Taxim
| Taxim | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Electro , Electropunk |
| founding | 1996 |
| Website | http://www.taxim-music.com |
| Founding members | |
| Alex Ney | |
| Current occupation | |
| Alex Ney | |
| Jigels (since 2012) | |
| Thyrja (since 2016) | |
| former members | |
| MR (2007-2016) | |
| Ms. Schön (2009–2016) | |
Taxim is a German electro project from Essen. It was best known for its unusually fast (> 170 BPM ) electro tracks and synthesizer versions of popular Commodore 64 game soundtracks . Mastermind Alex Ney produced these first “C64 remixes” in 1997, who is therefore considered to be the co-founder of the game soundtrack remix scene alongside Chris Hülsbeck and Chris Abbott. Occasionally, Taxim also appears as a three-piece band whose recordings can be assigned to the Electropunk genre.
style
Taxim's music is generally characterized by a powerful, often more complex rhythm and the combination of electronic and neoclassical elements. In addition, most of the pieces are instrumental. Taxim songs since 2012 increasingly contain electric guitar riffs in Thrash Metal style.
As a band, Taxim generally mix pop-punk with numerous other genres such as jazz , new wave , medieval folk and techno . The songs mostly have a meaningless, German-language text. Furthermore, the strongly “computerized” sound is striking: The band dispenses with a drummer and instead uses a synthesizer - and the real instruments (electric bass, acoustic and electric guitars) are often processed with drastic effects.
history
Alex Ney began his musical career in the late 1980s with Commodore 64 music. His later C64 music from 1997 can still be found in the "High Voltage Sid Collection", or HVSC for short.
In 1996, Ney founded Taxim as a one-man project with the intention of producing atmospheric electro-industrial tracks. His first tracks caught the attention of some scene DJs , but initially failed to achieve any notable success. In 1999 he found his music for the first time in Art Voice Media , a sub-label of Sony Music . In particular, songs from his third studio album "The 25th Year" were distributed. For health reasons, Ney took a musical break shortly afterwards, from which he only returned in 2002 with the single "Genetisches Material".
In 2005, the American independent label Telegrammetry Recordings approached Alex Ney and offered him a contract for an EP after the release of his track “Genetisches Material” on their in-house compilation “Weatherhead - An Industrial Music Compilation”, which later turned into a Contract for an album was converted.
US debut album
Taxim achieved greater fame with the US debut album "Ecclesiophobia", which was released in 2006. Since Taxim's label Telegrammetry Recordings at the time insisted on a compilation of older and current tracks, this album is a kind of Taxim best-of CD. It contains tracks from the album "The 25th Year" (1999) as well as from the EP "Kosmischeordnung" (2005). Ney only produced the title track exclusively. Due to the title of the album ("Ecclesiophobia", English for ecclesiophobia, the fear of churches) and the corresponding music promotion by the label, Taxim briefly experienced a satanic image . In fact, none of the band members are religious.
The track "Genetisches Material", which is also on this album, is Taxim's most famous track.
Foundation of the band of the same name
While working on the stylistically very technoid “Metarail” EP (2009), Ney decided to temporarily make his previously rather casual nonsense recordings part of the project's program. "MR", a singer-songwriter from the 1970s, played the acoustic and electric guitars, while Ney took on the role of bassist and lead singer . A little later he took "Frau Schön", who had previously supported him in filming music videos, into the project as a keyboard player and singer. The band Taxim formed, whose style Ney christened "Electro Fun Punk". The first album of this formation ("Eine für sich") was released in 2010 by the European Music Group . With the departure of “Frau Schön” (2016), the singer “Thyrja” joined the band, whose voice can occasionally be heard as part of the main project (“Dancing in my Padded Cell”).
Discography
Albums
- 1997: My World (Art Voice Media)
- 1998: Cosmic Journey
- 1999: The 25th Year (Art Voice Media)
- SynthieTrax 64 Vol. 3
- 2002: Cosmic Journey 2002
- 2005: SynthieTrax 64: Alpha / Omega
- 2006: Ecclesiophobia (Telegrammetry Recordings)
- 2010: One for himself (European Music Group)
- 2011: 15 Years Taxim (taxim-music)
- 2012: Monitoring (Ionium Records)
- 2014: Full Of Empty (XenoBiotic Records)
EPs
- 2005: Cosmic Order
- 2008: Psychologenfutter (Ionium Records)
- 2009: Metarail (XenoBiotic Records)
Singles
- 2002: Genetic Material (Telegrammetry Recordings)
- 2008: Clouds over Moscow (taxim-music)
- 2012: 2011 (Aeronium Records)
- Always in, if it's not a tailor (Aeronium Records)
- 2016: We Will Haunt You (XenoBiotic Records)
Compilations
- 2003: Refractor 30 (refractor)
- 2005: Weatherhead - An Industrial Music Compilation (Telegrammetry Recordings)
- 2008: Ultra Dark Radio Compilation III: Mensch und Maschine (Ionium Records, formerly XenoBiotic Records)
- 2012: Orkus Compilation 77 (Zoomia)
- 2013: Orkus Compilation 92 (Zoomia)
- Dark Spy Compilation 40 (Rokkstarr)
- 2013: Radio Schwarze Welle Dark Season (ZYX Music)
- 2014: Orkus Compilation 103 (Zoomia)
- Dark Spy Compilation 60 (Rokkstarr)
Others
- 1997: SynthieTrax 64 Vol.1 (tape)
- 1998: SynthieTrax 64 Vol.2 (tape)
- 2003: Taxim / Livores Split (demo CD)