NORTH AMERICAN MANAGEMENT : We are very happy to announce that VNV Nation are teaming up with Paul Conroy and Nick Grimaldi from Channel Zero Entertainment to handle our management in North America. This is a great move for us and we're very happy about it. We'd spent a lot of time thinking about what management should be for us - no suits, no industry cliches, just people who understand what VNV is about, share our passion and can help us reach our goals. It can only mean great things for VNV Nation. Contact information can be found on the WORLD page.
BARCA DATE CHANGE : The gig in Barcelona has been moved one day earlier, from December 13th to December 12th.
THANKS OZ and SA : Thanks to all for the great time we had in Australia and South Africa recently. Flying there, between shows and back, was gruelling, but the time we had made it all worthwhile. We got to see some Aussie wildlife, do a group photo with koala bears, avoid the killer drop bears and tyre pythons, sampled the local beverages and experienced the Aussie wit first hand, mostly during the shows, especially the outstanding request for "Chrome"at the Brisbane show. For the Sydneyites - as we've said in the many replies to emails from people who were at the show, two overly aggressive idiots do not reflect the whole audience and it hasn't affected our impression of the City. We very much hope to be back there again. A special thanks to the people of Perth who seem starved for bands and were one of the most euphoric audiences we've seen in a long time. Our first visit to Cape Town was a great way to continue a run of good shows but ... if you weren't at the Pretoria show (our 3rd visit), you seriously missed something. The gig, the energy, the crowd. You guys are insane. See you next year?
FEARLESS MUSIC : An appropriate TV Show name for VNV Nation's first ever live studio performance. Enjoy "Standing" and check out Fearless TV. They supported us so we would appreciate it if you would support them by giving them a look.
The audio on this Youtube version of the clip isn't the best but we hope you enjoy it anyway.
FROM THE SILENCE : This is the "what've we been up to these last months" update. Well, at the end of December, after 9 months near-solid touring across the world and back, preceded by four months working on the album and one month promoting it and preparing for the tour, it was time for a well earned break for a few months. Alongside that, we reported a while back that, the boss of the studio complex, where we'd been for 2 years, decided to close the place while we were on tour. The timing wasn't great and we had little time to find a new home. Along with some of the people from the old studios, we found a perfect old building in Hamburg (the one in Germany, not Michigan). Renovating and building have been ongoing since the tour. We started building our studios in March and, after four months of long days, 7 day weeks, enough dust to fill a quarry, the gratuitous use of powertools, frustrating delays from unexpected obstacles, problems and near disasters that inevitably appear (else you'll never learn why it should have been done otherwise), it's finished and it looks great (thanks to Sven, the Baumeister). The main thing is, it's ours and thus we plan to be here for a long time. As you can imagine, having been busy with the studio build, there's quite a backlog of material to work on and we can't wait to get that underway.
WEBSITE UPDATE : Unless this is your first visit, you've probably noticed that we've revamped our website. This is all part of a general reorganisation of how we handle our online sites. There'll be a few useful pieces added over the coming weeks to bring it right up to date. The Myspace site will be undergoing a revamp of its own as well as some changes to how it's managed so we can do things better.
IMATEM : Ronan and Project Pitchfork's Peter Spilles recently collaborated on a track for Peter's side-project "Imatem". The result is "Haven" where Peter composed the music and Ronan wrote the lyrics and sang the track.
LIVE SHOWS 2008: Lots of shows have just been announced for 2008 on the LIVE page. As well as festivals in Belgium and Holland, the Mera Luna festival in Hildesheim, Germany on August 9th, a visit to Australia and South Africa in August. a show on a boat in Sweden, some shows in Spain and more to come.
RELEASE PLANS AND NEW STUDIO : We still have tracks that had been intended for a single or two from Judgement, not to mention the Reformation EP. As for why they're not out yet, well that all comes down to he studio complex, where we'd been for over 2 years, closing while we were on the US tour. This was bad timing as we were going to be almost constantly on tour for some months more which didn't leave us a lot of time to find a new home. We found a new location in Hamburg which has been under renovation since then. We're very much of a DIY band and always have been. The studio build is a collaborative effort between us and some studio nuts we work with and it's a lot of fun, we have to say. Finishing the backlog of releases is something we're very much looking forward to getting done as soon as the studios are done.
