New Clan of Xymox!

[~robotiko1]

The following is an interview w/ Ronny Moorings taken and translated from the German Music Magazine, Orkus. Moorings comments on the new album "Farwell" to be released in the US and Europe on September 9, 2003. Orkus gave the album a 10 out of 10, and while I don't subscribe to critics in general, the good thing about the music behind this latest release is that it supposedly harkens back to the early 4AD days of the band!!!!

__________________________________________________ _

INTERVIEW

Pretty much exactly two years passed since the release of CLAN OF XYMOX latest album "Notes From The Underground". Years in which the band had been busy with touring and using the rare spare time to work on the new album. Ronny Moorings: " In my opinion 2 years is just enough time to come up with enough material and inspiration, but to me I need to play live and go places, otherwise I would not feel the drive to start writing new music again.""Farewell" is a very suitable title in these days: " To me, says Ronny, "I said in my entire life farewell to a lot of people and of course that might relate to a situation like that , but also I have like anybody else sometimes the feeling to change my life, do different things and just leave. This feeling got triggered when I had discussions with friends about the future of music, about the future of having a band and releases. We got to the conclusion that the music business future for bands who do not make popular music looks bleaker than ever, you hear about so many bands having a very hard time, especially with people rather copying records than buying one ( which makes the label and the artist not very happy indeed) this inspired me to write about basically leaving everything behind and to go away."
Musically spoken the album follows the Clan Of Xymox tradition from the very early days in 1984/85. "From day one", Ronny quotes, "when Clan Of Xymox was formed I combined guitars with synths, this was the sort of blueprint to write music." The styles of Clan Of Xymox kept changing during the years with a lot of experiments but always a definable sound anyone could easily recognize as Clan Of Xymox. But to categorize the sound of the band is almost impossible and only a hybrid like Dark Goth Electro seems reasonable. Many songs have a danceable beat, very club friendly tracks but also very moody atmospheric tracks.
The "Clan" returned with "Hidden Faces" in 1997 a long way has been taken. Ronny thinks: "there is a consistent development of the sound of Clan Of Xymox, going along with the times, trying to take the best elements and combining new sounds and techniques with the typical Clan Of Xymox sound. We built up a loyal fan base over the years and are one of those fortunate bands who can rely on them throughout the world. Of course Clan Of Xymox will always be there for them and I do
my ultimate best to deliver every time my best album ever. This is my aim and I indeed hope that everyone will like the new album as much as I do."Many of the Clan Of Xymox are sometimes worried for Ronny Moorings's emotional life. The lyrics represent the sad and bitter side of love and relationships, that almost anyone lived and not anyone survived. " First of all" says Ronny, "you should not take my lyrics so literal as they appear in print. Past experiences are always a big resource , but also others peoples problems are an inspiration to me.
Often I get to hear all these heartbroken stories , relation problems or I spot funny behaviors of people , these are all the ingredients you can use to make a song that much more personal, because it relates to something or someone you have in mind. I rarely tell the person though that it's about him or her but I am sure they would recognize themselves anyway :)"
Farewell was recorded in Spring 2003 at "The Torture Garden" and will be released in Europe and the USA on September the 9th of 2003.

[~gc42]

and why is this in the depeche mode forum?

[~robotiko1]

'cause Ronny used to be in dM...didn't he?

Seriously, it was a mistake obviously. All powerful moderator, is there anyway this can be moved?

My apologies to the dM horde.

[~alejo]

they're playing on argentina!!!!!!!!!!
i will be able to see them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hi, robotiko!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tonight, your vice, at the end of the day!!!!!!!!!!
agh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey boy, you can go to the red flag forum, i've been speaking about xymox there.
i'd like to meet you

[~ams33]

I guess it's a mistake this is on the DM forum but I can't be the only person that likes both bands. I enjoyed reading the article. Proof that serendipity can happen even when I'm sat on my arse in front of a computer.

[~dj_marimba]

i saw them live here in Peru in their 2 concerts!!, they are awesome live!! wooohoooo

[~Human Clone]

The Clan of Xymox track "There's No Tomorrow" (on the new disc) sounds exactly like "Luminal" by Covenant.

[~ericrypt]

They have'nt been able to top "Twist of Shadows" or "Phoenix" in a while, is this new stuff worth listening to?

[~MaxMode]

Xymox

I love this band, they'r so emotional and dark
i can say that this guy Ronny Moorings is a very talented guy
his voice is very similar to the singer of Sisters of Mercy, another
amazing legendary band from the 80's..
unfortunately i only have two of their albums " hidden Faces " and " Notes from the Underground " two awesome albums indeed
very emotional and dark, i'll definitely get their latest " Farewell " very soon.... no doubt about that...........

