Haujobb | |
---|---|
![]() Haujobb live at Planet Myer Day 12, January 10th, 2014 | |
Background information | |
Also known as | haujobb. (1992–1996) |
Origin | Bielefeld, Germany |
Genres | |
Years active | 1992–present |
Labels | |
Spinoffs |
|
Members |
|
Past members |
|
Haujobb is a German electronic musical project whose output has ranged drastically within the electronic music spectrum, from electro-industrial to ambient and techno. They have become a staple crossover act, bringing several forms of electro into the mainstream industrial music world.
Haujobb was formed in 1992 by Daniel Myer, Dejan Samardzic, and Björn Junemann. Hailing from Germany, the trio were inspired by the music of Skinny Puppy, as Myer recalls: "When Too Dark Park was released... this was the initiative for us to make this kind of music." [1] The name comes from the German translation of "skin job" from the film Blade Runner . [2] [note 1] They were soon signed to Off Beat, and began distributing their music in North America via Pendragon Records. [3]
Following the release of Freeze Frame Reality in 1995 saw the departure of bandmate Björn, the lineup has consisted of Daniel and Dejan ever since. [4] After Metropolis Records acquired Pendragon, the two musicians have been able to spread their music to a larger fanbase in North America, and have remained continuously popular in the European industrial music scene.
Over the course of their subsequent releases in the 1990s, they wove increasing amounts of drum 'n' bass and IDM influence into their sound. 1996's Solutions for a Small Planet marked the first stylistic deviation, including production credits by Guido Fricke of dark ambient duo La Floa Maldita and saxophone credits from Fricke's brother Andreas. [5] 1999's NinetyNine deviated further into a sparse, downtempo collection of ambient electronic compositions. [6] They have since reintroduced some of the more rhythmic elements back into their sound on their more recent albums, but have continued to experiment, drawing concepts from a wide variety of musical styles. [7]
In 2011, Haujobb released a new album with the title New World March which according to the band uses more hardware, guitars, drums, and sound recordings compared to software based Vertical Theory of 2003.[ citation needed ]
In 2013 Haujobb created their own production label, Basic Unit Productions, and began releasing other artists such as Div|ider, Blush Response, and Black Nail Cabaret. Basic Unit Productions also released two compilations under the title Frost. In September 2015, Haujobb released the minimal-wave influenced, Blendwerk on Basic Unit Productions in Germany and on Negative Gain Productions in the United States. In early Haujobb liner notes and credits, Daniel was listed as D. Meier, however in more recent liner notes he is listed as Daniel Myer.
In 2024, Haujobb released a pair of singles in advance of their planned tenth album, The Machine in the Ghost. The first of the two singles, "In the Headlights", reached number two on the German Alternative Charts (DAC). The second single, "Opposition", featured a vocal collaboration with Emese Árvai-Illés of Black Nail Cabaret. [8]
Today, both Daniel Myer and Dejan Samardzic continue to record music under the name Haujobb – the duo also briefly recorded as Dots+Dashes. Myer has several other projects of his own, including Architect, Clear Vision (initially a collaboration with Thorsten Meier) as well as a number of other short-lived electronic projects. Myer, along with Claire Voyant's Victoria Lloyd, form HMB. While Newt is a collaboration with Andreas Meyer of Forma Tadre. [9] More recent side-project collaborations of Myer include Destroid, also featuring Rinaldo Ribi Bite and Sebastian Ullmann and Radioaktivists with Frank M. Spinath, Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg and Sascha Lange. Daniel Myer also created the soundtrack for the Xbox game Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus .
Velvet Acid Christ (VAC) is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990 by its leader vocalist, musician, and producer Bryan Erickson, and later featured various ex-members of Toxic Coma. The project gained limited popularity in Europe's underground nightclub scenes during the mid-1990s with the compilation Church of Acid (1996) before expanding into other markets in the goth and industrial subcultures. The band's discography includes 14 albums, the latest being Ora Oblivionis (2019).
Covenant is a Swedish electronic band formed in Helsingborg in 1986. The band is currently composed of Eskil Simonsson and Joakim Montelius in the studio, while live shows consist of Simonsson along with touring members Chad Hauger, Daniel Jonasson of Dupont, Andreas Catjar and Daniel Myer of Haujobb.
