The Trial (band)
Encyclopedia
The Trial are an experimental
German-Turkish alternative-band
, playing music somewhere in between rock
, pop
, wave
, industrial
and several other styles. They are one of the groups that attracted attention as being "different" to what was and is usually known as Turkish popular music in Germany (arabesk, Turkish hip hop
, ...). Their exposing attribute is, that they act as a unique in Germany's underground music culture.
by M. Strenge and αlabay, both dealing basically with sociocritical
issues those times. The musical background was in the beginning noise
and experimental
sound collages, contributed by αlabay. 1987 both split up and αlabay started creating structured music. Back then, there was no intention to belong to a specific music genre
but the influences of The Cure
, Joy Division
and The Sisters of Mercy
gave obviously distinction. 1988 αlabay left Berlin and moved to Southwest-Germany
. Between 1989 and 1995 an active phase with concerts followed.
From 1998 on the band started to create several albums via internet and telephone but only two concerts were given since then. Between 2001 and 2005 a concept album
was recorded (Statements & Unanswered Questions). This was a reinterpretation of an unrealized album
from 1986 and done together with the co-founder M. Strenge. He had a nearly fatal accident 1996, thus this reinterpretation of sociocritical points of view was written from a completely new perspective.
2006 the group decided to act more as a band in the future. That year should also become a turning point, as a completely Turkish work had been recorded for the first time. Before that only loose Turkish tracks were done. The decision came after a stay in Izmir and Istanbul in 2005. That sojourn revealed the full dimension of how the Turkish alternative-scene had altered. Groups like Replikas
, Mor ve Ötesi
or Duman
had brought in new wave
and Alternative elements into the music; in the past, alternative basically meant crossover or metal
-influenced
and social tensions. The accusing, sociocritical and pessimistic
lyrics let bud the idea of being in trial
with the society
– the trial: namely the trial and process (hinting to Franz Kafka
’s The Process/The Trial
). The ambiguity
of the name accommodates the experimental aspect of the music. In the beginning, M. Strenge was the one who was more sociocritical, αlabay rather wrote emotional, partially even banal wave/pop lyrics. A special attribute was that the lyrics were not monolingual. Besides English
, they were written also in German
, French
and Turkish
. Turkish had an extra role due to this language obtained to be exotic in alternative music back then. 2005/2006 αlabay realized that several things one cannot think or feel in German or English were better expressible in Turkish. As merely anything is more or less translatable multiple languages
are a tool kit to blast the constriction of a sole language and cultural way of thinking
.
or device that was available, starting with an acoustic guitar
and a small Yamaha
PSS-401. From 1988 on possibilities occurred to use more exotic equipment: Appalachian dulcimer
, psaltery
, monochord
or the like. As main instruments drums, piano
and bass
were added. The electric guitar
had been played occasionally since 1987 but it got the typical leading part of rock music
not until 1989. Years with "normal" rock instrumentation followed, sometimes supported with violin
or saxophone
. 2000 an important novelty was introduced: the saz
(long-necked lute
) became a leading instrument. Since then several alienated
parts were recorded with it in a way never heard before in Turkish rock music
. Later on the group started to also use computers, bins, refrigerators and field recording
s.
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
German-Turkish alternative-band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, playing music somewhere in between rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, 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...
and several other styles. They are one of the groups that attracted attention as being "different" to what was and is usually known as Turkish popular music in Germany (arabesk, Turkish hip hop
Turkish hip hop
-History:Before Turkish hip hop took hold in Turkey, specifically Istanbul and Ankara, it originally grew out of Turkish ethnic enclaves in Germany. Owing its large population to the Turkish migrants that came to Germany in the 1960s as Gastarbeiter , 2/3 of all Turks in Germany are under the age...
, ...). Their exposing attribute is, that they act as a unique in Germany's underground music culture.
Bandhistory
The group was founded 1985 in BerlinBerlin
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...
by M. Strenge and αlabay, both dealing basically with sociocritical
Social criticism
The term social criticism locates the reasons for malicious conditions of the society in flawed social structures. People adhering to a social critics aim at practical solutions by specific measures, often consensual reform but sometimes also by powerful revolution.- European roots :Religious...
issues those times. The musical background was in the beginning noise
Noise
In common use, the word noise means any unwanted sound. In both analog and digital electronics, noise is random unwanted perturbation to a wanted signal; it is called noise as a generalisation of the acoustic noise heard when listening to a weak radio transmission with significant electrical noise...
and experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
sound collages, contributed by αlabay. 1987 both split up and αlabay started creating structured music. Back then, there was no intention to belong to a specific music genre
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
but the influences of The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
and The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
gave obviously distinction. 1988 αlabay left Berlin and moved to Southwest-Germany
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. Between 1989 and 1995 an active phase with concerts followed.
