VNV Nation, also known as Victory Not Vengeance,[1] is an Irish electronic music group led by Ronan Harris in the roles of singer, songwriter and producer, with live members being keyboardists Mike Wimer and David Gerlach and percussionist Chris Roberts.
Ronan Harris was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, where he was exposed to electronic music via radio, from which he developed an interest in bands such as Kraftwerk, DAF and the Human League. In 1983, he joined a band named Die Fabrik, whose punk-inspired noise and synth style was not well received in Dublin. By 1989, Harris had moved to London and began composing music under the name Nation, a 1984-inspired, electronic orchestral music project. Harris relocated to Toronto, Canada, in 1990, but his music output stagnated until 1994 when he revived Nation, modified by his newfound motto: "Victory Not Vengeance" to become VNV Nation.[2]
Early years: Advance and Follow and Praise the Fallen (1995 – 1998)
The group's first release, Advance and Follow, came out in 1995. Advance And Follow featured industrial electronic beats heavily influenced by middle-era EBM acts such as Nitzer Ebb and Front 242, along a mixture of danceable synthesizer melodies, and elements of orchestral music. Although it was the band's first full-length release, Harris regards Advance and Follow more as a set of demos than a proper album.[3] In 2001, it was re-released as Advance and Follow 2.0, with updated production, re-recorded vocals, and five bonus tracks, which include two Front 242 covers.
Their next release, Praise the Fallen in 1998, continued largely in this vein, and they began to enjoy a larger degree of commercial success.
During that time, Harris also wrote for the online magazine Side-Line, of which he was the webmaster until 1999.[2]
VNV Nation live in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Empires (1999 – 2001)
Empires, released in 1999, was their breakthrough album, gaining them widespread commercial success and topping the German DAC charts for seven weeks.[4]Empires expanded on the band's melodic synthesizer lines and incorporated tighter song structures. Furthermore, the harsher 'sheet metal instrumentals' of Praise the Fallen were largely gone, and the music as a whole was more complex with multiple-layered arpeggios and pads. The album was composed using a mix of analog and digital synthesizers, and an Ensoniq ASR-10 sampler. Notable analog synthesizers used on the album included the ARP 2600, which was used for most of the sounds on the tracks "Firstlight," "Arclight," and "Standing," the SCI Pro One, and an Oberheim OB-1. Digital synthesizers used were the Roland JP-8000, Access Virus (used almost exclusively on the track "Darkangel"), Korg Trinity, the EMU Proteus 2000 and the Roland JV-1080.
Futureperfect (2001 – 2004)
Their 2002 album, Futureperfect, while retaining many industrial elements, represented a departure in many ways, largely away from EBM and towards trance and synthpop. Some neoclassical instrumental pieces were included in the album. Around this time Ronan Harris and Apoptygma Berzerk's Stefan Groth were credited with coining the term "futurepop" to describe their sound.[5][6] This shift caused their mainstream popularity to increase still further, but alienated some of their fans who preferred their earlier harsher and darker sound. Notably, the album was produced using only software synthesizers instead of hardware synthesizers. It was the first VNV Nation album made entirely with software synthesizers.
The band embarked on a world tour in support of Futureperfect from 2001 to 2003. Their concerts in Berlin, Washington, D.C., and the M'era Luna Festival were recorded and edited together for release as the Pastperfect DVD.[7] At this time VNV Nation consisted of Ronan Harris and drummer Mark Jackson.
Matter + Form (2005 – 2007)
Their 2005 album, Matter + Form, expanded on the soundscape established with Futureperfect. Notable for this harder-edged sound was the first single "Chrome". Also of note is the lack of effects applied to the vocals, a departure from previous albums, which allows Harris' voice more space in the mix. There were also several songs with a softer and more pensive theme. Some songs even had a slight "rock" feeling to them, mostly from how drum sequences and bass lines were arranged, the most obvious example being the final song, "Perpetual". The assortment of instruments used in the production was much larger than on previous albums. While mostly composed using software synthesizers, several different analogue modular synthesizers were used, along with an array of vintage effects. This album was also the first time the band used an outside producer. Both Matter + Form and "Chrome" peaked at #1 on the DAC Albums and Singles charts, respectively.[8][9]
Judgement (2007 – 2009)
VNV Nation's next studio album was Judgement, released on 4 April 2007. While written and recorded in VNV Nation's own studio, located in the now defunct Soundfactory Studios in Hamburg, the album production took advantage of the main studio's facilities through the use of its collection of vintage microphones and effects, and mixing the album on the studio's ADT console.
