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Silence (band)
Encyclopedia
Silence is a Slovenia
n electronic
, synth pop and soundtrack
music composing duo consisting of Boris Benko (singer and songwriter) and Primož Hladnik (keyboards and arrangements). Their fanbase and their tours are currently limited to Slovenia
, Germany
and parts of Eastern Europe
. Outside the region, the band is probably mostly known for the album "Vain, A Tribute To A Ghost" and their collaboration with Laibach
on the album Volk
in 2006.
The music is characterized by melancholy, experimental sounds and vocal arrangements as well as meticulous production. The band is also known to incorporate various live instruments in their recordings, such as the piano
, violin
, viola
, double bass
, cello
, valiha
and other. The duo is recognized for their vast involvement in music writing for contemporary plays
in Slovenian theater. Usually they will tour with the cast, or even be part of it, and perform the music live.
They are currently on a tour with Laibach and working on their fourth studio album.
two years later. In 1995, experienced producer Peter Penko (Laibach, Coptic Rain, April Nine, Siddharta
) began a collaboration with the duo. Ferenc left the band the same year. Silence made their international debut in 1996 with the song "Shut Up", which was featured on the synth pop compilation "Daydream Collection" released on the German label "Gymnastic". The band signed a two album contract with German label Chrom Records the same year. The Berlin
independent label (located in Munich
at the time of the contract signing) houses, among other artists, Deine Lakaien
, Distain! and Helium Vola
. Chrom Records released Silence's debut album "Ma Non Troppo
" in 1997, an album that was declared Album of the month by the influential German magazine "New Life". The first single from the debut album was "Samuel's Gabriel", described by the band as "a cynical protest against the hypocrisy of the Clergy and Christianity as a political institution." The video was shot in Munich and on the shores of Kenya
in 1998. This was followed by a short German tour together with Distain!. Famous and internationally acclaimed producer Gregor Zemljič (Random Logic) produced four songs for the upcoming follow-up album to "Ma Non Troppo" before the end of the busy year.
". The album was voted Album of the year in "Orkus", the popular German alternative music magazine. It received the highest grades in reviews by "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung", "Ragazzi", "Online.de", "Wrath" and "Zillo" among others. A few months after the release of their second album, in March 2000, the band gave a sold out unplugged performance in Stih's hall, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana. Silence was accompanied by Blaz Medja (drums), Ales Berkopec (acoustic guitar) and the Rozmarinke string quartet. The concert was broadcast live on radio and is one of the band's most memorable performances to date. Crom Records released "Son Of Sin", the first single of "Unlike A Virgin". Meanwhile, the duo wrote the soundtrack for "Midnight Meat Flight", a performance by the notorious "Betontanc" dance theater, and Delo
classified "Unlike A Virgin" one of the five most important Slovenian albums of the year. It was also nominated for best newcomer at the "Bumerang" alternative music awards. Benko provided vocals for the song "Cliffs Of Norway", written by Ernst Horn (Deine Lakaien) and featured on the compilation "Subout", released by Waldorf
in 2000, together with De/Vision
, Oomph!
, Front 242
, Front Line Assembly
and Wolfsheim
to name a few, many of which contributed with previously unreleased tracks.
In 2002, Silence wrote the soundtracks for "Maison Des Rendez-Vous", another Betontanc play, and "Viktorji", the biggest Slovenian media awards. The duo kept working with soundtrack projects and in 2003 they wrote two songs for "Emofad" (Emotivity Of Adventures), a contemporary dance performance directed and choreographed by Goran Bogdanovski. Benko and "Random Logic" also performed live during the dance performances. Nika Records released the "Maison Des Rendez-Vous" soundtrack in Slovenia. Later the same year, Silence recorded "Hall Of Mirrors" for "Trans Slovenia Express vol. 2", a compilation of Kraftwerk
covers recorded by Slovenian acts. The track featured Anne Clark
as guest vocalist.
Their first soundtrack of 2005 was for "Veronika decides...", a contemporary dance performance directed by Gagik Ismailian and produced by the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana. An exclusive limited edition of the soundtrack, entitled "Veronika" was released when the show premiered. The band also toured with Diary Of Dreams
in 2005, while Matrix Music released "Skin: The Remixes", featuring remixes by Umek
, Valentino Kanzyani
and Random Logic. The band worked with "Lutkovno gledalisce Ljubljana" again and wrote the soundtrack for the puppet show "Peter Rabbit".
in Germany. Once again the duo held a sold out acoustic performance at Cankarjev Dom, before releasing Key under the new label. The release was a 2CD compilation of pivotal Silence tracks, nine of which previously unreleased. The first CD was an anthology, while the second one was more of a collector's item and featured rarities within a wide scope of genres.
