Clan of Xymox, also known as simply Xymox, are a Dutch rock band from

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

formed in 1981 best known as pioneers of

darkwave Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as be ...

music. Clan of Xymox featured a trio of singers and songwriters – Ronny Moorings,

Anka Wolbert Anka Wolbert (also Anke Wolbert, born 10 June 1963) is a Dutch musician, singer, songwriter and web developer, best known for her work with Clan of Xymox. Music career Xymox, Clan of Xymox Anka Wolbert co-founded the band Xymox with Ronny Moori ...

, and Pieter Nooten – and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album) by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD af ...

, before releasing their third and fourth albums on

Wing Records Wing Records was a record label subsidiary of Mercury Records founded in 1955, that found its greatest success during the late 1950s. In 1986, the label was revived by Mercury's parent company, PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational ent ...

and scoring a hit single in the United States. Their 1980s releases included

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

/ electronic dance music. The band is still active, continuing to tour and release records with Moorings as the sole remaining original songwriter and singer.

History

4AD and the Peel Sessions (1983–1988)

Clan of Xymox were formed in

, Netherlands, in 1983 by Ronny Moorings (vocals, guitar) and

(bass, vocals). A year later, Moorings and Wolbert moved to Amsterdam, releasing the

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

''Subsequent Pleasures'' as ''Xymox''. The album was limited to 500 copies.

"Ronny and I met as students in Nijmegen and we connected over our taste in music. We started making music together and picked up some equipment to experiment with, like the Korg MS-10 and a rhythm machine...We started to perform live, just the two of us, changing instruments in between songs. While I had a bass guitar strapped around my neck and simultaneously hit the monophonic keyboard, Ronny played guitar and sang. We combined our sound with tape loops, a Casio, plus a few weird instruments."

Named from ''zymotic'' (of or causing fermentation), the band formed as a project of Ronny Moorings and

, Netherlands in 1983, before moving to Amsterdam and joining Pieter Nooten (Moorings' Nijmegen flat-mate) and

Frank Weyzig Frank Weyzig is a Dutch producer, composer and band member known for his contribution to the original Clan of Xymox and his work for the indie new wave band, Born for Bliss. More recently, Weyzig has been involved with Vaselyne, White Rose Trans ...

, who added their own contributions, Assuming the name "Xymox", the group released a five-track EP entitled, ''

Subsequent Pleasures ''Subsequent Pleasures'' is the first vinyl 12", Extended play by Dutch dark wave band Clan of Xymox, self-released in 1983 under the band's original name Xymox. It was limited to 500 copies. 150 sold immediately in Paris, 150 to Rough Trade (U. ...

'', in 1983. They were invited by Brendan Perry to support Dead Can Dance on a UK tour and were signed to the indie label 4AD, which released their eponymous debut album in 1985. The track ''7th Time'', with Anka Wolbert on lead vocals, was picked up by

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, leading to the band recording two of the Peel Sessions at the BBC, in June and November 1985. Peel referred to the band's dark and melancholic sound as "darkwave". In 1986, they released their second and last album on 4AD, '' Medusa'', before signing with

PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

. Simultaneously, Pieter Nooten recorded and released his album '' Sleeps with the Fishes'' (4AD, 1987), in collaboration with Canadian session musician Michael Brook. In a 2010 interview with AlterNation Magazine, Moorings expressed disappointment at the divided interests of the band members at this stage, exclaiming Medusa's follow-up album was "made entirely independently, without the rest of the musicians, who were then on vacation."

PolyGram and international success (1988–1991)

Now abbreviated as Xymox, the band's third album, '' Twist of Shadows'', was released in 1989. This album, and its successor '' Phoenix'', were released by

, a subsidiary of Polydor Records/

. In the United States, these two albums created a cult following for the band. The first two singles taken from the ''Twist of Shadows'' album, "Blind Hearts" and "Obsession", proved college and club hits in the United States, with ''Obsession'' charting on ''Billboard''s

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart and both tracks hitting the Billboard

Club Play Chart Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

. It was the album's third single, "Imagination" (with Anka Wolbert on lead vocals), that brought the band the most mainstream attention, charting at No. 85 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100, generating Top 40 radio airplay and MTV rotation of the "Imagination (Edit)" single video. '' Twist of Shadows'' proved their most commercially successful album, selling more than 300,000 copies worldwide. By this time the band had moved to England and released their fourth album, '' Phoenix'', on PolyGram in 1991; after this album, Anka Wolbert and Pieter Nooten left the band due to disagreements about the band's musical direction.

