Ian Schranz, (born March 9, 1977) best known by the stage name Bark Bark Disco, is a Maltese indie musician. Schranz first began his career as the drummer of the band

Beangrowers Beangrowers are a Maltese three-piece indie rock band consisting of Alison Galea (vocals and guitar), Mark Sansone (bass guitar) and Ian Schranz (drums and Electronic music, noise). All three were born in 1977 in St. Julian's, Malta. The member ...

before establishing himself as a solo artist. Schranz released a demo single under the name Bark Bark Disco called "Song for the Lovers" which was a tribute to 1970s adult actress

Brigitte Lahaie Brigitte Lahaie (born Brigitte Lucie Jeanine Van Meerhaeghe; 12 October 1955) is a French radio talk show host, mainstream film actress and former pornographic actress. She performed in erotic films from 1976 through 1980 and is a member of the X ...

, and was taken from Erwin Dietrich's film ''Six Swedish Girls in a Boarding School''. It received half a million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

in two weeks. Following this, organisers asked him to play a solo show opening for

Bonnie Prince Billy Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...

in a masonic cemetery in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

. Schranz has collaborated extensively with other artists such as JOON, Andre

Herman Dune Herman Dune is a Swedish-French act based in San Pedro, Los Angeles. The band has been described as Indie rock, Anti-folk, Folk rock, Alternative rock, Americana, and Alternative country. History Herman Dune was established as a trio with broth ...

aka Stanley Brinks,

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and

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among others.

Personal life

Schranz met the two other members of his first band, Beangrowers, when they were fourteen years old. Ian Schranz has survived

bacterial meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

three times, making him a recurrent meningitis sufferer. He and his brother David became co-owners of the Hole in the Wall, Sliema, a cafe and live music venue in

Sliema Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, a ...

, Malta, in 2015. The brothers gentrified what had been a sports bar, and turned it into a hip venue for live music.

Permanent members

* Ian Schranz – vocals, guitar, keys, bass and drums

Guest members

* JOON, Rebecca Theuma, Katryna Storace, Daniel Cassar, Daniel Abdilla, Antonio Tufignio, Mark Zizza, Stanley Brinks, Freschard

Discography

Albums & EPs

* ''On the Dance Floor - EP'' (Italians Do It Better, 2022) * ''Holy Smokes'' (Minty Fresh, 2018) * ''Your Mum Says Hello!'' (2010)

Singles

* "On the Dance Floor" (Italians Do It Better, 2022) * "Borderline" (Italians Do It Better, 2021) * "Hot Love" (Italians Do It Better, 2021) * "Get Up and Run" (Italians Do It Better, 2021) * "'Til the End" (Italians Do It Better, 2020) * "Another Play" (Italians Do It Better, 2020) * "Honey I Love You Now" (Minty Fresh, 2018) * "Big Love" (Minty Fresh, 2018) * "Song for the Lovers" (Parasol, 2013)

References

External links

*
Times Article

Lovin Malta USA Tour

WMSE Radio USA

Lovin Malta

Italians Do it Better, Artist Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bark Bark Disco Lo-fi music groups New wave groups Indie rock groups Maltese musical groups Noise pop musical groups One-man bands