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Delerium

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  • Years Active: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s

Albums

Biography All Music GuideWikipedia

All Music Guide:

A joint effort by Rhys Fulber and former Front Line Assembly bandmate Bill Leeb, Delerium has produced some of the most unusual sounds to emanate from Vancouver, Canada. With Leeb responsible for finding samples, writing lyrics, creating basslines, sequencing, and overseeing the project and Fulber handling the sampling and programming and using a chords/string pad to craft additional melodies and arrangements, the group's sound is a dance-inspiring mix of electronics and post-industrial attitude.

Although he initially attracted attention as a member of several cyberpunk/industrial bands, Fulber took a more ambient dance approach with Delerium. The group found success with its 1997 album Karma, which sold more than a quarter of a million copies and included a major club/dance hit, "Silence," that reached number three in the United Kingdom, number one in Ireland, number four in Belgium, and number five in Australia.

With the members of Delerium separating in the mid-'90s, Fulber produced albums by P.O.D., Sarah Brightman, David Foster, and Fear Factory. The band reunited in 2001 and released Poem, followed by Chimera two years later. In 2004 Nettwerk released the 1994-2004 collection Best Of. Their 2006 effort Nuages du Monde featured singers from around the world, including opera star Isabel Baryakdarian and Punjabi singer Kiran Arwuhalia. Music Box Opera from 2012 arrived with a different set of vocalists, including Leona Naess, Kristy Thirsk, and Michael Logen. Fulber and Leeb have also recorded as Intermix and Noise Unit.

Wikipedia:

Delerium is a Canadian musical group 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 broad range, including dark ethereal ambient trance, voiceless industrial soundscapes, and electronic pop music. They are best known for their worldwide hit "Silence", which features vocals from Sarah McLachlan. The song has been hailed as one of the greatest trance songs of all time, over a decade after its initial release.

Members and history [edit]

Delerium has traditionally been a two-person project, but the only constant member throughout its history has been Bill Leeb. Leeb was a guest musician and early supporter of industrial dance pioneers Skinny Puppy, but after he left in 1986 he went on to create his own project, Front Line Assembly with collaborator Michael Balch. Later, the two worked on the side project Delerium and released their first album, Faces, Forms & Illusions. After Balch left both Front Line Assembly and Delerium, Leeb worked with Rhys Fulber, 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, Fulber left to pursue other interests, and Leeb teamed up with producer Chris Peterson to release Poem. 2003, however, saw the reunion of Leeb and Fulber for the release of Chimera, followed by Nuages du Monde in 2006.

In contrast to Leeb and collaborators' other projects, Delerium has included several guest vocalists since the release of Semantic Spaces. These have included mostly women, such as Kristy Thirsk, Sarah McLachlan, Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer), Elsieanne Caplette (of Elsiane), Lisa Gerrard (sampled only), Jaël (of Swiss band Lunik), Camille Henderson, Nerina Pallot, Emily Haines (of Metric), Jacqui Hunt (of Single Gun Theory), Isabel Bayrakdarian and Shelley Harland. Other than Leeb, only three males have contributed vocals to a Delerium album: Matthew Sweet ("Daylight", on Poem), Greg Froese ("Apparition", on Nuages du Monde), and Michael Logen ("Days Turn Into Nights", on the newest release Music Box Opera); in addition, the noted griot Baaba Maal was sampled ("Awakenings, on "Spiritual Archives").

The Mediæval Bæbes 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 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 projects of the Leeb, Fulber, Peterson, Balch family include Equinox, Intermix, Noise Unit, Pro-Tech, and Synæsthesia, among others. In addition, in 2007 Leeb and Fulber collaborated with Leigh Nash under the name Fauxliage, also Rhys Fulber maintains his solo project Conjure One since his temporary exit from Delerium.

Music [edit]

The single "Silence", featuring vocals by Sarah McLachlan, reached number three on the UK music charts. In 2000, three years after Karma was released, notable DJs such as Tiësto and Airscape produced remixes of "Silence", which generated interest and gained considerable radio airplay for the original track.

In 2003, Delerium embarked on their first tour, with vocals performed by Kristy Thirsk and Shelley Harland. In January 2005, Delerium performed at the One World benefit concert in Vancouver for the 2004 Asian tsunami, where "Silence" was performed live for the first time with Sarah McLachlan.

