The Plague Year (Sturm - Mandate no. 39, 2014)
- Out of control (Sleepless Records Berlin - SRB033, 2017)
Compilations
- Life Is Too Short For Boring Music Vol.9 (EFA - EFA 96-PK, 1996)
- The Chillout Compilation 1 (Luxury Lounge - EFA 61139-2, 2000)
- Chilling, .. Underwater Vol.1 (Chilling Recordings - Chilling001, 2001)
- Elektrostat 2006 (Oslo Synthfestival - OSFCD08, 2006)
- Vågform Volym 1 (Vågform Records - VF 001, 2007)
- We're Punch Addicted (Punch Records - PUNCH 026, 2008)
- Sturmer IV (Sturm - Mandate no.29, 2010)
- Storm 25 (STORMMANDAT 42, 2020)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Discogs Audioscope "1". Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
- ^ Discogs Accession Records. Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
- ↑ STURM Label website. Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Discogs Irklis "Out of the Row". Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Sleepless Records Berlin Label Website. Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Side-Line Review of Irklis "Aus der Ruder". In: Side-Line Music Magazine. February 12, 2018, Retrieved March 3, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ IRKLIS - interview by Peek-A-Boo magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
- ↑ moogulator: Irklis - Out of Control - Electro / Post Industrial - FeinElektronik ™. December 9, 2017, accessed on March 3, 2020 (German).