Delerium is a Canadian

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

al duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential

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 ...

act

Front Line Assembly Front Line Assembly (FLA) is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. FLA has developed its own sound incorporating elements of electronic body music and electro-industrial. The band's members ...

. Throughout the band’s history, their musical style has encompassed a broad range, including dark ethereal ambient

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

, voiceless industrial soundscapes, and electronic pop music. They are best known for their worldwide hit "

Silence Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the ce ...

". The band is known to feature female guest vocalists on their albums since their 1994 album ''

Semantic Spaces ''Semantic Spaces'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian industrial/electronic music group Delerium in 1994. Guest musicians on the album include Greg Reely and Kristy Thirsk. Kristy Thirsk was dubbed "The Voice of Delerium" for providing voca ...

''.

Members and history

Delerium has traditionally been a two-person project, but the only constant member throughout its history has been

Bill Leeb Wilhelm Anton "Bill" Leeb (born 21 September 1966, in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian-Canadian electronic musician and record producer. He is best known for being a founding member of the industrial music group Front Line Assembly. Additionally ...

. Leeb was an early member of industrial dance pioneers

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 ...

, but after he left in 1986 he went on to create his own project,

with collaborator Michael Balch. Later, the two worked on the side project Delerium and released their first album, ''

Faces, Forms & Illusions ''Faces, Forms & Illusions'' is the debut studio album by the Canadian ambient/electronic music group Delerium that was released on January 6, 1989 on the Dossier label. The album was re-issued in 1997 on Cleopatra Records with the bonus track "D ...

''. After Balch left both Front Line Assembly and Delerium, Leeb worked with

Rhys Fulber Nowell Rhys Fulber is a Canadian electronic musician and producer. He is a member of Front Line Assembly and Delerium, along with Bill Leeb. He also records under his own name and under the name Conjure One. Biography Rhys Fulber was born in ...

, and the two released several albums under the Delerium moniker; these years saw a gradual stylistic change from darker ambient to a more danceable sound. After the release of ''

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

'', Fulber left to pursue other interests, and Leeb teamed up with producer Chris Peterson to release ''

Poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

''. 2003, however, saw the reunion of Leeb and Fulber for the release of ''

Chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...

'', followed by ''

Nuages du Monde ''Nuages du Monde'' is the twelfth studio album by Canadian new age/electronic music group Delerium in 2006. The title is French, and translates to "Clouds of the World". Track listing #"Angelicus" (featuring Isabel Bayrakdarian) – 5:10 #"Ex ...

'' in 2006. In contrast to Leeb and collaborators' other projects, Delerium has included several guest

vocalists Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

since the release of ''

''. These have included mostly women, such as

Kristy Thirsk Kristy Thirsk is a platinum-selling Canadian singer-songwriter best known for her work with Delerium. Rose Chronicles She was the singer and a co-writer for the band Rose Chronicles, which was signed to Nettwerk in the 1990s. Rose Chronicles re ...

(of

Rose Chronicles Rose Chronicles was a Canadian alternative rock band in the 1990s. The band, from Vancouver, consisted of vocalist Kristy Thirsk, guitarist Richard Maranda, bassist Judd Cochrane, and drummer Steve van der Woerd."You're not supposed to win: Rose ...

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...

Leigh Nash Leigh Anne Bingham Nash ( ; born June 27, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist for the Christian alternative rock band Sixpence None the Richer and was also a member of Fauxliage. Her debut solo album, '' Blue on ...

(of

Sixpence None the Richer Sixpence None the Richer (also known as Sixpence) is an American Christian alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Yo ...

), Elsieanne Caplette (of Elsiane),

Lisa Gerrard Lisa Germaine Gerrard (; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian musician, singer and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with music partner Brendan Perry. She is known for her unique singing style technique ( ...

(sampled only),

Jaël Jaël (aka Jaël Malli; born Rahel Krebs; 19 August 1979 in Bern, Switzerland) is a Swiss musician who was the frontwoman and lead singer of the band Lunik from 1998 to 2013. She worked several times with Delerium, co-writing, and singing "Afte ...

(of Swiss band

Lunik Lunik () is a band from Switzerland. There are currently three members. Lunik started in 1997 with Adi Amstutz, Luk Zimmermann, Mats Marti, Walo Müller and Anton Höglhammer. Singer Jaël joined the band in 1998 and Anton Höglhammer left the ...