On 25 April 2007, at the sold-out show at The Metro in Chicago, Harris stated that the rumours about Judgement being the last album were false and that more was to come and that Judgement was just the beginning.
At the alternative electronic music festival Infest in Bradford on 26 August 2007, just after the murder of Sophie Lancaster, Harris dedicated the song "Illusion" to her and contacted the family soon afterwards to offer his condolences.[10][11]
VNV Nation performing "Legion" at The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia
Reformation 1 and Of Faith, Power and Glory (2009)
Two years after Judgement, the box set Reformation 1 was released in Europe on 24 April 2009. Its US release was on 12 May.
The next album, Of Faith, Power and Glory was mentioned on the band's MySpace blog. Harris confirmed to Side-Line that they were aiming for late April to release the album, which would be titled Of Faith, Power and Glory, or as Harris described it: "The 3 things that people desire and which can make you or destroy you!"[12]
Due to the release of "Reformation 1" in mid-April, the release of the album was postponed; it appeared in the US on CD and in the iTunes Store on 23 June 2009, and in Europe on 19 June 2009.[13]
Crossing the Divide and Automatic (2010 – 2011)
A remix collection called Crossing The Divide was planned for release on 8 June 2010,[14] but was delayed until May 2012. The update on the official website cited unforeseen circumstances and personal matters for the delay. On 14 May 2012, the EP was announced on the band's Facebook page and made available for free via SoundCloud.[15] There were also plans for a number of extended and enhanced re-releases of previous albums in 2010; however these plans did not materialize.[16]
On 16 September 2011, VNV Nation's eighth studio album Automatic, was released for most of Europe, with the physical CD released on 25 October 2011 in the United States.
Gothic meets Klassik, Transnational, Resonance: Music For Orchestra Vol. 1 and Compendium 1995-2015 - 20 Years Of Work (2012 – 2016)
In November of 2012, VNV Nation, Blutengel and Staubkind performed at the Gothic meets Klassik festival in Leipzig. On the 10th, they played a standard electronic set, and on the 11th, they performed with Ronan Harris on vocals accompanied by a full symphony orchestra for the first time. The show was recorded for release, but a problem with the recording equipment rendered the audio unusable.[17] As a result, Ronan began to work with the arranger on an album of VNV Nation songs scored for orchestra, which would include the tracks performed at Gothic Meets Klassik as well as additional songs. Ronan also performed a selection of VNV Nation songs with a classical pianist on the 2013 Gothic Cruise.
The album Transnational was released on 11 October in Europe,[18] 15 October in North America,[19] and elsewhere on 19 November, preceded by a promotional tour beginning on 2 October 2013.[20]
The orchestral album Resonance: Music For Orchestra Vol. 1 was released on 15 May 2015. It consists of tracks selected from their back catalogue reimagined for orchestra. It was recorded in the Babelsberg Studios outside Berlin at the end of February 2015, the same studios where scores for films such as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2 were recorded. Resonance reached #7 on the official German Album Charts the week of 22 May 2015[21] and respectively #3 on the US Billboard Classical Crossover Album Charts and #4 on the US Billboard Classical Music Charts[22] for 30 May 2015. A tour for Resonance also took place, featuring the Deutsches Flimorchester Babelsberg.[23]
A twenty year anniversary tour called “Compendium 1995-2015 - 20 Years Of Work” was announced in 2015, with the European leg starting in Germany on 4 December 2015 and ending in Czechia on 20 April 2016.[24] A North American leg was also announced, starting in Seattle on 7 October 2016 and ending in New York on 29 October 2016.[25]
Automatic Empire, Resonance Extended and Noire (2016 – 2021)
During December of 2016 and during late 2017, VNV Nation performed the Automatic Empire tour[26] which consisted of the albums Automatic and Empire played almost in full, with the exceptions being the songs “Photon” from Automatic and “Firstlight” from Empires.[27]
On 16 November 2017, it was announced that Mark Jackson, who had participated as live drummer at concerts since the mid-1990s, had left VNV Nation to “pursue other paths in life”, according to the statement made by the band. Their work on the next album was also teased during this announcement.[28][29]
