Federico Ágreda
Encyclopedia
Federico Augusto Ágreda Álvarez, is a Venezuela
n keyboardist
, DJ, composer
, producer
and remixer known for his musical projects in genres such as drum and bass
, dark ambient
, black metal
and minimal techno
.
(Australia) and Gorgoroth
(Norway). His remix of Nine Inch Nails
' The Hand That Feeds
became a global sensation on the NIN Remix Web site.
His catalog of remixes continues to grow as well as his collaborations with other artists including Counterstrike
(South Africa) and Messinian (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA). With the latter, he composed the Policia track which was a worldwide dancefloor hit, even played by DJs like Andy C
and DJ Hype
.
Lewis Davidson, owner of American Drum & Bass label Technorganic Recordings, states that Zardonic "...is showing how his varied background, environmental location and unique production styles are quite possibly the secret recipe for Drum & Bass perfection". He has also been referenced as "the biggest dark Drum & Bass act in Latin America".
Some of his other known projects are Intimus Universum (now known as Triangular Ascension), Sol Nocturno (previously known as Gorepriest) and Klipp (together with production partner Moreon).
In 2004 he earned the Best Keyboardist award in the Premios Metal Hecho en Venezuela 2002-2003 (Metal Made In Venezuela Awards 2002-2003).
In 2006 Zardonic's first tracks were released through Death Brigade Records in 12" vinyl format, becoming the first Venezuelan drum and bass producer to release a single in an international imprint. Later this year, he also founded Zardonic Recordings, an independent drum and bass netlabel
.
In 2007 he was booked for his first international event in Mexico on the 19th of May. Months later AK1200
, pioneer of the American Drum & Bass scene, selected Zardonic's Moonlight Ceremony for his Weapons of Tomorrow mixed compilation CD. Soon after, his tunes earned the support of international performers such as Dieselboy
, Pendulum
and John B.
In 2008 he released several drum and bass tracks, as well as an Industrial Metal album under the Blackholepit moniker, entitled "Portals", published through James Fogarty
's Death To Music Productions netlabel
, referenced as "the 1992 cross-over album from Varg Vikernes
(Burzum
) and Trent Reznor
(Nine Inch Nails) that never happened". A compilation of Zardonic's previous black metal oriented demos was also released later this year, entitled Chaotic Serenity. In December, he was also featured both as Zardonic and Klipp in the Venezuela Electrónica Vol. 3 compilation, sponsored by Venezuelan wireless telecommunications company Digitel GSM and Motorola
, by selling the new MOTOROKR EM30 mobile phone model together with a microSD card including all the tracks.
2009 saw the release by Big Riddim Recordings of Zardonic's remix of AK1200's classic Junior's Tune, and being commissioned by Dieselboy to do sound design for the Planet of the Drums
10th Anniversary Tour video intro. In a Dieselboy interview for Broken Beats on May 8, Zardonic was named as one of the five outstanding artists in Drum & Bass at the time.
In 2010, Zardonic toured Europe together with Joanna Syze, compiling a total of 12 gigs in Spain
, Austria
, Romania
and Bulgaria
. Shortly after, his studio mix Retaliation was released on drum and bass web site Dogsonacid.com paired with an in-depth interview. The first Human Imprint
release also happened this year, entitled South Of Human EP. Later on, he headlined two Therapy Sessions
events in Ecuador
and Argentina
, as well as more gigs in Colombia
and Venezuela
. By the end of December, he also founded Saturnoculto Records, sister label of Zardonic Recordings.
In 2011, Zardonic got three tracks included in Dieselboy's latest studio mix entitled Unleashed. Later on, his release "The Last Invocation" was picked on Beatport
's 10 Must Hear Drum & Bass Tracks - Week 17 chart. Triangular Ascension's debut album Leviathan Device was released through dark ambient label Cyclic Law, described as "a carefully crafted work full of cinematic drones of ruthless atmospheric power, destined to make Triangular Ascension a name to be reckoned with". For the month of March it was picked by The Silent Ballet and reviewed as "a spell of torpor and muck that ensnares the listener like quicksand".