Camille Henderson Camille Henderson is a Canadian pop singer. She played the role of Shirley in Sandy Wilson's 1985 Canadian film ''My American Cousin''. She went on to become part of the Vancouver-based pop group West End Girls from 1991 to 1993. Following her ...

Nerina Pallot Nerina Natasha Georgina Pallot (born 26 April 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and producer, who has released six albums and over a dozen EPs. She was nominated for British Female Solo Artist at the 2007 BRIT Awards and nominated for an I ...

Emily Haines Emily Savitri Haines (born 25 January 1974) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the lead singer, keyboardist and songwriter of the rock band Metric and a member of the musical collective Broken Social Scene. As a solo artist, she has pe ...

(of

Metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathema ...

Jacqui Hunt Single Gun Theory was an Australian electronic dance music band formed in 1986. Founding mainstay members were Jacqui Hunt on lead vocals; Kath Power on vocal melodies and synthesiser; and Peter Rivett-Carnac on guitar, synthesiser and samplin ...

(of

Single Gun Theory Single Gun Theory was an Australian electronic dance music band formed in 1986. Founding mainstay members were Jacqui Hunt on lead vocals; Kath Power on vocal melodies and synthesiser; and Peter Rivett-Carnac on guitar, synthesiser and samplin ...

Isabel Bayrakdarian Isabel Bayrakdarian ( arm, Իզապէլ Պայրագտարեան; born February 1, 1974) is a Lebanese-born Canadian operatic soprano of Armenian descent who now resides and works in the United States. Early life Born in Zahlé, Lebanon, into an ...

and

Shelley Harland Shelley Ann Harland-Wright (born as Shelley Ann Harland, ca. 1983, Caterham, Surrey) is an English singer-songwriter and producer. In 2000, she started her music career in New York and performed mononymously as Harland. By 2006, she was based in ...

. Other than Leeb, only three males have contributed vocals to a Delerium album:

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

("Daylight", on ''Poem''), Greg Froese ("Apparition", on ''Nuages du Monde''), and Michael Logen ("Days Turn into Nights", on ''Music Box Opera''); in addition, the noted

griot A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. The griot is a repos ...

Baaba Maal Baaba Maal ( ff, 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤦𞤢 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤, italics=no, born 13 June 1953) is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several al ...

was sampled ("Awakenings, on " Spiritual Archives"). The

Mediæval Bæbes The Mediæval Bæbes are a British musical ensemble founded in 1996 by Dorothy Carter and Katharine Blake. It included some of Blake's colleagues from the band Miranda Sex Garden, as well as other friends who shared her love of medieval music. ...

provided the vocal track for, and starred in the video of, ''Aria''; the vocals are an adapted version of the vocals from "All Turns to Yesterday" on the Bæbes' ''

Worldes Blysse ''Worldes Blysse'' is the second album by British vocal group Mediæval Bæbes The Mediæval Bæbes are a British musical ensemble founded in 1996 by Dorothy Carter and Katharine Blake. It included some of Blake's colleagues from the band M ...

'' album. They are also featured on two tracks from Delerium's 2006 album, ''Nuages du Monde''. Although it may be argued that Front Line Assembly has the largest cult following of all Leeb and associates projects, Delerium is undoubtedly the most financially successful. In addition to these two mainstays, related collaborations between Leeb and Fulber, Peterson, and/or Balch include

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...

, Intermix,

Noise Unit Noise Unit is a Canadian industrial band, founded by Bill Leeb of Front Line Assembly as a side project. The band has seen several changes in line-up, with Bill Leeb being the only permanent member. History Noise Unit's first album, ''Grinding in ...

Pro-Tech ''Orbiting Cathedrals'' is the only album by ''Pro>Tech'', a side project of Canadian industrial musician Bill Leeb with the help of industrial musician Chris Peterson. The project was launched in 1997 in the wake of the release of the album '' ...

, and Synæsthesia, among others. In addition, in 2007 Leeb and Fulber collaborated with Leigh Nash under the name

Fauxliage __NOTOC__ ''Fauxliage'' is a musical project consisting of Canadian electronic musicians Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, both of Delerium and Front Line Assembly, and Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer in 2007. The vocals are performed exclusively ...

. Rhys Fulber has also maintained a solo project

Conjure One Conjure One is a Canadian electronic music project, headed by Rhys Fulber, better known as a member of Front Line Assembly and Delerium. History After performing with Front Line Assembly at the 1996 Roskilde Festival, Fulber left the band to pu ...

since his temporary exit from Delerium.