From 1998 on the band started to create several albums via internet and telephone but only two concerts were given since then. Between 2001 and 2005 a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
was recorded (Statements & Unanswered Questions). This was a reinterpretation of an unrealized album
Music Album
Music album is the name of:* Music Album , a 1970s Canadian television series* Album, a collection of music tracks...
from 1986 and done together with the co-founder M. Strenge. He had a nearly fatal accident 1996, thus this reinterpretation of sociocritical points of view was written from a completely new perspective.
2006 the group decided to act more as a band in the future. That year should also become a turning point, as a completely Turkish work had been recorded for the first time. Before that only loose Turkish tracks were done. The decision came after a stay in Izmir and Istanbul in 2005. That sojourn revealed the full dimension of how the Turkish alternative-scene had altered. Groups like Replikas
Replikas
Replikas is a avant-rock, experimental rock band from Istanbul, Turkey.-History:Their debut album, Köledoyuran was released in 2000, on Ada. Their second album, Dadaruhi followed in 2002. After signing with Doublemoon records, the band released their third studio album, Avaz in 2005...
, Mor ve Ötesi
Mor ve Ötesi
Mor ve Ötesi is a Turkish alternative rock band from Istanbul. Its four current members are Harun Tekin , Kerem Kabadayı , Burak Güven and Kerem Özyeğen . Former members include Alper Tekin and Derin Esmer...
or Duman
Duman
Duman can refer to:People*Nurduran Duman , Turkish poet, writer, essayist, translator*Osman Kürşat Duman , Turkish footballer*Ronald Duman, American medical researcher*Ronnie Duman , American racecar driverOther...
had brought in new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and Alternative elements into the music; in the past, alternative basically meant crossover or 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...
-influenced
Background
The Trial was founded in the nineteen-eighties’ West-Berlin, in a period formed by cold warCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and social tensions. The accusing, sociocritical and pessimistic
Pessimism
Pessimism, from the Latin word pessimus , is a state of mind in which one perceives life negatively. Value judgments may vary dramatically between individuals, even when judgments of fact are undisputed. The most common example of this phenomenon is the "Is the glass half empty or half full?"...
lyrics let bud the idea of being in trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
with the society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
– the trial: namely the trial and process (hinting to Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
’s The Process/The Trial
The Trial
The Trial is a novel by Franz Kafka, first published in 1925. One of Kafka's best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor the reader.Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never...
). The ambiguity
Ambiguity
Ambiguity of words or phrases is the ability to express more than one interpretation. It is distinct from vagueness, which is a statement about the lack of precision contained or available in the information.Context may play a role in resolving ambiguity...
of the name accommodates the experimental aspect of the music. In the beginning, M. Strenge was the one who was more sociocritical, αlabay rather wrote emotional, partially even banal wave/pop lyrics. A special attribute was that the lyrics were not monolingual. Besides English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, they were written also in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
. Turkish had an extra role due to this language obtained to be exotic in alternative music back then. 2005/2006 αlabay realized that several things one cannot think or feel in German or English were better expressible in Turkish. As merely anything is more or less translatable multiple languages
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
are a tool kit to blast the constriction of a sole language and cultural way of thinking
Cultural baggage
The term cultural baggage refers to the tendency for one's culture to pervade thinking, speech, and behavior without one being aware of this pervasion...
.
Instruments
The first recordings were made employing every instrumentMusical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
or device that was available, starting with an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and a small Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
PSS-401. From 1988 on possibilities occurred to use more exotic equipment: Appalachian dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
, psaltery
Psaltery
A psaltery is a stringed musical instrument of the harp or the zither family. The psaltery of Ancient Greece dates from at least 2800 BC, when it was a harp-like instrument...
, monochord
Monochord
A monochord is an ancient musical and scientific laboratory instrument. The word "monochord" comes from the Greek and means literally "one string." A misconception of the term lies within its name. Often a monochord has more than one string, most of the time two, one open string and a second string...
or the like. As main instruments drums, 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 bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
were added. The electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
had been played occasionally since 1987 but it got the typical leading part of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
not until 1989. Years with "normal" rock instrumentation followed, sometimes supported with 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....
or saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. 2000 an important novelty was introduced: the saz
Saz
Saz can be a nickname for the given name Sarah, or may refer to:* Saz , a family of Iranian and Turkish stringed musical instruments* Sameh Zakout, rap artist* saz, the ISO 639-3 code for the Saurashtra language...
