Stann
Encyclopedia
Stann is an alternative rock
artist from Toronto
, Canada
.
in his music
. This has led to elements of metal
and softer ballads being present in many compositions, as well as a wide range of instrumentation from acoustic, to heavy use of digital
synthesizer
s and effects in his music.
piano
and progressed to a high level, even though he states in one interview that his heart wasn't always in it, feeling that sometimes the confines of the classical style left little room for his own expression. Although he admits that it provided a solid musical foundation to build from. Later in life he would quit his classical
training in pursuit of finding his own sound and direction.
In 1997 He started looking for ways to pursue music in a professional manner. This brought him to music directing. ²His knowledge of music
and talent
for overseeing musical projects made him a good fit for this position. This led him to a wide range of experiences from choir
direction to musical direction of various functions. ³Still unsatisfied at not being able to truly pursue his own style, he started writing. Over the next year he played various shows locally and smaller venues. This is when digital music took a major part in his performance. In order to recreate the songs he started using digital
backups in sync with live guitar
and live synthesizer
s and piano
.
area record stores, it sold a total of 1000 copies in the first month. After a year of promoting the album, Stann decided he wasn't happy with the sound and finished up his performance schedule to go back to the drawing board.
During this time he took some time to focus on his writing and style, and do some studying at college. Not wanting to detach himself from the music
scene completely, he started DJ-ing and this is what brought certain elements of the Trance
and Industrial music
genres to his sound. Over the next four years, he would write three complete albums and over one hundred songs. In one interview³ he said, "I just couldn't seem to find that place that felt right in my music
, and it kept getting close, but it just wasn't something I could believe in one hundred percent." Later he stated that, "If you want your audience to believe you music
, and to get into the show, you've got to make sure your heart is behind what you write." Taking this philosophy to his recording, he decided that the next songs he released would be exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted them to sound. This led to him studying guitar
, bass
, drums
, and a wide range of musical styles over those four years.
Deciding he wanted complete control over the music
and all the time needed to perfect it, ³ he built a recording studio and started recording his second album for release, in between DJ-ing venues. The new compilation is said to include thirteen tracks of which some have already been released early on his website. 1"Varius
" falling well into the metal
genre, was one of the latest songs to be released from this collection. The most recent release was "Energy
" which was an earlier recording that was remixed into a Hard Trance
/Industrial
style and entitled "Energy Trance V1". It was released as an internet single.
Currently, Stann is preparing to tour some time next year, although no dates have been set as of yet, and getting the remaining songs recorded and ready for release. A lot of the songs are already available free on the internet. 1According to the official website, the album does not have a definite release date as of yet. His original album was pulled from the shelves a year ago and is no longer available for sale.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
artist from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Basic information
Starting from the premise1 that diversity is a strength for musical expression and that each song bears a unique style, the feel and the ambiance of his compositions are primary and supersede any constraints of a genreGenre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
in his music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. This has led to elements of metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and softer ballads being present in many compositions, as well as a wide range of instrumentation from acoustic, to heavy use of digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and effects in his music.
Early history
²Stann grew up studying classicalClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
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...
and progressed to a high level, even though he states in one interview that his heart wasn't always in it, feeling that sometimes the confines of the classical style left little room for his own expression. Although he admits that it provided a solid musical foundation to build from. Later in life he would quit his classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
training in pursuit of finding his own sound and direction.
In 1997 He started looking for ways to pursue music in a professional manner. This brought him to music directing. ²His knowledge of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and talent
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
for overseeing musical projects made him a good fit for this position. This led him to a wide range of experiences from choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
direction to musical direction of various functions. ³Still unsatisfied at not being able to truly pursue his own style, he started writing. Over the next year he played various shows locally and smaller venues. This is when digital music took a major part in his performance. In order to recreate the songs he started using digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
backups in sync with live guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and live synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and 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...
.
Early work
²,³While performing with his live band, several newspaper interviews and a local television special were booked to promote his work. A venue was also rented for a special presentation concert. His first album saw moderate success being available on the internet and in the TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
area record stores, it sold a total of 1000 copies in the first month. After a year of promoting the album, Stann decided he wasn't happy with the sound and finished up his performance schedule to go back to the drawing board.
During this time he took some time to focus on his writing and style, and do some studying at college. Not wanting to detach himself from the music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
scene completely, he started DJ-ing and this is what brought certain elements of the Trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
and Industrial music
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...
genres to his sound. Over the next four years, he would write three complete albums and over one hundred songs. In one interview³ he said, "I just couldn't seem to find that place that felt right in my music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and it kept getting close, but it just wasn't something I could believe in one hundred percent." Later he stated that, "If you want your audience to believe you music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and to get into the show, you've got to make sure your heart is behind what you write." Taking this philosophy to his recording, he decided that the next songs he released would be exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted them to sound. This led to him studying guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, and a wide range of musical styles over those four years.
New work
1In 2005, he wrote a song entitled, "Die 2 Dance" which was about a person who could not bring themselves to tell another that they loved them. It was after this song that album started taking shape.Deciding he wanted complete control over the music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and all the time needed to perfect it, ³ he built a recording studio and started recording his second album for release, in between DJ-ing venues. The new compilation is said to include thirteen tracks of which some have already been released early on his website. 1"Varius
Varius
Varius is a Latin word meaning "coloured, spotted, variegated, diverse, changeable, various" and may refer to :* Varius , a genus belonging to the Nepticulidae family of small moths* Varius Manx, a Polish pop group...
" falling well into the metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
genre, was one of the latest songs to be released from this collection. The most recent release was "Energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
" which was an earlier recording that was remixed into a Hard Trance
Hard trance
Hard trance is a subgenre of trance music that originated in Western Europe in the mid-1990s as the breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic music, all influenced by UK hard house, happy hardcore and jungle/drum & bass...
/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...
style and entitled "Energy Trance V1". It was released as an internet single.
Currently, Stann is preparing to tour some time next year, although no dates have been set as of yet, and getting the remaining songs recorded and ready for release. A lot of the songs are already available free on the internet. 1According to the official website, the album does not have a definite release date as of yet. His original album was pulled from the shelves a year ago and is no longer available for sale.
Discography
| Album Information |
|---|
|
External links
- Stann - Official Site
- Stann music profile - Stann at Myspace