Music

The single "

", featuring vocals by

, reached number three on the UK

music chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often ...

s. In 2000, three years after ''Karma'' was released, notable DJs such as

Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was ...

and

Airscape Airscape is a Belgian trance act composed of Johan Gielen and formerly, Sven Maes. The group also recorded as Svenson & Gielen () and several other pseudonyms. The two man group dissolved in 2005, each going solo. In 2009, Airscape was revived by ...

produced

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es of "Silence", which generated interest and gained considerable radio

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

for the original track, albeit most airplay was for the remixes. In 2003, Delerium embarked on their first tour, with vocals performed by

and Shelley Harland. In January 2005, Delerium performed at the ''One World''

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...

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 ...

for the

2004 Asian tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

, where "Silence" was performed live for the first time with

. The song has been described as one of the greatest trance songs of all time.

Awards

Delerium has received two

Juno Awards The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Best Dance Recording: in 1998 for "Euphoria (Rabbit in the Moon Mix)", and in 2000 for "Silence".

Discography

Albums / EPs

* ''

'' (Dossier, 1989), LP / CD * ''

Morpheus Morpheus ('Fashioner', derived from the grc, μορφή meaning 'form, shape') is a god associated with sleep and dreams. In Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' he is the son of Somnus and appears in dreams in human form. From the Middle Ages, the name b ...

'' (Dossier, 1989), LP / CD * '' Syrophenikan'' (Dossier, 1990), LP / CD * '' Stone Tower'' (Dossier, 1991), LP / CD * '' Spiritual Archives'' (Dossier, 1991), CD * ''

Euphoric Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

'' (Third Mind, 1991), EP / CD * ''

Spheres The Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellite (SPHERES) are a series of miniaturized satellites developed by MIT's Space Systems Laboratory for NASA and US Military, to be used as a low-risk, extensible test bed for the ...

'' (Dossier, 1994), CD * ''

'' (Nettwerk, 1994), CD * ''

Spheres 2 ''Spheres 2'' is the eighth studio album by Canadian industrial/electronic music group Delerium in 1994. Track listing #"Morphology" – 9:28 #"TransHumanist" – 10:11 #"Shockwave" – 8:33 #"Dimensional Space" – 5:27 #"Hypoxia" – 8:50 #"Ot ...

'' (Dossier, 1994), CD * ''

'' (Nettwerk, 1997), LP / CD * ''

'' (Nettwerk, 2000), LP / CD (November 21) * ''

'' (Nettwerk, 2003), CD (June 24) * ''

'' (Nettwerk, 2006), CD (October 3) * ''

Music Box Opera ''Music Box Opera'' is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian new age/electronic music group Delerium Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential indus ...

'' (Nettwerk, 2012), CD (October 30) * ''

Mythologie '' Mythologie '' is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian new age/electronic music group Delerium, released in 2016. It is their first album for Metropolis Records. The album was produced by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber with the help of Jared Sli ...

'' (Metropolis Records, 2016), LP/CD (September 23) * ''Signs'' (Metropolis Records, 2023), LP/CD (February 3)

Singles

Compilations

* ''Reflections I'' (Dossier, 1995), CD * ''Reflections II'' (Dossier, 1995), CD * '' Archives I'' (Nettwerk, 2002), 2CD * '' Archives II'' (Nettwerk, 2002), 2CD * '' Odyssey: The Remix Collection'' (Nettwerk, 2001), 2CD * ''

The Best Of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (Nettwerk, 2004), CD * '' Remixed: The Definitive Collection'' (Nettwerk, 2010), CD * ''

Voice (An Acoustic Collection) ''Voice (An Acoustic Collection)'' is a 2010 acoustic album from Delerium's past singles and tracks from previous albums. The album also includes three new tracks: "Send Me An Angel", "Too Late, Farewell" and "Vienna". "Voice" was also released a ...

'' (Nettwerk, 5 Oct. 2010) CD * '' Rarities & B-Sides'' (Nettwerk, 21 April 2015)

Online exclusive

* "Above the Clouds" (2003), a download-only song featuring Shelley Harland available through

iTunes Music Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,000 ...

and other

online music store A digital music store is a business that sells digital audio files of music recordings over the Internet. Customers gain ownership of a license to use the files, in contrast to a music streaming service, where they listen to recordings without ...