JUDGEMENT : VNV Nation's latest album, entitled "Judgement", was released in early April this year. Musically and lyrically, the album is a firm step forward and is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, VNV Nation releases to date. As for how well the album's done - the album reached #2 on the US iTunes Electronic Albums Chart, #3 on the Canadian iTunes Electronic Albums Chart, #3 on the US Billboard Electronic Albums chart, #7 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Chart, #28 on the US Billboard Independent Chart, #1 on the German Alternative Chart, #3 on the German College Radio chart and #1 on the Italian Alternative Chart and would, quite possibly, be one of the records Shaun would refuse to throw if under attack by Zombies.
MODCOM : is a new project from Ronan Harris which uses analog modular synthesizers and analog sequencers for live sound generation. Sequences and sounds are patched, manipulated, effected, re-patched and mixed live. This kind of performance was common to 70’s synth pioneers who used walls of synths and cables to make sound but now its use will be for 21st century electronic beats, rhythms and soundscapes. Modcom homepage
VNV'S STUDIO : For those wanting to know what equipment VNV Nation use in their studio you can find a full up-to-date list HERE
NORTH AMERICAN BOOKING AGENCY : All North American concert bookings are now handled by The Agency Group. For contact information, go to the WORLD page.
IN LOVING MEMORY : We are deeply saddened at the news that, our dear friend and former live keyboarder, Frank Miller passed away on the morning of May 19th after a long battle with Brain Cancer. Frank was someone very special to us and a very close friend. We would like to express our deepest and sincerest sympathies to his girlfriend Lauren and to his family. Please take a moment to read our MySpace blog entry about him HERE
GENE GENERATION : Ronan will be writing the original soundtrack for this forthcoming sci-fi film from director Pearry Teo. Needless to say, this is exciting news. More info to come.
WELTFUNK : The VNV Nation Fan Forum, Weltfunk, has moved to www.welfunk.net.
AFI : Congratulations to AFI on their album reaching No.1 in the US billboard charts and for winning an MTV Video Music Award. Ronan worked with AFI on the album, to provide electronic sequences and fx for some of the songs, including "Miss Murder".
MORE MSI AND AFI REMIXES : It seems the bands' respective labels are very happy with the VNV Nation mixes of AFI's "Miss Murder" and MSI's "Shut me up". VNV Nation will now be producing remixes of AFI's "Love like Winter" and MSI's "What do they know".
REMIX : The latest single from Joachim Witt features a VNV remix of the title track "Wo versteckt sich Gott".
NEW ALBUM "MATTER + FORM" : VNV Nation's fifth album was released in April 2005. This time Ronan worked alongside German producer Humate who co-produced, engineered and mixed the album. Getting the sound right on this album involved going back to using lots of vintage synthesizer and studio equipment to achieve a warmer more organic sound. The album features many varieties of tone and sound, from the punch of tracks like "Chrome" and "Entropy" to more ethereal soulful sounds of "Endless Skies" and "Homeward". It is certainly an evolution but still retains, and in some ways accentuates, the emotive soulful and humanist elements that people recognise in VNV Nation's music. Conceptually and lyrically the album deals with transformation from potential into ability or action. Ronan feels this is the best and most comprehensive VNV Nation release to date. Excerpts from some of the tracks are available from VNV Nation's MySpace page and from the german fansite at www.vnvnation.de. The album has already charted in Germany at #1 in the German Alternative Chart, #38 in the German Album Chart while over in the US it has charted at #7 in the US Billboard Electronic Chart and #32 in the US Independent Chart.