Furthermore, his track "Scream!" was picked as part of the Trackitdown.Net One For The Weekend - 15th July 2011 - 50 Of The Biggest Recommendations For Your Mix bundle, together with tracks from artists like Paul Oakenfold
, Lazy Rich, Darth & Vader, Teebee
, Scott Brown
, and many more.
More recently, The social networking website VampireFreaks.com released a free compilation with a total of 36 rare tracks by various artists including KMFDM
, Suicide Commando
and Left Spine Down
, as well as Zardonic's mix of the track "Ready Or Not" by the latter.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, DJ, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and remixer known for his musical projects in genres such as drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
, dark ambient
Dark ambient
Dark ambient is a subgenre of ambient music that features foreboding, ominous, or discordant overtones. Although it had its roots in the 1970s, Dark ambient emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with the introduction of newer, smaller, and more affordable Effects units, synthesizer and sampling technology...
, black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
and minimal techno
Minimal techno
Minimal techno is a minimalist sub-genre of techno. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition, and understated development. This style of dance music production generally adheres to the motto less is more; a principle that has been previously utilized, to...
.
Biography
Federico Augusto Ágreda Álvarez started composing at the age of 16 under his black metal moniker Gorepriest, and two years later he earned the Best Keyboardist award at the Premios Metal Hecho en Venezuela 2002-2003 (Metal Made in Venezuela Awards). This gained him a significant following in the Venezuelan metal scene. During the next years he evolved through various projects of industrial, ambient and electronic music under different aliases. As Zardonic, he distinguished himself as a remixer for extreme metal bands including The BerzerkerThe Berzerker
The Berzerker was an extreme metal band from Melbourne, Australia and was formed in 1995. The band's music, heavily influenced by older death metal and grindcore, can be characterized as a fusion of these with speedcore, and gabber...
(Australia) and Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus , the band is named after the dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The group is currently signed to Regain Records and have released...
(Norway). His remix of Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
' The Hand That Feeds
The Hand that Feeds
"The Hand That Feeds" is a song by the American industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails, released as the lead single for the album With Teeth . It is the highest charting song by Nine Inch Nails on all charts except for U.S...
became a global sensation on the NIN Remix Web site.
His catalog of remixes continues to grow as well as his collaborations with other artists including Counterstrike
Counterstrike (drum and bass group)
Counterstrike, is a drum and bass producer duo from Cape Town consisting of Justin Scholtemeyer and Eaton Crous. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the South African drum 'n bass scene...
(South Africa) and Messinian (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA). With the latter, he composed the Policia track which was a worldwide dancefloor hit, even played by DJs like Andy C
Andy C
Andy C , born Andrew John Clarke, is an English DJ and producer and co-founder of the RAM Recording Studio. He is the son of Mick Clarke, bass player and founder member of the Rubettes, who had hits in the seventies like Sugar Baby Love, Tonight and I Can Do It.He is considered a pioneering force...
and DJ Hype
DJ Hype
DJ Hype is a stage name of drum and bass producer and DJ, Kevin Ford. His 1993 track, "Shot in the Dark", appeared in the UK Singles Chart in 1993.-Biography:...
.
Lewis Davidson, owner of American Drum & Bass label Technorganic Recordings, states that Zardonic "...is showing how his varied background, environmental location and unique production styles are quite possibly the secret recipe for Drum & Bass perfection". He has also been referenced as "the biggest dark Drum & Bass act in Latin America".
Some of his other known projects are Intimus Universum (now known as Triangular Ascension), Sol Nocturno (previously known as Gorepriest) and Klipp (together with production partner Moreon).
History
In 2003 his first album was released as Gore Priest, entitled "War Against Humanity: The Armageddon Chronicles", through Venezuelan label Melomaniac Metalmedia Records.In 2004 he earned the Best Keyboardist award in the Premios Metal Hecho en Venezuela 2002-2003 (Metal Made In Venezuela Awards 2002-2003).
In 2006 Zardonic's first tracks were released through Death Brigade Records in 12" vinyl format, becoming the first Venezuelan drum and bass producer to release a single in an international imprint. Later this year, he also founded Zardonic Recordings, an independent drum and bass netlabel
Netlabel
A netlabel is a record label that distributes its music through digital audio formats over the Internet...
