Light Asylum
| Light Asylum | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| origin | New York City , United States |
| Genre (s) | Synth pop |
| founding | 2007 |
| Current occupation | |
singing |
Shannon Funchess |
Keyboard, programming |
Raphael Radna |
| former members | |
Keyboard, programming |
Bruno Coviello Jr. |
Light Asylum is a synth-pop band founded in Brooklyn in 2007 .
history
Shannon Funchess moved from Seattle to Brooklyn in 2001 to be a guest and background singer in various New York bands, including TV on the Radio , !!! , Telepath and teen girl fantasy . Then in 2007 she started her own project. Light Asylum was initially created as a solo project with various guest musicians. Two years after Funchess started the project and wrote pieces with various musicians, she did a tour in the opening act for Bunny Rabbit . Bruno Coviello also appeared in the opening act. Both discovered similarities in their musical preferences for representatives of Gothic Rock , Industrial Rock , Synthie-Pop , Electronic Body Music and House . After first attempts to make music together, the two formed a duo under the name chosen by Funchess.
“When I had time, we jammed for a couple of solo shows I had already booked. Then I threw all the old material in the trash and we had three songs for a first EP within a week. We had a good feeling there, it all happened very naturally and we just kept going. "
The self- published EP In Tension was released as a debut to accompany the 2010 tour. The New York label Mexican Summer responded, signed the duo and released the EP as a regular release in 2011. A music video was produced for the included track Dark Allies . The piece became an underground hit in the black scene. Light Asylum temporarily relocated to Berlin in order to play some concerts in Europe from there. Since then, the group has moved its main location between Berlin and New York more frequently. This was followed by the production of the self-titled debut album. Light Asylum was released in 2012. The songs Shallow Tears , Heart of Dust and A Certain Person were released as singles. Following the release, Coviello left the duo. In his place, Raphael Radna took over the keyboard and programming. With a new line-up, the duo toured the United States and Europe in the following years.
style
Light Asylum's music is attributed to synth-pop. Many reviewers point to a clear influence of dark wave and synth pop of the 1980s. According to Motor.de , the group succeeds in “transferring the sound of the time into the here and now”. As a special feature, the voice of Funchess is emphasized, which according to Motor.de "carries you away and leaves a lasting impression on the listener." Her deep voice is by Heather Phares for Allmusic with Ian Curtis , Grace Jones , Alison Moyet , Q Lazzarus and Cold Cave compared. Further comparisons are drawn, such as from Priya Elan of the New Musical Express , to Andrew Eldritch . Funchess used gospel and soul vocal forms in front of a framework of electronic music, which would be in contrast to Funchess' voice and build on the electronic playing styles of dark wave and post-industrial . Occasionally, reviewers cite techno influences . In music, according to Musikexpress, “mechanical beats meet […] economical […] and icy […] synth surfaces”.
Discography
- 2010: In Tension (EP, self-published)
- 2012: Light Asylum (Album, Mexican Summer )
- 2012: Shallow Tears (Single, Mexican Summer)
- 2012: Heart of Dust (single, Mexican Summer)
- 2012: A Certain Person (Single, Mexican Summer)
Web links
- Light Asylum at Discogs (English)
- Light Asylum at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b SHANNON F (LIGHT ASYLUM / THE KNIFE) DJ set. Ticketfly, accessed June 29, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Heather Phares: Light Asylum. allmusic, accessed June 30, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Norman Fleischer: “For us, Berlin is Brooklyn's little sister” - Light Asylum in a motor.de interview. Motor.de, accessed on June 30, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Shan Dark: Light Asylum Live in Frankfurt 2012. The black planet, accessed on June 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Light Asylum. Laut.de, accessed on June 29, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Priya Elan: Light Asylum: Light Asylum. New Musical Express, accessed June 30, 2017 .
- ↑ Vanessa Schneider: Light Asylum: Light Asylum. Musikexpress, accessed June 30, 2017 .