Ines

With her unmistakably rich and luminous tone, Portuguese spinto soprano Inês Simões is known for her interpretations of contemporary music, including new commissions of operatic, symphonic, electronic, and chamber music repertoire. Inês is one half of Duo Tágide, whose bold programming encompasses works from both past and present as well as a dedicated place for Portuguese songs.

This group takes its name from the photogenic keyboardist/founder Ines Fuchs. The project, as it is called, was co-founded by her husband Hansi. They also seem to have heavily benefited by the turmoil happening in another Neo band during the early '90s. After jumping ship from Asgard, Chicco Grosso, Max Michieletto, and Marco Michieletto all ended up in INES. The lineup does vary from album to album, but the core consists of the Fuchs, the Micheieletto brothers, Chicco Grosso, and David Piai. It's actually more stable than many bands I have researched, so the "project" label is questionable.

INES is based in Germany, but the influences are from the spectrum of Neo Prog. Comparisons to IQ, Rousseau, and Pendragon have been made. With the Micheielttos, and Chicco Grosso, the Italian base is covered. As you might expect, there is a definite Asgard aspect involved. Ines Fuchs sites Tony Banks as a major influence on her keyboard style. What may be the most unique aspect is the use of different singers. This allows for a more accurate pairing of vocal style with each particular song.

INES released albums steadily every few years from 1994 to 2002. "Slipping Into the Unknown" is the most recent album, and there is no news of a forthcoming release at this time in 2008.