.
In 2007 he was booked for his first international event in Mexico on the 19th of May. Months later AK1200
AK1200
AK1200 is the stage name of a Florida-based musician Dave Minner working in the jungle and drum and bass genres.He started DJing in 1989 playing mainly Electro, and in 1990 he opened a record store in Orlando, Florida called The Hottie Shop. His early working relationships were with record labels...
, pioneer of the American Drum & Bass scene, selected Zardonic's Moonlight Ceremony for his Weapons of Tomorrow mixed compilation CD. Soon after, his tunes earned the support of international performers such as Dieselboy
Dieselboy
Dieselboy is the stage name of Damian Higgins, an American drum and bass DJ, producer, remixer, founder of the Human Imprint music label, and co-founder of its sublabel SubHuman : Human Imprint which launched in September 2010...
, Pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
and John B.
In 2008 he released several drum and bass tracks, as well as an Industrial Metal album under the Blackholepit moniker, entitled "Portals", published through James Fogarty
James Fogarty
James Fogarty is an English multi-media artist. Concentrating mainly on music crossing over between metal and sampled based music, his projects past and present are The Blacksmoke Organisation, The Bombs Of Enduring Freedom, Ewigkeit, Jaldaboath and producing occasional releases for Death To...
's Death To Music Productions netlabel
Netlabel
A netlabel is a record label that distributes its music through digital audio formats over the Internet...
, referenced as "the 1992 cross-over album from Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes is a Norwegian black metal musician, writer, philosopher, religious and political activist, arsonist and convicted murderer.Vikernes was born near Bergen, Norway. In 1991, he founded the one-man music project Burzum, which quickly became popular within the early Norwegian black metal...
(Burzum
Burzum
Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes . It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene...
) and Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
(Nine Inch Nails) that never happened". A compilation of Zardonic's previous black metal oriented demos was also released later this year, entitled Chaotic Serenity. In December, he was also featured both as Zardonic and Klipp in the Venezuela Electrónica Vol. 3 compilation, sponsored by Venezuelan wireless telecommunications company Digitel GSM and Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, by selling the new MOTOROKR EM30 mobile phone model together with a microSD card including all the tracks.
2009 saw the release by Big Riddim Recordings of Zardonic's remix of AK1200's classic Junior's Tune, and being commissioned by Dieselboy to do sound design for the Planet of the Drums
Planet of the Drums
Founded during the summer of 2000, the Planet of the Drums is the alliance of four of America's most popular drum and bass DJ's: AK1200 , DJ Dara , Dieselboy , and MC Messinian...
10th Anniversary Tour video intro. In a Dieselboy interview for Broken Beats on May 8, Zardonic was named as one of the five outstanding artists in Drum & Bass at the time.
In 2010, Zardonic toured Europe together with Joanna Syze, compiling a total of 12 gigs in Spain
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...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. Shortly after, his studio mix Retaliation was released on drum and bass web site Dogsonacid.com paired with an in-depth interview. The first Human Imprint
Human Imprint
Human Imprint Recordings is an American drum and bass record label founded by Damian Higgins in New York City in 2002...
release also happened this year, entitled South Of Human EP. Later on, he headlined two Therapy Sessions
Therapy Sessions
Therapy Sessions is a franchise of drum and bass events created by Anger Management booking agency and UK based label Freak Recordings.The first Therapy Sessions event happened at the Herbal club in London in 2003, and from then it has expanded worldwide with shows in the United States, Romania,...
events in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, as well as more gigs in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. By the end of December, he also founded Saturnoculto Records, sister label of Zardonic Recordings.
In 2011, Zardonic got three tracks included in Dieselboy's latest studio mix entitled Unleashed. Later on, his release "The Last Invocation" was picked on Beatport
Beatport
Beatport is an online music store specializing in electronic dance music and culture. Beatport is a privately held company owned and operated by Beatport LLC and based in Denver, Colorado.-History:...
