XPQ-21

XPQ-21
OriginGermany
GenresElectronic Music, EBM, Cyberpunk, Industrial, Alternative Rock, Dubstep, Drum and Bass, Breaks
Years active1998 (1998)–present
LabelsMonsters & Heroes
MembersJeyênne
Andy Haywire
Past membersNicque
Annelie Bertilsson
Hitch
Sascha Kepper
Claudia Lippmann
Martin Hillebrand
Alex Gsell
Moritz Zielke
Websitewww.xpq-21.com

XPQ-21 are a German electronic body music band, led by Jeyênne. They are best known for their hits "White And Alive",[1] "Rockin' Silver Knight" and "Dead Body".[2]

History

XPQ-21 was formed as a duo in 1998, consisting of Jeyênne and Nicque. They released their first single A Gothic Novel in 1998 and their album Destroy To Create in 1999.[3]

Following Nicque leaving XPQ-21 in 2003, Jeyênne was joined by various new members.[4] Live members have included Annelie Bertilsson (Cat Rapes Dog, And One),[5] Martin Hillebrand, Moritz Zielke and Andy Haywire.[6]

XPQ-21 returned in 2022 with the new single Machines on Monsters & Heroes, their own label. In April 2022 Machines reached No. 2 in the Deutsche Alternative Charts (DAC) (German Alternative Charts). Their next single Temptation reached No. 1 in January 2023.

2024 XPQ-21 releases the last single of the trilogy, "Where Minds Collide", featuring Laura Friedland, a jazz singer with Jewish-Ukrainian roots, based in Germany.

The planned album for 2023 has been postponed to summer 2024.

Instruments

Jeyênne combines analogue synthesizers (Korg Monopoly, Roland 909, 808, 101, Roland TB 303) with digital gear and sequencing on Apple Macintosh, typically working in Logic Pro, now Ableton Live.[7] He also works with software from native instruments, soundtoys, fabfilters, audiorealism, intelligent sounds and music, vital, u-he, valhalla and D16.

Jeyênne has run the EMS - Electronic Music School in Cologne since 2010 and Berlin since 2011.[8] The XPQ-21 studio is also located in the school's building in Berlin.

Name

The name "XPQ-21" was originally the title of a song, as "a combination of letters that mean a lot to me ... it was the first hit/club hit, and later we thought: 'Okay, let's make it a band name.'"[9]

Discography

Albums

  • Destroy To Create (CD, Fourbiddentones FBT-002-CD, 1999)
  • Belle Epoque (CD, Bloodline LINECD-012, October 2000)
  • Chi (CD, Dying Culture CULT006-2, 22 August 2002)
  • Alive (CD, Trisol TRI-261-CD, 24 March 2006)
    • "Rockin' Silver Night" DAC 7 weeks, peak no. 9; no. 88 for 2006[2]
    • "Dead Body" DAC 6 weeks, peak no. 10; no. 97 for 2006[2]

Singles

  • "A Gothic Novel (Science Fiction)" (9:30) / "A Gothic Novel (Body Version)" (6:04) // "Pornography (FuckU)" (5:09) / "Pornography (Cy's Version)" (6:24) (12", Fourbiddentones FBT-001, September 1998; CD, Bloodline LINECD-026, August 2000)
  • "Hey You (Edit)" (4:00) / "Hey You (Nicque's Version)" (7:34) / "Hey You (Belle Version)" (6:14) / "Ghost" (7:08) / "Another Playground" (6:33) / "Sequencial" (6:57) (CD, Bloodline LINECD-053, April 2001)
  • "White and Alive (Club Version)" (5:43) / "White and Alive (Wollschläger Remix)" (7:41) / "White and Alive (S.P.O.C.K Remix)" (6:54) / "Israel" (9:38) / "White and Alive (Original Version)" (5:12) (CD, Dying Culture CULT004-5, 12 July 2002)
    • DAC 8 weeks, peak No. 4; No. 32 for 2002[1]
  • "Machines - Original" (4.10) / "Machines - Club Version" (5:48) DAC 5 weeks, peak No. 2;
  • "Temptation - Original" (4.53) / DAC peak No. 1;
  • "Where Minds Collide (feat. Laura Friedland)" (4.53) / DAC peak No. 4;

Compilation appearances

  • "Monster" (5:52) on Electronic Lust V.1 (2×CD, Orkus EFA-61606-02, 1998)

References

  1. ^ a b "Jahrescharts 2002: DAC Top 200 Singles". djcharts.de. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Jahrescharts 2006: Top 100 Singles". djcharts.de. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  3. ^ Lindström, Patrik (1 January 2003). "Interview Jan 2003: XPQ-21". Brutal Resonance. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  4. ^ Froidcoeur, Stephanie (April 2006). "Rock'n'roll made by electronics". Side-Line. No. 54.
  5. ^ B. Van Isacker (27 January 2004). "New album and live member for XPQ-21". Side-Line. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  6. ^ B. Van Isacker (16 April 2008). "XPQ-21 celebrates 10 anniversary with free medley download". Side-Line. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  7. ^ DJ Rex. "Chinwag with XPQ-21, by Dj Rex". The Independent Voice. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  8. ^ B. Van Isacker (3 May 2010). "XPQ-21's Jeyênne launches electronic music school". Side-Line. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  9. ^ Terrorverlag interview. "eine Kombination mehrerer Buchstaben, die mir sehr viel bedeuten ... es war der erste Hit/Clubhit und später dachten wir uns dann: „Okay, machen wir daraus einen Bandnamen“ ..."