Music videos

* "Flowers Become Screens" (1994)directed by William Morrison * "Incantation" (1994) * "Euphoria (Firefly)" (1997) * "Duende" (1997) * "Silence" (

Mix) (2000) * "Underwater" (

Rank 1 Rank 1 is a Dutch trance music, trance group, formed in the Netherlands in 1997. Widely regarded as one of the originators of the Dutch trance sound, the group have produced a number of dancefloor hits since their conception. Although the two me ...

Remix) (2000) * "Aria" (2000) * "Innocente" (

Lost Witness Lost Witness is the English trance producer and DJ Simon Paul (also known as Si Paul), working in collaboration with songwriter Edward Barton, writer of the 1983 Jane & Barton single, "It's a Fine Day" (later covered by Opus III in 1992), and ...

Remix) (2001) * "Underwater" ( Above & Beyond's 21st Century Remix) (2002) * "After All" (2003) * "After All" (

Svenson & Gielen Airscape is a Belgian trance act composed of Johan Gielen and formerly, Sven Maes. The group also recorded as Svenson & Gielen () and several other pseudonyms. The two man group dissolved in 2005, each going solo. In 2009, Airscape was revived by ...

Edit) (2003) * "Angelicus" (2007) * "Lost and Found" (2007) * "Dust in Gravity" (2009) * "Dust in Gravity (

Sultan & Ned Shepard Sultan and Shepard (stylized as Sultan + Shepard) are a Canadian electronic music duo who frequently collaborate in record production, songwriting, and remixing. Biography Background Sultan, born Ossama Al Sarraf, lived in Kuwait, Cyprus, and ...

Remix)" (2009) * "Monarch" (2012) * "Days Turn into Nights" (2013) * "Chrysalis Heart" (2013) * "Glimmer" (2015) * "Stay" (2018)

Remixes

Tara MacLean Tara Margaret Charity MacLean (born October 25, 1973) is a Canadian musician, singer and composer. Her hit songs as a solo artist include "Evidence", " If I Fall", and a cover of the Christmas song " Light of the Stable". She was a member of At ...

– "Divided" (2000) *

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer, actress and dancer. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, ...

– "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (2001) *

Sasha Lazard Sasha Lazard is an American classical crossover singer. Lazard was born in New York City and grew up in Paris. She attended Bennington College and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied opera, but after graduation pursued a ...

– "Awakening" (2002) *

Clint Mansell Clinton Darryl Mansell (; born 7 January 1963) is an English musician, singer, and composer, born in Coventry. He served as the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of alt-rock band Pop Will Eat Itself before embarking on a career as a film s ...

– "Requiem for a Dream Soundtrack - Deluxed" (2002) *

– "Waiting" (2003) *

Phildel Phildel is an English singer, pianist, and songwriter from London. Her name is a composite of her Chinese father and Irish mother's names (Philip and Della). Biography Phildel's parents divorced and her mother married a religious fundamentali ...

– "Comfort Me" (2013)

Third-party compilations that include Delerium

* ''Space Daze: The History & Mystery of Electronic Ambient Space Rock'' (Cleopatra, 1994), 2CD (featured the song "Dark Matter" from the album ''Spheres''). * '' The Crow: Stairway to Heaven'', 1998 (featured the song "Silence" in one episode). * ''

Brokedown Palace ''Brokedown Palace'' is a 1999 American drama film directed by Jonathan Kaplan, and starring Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman and Lim Kay Tong. It deals with two American friends imprisoned in Thailand for alleged drug smuggling. Its ...

'' Soundtrack (Island, 1999), CD (prominently featured "Silence"). * ''

Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...

'' Soundtrack (Elektra / Wea, 2001), CD (featured a slightly stripped "Laras mix" of "Terra Firma"). * ''Best of Mystera'' (Polys, 2000), 2CD * ''Doctor Death's Volume IV: The Marvels of Insect Life'' (C'est la Mort, 1990) CD (featured the song "A Certain Trust"). * ''Faeries: A Musical Companion to the Art of Brian Froud'' (RCA, 2002) CD (featured the song "Nature's Kingdom").

References

External links

Delerium Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band’s history, their musical style has encompassed a ...

Billboard.com ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

Mindphaser.com
Delerium, Front Line Assembly, Conjure One, Decree and side projects website. * {{Authority control Canadian house music groups Canadian techno music groups Ambient music groups Worldbeat groups Musical groups from Vancouver Musical groups established in 1987 Remixers Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year winners Third Mind Records artists 1987 establishments in British Columbia Nettwerk Music Group artists