's 10 Must Hear Drum & Bass Tracks - Week 17 chart. Triangular Ascension's debut album Leviathan Device was released through dark ambient label Cyclic Law, described as "a carefully crafted work full of cinematic drones of ruthless atmospheric power, destined to make Triangular Ascension a name to be reckoned with". For the month of March it was picked by The Silent Ballet and reviewed as "a spell of torpor and muck that ensnares the listener like quicksand".
Furthermore, his track "Scream!" was picked as part of the Trackitdown.Net One For The Weekend - 15th July 2011 - 50 Of The Biggest Recommendations For Your Mix bundle, together with tracks from artists like Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
, Lazy Rich, Darth & Vader, Teebee
Teebee
Teebee or DJ Teebee is a Norwegian DJ and producer of drum and bass. Real name Torgeir Byrknes, Teebee began DJing in 1990 and released his first record in 1996...
, Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
, and many more.
More recently, The social networking website VampireFreaks.com released a free compilation with a total of 36 rare tracks by various artists including KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
, Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando is a Belgian electro-industrial act created by Johan van Roy in 1986.- History :Johan van Roy, Suicide Commando's only member, began experimenting with electronic music in 1986. Three years later he released his first tape under the moniker Suicide Commando, and made an appearance...
and Left Spine Down
Left Spine Down
Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Left Spine Down is a band that plays what they call "cyberpunk," a mixture of electronica, metal, punk, and drum & bass....
, as well as Zardonic's mix of the track "Ready Or Not" by the latter.
Zardonic
- 2011: Biohazard (with Davip) / Scream! (with Gancher and Jae Kennedy)
- 2011: Reptile (with Dextems) / The Last Invocation (with Susiah)
- 2011: When Worlds Collide (with Counterstrike)
- 2011: The Brink Of Apocalypso Studio Mix
- 2010: South Of Human EP
- 2010: Lovecraft Machine EP
- 2010: Retaliation Studio Mix
- 2010: My Prey (with Syze) / Frozen Pathways VIP Single
- 2010: Dreams (with Syze) / Dead Miracles Single
- 2010: F***ing Up The Program (with Brainpain) Single
- 2009: The Sound Of Inevitability Studio Mix
- 2009: Subliminal (with Hedj) Single
- 2009: The Law Single
- 2009: Stop The Suffering (with Alcrani) / Alerte Rouge (with Peter Kurten) EP
- 2009: Policia (with James Messinian) / Fresh Meat Single
- 2009: Those Who Know The Truth EP
- 2009: Zeichen (with Mocks) Single
- 2008: Subcultonegro Studio Mix
- 2008: Halfbeaten / Nightcrawler EP
- 2008: Relentless Beating Single
- 2008: Zen (with Claw) Single
- 2008: Chaotic Serenity EP
- 2008: Bloodforged EP
- 2008: Shrapnel Of Fear Single
- 2008: Ashtray Single
- 2008: Neurotica (with Identity) / Natural Born Killers (with Malsum) EP
- 2008: Acid Industries / Reliquia / Braindrainer EP
- 2008: Solaris Single
- 2007: House Of Sorrow / Moonlight Ceremony EP
- 2007: Seizure Of Iniquity Single
- 2006: Her Lust For Blood / Scourge EP
- 2006: Inherit Single
Gorepriest
- 2004: Thanatologica Full Length
- 2004: Perpetual Horizons Full Length
- 2003: War Against Humanity: The Armageddon Chronicles Full Length
- 2002: Beneath Eternal Oceans Of Melancholy Demo
Triangular Ascension
- 2011: Leviathan Device Full Length
- 2011: Sexta Repvblica EP
- 2010: Nibirusalem EP
- 2009: Microcosmogenesis EP
Intimus Universum
- 2008: White Landscapes Of Darkness Full Length
- 2004: Astral Chambers Pt. 2: Beyond The Astral Abyss Full Length
- 2003: Soulnatomy Full Length
- 2002: Astral Chambers Full Length
See also
- Human ImprintHuman ImprintHuman Imprint Recordings is an American drum and bass record label founded by Damian Higgins in New York City in 2002...
- History of drum and bass
External links
- Zardonic on MySpace
- Zardonic Discography at Rolldabeats
- Zardonic Discography at Discogs
- Zardonic at NIN Remix Site
- Zardonic Recordings