The Resonance tour, retitled Resonance Extended, was continued for a few shows in December of 2017, also with the Deutsches Flimorchester Babelsberg.[30]
In June of 2018, their tenth studio album, Noire, was announced along with the European leg of the Noire tour. Noire released as a digital album in all markets and as a physical CD in non-American markets via Anachron Records.[31] In the American market, the physical CD was distributed by Metropolis Records, with a release date of 7 December 2018.[32]
The song "When Is the Future?” was supported by the release of a music video, which released on 8 October 2018, which was the first official VNV Nation music video.[33][34]
The album received mostly positive reviews, with critics commending its emotional depth and sonic complexity and heavily critizing the three instrumental tracks on the album.[35][36]
Noire was followed by the Noire tour, with the first legs of the tour taking place during late 2018 in Europe and North America.[37][38] The third and final leg of the tour, which also took place in Europe, started and ended in early 2019.[39]
Electric Sun and VNV Nation and the Philharmonie Leipzig (2022 – 2024)
In April of 2022, VNV Nation announced that its eleventh studio album, Electric Sun, would arrive in April 2023 to coincide with the Electric Sun tour, which started in Denmark on 23 February 2023 and ended in Glasgow on 28 May 2023.[40][41]
On 28 April 2023, VNV Nation released its eleventh studio album, Electric Sun, on LP, CD, and digitally.[42] It was preceded by the singles "Before the Rain" [43] and "Wait," which was accompanied by VNV Nation's second music video.[44] "Wait" spent several weeks at the top of the German Alternative Charts (DAC) in the Summer of 2023 while "Before the Rain" peaked at #2.[45][46]
Electric Sun received positive reviews, with critics praised the album's rich soundscapes and innovative use of both vintage and modern analog synthesizers.[47][48][49]
A limited time special gold vinyl edition of “Resonance: Music for Orchestra Vol. 1” was announced on 12 June 2023, with a release date of 29 July 2023.[50]
In June of 2023, a North American leg of the Electric Sun tour was officially announced to take place during late 2023,[51] with a 2024 leg announced later on, making up the final dates of the Electric Sun tour.[52]
Another orchestral tour, this time featuring the Philharmonie Leipzig and Diary of Dreams, was announced in September of 2023 and took place during May of 2024, only a few days after the end of the Electric Sun tour.[53]
Construct // Destruct (2024 – 2025)
On 9 June 2024, VNV Nation announced that its twelfth studio album and first double album, Construct // Destruct, would arrive in 2025 to coincide with a February 2025 European Tour, which starts in Germany on 5 February 2025 and ends in Sweden on 6 April 2025.[54]
Icon of Coil is a Norwegian electronic music band. The band was established as a solo project in 1997 by Andy LaPlegua who was joined by former Sector 9 bandmate Sebastian Komor to perform live. With the release of Shallow Nation, the band's first single, Komor joined full-time. In 2000, Christian Lund joined the live lineup. Later that year, the band's first full-length album, Serenity is the Devil, was released, which climbed to number one on the Deutsche Alternative Charts. Shortly thereafter, Lund became a full-time band member.
Ronan Harris is the founding member of the electronic music project VNV Nation. He is credited with the songwriting, production, lyrical and vocal aspects of the band's music. In the years preceding VNV Nation's debut album, he worked for Q8 Petroleum in central London as an IT manager and was a journalist and webmaster for dark electro magazine Side-Line.
Rotersand is a German electronic music act, formed in September 2002 by musician/producer Gun and singer Rascal with dance music producer/DJ Krischan J.E. Wesenberg joining them shortly after. Rotersand's music can generally be described as futurepop; the band themselves refer to it as "industrial pop."
Angels and Agony are a Dutch futurepop band consisting of vocalist Reinier Kahle, guitarist Erik Wierenga, DJ Marco van Belle on synthesizer and backing vocals and Fried Bruggink as sound engineer and drummer. The band formed in 1995 and produced two EPs before its first full album, Eternity (2001). Eternity was produced by VNV Nation's Ronan Harris. Other high-profile collaborations include Axel Ermes of Girls Under Glass, Diorama, and SITD The band's current record label is Out of Line, a German label of industrial- and synthpop-oriented electronic bands. Metropolis Records is the band's US distributor since 2004.
