Esplendor Geometrico
Encyclopedia
Esplendor Geométrico is a Spanish
industrial
band. The band was formed in the early 1980s by Arturo Lanz, Gabriel Riaza, and Juan Carlos Sastre, who had all been members of El Aviador Dro Y Sus Obreros Especializados
. They took the name "Geometric Splendor" from Geometric and Mechanical Splendor and the Numerical Sensibility , a text of the Italian
futurist
, F.T. Marinetti
.
Their style of harsh industrial rhythms was developed on two further albums – 1987's Kosmos Kino and 1988's Mekano Turbo. After the 1989 live album Live in Utrecht, future releases would appear on the Geometrik label.
1991's Sheikh Aljama saw overtly Arabic influences in the music, while Veritatis Splendor (1994) and the Balearic Rhythms (1996) saw a partial softening of their traditionally abrasive sound. By then the band was a duo, consisting of Arturo Lanz and Saverio Evangelista, the latter having joined the group in 1990 while also continuing to maintain his other project Most Significant Beat.
The band returned with 1997's Polyglophone, the following year, artists such as Coil
and Chris and Cosey
contributed reworkings of Esplendor Geométrico tracks to the remix album EN-CO-D-Esplendor. In 2002, the Chinese-influenced Compuesto de Hierro was released, while a double CD compilation, Anthology 1981-2003, hit the shops in 2005.
Lanz now lives in Beijing
and Evangelista in Rome
but the group remains active and has been making selected live appearances of late, including a recent appearance in Kyoto
, Japan
, with Peter Christopherson
of Throbbing Gristle
and Coil, DAF
's Robert Görl and CoH
. April 2007 saw the release of a new album, 8 Traks & Live, featuring eight new audio tracks and a DVD containing the band's performance at Madrid
's DeciBELIO festival in June 2006.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
band. The band was formed in the early 1980s by Arturo Lanz, Gabriel Riaza, and Juan Carlos Sastre, who had all been members of El Aviador Dro Y Sus Obreros Especializados
Aviador Dro
Aviador Dro is an electronic band from Spain that formed in Madrid in 1979 with influences such as Gary Numan, Devo and Kraftwerk. They were part of the Movida Madrileña...
. They took the name "Geometric Splendor" from Geometric and Mechanical Splendor and the Numerical Sensibility , a text of the Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
futurist
Futurism (art)
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century. It emphasized and glorified themes associated with contemporary concepts of the future, including speed, technology, youth and violence, and objects such as the car, the airplane and the industrial city...
, F.T. Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti was an Italian poet and editor, the founder of the Futurist movement, and a fascist ideologue.-Childhood and adolescence:...
.
History
In 1981 the band released their first single, "Necrosis en la Poya", in the Tic Tac label, followed by their debut LP, Héroe del Trabajo / El Acero del Partido in 1982. In 1985 the band formed their own label, Esplendor Geométrico Discos, and released their second LP, Comisario de la Luz / Blanco de Fuerza.Their style of harsh industrial rhythms was developed on two further albums – 1987's Kosmos Kino and 1988's Mekano Turbo. After the 1989 live album Live in Utrecht, future releases would appear on the Geometrik label.
1991's Sheikh Aljama saw overtly Arabic influences in the music, while Veritatis Splendor (1994) and the Balearic Rhythms (1996) saw a partial softening of their traditionally abrasive sound. By then the band was a duo, consisting of Arturo Lanz and Saverio Evangelista, the latter having joined the group in 1990 while also continuing to maintain his other project Most Significant Beat.
The band returned with 1997's Polyglophone, the following year, artists such as Coil
Coil (band)
Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...
and Chris and Cosey
Chris and Cosey
Chris & Cosey, now performing as Carter Tutti, are a band formed in 1981, consisting of partners Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti, both previously members of industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle.- History :...
contributed reworkings of Esplendor Geométrico tracks to the remix album EN-CO-D-Esplendor. In 2002, the Chinese-influenced Compuesto de Hierro was released, while a double CD compilation, Anthology 1981-2003, hit the shops in 2005.
