Xymox

Since their formation in their native Holland, Clan Of Xymox's music has been constantly changing, always challenging and often quite breathtaking. Formed in the 1980's, CoX has always been a uniquely evolving band. The act earned a huge fan base with their early releases on the legendary 4-AD label, and later under the moniker Xymox for a Polydor subsidiary. With the album Hidden Faces, Clan Of Xymox released what many believe to be their finest work of that era. Lush layered guitars, pounding rhythms, shimmering keyboards and dark, melancholy vocals blend seamlessly. The singles "Out of the Rain" and "This World" are now considered club classics and were in the top 10 of the German Independent charts and numerous Indie charts all over the world.

Xymox - once again known as the Clan of Xymox - continue their late-'90s recording comeback with Creatures, an album of gloomy, goth-tinged electronics flavored with guitars and dance beats.

Gothic vocals surrounded by synthesizer atmospherics will greet you upon entering the world of Xymox. While Twist of Shadows isn't exactly industrial in its sound, the bpm's run mid-tempo and sound totally danceable in a New Order-ish way. This includes the club hits "Obsession" and "Blind Hearts."

Listening to Clan of Xymox's self-titled LP is like entering a club of black-clad vampires in the mid-'80s. That's not meant as an insult; the album captures a certain time and place. The record epitomizes Ben Folds Five's hilarious discovery in "Battle of Who Could Care Less": "See I've got your old ID/And you're all dressed up like the Cure." This moody, atmospheric record is as dated as a bumper sticker from a "rock of the '80s" radio station. What once seemed cutting-edge is now a nostalgia trip, and for aging goths, Clan of Xymox is home sweet home. Clan of Xymox were never original; they always seemed to be picking from the leftovers of their predecessors: the Cure, Joy Division, Modern English, Dead Can Dance, and New Order…

Clan of Xymox's second full album (not counting the rudimentary debut EP) is a distinct improvement on the Dutch band's earlier work, and indeed is probably the group's career high point. However, the band's fatal flaws remain clear throughout the album: although these songs are superficially attractive in a goth-dance sort of way, there's little in the way of depth or substance here, and on closer listen, one realizes that the best parts of these songs sounded even better when they appeared on earlier albums by Depeche Mode, Xmal Deutschland, Propaganda, and Bauhaus. The album's high point by far is the proto-acid house "Michelle," which has the dreamy neo-psychedelic textures of Psychic TV's "Godstar" or mid-period Siouxsie and the Banshees.

When Xymox was known as the Clan of Xymox in the mid-'80s, the Amsterdam group's Euro-gothic music was very underground. But things were different in the early '90s, when Xymox was making an effort to escape its obscurity and be more commercial. There were those who labeled Phoenix as the work of a band that had sold out, but while eerie, high-tech tunes such as "Smile Like Heaven," "Written in the Stars," and "Mark the Days" are slicker and more pop-minded than Xymox's mid-'80s work, they're far from bad. The gloominess and overtly European qualities that had characterized early Xymox remained, though Xymox was definitely thinking in terms of the pop/rock audience. Phoenix may not be the most original CD in the world, but that doesn't prevent it from being consistently enjoyable.

Out by early April is the brand new Clan Of Xymox album “Days Of Black”. The band finished the recordings and mixing in December. The mixing of tracks took 3 weeks in total, during which the band has been “spending time to the littlest of details” as they say.

As the post-punk dust began to settle, a particular strand of artist began applying a knowingly distant, colder aesthetic to their work. While much of the scene began to be dominated by bigger budget, commercially minded former punk and new wave acts, a darker undercurrent did survive, often more interesting, more dangerous and sexier than anything that could be heard on Top Of The Pops at the time. The first generation of the darkwave movement consisted of bands that were equally influenced by the fractured drama of Depeche Mode, Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Cure as they were by the art damaged experimentation of Cabaret Voltaire, Wire and Throbbing Gristle, always rich in Gothic spirt, societal displacement, urban isolation and sexual energy.

As the post-punk dust began to settle, a particular strand of artist began applying a knowingly distant, colder aesthetic to their work. While much of the scene began to be dominated by bigger budget, commercially minded former punk and new wave acts, a darker undercurrent did survive, often more interesting, more dangerous and sexier than anything that could be heard on Top Of The Pops at the time. The first generation of the darkwave movement consisted of bands that were equally influenced by the fractured drama of Depeche Mode, Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Cure as they were by the art damaged experimentation of Cabaret Voltaire, Wire and Throbbing Gristle, always rich in Gothic spirt, societal displacement, urban isolation and sexual energy.

This groundbreaking mix between ambient, tribal beats and technotrance has been compared to Orbital, early Moby, Future Sound Of London and Brian Eno. The first full length album of Amsterdam based project NYX still stands the test of time and contains underground club hits like Amozone and Photeos. In NYX electronic composer Bert Barten (Clan Of Xymox) collaborated with Hanz Meyer and Chris Deckker. Amor-Fati, which means 'love for your destiny', presents an inspiring global culture mix, with spiritual vocal soundscapes from all over the world. It could best be enjoyed in its full flow of 76 minutes…