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]

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

History

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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Albums

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  • 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

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  • "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

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

References

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  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“ ..."
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