Stromkern
Encyclopedia
Stromkern is a band that blends electronic music
and hip-hop
. The band was formed in 1994 by James "Ned" Kirby.
Kirby was originally a DJ in Madison
, Wisconsin
as a teenager, experimenting under the moniker "Flowers for Ravers" before founding Stromkern. Disenchanted with the music he was receiving as a DJ, he decided to start his own band. His early compositions included the German-language "Konzentrationslager" and "Aussicht vom Rande der Nacht" as well as a cover of Nick Cave
's "The Mercy Seat", all of which found favor on compilations. He was soon signed to German
label Kodex/Sushia Light, and the resulting CD "Flicker Like a Candle" announced Stromkern to the club music scene. Stromkern now records for dependent in Europe and WTII Records
in North America.
After two successful albums and several singles as essentially a solo artist, Kirby recruited musician/producer and friend Leone Buchieri to join the lineup for "Armageddon." Additional live members Matt Berger, Rob Wentz and later Tyler Newman (of Battery Cage
and Informatik
) joined the band for the recording of "Light it Up." The most recent live line-up includes Kirby and Buchieri, along with Dan Clark and Andrew Sega
(of Iris and The Alpha Conspiracy).
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...
and hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. The band was formed in 1994 by James "Ned" Kirby.
Kirby was originally a DJ in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
as a teenager, experimenting under the moniker "Flowers for Ravers" before founding Stromkern. Disenchanted with the music he was receiving as a DJ, he decided to start his own band. His early compositions included the German-language "Konzentrationslager" and "Aussicht vom Rande der Nacht" as well as a cover of Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
's "The Mercy Seat", all of which found favor on compilations. He was soon signed to German
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...
label Kodex/Sushia Light, and the resulting CD "Flicker Like a Candle" announced Stromkern to the club music scene. Stromkern now records for dependent in Europe and WTII Records
WTII Records
WTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
in North America.
After two successful albums and several singles as essentially a solo artist, Kirby recruited musician/producer and friend Leone Buchieri to join the lineup for "Armageddon." Additional live members Matt Berger, Rob Wentz and later Tyler Newman (of Battery Cage
Battery Cage (band)
Battery Cage is an American electronic music project led by Tyler Newman. The project has been active as a performance group since 1995, and is currently releasing CDs through the Philadelphia-based record label Metropolis Records...
and Informatik
Informatik
Informatik formerly known as Informätik is an electro-industrial/futurepop duo from Boston that was formed in the 1990s and is represented by Metropolis Records in the US and Dependent Records in Europe. Band members currently reside in San Francisco area...
) joined the band for the recording of "Light it Up." The most recent live line-up includes Kirby and Buchieri, along with Dan Clark and Andrew Sega
Andrew Sega
Andrew Gregory Sega , also known by the moniker Necros, is an American musician best known for tracking modules in the 1990s demoscene as well as for composing music for several well-known video games...
(of Iris and The Alpha Conspiracy).
Singles/EPs
- Flicker Like a CandleFlicker Like a CandleFlicker Like a Candle is the debut release by electro-industrial band Stromkern. It was first released in 1997, and later expanded to a full length album in 2001 as the Millennium Edition...
EP (Kodex/Sushia Light, 1997) - Night RidersNight RidersNight Riders is the follow-up EP to the album Dammerung Im Traum by the band Stromkern.-Track listing:# Night Riders# Night Riders # Solar# Im Traum # Heretic III # Timeworn...
EP (Scanner, 2000) - Re-alignRe-alignRe-align is the follow-up EP to Stromkern's Armageddon. It includes a cover of "Anthrax" originally by Gang of Four.-Track listing:# "Re-align" # "Re-align" # "Perfect Sunrise"...
EP (WTII RecordsWTII RecordsWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
(U.S.) / Scanner (EU), 2002) - "Stand UpStand Up (Stromkern song)Stand Up is the first single from Stromkern's 2005 album Light It Up.-European edition :#"Stand Up" #"Can't Believe"#"Stand Up" #"Slow Cascade" #"Stand Up"...