Snog is a band that was formed by Australian musician David Thrussell, along with fellow art school friends Tim McGrath and Julia Bourke in 1989. The band's music is a fusion of many different styles, including industrial, techno, ambient, experimental, funk and country music. The band name is a reference to "kissing and cuddling".
Suicide Commando is a Belgian electro-industrial music act formed by Johan Van Roy in 1986. For live shows, it consists of Van Roy himself on vocals, Torben Schmidt on keyboards, and Mario Vaerewijck on drums.
Funker Vogt is a German electronic-industrial music project with an aggressive style, formed by vocalist Jens Kästel and programmer Gerrit Thomas in 1995. Other members of the band are keyboardist/manager Björn Böttcher, live guitarist Frank Schweigert and lyricist Kai Schmidt. The name of the band translates from German to English as "Radio Operator Vogt", this being the surname of a friend of the band who was a military radio operator.
Dive is a Belgian electronic body music project formed in 1990 by Dirk Ivens. Dive's "audio trademark" is the experimental sound of abused drum machines, pulsating through crackling distortion on almost every song.
Das Ich is a German dark wave/gothic-industrial band formed in 1989. The group, fronted by Stefan Ackermann and Bruno Kramm, were one of the prominent founders of and contributors to "Neue Deutsche Todeskunst" a musical movement in the early 1990s. The band is known for having a classically-inspired gothic-industrial style, for their on-stage theatrics, and their almost exclusive use of German-language lyrics. The German term Das Ich makes reference to the Freudian concept James Strachey translated as "ego".
United States of Mind is Covenant's fourth full-length album, released in March 2000. Travelogue was a bonus disc for United States of Mind. The track "You Can Make Your Own Music" is a silent track, in reference to John Cage's song "4′33″". "Like Tears in Rain" was re-recorded in German and released as the single "Der Leiermann", which also included the original version.
Negative Format is an EBM/trance band formed by Alex Matheu in 1996. For live performances, the band includes Rashree Patram and Brian Matson.
Cleaner is the name of a German project specializing in electronic music. Formerly known as Cleen, Myer released several albums on the American industrial music record label, Metropolis Records, as well as the labels Zoth Ommog and Accession Records.
Darker is the debut studio album of C-Tec, released on 1 September 1997 by Synthetic Symphony. The album showcases the band wanting to experiment by integrating different styles and textures into their compositions after the release of their 1995 EP Cyber-Tec. On 5 October 2018 the album was reissued as a music download with an additional track titled "My Unbreakable Code" and written by Marc Heal.
Jonathan Sharp is an electronic body music / industrial musician and professional sound designer from Cumbria, England, who has released music under the names New Mind, Bio-Tek, The Heartwood Institute, and others. He was also a member of the bands Cyber-Tec Project, Hexedene, and Hyperdex-1-Sect.
Hate Dept. is an American industrial/punk rock band, formed in 1991 by Steven Seibold. Seibold is a multi-instrumentalist who writes, records and releases Hate Dept. albums with minimal outside help. He formed Hate Dept. in 1991 in reaction to fickle 'electro' audiences and antipathy towards live electronic bands, taking his sound in a more punk direction.
B! Machine is a synthpop band from San Francisco, California.
Kevorkian Death Cycle is an American electro-industrial band from Riverside, California founded by Ryan Gribbin and Roger Jarvis. The band was originally named Grid and later changed their name to the politically motivated "Kevorkian Death Cycle".
Empires is the third studio album by the alternative electronic band VNV Nation. It was released in 1999 in the EU and 2000 in the United States jointly under the Metropolis and Dependent labels. The album combines trance, synthpop, and electronic body music (EBM).
Jega is the recording name of the Manchester-based electronic music artist, Dylan Nathan. Jega has released records on the Planet Mu, Matador and Skam record labels.
Welcome to Earth is the third studio album by Norwegian futurepop band Apoptygma Berzerk. It was released on February 22, 2000, on Metropolis Records but was earlier released on Tatra Records.
Flesh Field is an American electronic / industrial band formed in 1996 by Ian Ross in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The name Flesh Field is an unofficial term Ian Ross came up with to describe the psychological defense mechanisms of rape victims.
The comprehensive discography of Wumpscut, a Germany-based electro-industrial artist, consists of eighteen studio albums, seven EPs, thirteen compilation albums, and eighteen singles.