[~robotiko1]

You must also get:

Clan of Xymox - Clan of Xymox
Clan of Xymox - Medusa
Xymox - Twist of Shadows
Clan of Xymox - Creatures

Their best work IMHO

[~Strasser]

>>>They have'nt been able to top "Twist of Shadows"

I seriously doubt they ever will.

[~ericrypt]

Originally posted by Strasser
>>>They have'nt been able to top "Twist of Shadows"

I seriously doubt they ever will.
Totally agree chief, that album still gives me goosebumps! "Evelyn" rules! Same with "Imagination"....

[~robotiko1]

Lest we forget these other gems from the Twist of Shadows album:

In a City
Obsession
Craving <------- one of the all time best!!!!!!!!!

"I want to forget......Shadows!"

[~dj_marimba]

Be aware that there're 2 bands with the same Xymox moniker, one is Xymox and the other is "Clan of Xymox", Xymox was an experiment of Ronny Moorings and as he says it was not good, so they're now Clan of Xymox. The songs "evelyn" and "imagination" are from Xymox and not Clan of Xymox.
I recommend all to listen to Clan of Xymox's "Medusa", "Subsequent Pleasures" and the later "Farewell", highly recommended to all who likes hard electronics mixed with a bit of dark wave and industrial edge.

[~DekaDude]

I recently played 4 hours worth of Clan of/Xymox on my radio show. I have the whole 4 hours on tape. I started with the new "Farewell" CD, and went all the way back to "Clan Of Xymox" debut. Clan Of Xymox & Xymox weren't really 2 different bands. It's always been Ronny Morrings doing all the songwriting anyway. After Medusa in 1986, Ronny Morrings went more Electronic until about 1994. Then he decided that he wanted to go back to the more Goth early sound on 1997's "Hidden Faces" CD. "Creatures" from about 1999 or so is a good newer one. From the "Xymox" period, I also suggest "Headclouds" from 1993 & "Metamporphosis" from 1990. Both of those releases are out of print now, but you might find them used.

[~alejo]

and tonight???

there are lots of songs. 'your vice', 'at the end of the day'

how the hell i can include a pic????

[~alejo]

the show in buenos aires was awesome.

there were no balladas, dance songs non stop.

farewell, cold damp day and there's no tomorrow -from the new album- were the best moments to me.

the one who asked if it was any worthing to get the newer stuff....

yes.

[~alejo]

thousand of pics.

i'll tell you the whole story as soon as i have time.

good to tell them i was from uruguay.
bad they didn't know red flag at all-

[~alejo]

-there's no tommorrow
-jasmine and rose (of course they had to play that one, to make the majority happy)

-craving
-out of the rain
-innocent
-i want you now
-muscovite mosquito (of course)
-back door
-into extremes
-michelle
-this world
-farewell
-cold damp day
-there's no tomorrow
-it's not enough
-a day

and some more.....

awesome show!!!!!!

[~MaxMode]

Waoooo!
that Girl it's so beautifull and sexy
is she part of the band ?

[~robotiko1]

That girl would be Mojca who's been w/ the band since 'Hidden Faces' I believe.

Alejo - thanks for sending me your concert diary and photo's, it was a pleasure to read!! nice to know there's some passionate fans of CoX out there!!

[~alejo]

em.....thanks so much. but no, i'm not part of the band and i'm not a girl....

ok....she's mojca, the bass player and the one who makes the covers of the cds and drives the web page

em....
robotiko? have you just posted, i think you did while i was writing this one? mojca is with them since almost the beginning. the first album has 7th time sung by her. medusa has masquarade. the xymox period has imagination and others.


you're welcome....

it was a pleasure sending it to you

[~robotiko1]

Originally posted by alejo
mojca is with them since almost the beginning. the first album has 7th time sung by her. medusa has masquarade. the xymox period has imagination and others.



I believe you may be confusing Mojca with Anke Wolbert who was with CoX/Xymox during the early years. It is Anke who sings "Imagination" as well backup. She of course is no longer with CoX. When Xymox toured for Twist Of Shadows it was just Ronny and Anke on stage...at least here.

On another note Pieter Noonan who was also with CoX in the early years went on to play in a band called Born For Bliss, and to my knowledge released one album only. And it was quite good too, somewhere in the middle of Darkwave/Gothic in sound. You may still be able to find this one.

[~alejo]

arabia......

[~alejo]

yes, you're right. i guess my confusion has to do with the fact that in my 'metamorphosis' and 'headclouds', it says that the one who designs the sleeves is Mojca. i remember watching the imagination video, with that short hair blonde girl who didn't look like Mojca. besides, i read in an interview that Anke was Ronny's girlfriend, and she appears in the john peel sessions cd.
about born for bliss, i found their album incredibly cheap and i bought it even though i didn't know who they were. then i knew.
there is something about seeing Ronny in the pics. he's definitely a handsome man with an overwhelming pressence, but it seems like pics doesn't like him very much.
anyway...youth so self possessed.....