Independent labels and move to Germany (1991–Present)

Xymox, without Nooten and Wolbert, left PolyGram to release the UK

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

inspired LPs ''Metamorphosis'' (1992) and ''Headclouds'' (1993) independently. These albums marked a break from the dark wave sound of the 1980s and met with poor record sales in the United States, which had moved towards a markedly different

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

sound at the time. Ronny Moorings toured under the banner of Xymox until 1994 with an evolving cast of live musicians, including girlfriend and future band member Mojca Zugna. Frank Weyzig (the last of the original line-up) parted ways with Moorings after the 1994 tour, after which Moorings moved back to the Netherlands and took a three-year hiatus from music-writing. Capitalizing on a resurgence in the popularity of

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...

and the success of bands such as

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

and Rammstein, 1997 saw Moorings reverting the name to Clan of Xymox and moving to Germany – then the center of the burgeoning

industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...

scene – to resume songwriting. Moorings recruited new live members and signed with the independent US label Tess Records in 1997 then with Metropolis in 1998. The LPs ''Hidden Faces'' (1997), ''Creatures'' (1999) and ''Notes from the Underground'' (2001) reflect an increasingly electro sound while maintaining the distinctive dance rhythms associated with the Clan of Xymox catalog. In 1998, 4AD re-released ''Clan of Xymox'' and ''Medusa'' in the US, and Xymox toured the United States the following year. 2003's ''FareWell'' featured several charting tracks internationally. Most recently, the LP ''Matters of Mind, Body and Soul'' was released on Trisol, Metropolis and Gravitator record labels for European, American and Russian distribution, respectively, in February 2014. In addition to intermittent original releases, Clan of Xymox has contributed to a number of compilations and side projects since conception. In 1987, the track "Moscoviet Mosquito" was re-recorded and released on the 4AD compilation album ''

Lonely Is an Eyesore ''Lonely Is an Eyesore'' is a compilation album, compilation on the 4AD label. Released in June 1987, it features artists who were signed to the label at that time. All tracks were recorded during the period immediately preceding the release (198 ...

''. In October 2000 the band released ''Live'', a double CD with nineteen tracks and two videos featuring live performances of Xymox songs from the 4AD, Polygram, and independent eras. In September 2004, a ''Best of Clan of Xymox'' album was released with re-recorded versions of early hits as well as later offerings. In 2011, the track "In Your Arms Again" from the LP ''Darkest Hour'' was included on the soundtrack to

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...

's '' The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo''. In 2012 the band released a cover album, ''Kindred Spirits'', featuring covers of several influential post-punk and new wave groups in Mooring's own musical styling. The songs "A Day", "Masquerade", and "Cry in the Wind" were featured on the official soundtrack to the 2014 film The Guest. In a touring capacity, Clan of Xymox is best known as a headlining act for several annual international alternative music festivals, including M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany, Triton Festival in New York City,

Summer Darkness Summer Darkness is an alternative music festival in the Netherlands which was held annually from 2003 to 2013, around the second weekend in August in the city of Utrecht. Over the years its popularity has grown considerably. Organisation Summer ...

in Utrecht, Netherlands, Whitby Gothic Weekend in Whitby, England, and the largest – Wave-Gotik-Treffen, in Moorings' current home of Leipzig, Germany.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Clan of Xymox'' (LP, CD, 4AD, 1985) *'' Medusa'' (LP, CD, 4AD, 1986) *'' Twist of Shadows'' (LP, CD, CS, Wing, 1989) - under Xymox *'' Phoenix'' (LP, CD, CS, Wing Records/ Polydor, 1991) - under Xymox (last with original line-up) *''Metamorphosis'' (CD, CS, Mogull Entertainment/X-ULT, 1992) - under Xymox *''Headclouds'' (LP, CD, CS, Zok/Off-Beat, 1993) - under Xymox *''Hidden Faces'' (CD, Tess, 1997) *''Creatures'' (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 1999; re-released, Gravitator, 2006) *''Notes from the Underground'', (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2001; re-released, Gravitator, 2007) *''Farewell'' (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2003; re-released, Gravitator, 2007) *''Breaking Point'' (CD, Gravitator/Metropolis/Pandaimonium/Vision Music, 2006) *''In Love We Trust'', (CD, Trisol/Metropolis/Gravitator, 2009 - LP, Trisol 2015) *''Darkest Hour'', (CD, Trisol/Metropolis Records 2011 - LP, Trisol 2018) *''Matters of Mind, Body & Soul'', (CD, Trisol/Metropolis 2014 - LP, Trisol 2018) *''Days of Black'', (CD, Trisol/Metropolis 2017 - LP, Trisol 2017) *''Spider on the Wall'', (CD, Trisol/Metropolis 2020) * ''Limbo'', (CD, Digital, Metropolis, 2021)