FORMATION TOUR 2005 - EUROPE PART 1 / NORTH AMERICA : From Hamburg to Mexico - the three month tour started on March 31st and finished up in Mexico City on June 25th. We never enjoyed a tour as much as this one nor did we expect that it would leave us quite as exhausted as it did. The vibe at the shows on both sides of the Atlantic, between everyone on the tour and the reaction to the new material was far more than anyone expected. We couldn't have asked for better bands to tour with, musically and personally. Once again, it was like going on tour with good friends. In Europe it was Diorama - soulful emotive music, the chance to hear "advance" and "her liquid arms" every night, endless wit, synchronised swimming, catalogue poses and the random visits from "Werner". In North America it was Imperative Reaction - great music (too many good songs to name here), many laughs, sideprojects, intrigue, Clint's hair and the unforgettable, inimitable, one and only "TGP-IV". Last, but not least, there was Soman (aka Mr.Hmmmm), who pounded out the fine industrial beats nightly during his cardio workout on stage and then came back with us as a live keyboarder for the VNV show. It was a pleasure touring with all of these great people and we wish each and all the best. We also urge you to give these bands a good listen.
GERMAN CHARITY SHOWS - "E H W - Elektronisches Hilfswerk" : We cannot say thank you enough to everyone who made this happen - to the people who came to the shows, the band, the crew and everyone who helped out. We managed to help raise an unbelievable 48,000 Euro for the Deutsche Krebshilfe, SOS Kinderdorf and Die Tafeln through 3 concerts and 1 DJ event. One thing is certain, this will not be the last EHW festival.
PASTPERFECT IN GERMAN DVD CHARTS - The DVD peaked in the Official German Music DVD Charts at #3 (26.05.04)
STUDIO MOVE - Nationhood studio was recently moved to a new location in northern Hamburg. All the equipment that had been packed away during the recording of Futureperfect is back alongside some nice new additions including a custom spec modular system.
BRUDERSCHAFT - is a charity based music project devised and organised by New York's DJ Rexx Arkana to produce the single "Forever" in aid of cancer charities. The single was a collaboration between Ronan from VNV Nation (vocals), Sebastian from Icon of Coil (music), Stephan from APB (backing vocals), Joakim from Covenant (electronic loops) and DJ Rexx Arkana himself who wrote the words after the death of his father through cancer. The single is entirely non-profit is available now.
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS INTERVIEW WITH VNV NATION - Award winning software music tool company Native Instruments recently interviewed VNV Nation about their use of their Reaktor software to make music. You can read the interview HERE.
FUTUREPERFECT GETS DAC ALBUM OF THE YEAR - The album got the no.1 position in the German Alternative Chart (DAC) "top albums of 2002". The list is compiled from the points each release received during its time in the charts. We would like to express our thanks to all of you who made this possible, fans and DJ's alike.
BELOVED CHART ENTRY - The second single from the album Futureperfect charted at no.70 in the German Media Control Singles chart and topped the German Alternative Singles Chart (DAC).
FUTUREPERFECT CHART ENTRY - The album went into the German Media Control Album Charts at #26 and topped the German Alternative Album Charts (DAC).
BELOVED.3 12" - The four Hiver and Hammer mixes of Beloved have been released on vinyl in Germany for the club scene. These 12" singles are only available as imports outside Europe. To answer a question posed by many curious fans - Nationhood and VNV Nation were not involved in the artwork for the 12".
ANGELS AND AGONY's "ETERNITY" IN THE DAC - Ronan Harris produced the Dutch futurepop band's first single "Darkness" and album "Eternity" which are both available now. The album has seen a lot of success in the US and in Europe. It recently reached #5 in the German Alternative Charts.
"GENESIS" - The first single from Futureperfect was released in September 2001 and spent 4 weeks in the German singles charts (reaching #67) as well as topping the DAC.
"STANDING" WINS A GAMA - VNV Nation won the award for most successful single in the DAC (Deutsche Alternativ Charts) at the German Alternative Music Awards in Hamburg last Saturday night (November 18th). The awards will be televised on Germany's Viva 2 music channel although we have no idea when. We'll keep you informed. It was great to finally see the German alternative music scene getting some recognition and all thanks must go to Public Propaganda for organising the event.
The single STANDING went straight in at No.1 in the German Alternative Singles Chart (DAC) and was at the No.1 spot for the full 8 weeks that a single is allowed to remain in the charts. Standing is the second single to have done this since the DAC was started 3 years ago.EMPIRES was the German Alternative Album Charts (DAC) no.1 album of 1999 after having stayed at the no.1 spot for the last 7 weeks of the year.
