The story of Clan of Xymox can be synthesized in a single word: "change". The formation of dark electronics that emerged in 1984 in Holland has not remained quiet for the next twenty years, or at the orders of a certain record label, but has always tried to evolve and create a unique and innovative style. Perhaps this is the reason why the original group of Amsterdam, Xymox, left the record 4-AD in 1988, despite the great success that throughout Europe were reaching, to become a mythical band of club culture less conventional that then existed.
From the first stage of Clan Of Xymox born the album "Subsequents Pleasures", which already included one of the singles that has had the most impact on his career, "Muscovite Musquito" to be a reference of the band in numerous compilations and remixes like Abstracte Magazine Vol .5, edited a year later or "Lonely Is An Eyesore", compiled by 4AD.
However, "Subsequents Pleasures" is nothing more than the union in a higher quality format of the first incursions of the Dutch band in the scene, since only about 500 copies of that disc were published in 1984. In fact, the debut of Clan Of Xymox with one of the labels that has enhanced the dark music has by title the same name as the one of the formation.
That album was finally released in 1985 and in between released the EP "A Day / Stranger". Needless to say that said album would not be the same with these two mentioned themes. Interestingly, it was not included in its original edition "Muscovite Musquito", a theme that was added in a later edition by 4AD in 2000. Certainly the discography of COX is somewhat messy, since the "Subsequents Pleasures" was, subsequently, reissued in 1994 with a tracklist similar to the "Clan of Xymox", including the "A Day", "Stranger" and "Muscovite Musquito", theme, which for more inri, was released on vinyl in 1986 by Virgin. That is, we can consider that "Subsquents Pleasures" and "Clan Of Xymox" are the same album, saving the differences.
In 1986, also, will appear what will be the "second official record" of the group that leads its vocalist, Rony Moorings, "Medusa". In it we will find other of the classic songs of the group, like "Louise" or "Back Door" songs that already in 1987 were more than radiated and punctured by our continent. That's why 4AD took the opportunity to remix them and reissue them in the year 2000 (is anyone surprised by this reissue?), Adding "Blind Hearts", "Scum" and "A Million Things", another of the topics that have given the most to know the formation halfway between dark electronics and gothic rock.
However, the story of Clan Of Xymox, told literally, should stop at this point, since until 1994 they would not return with this name, but the Clan would be called only Xymox, coinciding with the change of record label to Polygram , through Wing, a subsello of the once multinational disc.
Under this abbreviation that, in a while, got to confuse to its followers, the band sent in 1988 "Twist of Shadows". This third album, if we take into account the total productions of Moorings and company (always with Mojca Zugna), was the definitive step for Xymox at the time of making its way among the American public. "Phoenix" would arrive in 1991 and the fourth and last CD that the group released with Polygram, after which Xymox began a world tour that would take him to enter lists of sales of independent or unconventional musical spaces.
And so we come to an impass in the history of this group. In 1992 and 1993 they released "Metamorphosis" and "Headclouds", respectively, through Zok Records, an independent label. It was a time in which the Dutch group was focusing its productions towards dance music but that time gave way to a return to the roots.
It was in 1997 when Ronny Moorings, founder and undisputed leader, resumed the name of the Clan of Xymox and the band signed for a new label, Tess Records. This work had the production of Dave M. Allen and John A. Rivers, who worked for groups of the scene like Sisters Of Mercy, The Cure, Dead Can Dance or Love And Rockets. "Out Of The Rain" would be the EP that would give way to the very interesting "Hidden Faces". From him Clan of Xymox obtained the recognition at international level, since the later tour transcended not only the European continent and the USA, but also the Dutch opened their sights towards the South American public. From this work, Clan of Xymox participated in festivals such as Zillo and Wave Gothic Treffen.
Since then, neither the band nor its old label have stopped relaunching and remixing their songs, of course, I mean Clan of Xymox, of creating works like "Creatures" (1999), the live "Live" (2000) , "Notes from the Undreground" (2001) and "Farewell" (2003), his last album. The list of great songs of his last productions is not short, much less ("Jasmine And Rose", "There's No Tomorrow", "Farewell", etc.
In recent years, COX has preferred to rely on independent labels such as Metropolis (United States) and Pandaimonium (Europe) because, as Roony Moorings says, "an independent label is much better in the long term for its careers than the support it can give you a great seal for three weeks ... "(for more info read his interview published in this same webzine).
This tireless band that has evolved as few in the dark music scene will not be stopped, much less. It will pass through countries such as Italy, Poland, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and its homeland in 2004, as they did at the end of 2003 in Barcelona, the city they chose to present their new creations to the dark world.