Lanz now lives in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and Evangelista in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
but the group remains active and has been making selected live appearances of late, including a recent appearance in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with Peter Christopherson
Peter Christopherson
Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
and Coil, DAF
Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft or D.A.F. is an influential German electropunk/NDW band from Düsseldorf, formed in 1978 featuring Gabriel "Gabi" Delgado-López , Robert Görl , Kurt "Pyrolator" Dahlke , Michael Kemner and Wolfgang Spelmans...
's Robert Görl and CoH
CoH (musician)
CoH is the musical alias of Ivan Pavlov , a Russian-born sound artist and engineer. He has lived in Sweden since 1995. After Pavlov moved to Sweden, he adopted the alias CoH which can be read in Cyrillic as well as in Latin alphabet and means in Russian sleep or dream...
. April 2007 saw the release of a new album, 8 Traks & Live, featuring eight new audio tracks and a DVD containing the band's performance at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
's DeciBELIO festival in June 2006.
Discography
- Necrosis en la poya 7" (1981)
- EG-1 cassette (1981, reissued on CD in 2000)
- El acero del partido/Héroe del trabajo LP (1982, reissued on CD in 2000)
- Comisario de la luz/Blanco de fuerza LP (1985)
- 1980-1981 cassette (1986)
- En Roma cassette (1986)
- En directo: Madrid y Tolosa cassette (1987)
- Kosmos kino LP (1987, reissued on CD in 1996)
- Mekano-turbo LP (1988, reissued on CD in 1994)
- Madrid mayo '89 cassette (1989)
- Live in Utrecht LP (1990, reissued on CD in 1999)
- Diez años de esplendorTarikat (album)Tarikat is the reissue on double album CD, digitalized and mastered in Belgium, of the double cassette box Diez años de esplendor , recorded and released to commemorate de tenth anniversary of the band....
2 x cassette (1990) - Sheikh AljamaSheikh AljamaSheikh Aljama is an album by Spanish industrial band Esplendor Geometrico, recorded at Al-Majriti Studio in Melilla , and released as CD by Daft Records in Belgium....
(jeque de aljama) CD (1991) - 1980-19821980-1982 (album)1980-1982 is a double album compiled, digitalized and mastered for CD in Netherlands, containing the first single , cassette and LP by Esplendor Geometrico in Spain.-Track listing:-Notes:* Cover: Designs by Juan-Carlos Sastre....
2 x cassette (1993) - Arispejal astisaróArispejal astisaróArispejal astisaró album was recorded by Esplendor Geometrico at Chon Studio Palma , mixed at Al-Majriti Studio in Melilla, and digitalized and mastered for CD in Bochum .-Track listing:# Jari – 6:25...
(powerful metal) CD (1993) - Veritatis splendor CD (1994)
- 1983-1987 CD (1994)
- Nador CD (1995)
- Tokyo sin fin CD (1996)
- Treinta kilómetros de radio CD-EP (1996)
- Balearic rhythms CD (1996)
- 80s tracks CD (1996)
- TarikatTarikat (album)Tarikat is the reissue on double album CD, digitalized and mastered in Belgium, of the double cassette box Diez años de esplendor , recorded and released to commemorate de tenth anniversary of the band....
2 x CD (1997) - Polyglophone CD (1997)
- Syncrotrón mini-LP (1998)
- EN-CO-D-Esplendor (remixes) CD (1998)
- Compuesto de hierro CD (2002)
- Moscú está helado (remixes) CD (2004)
- Anthology 1981-2003 2 x CD (2005)
- 8 traks & live CD / DVD (2007)
- Pulsión CD (2009)
- Desarrollos geométricos CD (2011)
External links
- [ Entry] at Allmusic
- Entry at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...