[~Jessica Drew]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by alejo
the show in buenos aires was awesome.

there were no balladas, dance songs non stop.

farewell, cold damp day and there's no tomorrow -from the new album- were the best moments to me.

the one who asked if it was any worthing to get the newer stuff....

yes.[/QUO

DID YOU SLEEP WELL?
THE PICTURES YOU ARE SHOWING ARE REALLY AWFUL
SORRY BUT I THINK YOUR FACE IS TOO LARGE

A GUY WHO LISTEN GOOD MUSIC LIKE YOU PUT IN YOUR DATA MUST HAVE BETTER PICTURES

[test]

.

[~Jessica Drew]

I know that I am new here, and it is not my intention to air dirty linens and start public outrage, but I felt it however, necessary that I notify many of you who are being manipulated innocently! This bothers me a great deal because I know how kind and wonderful so many of you are and I do not wish to see you being used for your generosity and support to one who speaks so ill of all of you and tries to obtain music through sugar-coated lies!

thanks for your honesty !

[~NightHalo]

What lies?

[~alejo]

she's paloma la vaca.

she hates me because she hates hearing the truth, and hers is a terrible one. and i didn't even tell her the worst things...

she has nothing to do in her life so i guess it's only the beginning. it's the first and the last time i post talking about this, but get ready to start hearing that i'm the worst boy in the world.

[~ams33]

These messages are getting surreal. Let's get back to CoX. Anyone who's only just discovered them HAS to get the first 2 albums; Clan of Xymox & Medusa. They're easily CoX's best. Metamophosis and Headclouds have aged badly. I wouldn't recommend them unless you're a fanatical completist.
Phoenix isn't that great either. A huge drop in quality compared to the previous Twist of Shadows.

[~Niños_Del_Brasi]

I have "twist of shadows" which is their best works in my opinion. As for other xymox stuff, what other stuff could anyone recommend besides "Twist of shadows"

[~DekaDude]

Originally posted by Niños_Del_Brasi
I have "twist of shadows" which is their best works in my opinion. As for other xymox stuff, what other stuff could anyone recommend besides "Twist of shadows"

I recently did a 4 hour feature on Clan Of/Xymox on my radio show. To answer this question, you gotta break up the list into two parts: Clan of Xymox & Xymox

Clan Of Xymox: I like the latest releases quite a bit. Of course the first two releases, Clan Of Xymox (debut) and Medusa (2nd release) are great, but the newer ones are great as well. I would suggest picking up "Hidden Faces", "Creatures", and "Notes From The Underground", as well as the remix version of "Notes..." called "Remixes From The Underground". "Remixes..." is more electronic than "Notes..."
As for the "Xymox" period, "Twist Of Shadows" is probably the best, But I also think "Phoenix" is quite good, although apparently some of the people on earlier posts don't seem to like that one. I also disagree with the idea that "Headclouds" is "aging badly". I still think it's a pretty good album. It's better than the "Metamorphosis" release. But, then again, I am one of those "completist fanatics".

[~Jessica Drew]

paloma la vaca is his/ her best friend and also... hahah, nevermind
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
i' m so scared about hearing "your truth" about me
yes, yes , you know everything about everyone
the perfect example of and inteligent person
You are so cleaver that i' m shakin and cannot sleep or eat because of you
this is the last time i answer you too "sweety little brother",
you' re not the center of the universe
and believe me , you have no idea who am i
and you have no idea who are you so...
start workin' on that, deep inside...
i guess that is more important than talk about me and prepare your net to get more free records using people
piss off and ignore me
PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[~labrat]

Jessica, they locked the thread where you originally brought this up, and the admin has asked that you report abusive activity to the email address they gave in there. So if someone here is being a serious problem, please tell them at that email address.

[~robotiko1]

please take your personal bull$hit somewhere else, it does not belong here.

*sigh*

[~DekaDude]

Originally posted by robotiko1
please take your personal bull$hit somewhere else, it does not belong here.

*sigh*

Couldn't have said it better myself

[~dj_marimba]

Totally agree with you, this is a forum to write about music not personal fights!