Critically praised "Tesla Electric Company", which opened July 19, 2006, marked Silence's first collaboration with influential director Tomaz Pandur and arguably the duo's most successful contribution to a play. The soundtrack featured a selection of older Silence material and a handful of tracks written specifically for the show. The duo performed the songs live, incarnating singing and piano-playing Teslas
at given occasions. Tesla was portrayed by no less than seven different actors, including Rade Šerbedžija
.
The Laibach
album "Volk
", released in October 2006, is a collaboration between Laibach and Silence.
The "The Passion of the Cold" is conceived as a handmade book containing two CD's, features 90 minutes of music from (or inspired by) Tomaz Pandur's plays Barroco and Kaligula. Only 500 numbered and hand-signed copies are available exclusively at their official website.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, synth pop and soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
music composing duo consisting of Boris Benko (singer and songwriter) and Primož Hladnik (keyboards and arrangements). Their fanbase and their tours are currently limited to Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and parts of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Outside the region, the band is probably mostly known for the album "Vain, A Tribute To A Ghost" and their collaboration with Laibach
Laibach (band)
Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
on the album Volk
Volk (album)
Volk is a concept album by Slovenian industrial group Laibach. Originally, Volk is the German word for "people" or "nation" but also Slovenan for "wolf"...
in 2006.
The music is characterized by melancholy, experimental sounds and vocal arrangements as well as meticulous production. The band is also known to incorporate various live instruments in their recordings, such as the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, valiha
Valiha
The valiha is a tube zither from Madagascar made from a species of local bamboo. It is played by plucking the strings, which may be made of metal or the bamboo skin which is pried up in long strands and propped up by small bridges made of pieces of dried gourd...
and other. The duo is recognized for their vast involvement in music writing for contemporary plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
in Slovenian theater. Usually they will tour with the cast, or even be part of it, and perform the music live.
They are currently on a tour with Laibach and working on their fourth studio album.
Getting started (1992-1998)
Silence was founded in 1992 by Boris Benko, Matjaz Ferenc and Primož Hladnik. The band's first concert was held in LjubljanaLjubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
two years later. In 1995, experienced producer Peter Penko (Laibach, Coptic Rain, April Nine, Siddharta
Siddharta (band)
Siddharta is a five-piece Slovenian rock band founded in 1995. They are named after the popular novel by German writer Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha.- History :...
) began a collaboration with the duo. Ferenc left the band the same year. Silence made their international debut in 1996 with the song "Shut Up", which was featured on the synth pop compilation "Daydream Collection" released on the German label "Gymnastic". The band signed a two album contract with German label Chrom Records the same year. The Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
independent label (located in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
at the time of the contract signing) houses, among other artists, Deine Lakaien
Deine Lakaien
Deine Lakaien is a German Darkwave group composed of Macedonian vocalist Alexander Veljanov and the classically trained composer, pianist and drummer Ernst Horn.- History :...
, Distain! and Helium Vola
Helium Vola
Helium Vola is a German Darkwave or "Electro-Medieval" band founded in 2001 by Ernst Horn, who was also one of the founding members of Qntal. In the contract with Chrom Records Horn insisted on Helium Vola not being seen as a successor of Qntal nor being marketed as such...
. Chrom Records released Silence's debut album "Ma Non Troppo
Ma Non Troppo (album)
Ma Non Troppo is the debut album by Slovenian band Silence, released on March 10, 1997 - the year after the band's signing to Chrom Records. It was voted "Album of the month" in "New Life".-Track listing:# "Samuel's Gabriel" – 4:17# "La Troia" – 4:20...
" in 1997, an album that was declared Album of the month by the influential German magazine "New Life". The first single from the debut album was "Samuel's Gabriel", described by the band as "a cynical protest against the hypocrisy of the Clergy and Christianity as a political institution." The video was shot in Munich and on the shores of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in 1998. This was followed by a short German tour together with Distain!. Famous and internationally acclaimed producer Gregor Zemljič (Random Logic) produced four songs for the upcoming follow-up album to "Ma Non Troppo" before the end of the busy year.
Followup album (1999-2001)
In 1999, Crom Records released Silence's second album, "Unlike A VirginUnlike a Virgin
Unlike A Virgin is the second album of Slovenian band Silence, released on October 18, 1999. According to the band, it covers about eight years of work. Most of the songs were actually written at the very beginnings of Silence and labeled "too strange for publication" at the time...