Guest artists / vocalists [edit]

Angela McCluskeyMusic Box Opera: "Stargazing"Scottish singer-songwriter and a member of the folk rock group, Wild ColonialsAnna-Lynne WilliamsMusic Box Opera: "Frostbite"Lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Trespassers WilliamAzure RayMusic Box Opera: "Keyless Door"Azure Ray is an American dream pop duoCamille HendersonKarma: "Duende"Emily HainesChimera: "Stopwatch Hearts"Co-founder and singer/keyboardist of Toronto-based indie rock/electronic band Metric.Isabel BayrakdarianNuages Du Monde : "Angelicus", "Lumenis"Jacqui HuntKarma: "Euphoria (Firefly)"Lead vocalist from Single Gun Theory.JaëlChimera: "After All"Nuages Du Monde: "Lost and Found"Music Box Opera: "Light Your Light"Of Swiss band Lunik.Jenifer McLarenPoem: "Fallen Icons", "Nature's Kingdom II"Canadian-born pop artist. This was her debut with Nettwerk.Joanna StevensPoem: "Myth", "A Poem for Byzantium"One half of Solar Twins, an electronica group based in Los Angeles; originally from the UK.Julee CruiseChimera: "Magic"worked with Angelo Badalamenti, David Lynch, and Moby.Kiran AhluwaliaNuages du Monde: "Indoctrination"Kirsty HawkshawPoem: "Nature's Kingdom", "Inner Sanctum"Nuages Du Monde: "Fleeting Instant"Singer for a number of bands including Opus III, Sleepthief, Pulusha, BT, Tiësto, and Mr. Sam. personal website.Kristy ThirskChimera: "Returning"Nuages Du Monde: "Self-Saboteur" (spelled "Self-Sabateur" on some releases)Karma: "Enchanted", "Wisdom", "'Til the End of Time", "Heaven's Earth", "Lamentation"Semantic Spaces: "Flowers Become Screens", "Incantation", "Flatlands"Music Box Opera: "Sky (Tears From Heaven)", "Lock Down"Kristy also has a solo career and has sung for Sleepthief, Balligomingo, Front Line Assembly, D:Fuse & Mike Hiratzka, and Rose Chronicles.Leigh NashPoem: "Innocente"Chimera: "Run for It", "Orbit of Me"Music Box Opera: "Still Kill"Lead singer of Sixpence None the Richer.Leona NaessChimera: "Returning"Music Box Opera: "Hammer"Leona is a British singer-songwriter of Swedish-Norwegian parentageLisa GerrardKarma: "Forgotten Worlds"Margaret FarChimera: "Just a Dream"Matthew SweetPoem: "Daylight"One part of The Thorns; also has a solo pop career.Mediæval Bæbes, ThePoem: "Aria"Nuages Du Monde: "Sister Sojourn Ghost", "Extollere"A group of young women who sing Mediæval style songs in Latin, etc.Michael Logen Music Box Opera: "Days Turn Into Nights"Michael is an American pop/folk artistNadina ZarifehMusic Box Opera: "Monarch", "Awakening"Nadina is a Canadian-Lebanese singerNerina PallotChimera: "Truly"Nerina has three albums, Dear Frustrated Superstar, Fires and The Graduate.Rachel FullerChimera: "Touched"Rachel has worked with Pete Townshend (of The Who, who also provides guitars on Touched) and she uses orchestras in her music.Rani Kamal (aka Rani Kamalesvaran) Poem: "Underwater"Chimera: "Fallen"Rani has also worked with Conjure One (Rhys Fulber's project).Sarah McLachlanKarma: "Silence"Sarah is an internationally renowned Canadian singer and songwriter.Stef LangMusic Box Opera: "Consciousness Of Love", "Chrysalis Heart"Stef is a Canadian singerSultana (aka Songul Akturk) Chimera: "Forever After"Sultana is a rapper from Turkey.Zoë JohnstonChimera: "Love"Nuages Du Monde: "The Way You Want It To Be"Zoë has previously worked with Bent, Faithless and Above & Beyond.
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