Dead Edge Dance

Dead Can Dance is an britannico-Australian group primarily made up of LISA Gerrard (born the April 12th 1961 with Melbourne, Australia) and of Brendan Perry (born the June 30th 1959 with London, the United Kingdom). Formed in 1981 with Melbourne, the group separated in 1998 but was reformed in 2005 for a world tour.

Dead Can Dance was one of the spearheads of the British label independent discographic 4AD, with other groups such as Bauhaus, the Cocteau Twins, the Pixies, This Mortal Coil or the Throwing Muses.

The two founding members, Brendan Perry and LISA Gerrard, developed their own universe, evolving/moving of the original Cold wave worms of the liturgical and medieval musics of inspiration to even magic sonorities spell-bindings, before leading to a folk music with the North-African, South American or Asian loans.

Biography

In 1981 with Melbourne, Brendan Perry founds Dead Can Dance with Simon Monroe (battery) and Paul Erikson (low), quickly joined by LISA Gerrard that Brendan met whereas they occur both in local clubs. The name of the group evokes an indigenous mask, apparently macabre but which was to symbolize the capacity of the things " inanimées" with becoming animated (like the musical instruments for example…). In 1982, the group moves with London, whose scene appears more favourable to them with the ambition of a nonconventional music. Simon Monroe having remained in Australia, the trio recruits the beater Peter Ulrich, which lives the same allotment in the East End London and it is with him that they record of the demonstrations that they send to recording companies. The first year seems very difficult for the musicians, who live allowances unemployment. In 1983, Paul Erikson is replaced with low by Scott Rodger. The group is increased in the same year of James Pinker to the percussions, but it seems well that musical creation proceeds already primarily of Brendan and LISA.

The demonstrations having interested Ivo Watts Russell label 4AD, Dead Can Dance is seen offering opportunity of twice making the first part of the group Xmal Deutschland in June and July 1983. The services of Dead Can Dance are convincing, and Ivo signs the group and allows them to enter in studio to record in September. In November, Dead Can Dance ensures the first part of Cocteau Twins on a round of 7 dates, then records a session with BBC for John Peel.

Their first album Dead Edge Dance , leaves in February 1984. It Marie the influences Rock'n'roll of Perry with those more mystical and traditional of Gerrard. Thus are côtoient pieces cold with low doucereuse ( has passage in time ) with Perry with the song, with pieces more removed and éthérés like Ocean or Musica Eternal . It is also the appearance of percussions, rather unusual thing in the sound landscape of the time and adding to environment cérémoniale album.

The first financial re-entries make it possible Brendan Perry to acquire of a synthetizer-sampler and a box at rates/rhythms. He launches out immediately in the composition of pieces with copper sounds, cords and percussions of orchestra. Ivo Watts Russell allocates also more time to them of studio, and entrusts them to the good care of a new producer, John A. Rivers.

Their second opus, Spleen and Ideal is a reference to the poets and Symbolists of the 19th century, in particular with Charles Baudelaire, whose collection the Flowers of the Evil comprises a chapter entitled Spleen and ideal. The general atmosphere is more intimist, darker, the instrumentation rock'n'roll leaves room to the traditional partitions (violin, violoncello, drinking cup). The voice of LISA Gerrard is worked and more discernible. The round astonishes the public, little accustomed to these mystical and magic environments, which slice with the New wave of the time, or the atmospheres in concerts Gothic S.

Dead Can Dance still develop this set of themes of music éthérée by producing Within the Realm off has Dying Sun . This album off sails between mystical like Anywhere out the world and atmospheric pieces Summoming off the MUSE .

Then with The Serpent' S Egg , their fourth album, they multiply the influences and the mixtures. The emergence of the medieval style is felt in Orbis de Ignis or Chant off the Paladin and the sacred music baroque in Ulysses or Severance .

Aion continuous in this way baroque and plays in the register of the liturgical music of the Renaissance.

Dead Can Dance will continue its musical explorations with Into the Labyrinth and Spiritchaser , more influenced by the musics of the world and the tribal percussions.

In parallel and thereafter, they will follow each one a career solo and will multiply collaborations: Denez Prigent, CoEx, Elijah' S Mantle, Pieter Bourke…

LISA Gerrard developed its own monotonous chant with the accents melancholic persons, and is internationally recognized since its participation in many film original soundtracks of quality (Heat, 1995; Nadro, with Pieter Bourke, 1998; The Insider, with Pieter Bourke, 1999; Gladiator, with Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt, 2000; Ali, with Pieter Bourke, 2001, Mission impossible II (participation), 2001, the Fall of the black falcon, with Hans Zimmer, 2002; Whale To wrinkle, 2002, Tears off the Sun, with Hans Zimmer, 2003, and many other participations…). its built language of any part like Esperanto of World Music.

Brendan Perry more modestly wrote Eye off the Hunter and collaborated in the projects quoted above.

2005 mark reformation of the group with a European and North-American round. The occasion to discover new compositions such as Saffron or Hymn For The Fallen .

Discography

Albums

Dead Can Dance (1984, 4AD)
Spleen and Ideal (1985, 4AD)
Within the Realm off has Dying Sun (1987, 4AD)
The Serpent' S Egg (1988, 4AD)
Aion (1990, 4AD)
Into the Labyrinth (1993, 4AD)
Toward the Within (live, 1994,4AD)
Spiritchaser (1996, 4AD)

EP

Garden off the Mystery Delights (EP 4 titles, 1984,4AD): the 4 titles are incorporated in the version CD of the album Dead Can Dance

Compilations

has Passage in Time (compilation, 1991,4AD)
1981-1998 (box, 2001,4AD)
Wake (compilation, 2003,4AD)
Memento, the Very Best off Dead Can Dance (compilation, 2005, Rhino)

Collaborations

It' L End in Tears (This Mortal Coil, 1984,4AD)
Lonely Is year Eyesore (Compilation 4AD, 1987,4AD)
Luck (Original soundtrack of film, 1992, Milan)

Catalog of films and videotex

Toward the Within , 1994 (filmed and recorded Live with Santa Monica, in California).
El Niño of Luna ( the Child of the Moon ), science fiction film carried out by Agusti Villaronga, presented to the Cannes festival in 1989 putting in scene LISA Gerrard in the first role and accompanied by new musics of Dead Edge Dance. Turning seems to have been an experiment traumatisante for LISA Gerrard. The film never left on the screens.

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