Aranis

Last updated

Aranis
Aranis at NEARfest 2012.jpg
Aranis performing at NEARfest in June 2012
Background information
OriginBelgium
Genres Avant-rock, experimental, neo-classical chamber, minimalism [1]
Years active2002–present [2]
LabelsHome Records
Associated acts Univers Zero, Present
Website www.aranis.be
Members Joris Vanvinckenroye
Liesbeth Lambrecht
Marjolein Cools
Stijn Denys
Jana Arns [3]
Past membersLinde de Groof
Axelle Kennes
Ward De Vleeschhouwer [3]

Aranis are a Flemish acoustic avant-rock, experimental and neo-classical chamber music group led by composer and contrabass player Joris Vanvinckenroye. [1] Their music has been described as a blend of "chamber classical and rock", [4] "Chamber Music Rock", [5] and "Belgian chamber rock" with elements of East and Southern European folk music. [6] Aranis have recorded six albums, and have performed live at a number of European venues, including the Rock in Opposition festivals in Carmaux, France. [2] [3] They made their American concert debut at NEARfest Apocalypse at Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in June 2012.

Contents

A biography of the group at All About Jazz said that "[i]n concert, Aranis creates an unforgettable atmosphere. Variation and expressivity hold the audience riveted. Chaotic structures and virtuoso crescendos alternate with serene intervals." [7]

Biography

Aranis are based in Antwerp, Belgium, and their music, composed by Vanvinckenroye, features contrabass, violin, accordion, flute, piano and guitar. [1] Their first live performance was in Heist-op-den-Berg in 2002, [2] and their debut album, Aranis was released in 2005. Aranis' third album, Songs From Mirage was released in 2009 and their sound was augmented by the inclusion of three female vocalists. [1] Also in 2009, Vanvinckenroye created a solo bass project called BASta! and recorded Cycles, an album featuring him on solo multi-tracked double bass. [1] [8] Aranis released RoqueForte in 2010 and included drummer Dave Kerman of the 5uu's and Thinking Plague, departing from their hitherto "signature drummerless acoustic sound". [9]

In 2011 Aranis joined forces with Belgian groups Univers Zero and Present to form a 17-member ensemble called Once Upon a Time in Belgium. They premiered at the fourth edition of the Rock in Opposition festival held in Carmaux, France in September 2011, where they performed "New York Transformations", a work composed by Kurt Budé of Univers Zero. Once Upon a Time in Belgium appears in the documentary film Romantic Warriors II: A Progressive Music Saga About Rock in Opposition (2012); Aranis also features in this film, and the companion Romantic Warriors II: Special Features DVD (2013). [10] [11]

In 2012, as a sextet and without a drummer again, Aranis departed from recording compositions by Vanvinckenroye and released Made in Belgium, an album of interpretations of works by other Belgian composers, including Wim Mertens, Daniel Denis of Univers Zero, and Roger Trigaux of Present. [1] In 2014 Aranis released Made in Belgium II, another album of interpretations of works by Belgian composers, including Peter Vermeersch and Walter Hus. [12]

Discography

Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles

Source: Aranis homepage [3]

Film appearances

Members

Source: Aranis homepage [3]

Guest musicians

On Songs From Mirage
On RoqueForte

Source: Aranis homepage [3]

Related Research Articles

1964 in music Overview of the events of 1964 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1964.

Rock in Opposition Former musical movement

Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music. It was initiated by English avant-rock group Henry Cow in March 1978 when they invited four mainland European groups to come to London and perform in a festival called "Rock in Opposition".

Art Bears English avant-rock group

Art Bears were an English avant-rock group formed during the disassembly of Henry Cow in 1978 by three of its members, Chris Cutler, Fred Frith and Dagmar Krause. The group released three studio albums between 1978 and 1981, and toured Europe in 1979.

Univers Zero

Univers Zero are an instrumental Belgian band formed in 1974 by drummer Daniel Denis. The band is known for its dark style of progressive rock, heavily influenced by 20th-century chamber music.

Miriodor is a Canadian musical group in the field of what is known as Rock in Opposition; the band combines jazz, progressive rock and chamber music into a powerful sound reminiscent of better known artists like Univers Zéro or Art Zoyd. Bass player Nicolas Masino came up with this description of Miriodor's music: "rock-oriented post-modern chamber music, with definite humorous overtones."

Guapo is a British experimental rock/art rock band formed in the mid-1990s by drummer/percussionist Dave Smith and guitarist/vocalist Matt Thompson, though the band gained a wider audience with the contribution of multi-instrumentalist Daniel O'Sullivan. The current lineup consists of Smith, guitarist Kavus Torabi, bassist James Sedwards and keyboardist Emmett Elvin of Chrome Hoof.

Present is a Belgian progressive rock group formed by guitarist Roger Trigaux in 1979.

Thinking Plague American avant-rock group

Thinking Plague is an American avant-garde progressive rock group founded in 1982 by guitarist/composer Mike Johnson and bass guitarist/drummer Bob Drake. Based in Denver, Colorado, the band has been active off and on since 1982, taking on a number of musicians over the years. They have made seven studio albums between 1984 and 2017, and released one live album recorded at NEARfest in 2000.