The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg is a symphony orchestra and music studio based in Potsdam, Germany.
SITD, stylised [:SITD:], is a German EBM and industrial band founded in 1996 by Carsten Jacek and Thorsten Lau as Shadows in the Dark.
Revolution By Night were an electronic music band based in London, England. Often referred to simply as 'RBN', the only continuous members of the band were founding members Steve Weeks (vocal/keyboards/programming) and Bryon Adamson (keyboards/programming), with Phil Eaton (keyboards) joining in 2006.
Judgement is the sixth studio album by the Irish alternative electronic band VNV Nation, released in 2007.
Futureperfect is the fourth studio album by the German-based electronic band VNV Nation. It was released in Europe on 28 January 2002 and on 5 March 2002 in the United States. It was the first VNV Nation release to be created/produced entirely using software synthesizers. The opening track 'Foreword' samples the Enigma Variations, part IX (Nimrod).
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).
Praise the Fallen is the second studio album by the alternative electronic band VNV Nation, released in 1998. It is a departure from their debut album’s sound, featuring better production values, being more melodic, and containing a heavier electronic pace. "Solitary" was released as an EP, and "Honour" was re-recorded in 2003 and released as a single. The album peaked at #94 on the CMJ Radio 200 and #29 on the CMJ RPM Charts in the U.S.
WestCom was a German recording company that operated the label Off Beat, Visage Records and others.
Straftanz was a German electronic dance music project, established in the summer of 2006. Straftanz consisted of a loose group of artists who called themselves the Straftanz ZK. Additional artists involved were Carsten Jacek (SITD), Mille Petrozza, and Myk Jung who were involved in the recording of the first album Forward Ever. Straftanz also collaborated with the futurepop project Rotersand by way of sharing ideas and equipment. In interviews, Straftanz described its musical style as "Industrial-Streetfighting-Dance". In fact, the sound of Straftanz is best described as a mixture of EBM, futurepop, trance, rave, metal, and rhythm noise elements that are tied together with a present dance groove.
Automatic is the eighth studio album by the alternative electronic artist VNV Nation, released in 2011. It was released on 16 September 2011 in Europe, and 25 October 2011 in North America.
Echogenetic is the fifteenth full-length studio album by Vancouver industrial band Front Line Assembly, released on July 9, 2013. It was well received both by critics and fans and charted in German and US charts. Critics commented on the band's return to a purely electronic approach and on the dubstep influence on the album. Front Line Assembly toured extensively in Europe and North America in support of this album and remix follow-up Echoes, which included a tour with vocalist and band leader Bill Leeb's former band Skinny Puppy. This was the last studio album to feature Jeremy Inkel before his death in 2018.
Transnational is the ninth studio album by the German-based alternative electronic band VNV Nation, released on 11 October 2013 in Europe and on 19 November 2013 in America under Anachron Sounds.
"Genesis" is a single by VNV Nation from their album Futureperfect. It was released in 2001, in advance of the album.
Resonance: Music for Orchestra Vol. 1 is an orchestral album by the German-based alternative electronic band VNV Nation, with the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, released on May 15, 2015 on VNV's own Anachron Sounds label. All songs are from their back catalogue, arranged for orchestra and voice.
Noire is the tenth studio album by the Irish alternative electronic band VNV Nation, released on October 12, 2018, in Europe under Anachron Sounds, and on December 7, 2018, in America under Metropolis Records. The single “When Is the Future” was a major hit for the band and also well received.
Electric Sun is the eleventh studio album by the Irish alternative electronic band VNV Nation. It was released on April 28, 2023, in Europe under Anachron Sounds and in America under Metropolis. VNV Nation released two singles for the album, those being “Before the Rain” on February 21, 2023 and “Wait” on April 14, 2024, with “Wait” receiving its own music video, making it the second official VNV Nation music video.
↑ "DAC Top 50 Albums 1999". Trendcharts oHG. AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH. 2000. Archived from the original on 18 April 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
↑ "DAC Top 50 Albums 2005". Trendcharts oHG. AMC Alster Musik Consulting GmbH. 2006. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
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