(long-necked lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
) became a leading instrument. Since then several alienated
Alienation effect
The distancing effect, commonly mistranslated as the alienation effect , is a performing arts concept coined by playwright Bertolt Brecht "which prevents the audience from losing itself passively and completely in the character created by the actor, and which consequently leads the audience to be a...
parts were recorded with it in a way never heard before in Turkish rock music
Anatolian rock
Anatolian rock is a fusion of Turkish folk and rock music. It emerged during the mid-1960s, soon after rock groups such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Status Quo and Omega became popular in Turkey...
. Later on the group started to also use computers, bins, refrigerators and field recording
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
s.
Discography (Excerpts)
- Gift (1988; Trial Communications), MC
- Lavenderblue Dream (1988; Trial Communications), MC
- The Forgotten Clutch (1988; Waldeck Sound), MC
- Temple Of The Bergamotte (1989; Waldeck Sound), MC
- You'll Never Fail Until You Stop Trying (1990; Waldeck Sound), MC
- Existence (1993; Trial Communications), MC
- Public Domain (1996; Trial Communications), MC
- Prænatal Postmodern (1998; Zodiakom), 2CDr
- Nacht der Illusion (2001; Zodiakom), CDr
- Dolunay (2002; Zodiakom), CDr
- The Geisterfahrer EP (2003; Zodiakom), CD
- Statements & Unanswered Questions (2006; Zodiakom), 2CDr
- Lucifer Lux (2006; Zodiakom), 2CDr
- Mimarlar (2007; Zodiakom), CDr
- Feuerblume (2008; Zodiakom), CDr
- Tuz Katedrali (2009; Zodiakom), CDr
Sampler Contributions
- Godfathers Of German Gothic III: Heaven (Asylum 4) (1997; Subterranean/Euro Media), CD
- dssg Sampler: 1668 (2001; dssg), CD
- dssg Sampler 2: Tinsmith & Crossbow (2003; dssg), CD
- freiburgtapesvolume 4: Üç küp (2008; jazzhaus records), CD
Linkages
- The Trial was renamed to New Trial between 1993 and 2003 – this had two reasons: 1993 had to clean the slate and the group wanted to contrast from the nearly homonymous electro-band Trial. 2003 the old name was readopted due to the "new" one recalled aggravating times.
- αlabay erstwhile played with the band La Nuit (gothic) and had been also co-founder of the bands Van Amber (rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/beatBeat musicBeat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
) and (Hills of) Cydonia (progressive rockProgressive rockProgressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
). - mik@ erstwhile played with the industrialIndustrial musicIndustrial 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...
-acts Sheba Wore No Nylons and Dachau Lustknaben, amongst others. Later on he experimented with the artists-group f-plus. Besides he works solo in the Industrial sector as The M.M.V.P. - Pfeuti had released two albums with the hardcoreHardcore punkHardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
-formation Radical Development. He is also member of the bands Tumorchester and Doz Monsantoz. - M. Vassallo who had collaborated between 1996 and 2003, is the founder of the dark ambientDark ambientDark 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...
-project Arbre Noir. He was also the founder of La Nuit. - There were and are cooperations and collaborations with different musicians and artists, in the past years, amongst others, with: Jay KayJosef Maria KlumbJosef Maria Klumb is a German musician who has been a member of a number of punk rock, industrial, and darkwave bands in the "dark culture". He is best known for his work with Forthcoming Fire and Von Thronstahl....
(Circle of Sig-Tiu, Forthcoming Fire, Von ThronstahlVon ThronstahlVon Thronstahl is a German Electronic, Martial-industrial, Neoclassical and Neofolk band founded in 1995 by Josef Maria Klumb.-Albums and EPs:* 1998 Sturmzeit * 2000 Imperium Internum * 2001 E Pluribus Unum ...
), P·A·LP·A·LP·A·L is a German musical project whose style ranges from power noise to ambient. It is a long-time act on Germany’s Hymen Records and Ant-Zen record labels.-Members and history:...
, P. Münch of The Rorschach Garden and Synapscape and D. Gessau of Herbstmanøver.
External links
- http://www.thetrial.de – Official web profile (German)
- http://www.myspace.com/thetrial – Official MySpace profile