Dave Kerman American musician, composer and record company executive

David Kerman, better known as Dave Kerman, is a United States experimental rock drummer and composer, best known as the founder and member of the Los Angeles avant-rock group 5uu's. He is also a member of the Belgian progressive rock band Present and the Israeli avant-rock band Ahvak. Kerman has been a member of the United States bands U Totem and Thinking Plague, and the Dutch band Blast. He has collaborated with several musicians, including Bob Drake, Chris Cutler and Fred Frith.

<i>Tabula Rasa</i> (Pärt)

Tabula Rasa is a musical composition written in 1977 by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The piece contains two movements, "Ludus" and "Silentium," and is a double concerto for two solo violins, prepared piano, and chamber orchestra.

<i>Never Been Gone</i> 2009 studio album by Carly Simon

Never Been Gone is the 23rd studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released on October 27, 2009, by Iris Records. The album features acoustic versions of many of Simon's past hits along with two new songs, "No Freedom" and "Songbird".

Kate Soper is a composer and vocalist, notable for her innovative treatment of the vocal mechanism. Her work as both a composer and performer explores the dramatic and affective qualities of the human voice, capitalizing on extended vocal and instrumental techniques. She was a recent Guggenheim Fellow as well as a 2012–13 fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her chamber opera, Ipsa Dixit.

<i>Romantic Warriors II: A Progressive Music Saga About Rock in Opposition</i> 2012 documentary film

Romantic Warriors II: A Progressive Music Saga About Rock in Opposition is a 2012 feature-length documentary film about the Rock in Opposition movement of the late 1970s, the music genre it spawned, and the influence it has on experimental groups across the world. The film was written and directed by Adele Schmidt and José Zegarra Holder, and was released in the United States by Zeitgeist Media. It premiered in Washington, D.C. on September 28, 2012. The film was generally well received by critics, with a reviewer at AllMusic saying that it "covers all the points an aficionado could possibly want".

<i>Romantic Warriors II: Special Features DVD</i> 2013 documentary film

Got RIO? Romantic Warriors II: Special Features DVD is a 2013 documentary film and an addendum to the 2012 feature-length documentary Romantic Warriors II: A Progressive Music Saga About Rock in Opposition. The film was written and directed by Adele Schmidt and José Zegarra Holder, and was released in the United States by Zeitgeist Media. It was generally well received by critics, with a reviewer at AllMusic saying that it "is a showcase for tremendous musicianship and a must-have for existing [Rock in Opposition] fans".

Hamster Theatre is an American avant-rock, experimental and folk jazz music group based in Boulder, Colorado, and led by composer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Willey. They have released three albums, and have performed at several festivals, including Progman Cometh and ProgDay.

Dave Willey is an American experimental musician and composer, best known as the co-founder and member of the Boulder, Colorado-based avant-rock group Hamster Theatre. He is also a member of Thinking Plague and 3 Mice. He has released two solo albums and has performed with Hamster Theatre and Thinking Plague in the United States and Europe.

Joris Vanvinckenroye Flemish experimental double bass musician and composer

Joris Vanvinckenroye, also known by his solo moniker BASta!, is a Flemish avant-rock and experimental double bass musician and composer. He is best known for Aranis, a neo-classical chamber rock group he founded and leads, and for his double bass solo project, BASta!.

<i>RoqueForte</i> 2010 studio album by Aranis

RoqueForte is a 2010 studio album by Flemish acoustic avant-rock, experimental and neo-classical chamber music group Aranis, led by composer and contrabass player Joris Vanvinckenroye. It is their fourth album and was released in Belgium by Home Records.

<i>Traffic Continues</i> 2000 studio album by Fred Frith and the Ensemble Modern

Traffic Continues is an album by composer and guitarist Fred Frith featuring the Ensemble Modern, Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori, which was released on the Winter & Winter label. The album features a suite dedicated to cellist Tom Cora built around samples of his playing from Etymology.

Romantic Warriors III: Canterbury Tales (2015) is the third in a series of feature-length documentaries about Progressive rock written and directed by Adele Schmidt and José Zegarra Holder. This one focuses on the music of the Canterbury scene.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lynch, Dave. Aranis at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Agenda". Aranis homepage. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Group". Aranis homepage. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  4. Podgrajšek, Rok (2010). "Aranis – Roqueforte". The Rocktologist. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  5. "'Chamber Music Rock' – the Belgian form of R.I.O." psychemusic.org. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  6. Menshikov, Vitaly (1 March 2011). "Aranis – 2010 – 'Roqueforte'". Progressor. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  7. "Aranis". All About Jazz . 4 August 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  8. Lynch, Dave. Cycles at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  9. Lynch, Dave. RoqueForte at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  10. 1 2 Lynch, Dave. Romantic Warriors II: A Progressive Music Saga About Rock in Opposition at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  11. 1 2 Lynch, Dave. Got RIO? Romantic Warriors II: Special Features DVD at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  12. "Made in Belgium II". Bandcamp . Retrieved 2 October 2014.