Dandi Wind was a

post-industrial In sociology, the post-industrial society is the stage of society's development when the service sector generates more wealth than the manufacturing sector of the economy. The term was originated by Alain Touraine and is closely related to s ...

band created in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada in 2003. The band consisted of duo Dandilion Wind Opaine and Szam Findlay. Dandi Wind released two albums, 2006's Concrete Igloo and 2008's Yolk of the Golden Egg in addition to several EPs and singles. Dandi Wind disbanded in 2009, as Opaine and Findlay formed the

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

band

Fan Death Fan Death was a synthpop band formed in Brooklyn, New York City, in 2007 as a collaboration between producer Szam Findlay with vocalists Dandilion Wind Opaine ( Dandi Wind) and Marta Jaciubek-McKeever. Findlay then moved to Vancouver, British ...

along with Marta Jaciubek-McKeever.

History

Dandilion Wind Opaine was raised by hippie parents in a cabin near

Smithers Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related. People *Alan Smithers (born 1938), ...

, a small town in northern British Columbia, where there was no running water and vegetables were grown in greenhouses. Opaine's father was a sculptor and her mother was an archivist. Moving to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

at age 12, Opaine met Szam Findlay in high school. Opaine began attending

Emily Carr University of Art and Design Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...

in 2000, where she studied sculpture, but dropped out of school. Opaine and Findlay formed Dandi Wind in late 2003 and by 2005 the band was based in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. By 2007, Evan Pierce had joined the band as a drummer. Throughout Opaine's musical career she designed her own clothes and did her own styling, often wearing homemade costumes during concerts. Findlay wrote the music for Dandi Wind, with Opaine providing vocals. Dandi Wind's sound and style was influenced by avant-garde and electronic music artists of the 1980s, including

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the Punk subculture, punk and New wave music, new wave movements in the late 1970s a ...

Lene Lovich Lene Lovich (; born Lili-Marlene Premilovich; March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Single ...

Einstürzende Neubauten (, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals; guitar; keyboard) and N.U. Unruh (custom-made instruments; perc ...

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

Hazel O'Connor Hazel Thereasa O'Connor (born 16 May 1954) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles " Eighth Day", " D-Days" and " Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film '' Breaking Glass''. Caree ...

Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...

, and

Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

. In October 2004, Dandi Wind toured in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, performing concerts in Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, and London. In January 2005, the band conducted a European tour. In 2008, Dandi Wind was one of the first foreign acts that

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toured in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, performing concerts in

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, and

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

. The band was scheduled to play at Shanghai's Shelter Club, but the concert was cancelled "due to the heightened sensitivities around live music in Shanghai at the moment." Local Chinese media speculated that the cancellation was due to improper licensing. The cancellation came shortly after China's Ministry of Culture tightened controls on foreign artists due to the Icelandic singer

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

's expression of support for Tibetan independence at a Shanghai concert. While playing at a venue in Taiwan, Opaine was electrocuted after an audience member threw a drink at a malfunctioning microphone. Opaine described the electric shock as "the strongest pain I've ever felt" but finished her performance, and was later hospitalized after becoming ill.

Influence

Dandi Wind was featured in a variety of magazines and media outlets, including '' Supersweet Magazine'', ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', '' Dazed & Confused'', ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', ''

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'', '' The Nerve'', '' Discorder Magazine'', ''

The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'', and '' Trash Menagerie''. The Canadian synth-pop musician

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has in ...

has listed Dandi Wind as one of her idols/influences, describing Opaine as someone who "never got that famous, but...should be famous." Dandi Wind was an early influence, as Grimes began attending Dandi Wind's live shows when she was in high school. Daniel Sylvester of

A.Side TV A.Side TV is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Blue Ant Media. Originally focusing on music and pop culture programming, the channel currently broadcasts general entertainment programming. History As AUX (2009-2016) Originat ...

described Dandi Wind as "legendary hometown heroes" with "imagination and charm...who just couldn't get their names past the city limits"; despite being a "wildly popular"

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

act in Vancouver and releasing "two terrific albums", the band "never did find a proper audience".

Late of the Pier Late of the Pier was an English four-piece dance-punk band from Castle Donington, England, signed to Parlophone. Their debut album ''Fantasy Black Channel'', produced by Erol Alkan was released on 11 August 2008 by Parlophone. History Forma ...

's song "Whitesnake" was influenced by Dandi Wind.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Concrete Igloo'' (2006) - (Summer Lovers Unlimited Music) * '' Yolk of the Golden Egg'' (2008) - (Summer Lovers Unlimited Music)

Extended plays

* ''Bait the Traps'' (2005) - (Bongo Beat) * ''Break The Bone And Suck The Marrow From It'' (2005) - (Summer Lovers Unlimited Music) * ''Nofuncity'' (2006) - (Noize! Records) * ''A Smile Before Death'' (2007) - (Todtentschlaf)

Singles

* ''Apotemnophilia/Adolescent'' (2007) - (Alt Del – UK) * ''Sleeping Beauty/Belly Cutting'' (2007) - (Every Conversation) * ''Decontaminate'' (2008) - (Black Mountain Music)

References

External links

Official Myspace

S.L.U. Official Myspace

Dandi Wind (Interview)

Dandi Wind discography

Dandi Wind - Bait the Traps
{{Authority control 2003 establishments in British Columbia 2009 disestablishments in Canada Canadian electronic music groups Canadian experimental musical groups Canadian industrial music groups Canadian punk rock groups Electro-industrial music groups Musical groups established in 2003 Musical groups from Montreal Musical groups from Vancouver