Clan of Xymox, also known as Xymox at various parts of their career, are a darkwave/gothic rock band founded in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in 1983 by Ronny Moorings, Pieter Nooten, and Anke Wolbert. Of the original members, only Ronny Moorings remains in the band today.
History
The band began with the self-published Subsequent Pleasures EP under the name Xymox, at that time consisting of Moorings on guitar and vocals, his girlfriend Anke Wolbert on bass and vocals, and Pieter Nooten on keyboards. A chance meeting with Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance led to an invitation to support that band on a UK tour, and then a recording contract with their record label, 4AD Records.
Their debut album, self-titled under their newly adopted name Clan of Xymox, was released by 4AD in 1985, and drew comparisons to Joy Division and The Cure. 1986 saw their second album, Medusa (considered by many fans to be their finest work), continuing in this dark vein.
1987 saw the band provide a track for " Lonely is An Eyesore", a fascinating compilation album highlighting the diversity of talent on the 4-AD roster. "Muscoviet Musquito", sandwiched between Dif Juz and Dead Can Dance, showed a more confident side to the band. Album number two was a very different beast.
Subsequently, Clan of Xymox and 4AD parted company, Pieter Nooten left the band, the name Xymox was once again adopted, and the band signed to the Polygram subsidiary label Wing. 1989's Twist of Shadows was the band's most commercially successful album, selling 300,000 copies, it was in many ways a bold record and it showed that being signed to a major concern wasn't going to stifle a natural sense of musical adventure. Supported by three excellent 12 inch releases "Obsession", "Imagination" and "Blind Hearts" - this was an album that confirmed the diversity of their appeal as again they clicked in both dance and alternative circles.
The bands fourth album "Phoenix" (with Nooten back on board) released worldwide in 1991 was their last album on Wing , had ecstatic reviews but sold not as much as their predecessor despite of their loyal U.S. fan base. The band embarked on sell out tours around the world and featured in college alternative and mainstream Billboard charts. The sub label Wing seized to exist and when Wing declined to release the next album, Metamorphosis, Nooten and Wolbert left the band for good.
Mojca Zugna joined Moorings as bass-player (and album cover designer) and two albums followed on independent label Zok Records - Metamorphosis (1992) and Headclouds (1994) - before Moorings decided it was time for a change. Here, in addition to their trademark choral sounds and hypnotic electro rhythms, are albums taking a whole range of styles and influences, taking Xymox into the '90s dance era, it's the work of a band who are never afraid to take chances.In the UK they nearly entered the top 40 charts with the "Reaching Out" single and was played on heavy rotation in the UK. "On Headclouds, Xymox tried to combine dance grooves with a melancholic sound, plus vocals. It was part of an experiment which we now steer clear of... After Headclouds, I moved back to Amsterdam and had a break from making music, and regained my interest by meeting different people, going to Industrial/Gothic parties, and basically rediscovering myself again".
In 1994 Xymox re released their first ( from 1984 , only 500 original printed copies exist) limited available mini album "Subsequent Pleasures" on Double Dutch Records and without consent Zok Records released a " Remix " album which contains only radio edits of the albums "Metamorphosis " and "Headclouds" compiled together.
In 1996 Xymox contributed music for a CD-ROM games project named "Total Mayhem" and a year later the music for the game "Revenant" , released worldwide by Domark..
In 1997 Ronny Moorings ended the Xymox era, restarted Clan of Xymox and the band signed to a brand new USA and German based Independent label Tess Records, and the album Hidden Faces was released in 1997. Moorings described it as "a logical follow-up to what Clan of Xymox made in the early '80s", and the band went on to tour extensively, co-headlining the Wave Gotik Treffen and Zillo festivals in Germany, where two singles from Hidden Faces, "Out Of The Rain" and "This World" both reached the top 10 in the independent charts. Two more albums (1999's Creatures and 2001's Notes From The Underground) followed, blending guitars and electronics into a more standard electro-goth sound which has won Clan of Xymox a new generation of fans in the gothic subculture.
The year 2002 saw in April a very first Remix Album of the band, all tracks of "Notes From The Underground " remixed by renowned artists like Front 242 or Assemblage 23 etc, called REMIXES FROM THE UNDERGROUND" and included was also the very first video disc of COX.
The current lineup of Clan of Xymox is Ronny Moorings, Mojca Zugna, Denise Dijkstra (keyboards), Agnes Jasper (alternate keyboardist), and Mario Usai (guitarist). Farewell, was released in September 2003. A new album, Breaking Point, was released in April 2006. Original members Pieter Nooten and Anka Wohlbert are both active today, pursuing a different musical direction as solo artists on i-rain records.
Discography
Clan of Xymox discography
* A Day/Stranger (1985) 12" Single
* Clan of Xymox (1985) LP, CD, CS
* A Day (1985) 7" Single
* Medusa (1986) LP, CD, CS
* Muscoviet Musquito (1986) 7" Single
* Louise/Michelle (1986) 7" Single
* Subsequent Pleasures (1994) CD Re-release
* Out of the Rain (1997) CD EP , 12" promo
* Hidden Faces (1997) CD
* This World (1998) CDS
* Creatures (1999) CD
* Consolation (1999) CDS
* Live (2000) CD
* Liberty (2000) CDS
* Notes from the Underground (2001) CD
* Remixes from the Underground (2001) 2-CD , 3-CD
* There's No Tomorrow (2002) CDS
* Farewell (2003) CD
* The Best of Clan of Xymox (2004) CD
* Weak In My Knees (2006) CDS
* Breaking Point (2006) CD
Xymox discography
* Subsequent Pleasures (1983) 12"
* Blind Hearts / A Million Things 4AD (1988) 12"
* Blind Hearts (1989) 12", 12" promo
* Obsession (1989) 12", 7", CDS
* Twist of Shadows (1989) LP, CD, CS
* Imagination (1989) 12", 7", CDS, CS
* Phoenix of my Heart (1991) 12", 7", CDS, CS
* Phoenix (1991) LP, CD, CS
* At the End of the Day (1991) 12", CDS
* Wonderland (1991) CD promo
* Metamorphosis (1992) CD, CS
* Dream On 12", CDS
* Spiritual High (1993) CDS, 7", CS , 12"
* Headclouds (1993) LP, CD, CS
* Reaching Out (1993) 12", CDS
Contributions
* Lonely Is an Eyesore (4AD compilation, 1987 "Muscoviet Musquito" as Clan of Xymox)
http://en.wikipedia.org/