". The album was voted Album of the year in "Orkus", the popular German alternative music magazine. It received the highest grades in reviews by "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung", "Ragazzi", "Online.de", "Wrath" and "Zillo" among others. A few months after the release of their second album, in March 2000, the band gave a sold out unplugged performance in Stih's hall, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana. Silence was accompanied by Blaz Medja (drums), Ales Berkopec (acoustic guitar) and the Rozmarinke string quartet. The concert was broadcast live on radio and is one of the band's most memorable performances to date. Crom Records released "Son Of Sin", the first single of "Unlike A Virgin". Meanwhile, the duo wrote the soundtrack for "Midnight Meat Flight", a performance by the notorious "Betontanc" dance theater, and Delo
Delo
Delo is the largest national daily newspaper in Slovenia. It was established on May 1st, 1959, when two newspapers Ljudska pravica and Slovenski poročevalec merged. Nowadays, it is the most influential and credible daily newspaper in Slovenia...
classified "Unlike A Virgin" one of the five most important Slovenian albums of the year. It was also nominated for best newcomer at the "Bumerang" alternative music awards. Benko provided vocals for the song "Cliffs Of Norway", written by Ernst Horn (Deine Lakaien) and featured on the compilation "Subout", released by Waldorf
Waldorf
- People :* William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor , financier and statesman* Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor , businessman and politician- Communities :United States* Waldorf, Maryland* Waldorf, MinnesotaGermany...
in 2000, together with De/Vision
De/Vision
De/Vision is a German synthpop musical group. The band started as a quartet consisting of Thomas Adam, Steffen Keth, Stefan Blender, and Markus Ganssert. They formed the band in 1988. The name De/Vision is a play on words. The majority of the band's lyrics are in English, but they have had some...
, Oomph!
Oomph!
Oomph! is a German rock band that was formed in Wolfsburg, Germany in 1989. The band is considered to be the original Neue Deutsche Härte musical group. In the 22-year history of the band, there have been no line-up changes.-Early years :...
, Front 242
Front 242
Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
, Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
and Wolfsheim
Wolfsheim (band)
Wolfsheim was a synthpop band from Hamburg, Germany that consisted of Markus Reinhardt and Peter Heppner. Although never officially disbanded, Wolfsheim has been inactive since 2005 due to a dispute between the two members, which even led to trials in 2007 and 2008 that forbade either member to...
to name a few, many of which contributed with previously unreleased tracks.
More theater (2001-2003)
Silence started off 2001 by composing the music for "Peter Pan", a play jointly produced by "Lutkovno gledalisce Ljubljana" and "Slovensko Mladinsko gledalisce". Benko also sang live in "Svic & Svarc" ("Sweat & Soot"), a post-modern ballet piece interpreted by "Fico Balet" and directed by Goran Bogdanovski.In 2002, Silence wrote the soundtracks for "Maison Des Rendez-Vous", another Betontanc play, and "Viktorji", the biggest Slovenian media awards. The duo kept working with soundtrack projects and in 2003 they wrote two songs for "Emofad" (Emotivity Of Adventures), a contemporary dance performance directed and choreographed by Goran Bogdanovski. Benko and "Random Logic" also performed live during the dance performances. Nika Records released the "Maison Des Rendez-Vous" soundtrack in Slovenia. Later the same year, Silence recorded "Hall Of Mirrors" for "Trans Slovenia Express vol. 2", a compilation of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
covers recorded by Slovenian acts. The track featured Anne Clark
Anne Clark
Anne Clark is an English poet and songwriter. Her first album, The Sitting Room, was released in 1982, and she has released over a dozen albums since then....
as guest vocalist.
A tribute to a ghost (2003-2005)
The band worked with "Betontanc" again in 2004 and wrote the soundtrack for their tenth play, "Wrestling Dostoievsky". In addition to that, they wrote a soundtrack for "Winnie The Pooh", a puppet show by "Lutkovno gledalisce Ljubljana". Silence also produced several tracks for the female string quartet Rozmarinke. In November 2004, the third and most successful album to date, "Vain, A Tribute To A Ghost" was released by Matrix Music and Chrom Records, and the release was followed up by another sold out unplugged performance in Ljubljana. Silence would write one more soundtrack this year - the soundtrack for "Lulabaj", a theatre play produced by "Slovensko Mladinsko gledalisce". "Vain, A Tribute To A Ghost" was listed as one of the three best releases of 2004 in Slovenia by Delo.Their first soundtrack of 2005 was for "Veronika decides...", a contemporary dance performance directed by Gagik Ismailian and produced by the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana. An exclusive limited edition of the soundtrack, entitled "Veronika" was released when the show premiered. The band also toured with Diary Of Dreams
Diary of Dreams
Diary of Dreams is a German Darkwave band. The lead singer and founding member Adrian Hates has produced most of the albums by himself or with minimal help from others. He rarely uses a full band, except when he is on tour.- History :...