Cover album

*''Kindred Spirits'', (CD, Trisol/Metropolis 2012 - LP, Trisol 2018)

Singles/EPs

*''

'' (vinyl 12", self-released, 1983) - under Xymox *"A Day" (12", 4AD, 1986; re-released, Old Gold, 1998) *"A Day/Stranger" (12", Contempo, 1985) *"Louise" (7", Megadisc, 1986) *"Muscoviet Musquito" (promotional 7", Virgin France 1986) *"Blind Hearts" (12", 4AD/Rough Trade, 1987) *"Blind Hearts" (12", Wing, 1989; different songs than from the 4AD release) *"Obsession" (12", Wing/

, 1989) *"Imagination" (12" and CD-single, Wing, 1989) *"Phoenix" (CS and LP, Polydor, 1991) *"Phoenix of My Heart" (Maxi CD and 12", Wing/Polydor, 1991) *"At the End of the Day" (Maxi CD and 12", Wing, 1991) *"Out of the Rain" (Maxi CD, Tess, 1997) *"This World" (Maxi CD, Tess, 1998) *"Consolation" (Maxi CD, Metropolis, 1999) *"Liberty" (Maxi CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2000) *''The John Peel Sessions'' (CD EP, ''Strange Fruit'', 2001; re-released, ''Celebration', 2003) *"There's No Tomorrow" (Maxi CD, Pandaimonium, 2002) *"Weak in My Knees" (Maxi CD, Pandaimonium, 2006)' *"Heroes" (Pandaimonium, 2007) *"Emily" (Maxi CD, Trisol, 2009) *"She" (Metropolis, 2020) *"Lovers" (Metropolis, 2020) *"All I Ever Know" (Metropolis, 2020)

Remixes

*"Dream On/XDD" (12", X-ULT, 1992) *"Reaching Out" (Maxi CD and 12", Zok, 1993) *"Spiritual High (Club Mix)" (promotional 12", Zok, 1993) *"Remix" – (CD, Zok, 1994)

Live albums

*''Live'' (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2000) *''Live at Castle Party'' (CD, Big Blue Records, 2011)

Compilations

*''Remixes from the Underground'' (double CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium, 2002) *''The Best of Clan of Xymox'' (CD, Metropolis/Pandaimonium/Vision Music/Irond, 2004) *''Visible'' (double DVD, Pandaimonium/Gravitator/Vision Music, 2008)

Remixes of other artists

* I:Scintilla, "Scin", on '' Optics'' (2007)

References

External links

clanofxymox.com
Official site
clanofxymox.org
New official interactive site (not working as of 11/14/2021)
clanofxymox.nl
fan site * http://www.unruhr.de/musik/revue/3019-clan-of-xymox-subsequent-pleasures-1982-1985-biographie-teil-1 * http://www.unruhr.de/musik/revue/3020-clan-of-xymox-medusa-1986-1987-biographie-teil-2 * http://www.unruhr.de/musik/revue/3021-clan-of-xymox-imagination-1988-1991-biographie-teil-3 * http://www.unruhr.de/musik/revue/3022-clan-of-xymox-metamorphosis-biographie-teil-4 * http://www.unruhr.de/musik/revue/3023-post-clan-of-xymox-anka-pieter-frank-biographie-teil-5 * https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/clan-of-xymox {{DEFAULTSORT:Clan of Xymox 4AD artists Dutch dark wave musical groups Dutch gothic rock groups Dutch new wave musical groups Dutch electronic rock musical groups Metropolis Records artists Musical groups established in 1981