[~alejo]

i tend to like most of the songs that the bands i love make, my personal favourite band is definitely red flag, his voice has conquered me like nothing before. i love his melodies and the atmospheres they used to create.
but there are so many great bands. i especially reccomend some french artists and bands such as Indochine, Jean Luis Murat and Etienne Daho.

about clan of xymox, well i admit that the xymox period (except for twist of shadows of course) is considered their worst period, even by themselves. and definitely there are some -more or less songs- but i love a lot of XymoX songs like 'dream on', 'at the end of the day' 'written in the stars', and a lot of others.
the first album i heard was 'medusa' and it showed me there was someone was creating the perfect landscapes. of course i needed to know the rest....
the first album is great, 'no words', 'stumble and fall', the classic 'please don't speak to me for a while', completely emotional dark music with great tunes and his voice wasn't that SOM at that time.
the twist of shadows i believe it's the more close thing to a success they've had. and it deserves it, it's a great album. every song.
craving, tonight, evelyn....
hidden faces is, in my opinion, the album that i would have bet to be their most succesfull is Hidden Faces. i like that one much more than creatures, which isn't my favourite at all.
i love 'your vice' , you clan of xymox fans, please tell me if you like that song. and reason, the consolation b-side? if someone was so kind to tell me the lyrics i would be really thankful.
hidden faces is song after song a great album, i love 'it's all a lie', 'troubled soul', 'the child in me', 'this world', well in fact, i would say every song, i guess the song that doesn't makes me crazy is hypocrite.
ghhhhh....(breath), notes from the underground is great too. i couldn't believe when i heard at the show that they beginning to play Innocent.
in my dreams 'at your mercy' is a hit. liberty, awesome.
and the final one is farewell. he's fed up, he hates us all...
faRewell is great.
all these helpless fallen angels....
and in the chorus th ghost says 'farewell affectionate brothers'.
cold damp day....well, i love listening to that song on headphones while walking down the street, i imaginarily make the video, which i guess won't ever exist.
do they have new videos? like liberty or there's no tomorrow?
emmm, ok....there's no tomorrow...who can't ignore that chorus?? not me.
i love the 'one more time' and that beautiful song called 'losing my head'. and 'skindeep'-
i don't think they can really disappoint, maybe he's a bit different......................................... .....................................
but he still has the seed of talent.
i love to talk about that, as you can see

[~alejo]

oh......i almost forgot one of my favourite xymox songs.....

deep in our hearts
we are alone
deep in our blind hearts
skin and bone

[~Satin]

I am a little outdated in posting this but in the best faith I think that forums are not the pace for slandering others on a personal
rancour-basis. Which is quite clearly the situation here with jessica drew.
Anyway, if this trolling of her's goes on indefinitely it might be
considered reporting to a moderator..I mean it has happened over and over in mail lists and forums; bitter people takes its personal grudges online which ruins the mood for the
whole community.

It is just not worth. Besides I've talked with one or two guys who know him over the time and I am yet to hear any complaint.


Squee.

[~Efreak]

I'm glad that somebody clarified this issue. I didn't want to look like a moron by asking, "Is 'Xymox' somehow related to 'Clan of Xymox'"? Looks like I'm not the only one who was confused! :) I love Xymox's album, "Phoenix". If anyone knows where I can get the CD5 of "Phoenix of my Heart (Wild Thing)", PM me. I have the vinyl, but I want the disc to listen to in the car etc. :)
Thanks all!
Jamer

[~alejo]

i love 'at the end of the day' and the beautiful 'written in the stars' from that album.
do you know 'down to earth'? that's a beautiful b-side. there's a moment in that song....

'we don't understand her ways, we don't understand her days'

[~filthydiva]

well... i'm not a big fan of Clan Of Xymox but i know that they are a great band... "Farewell" is pure electro-goth with a little bit of Sisters (maybe the best and major influence) they sounds like others bands but the album is really great!!! fabulous!!!

See ya mate

[~ericrypt]

Does anyone know what the single was from "Phoenix" that the track "Senses Coalesce" came form? I have that song, and I know it was a b-side, but from what single?

[~alejo]

no, senses coalesce is a b-side from the blind hearts single.
that's a nice song.

and he cried no no no

Robotiko, where are you? post here soon, i'd like to know what your favourite songs are.
and the rest of xymox fans could do that too.

hi, filthy diva. you're a cool guy, welcome.
divina!!!

i only have one version of 'at the end of the day'. do you know the other one?

E freak, i'm not sure what you're asking but you can serach on the net and you'll find anything.


em....deep in our hearts
we are alone...

[~intervox]

I did a cover of "Imagination", you can hear it at http://www.ampcast.com/intervox if you'd like.

[~alejo]

i listened to it and i can say that it's wonderful.
why did you decide to cover that song?
do you like your vice? and written in the stars? and it's all a lie?

[~stark427]

"Twist of Shadows" is one of the greatest synth albums ever. Quite pop-py and a work that would appeal to DM fans.

BTW here is a quite recent interview with Clan of Xymox :)

http://www.synthpopavenue.gr/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3228