in 2005, while Matrix Music released "Skin: The Remixes", featuring remixes by Umek
DJ Umek
Uroš Umek is an internationally acclaimed DJ and music producer from Slovenia, author of more than 500 releases for world renown record labels such as Renaissance, Armada, Cocoon Records, Audiomatique, Hell Yeah, Tronic, Datapunk amidst many others...
, Valentino Kanzyani
Valentino Kanzyani
Tine Kocjančič, better known as Valentino Kanzyani is a Slovenian techno deejay and music producer. He has also released records under the name Recycled Loops, which is also the name of one of the record labels that he co-runs , the other being Earresistable.He became famous in Slovenia, when he...
and Random Logic. The band worked with "Lutkovno gledalisce Ljubljana" again and wrote the soundtrack for the puppet show "Peter Rabbit".
Key decisions (2005-2006)
At the end of 2005 Silence was signed to Accession RecordsAccession Records
Accession Records is a record label created by Adrian Hates.-Artists:* Angels of Venice* Assemblage 23* Cleaner * Diary of Dreams* Diorama * Lights of Euphoria* Nerve Filter* Panzer AG* SITD* Faderhead...
in Germany. Once again the duo held a sold out acoustic performance at Cankarjev Dom, before releasing Key under the new label. The release was a 2CD compilation of pivotal Silence tracks, nine of which previously unreleased. The first CD was an anthology, while the second one was more of a collector's item and featured rarities within a wide scope of genres.
Critically praised "Tesla Electric Company", which opened July 19, 2006, marked Silence's first collaboration with influential director Tomaz Pandur and arguably the duo's most successful contribution to a play. The soundtrack featured a selection of older Silence material and a handful of tracks written specifically for the show. The duo performed the songs live, incarnating singing and piano-playing Teslas
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
at given occasions. Tesla was portrayed by no less than seven different actors, including Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija , occasionally credited as Rade Sherbedgia in some English-language productions, is a Croatian actor, director and musician of Serb origin. He was one of the most popular Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s. He is now internationally known mainly for his supporting roles in...
.
The Laibach
Laibach (band)
Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
album "Volk
Volk (album)
Volk is a concept album by Slovenian industrial group Laibach. Originally, Volk is the German word for "people" or "nation" but also Slovenan for "wolf"...
", released in October 2006, is a collaboration between Laibach and Silence.
The Passion of the Cold (2007-2008)
On 1 September 2008 Silence released their new album "The Passion of the Cold". On the same day the Bulgarian poet Svetoslav Todorov issued his debut poetry e-book "І. Obezkostiavane" on his blog with "The True Nature of Happiness", one of the songs on the album, being included in the rar file.The "The Passion of the Cold" is conceived as a handmade book containing two CD's, features 90 minutes of music from (or inspired by) Tomaz Pandur's plays Barroco and Kaligula. Only 500 numbered and hand-signed copies are available exclusively at their official website.
Studio albums
- 1997 - Ma Non TroppoMa Non Troppo (album)Ma Non Troppo is the debut album by Slovenian band Silence, released on March 10, 1997 - the year after the band's signing to Chrom Records. It was voted "Album of the month" in "New Life".-Track listing:# "Samuel's Gabriel" – 4:17# "La Troia" – 4:20...
- 1999 - Unlike a VirginUnlike a VirginUnlike A Virgin is the second album of Slovenian band Silence, released on October 18, 1999. According to the band, it covers about eight years of work. Most of the songs were actually written at the very beginnings of Silence and labeled "too strange for publication" at the time...
- 2004 - Vain, A Tribute to a Ghost
- 2008 - The Passion of the Cold
Collaborations
- 2006 - Album: VolkVolk (album)Volk is a concept album by Slovenian industrial group Laibach. Originally, Volk is the German word for "people" or "nation" but also Slovenan for "wolf"...
(with Laibach) - 2006 - Single: Anglia (with Laibach)
Singles
- 2000 - Son Of Sin
- 2005 - Skin: The Remixes
- 2008 - The True Nature of Happiness(free download)