" single (EU) (dependent, 2005) - "Stand UpStand Up (Stromkern song)Stand Up is the first single from Stromkern's 2005 album Light It Up.-European edition :#"Stand Up" #"Can't Believe"#"Stand Up" #"Slow Cascade" #"Stand Up"...
" single (U.S.) (WTII RecordsWTII RecordsWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
, 2005 - Different tracklisting) - "Reminders" single (U.S.) (WTII RecordsWTII RecordsWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
, 2006) - "Reminders" single (EU) (dependent, 2006 - Different tracklisting)
- "Hindsight" single (EU) (dependent, 2006 - digital-only release)
Albums
- Dammerung Im TraumDammerung Im TraumDammerung Im Traum is the debut album by electro-industrial band Stromkern. It was released in 1999 on Scanner Records in Europe and WTII Records in the U.S..-Track listing:All tracks by Kirby, J...
(ScannerScannerScanner may refer to:* WikiScanner, a tool that provides a searchable database of anonymous Wikipedia edits* A personality type described by self-help author Barbara Sher-Technology:* Scanner , for searching for and receiving radio broadcasts...
(EU) / WTII RecordsWTII RecordsWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
(U.S.), 1999) - Flicker Like a Candle (Millennium Edition) (Scanner (EU) / WTII RecordsWTII RecordsWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
(U.S.), 2001) - Armageddon (Scanner (EU) / WTII RecordsWTII RecordsWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
(U.S.), 2001) - Armageddon/Perfect Remix (Limited 2CD) (Scanner (EU) / WTII RecordsWTII RecordsWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
(U.S.), 2001) - Light It Up (WTII RecordsWTII RecordsWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
(U.S.) / dependent (EU), 2005)
Other Releases
- The songs "Can't Believe" and "Slow Cascade" are featured in the Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game CrackdownCrackdownCrackdown is an open world, third-person shooter video game for the Xbox 360. It was released in North America on February 20, 2007, and worldwide by February 23, 2007. Crackdown was developed by Realtime Worlds, and distributed by Microsoft Game Studios. It was conceived by Realtime Worlds...
- The song "Stand Up (Extended Mix) is featured in the video game Project Gotham Racing 3Project Gotham Racing 3Project Gotham Racing 3 is an arcade-style racing game that was released with the launch of the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005 for the US market and December 2, 2005 in Europe, and was released on January 12, 2006 in Japan. Developed by Bizarre Creations, it is the third installment in the Project...
. Other notable acts on the soundtrack are mind.in.a.boxMind.in.a.boxmind.in.a.box is Austrian electronic music band which includes Stefan Poiss , Roman Stift , Gehard Höffler and Adam Wehsely-Swiczinsky . Their "technopop" sound can be described as a cross between futurepop and progressive trance.mind.in.a.box is currently working on their 5th studio LP, which...
, CovenantCovenant (band)Covenant is a band from Sweden whose music comprises a mixture between electropop and electronic dance music. The band is composed of Eskil Simonsson, Daniel Myer and Joakim Montelius...
, Auto Aggression, Mindless Faith, and DeathBoyDeathBoyDeathBoy is the pseudonym of Midlands-born musician Scott Lamb, and also the name of his band.-Scott Lamb:Lamb started making music at the age of thirteen, creating music in the breakbeat and rave genres using OctaMED on the Amiga...
.
- J Ned Kirby provides vocals on the track Accelerating on the 2004 album Aura by The Alpha Conspiracy, and also lends his talents on two albums by the band Cycloon (titled Head|Over|Now (2000) and Zeitseize (2002) ). The tracks from the Cycloon albums are: Inheritance, New Patterns, Nemesis and Scars of Obedience; for some time lyrics to these were provided on the Stromkern homepage.