Ian Schranz (born March 9, 1977), best known by the stage name Bark Bark Disco, is a Maltese indie musician. Schranz first began his career as the drummer of the band Beangrowers before establishing himself as a solo artist.

Bark Bark Disco
Background information
Born (1977-03-09) March 9, 1977 (age 47)
OriginMalta
GenresNew wave, synth-pop
Years active2011–present
LabelsMinty Fresh, Italians Do It Better
MembersIan Schranz
WebsiteBarkBarkDisco.com

Schranz released a demo single under the name Bark Bark Disco called "Song for the Lovers"[1] which was a tribute to 1970s adult actress Brigitte Lahaie, and was taken from Erwin Dietrich's film Six Swedish Girls in a Boarding School. It received half a million views on YouTube in two weeks. Following this, organisers asked him to play a solo show opening for Bonnie Prince Billy in a masonic cemetery in Valletta.

Schranz has collaborated extensively with other artists such as JOON, Andre Herman Dune aka Stanley Brinks, Johnny Jewel and Jeffrey Lewis among others.

Personal life

edit

Schranz met the two other members of his first band, Beangrowers, when they were fourteen years old.[2]

Ian Schranz has survived bacterial meningitis three times, making him a recurrent meningitis sufferer.

He and his brother David became co-owners of the Hole in the Wall, Sliema, a cafe and live music venue in Sliema, Malta, in 2015.[3][4] The brothers gentrified what had been a sports bar, and turned it into a hip venue for live music.

Permanent members

edit
  • Ian Schranz – vocals, guitar, keys, bass and drums

Guest members

edit
  • JOON, Rebecca Theuma, Katryna Storace, Daniel Cassar, Daniel Abdilla, Antonio Tufignio, Mark Zizza, Stanley Brinks, Freschard[5]

Discography

edit

Albums & EPs

edit
  • On the Dance Floor - EP (Italians Do It Better, 2022)
  • Holy Smokes (Minty Fresh, 2018)
  • Your Mum Says Hello! (2010)

Singles

edit
  • "Your Broke My Heart to Pizza" (2024)
  • "On the Dance Floor" (Italians Do It Better, 2022)
  • "Borderline" (Italians Do It Better, 2021)
  • "Hot Love" (Italians Do It Better, 2021)
  • "Get Up and Run" (Italians Do It Better, 2021)
  • "'Til the End" (Italians Do It Better, 2020)
  • "Another Play" (Italians Do It Better, 2020)
  • "Honey I Love You Now" (Minty Fresh, 2018)
  • "Big Love" (Minty Fresh, 2018)
  • "Song for the Lovers" (Parasol, 2013)

[6]

[7]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Bark Bark Disco : Songs for the LOvers". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  2. ^ Ramona Depares (2018-04-17). "'Government and culture don't make the best bedfellows': Indie legends The Beangrowers get ready for this year's Rock the South Exhibition". Times_of_Malta. Retrieved 2021-01-25. Ian: As a band, we met when we were 14 years old. Mark met Alison on the bus. She knew the lyrics to the song Informer, and so he told her that we needed a singer.
  3. ^ "Another Drink in the Wall : Sliema's Oldest Bar". Times_of_Malta. Archived from the original on 2021-01-10. Retrieved 4 January 2021. He changed the background music and started supporting homegrown bands by allowing them to play upstairs. He hosted film nights and pub quizzes and watched the bar community grow.
  4. ^ Maria Pace (2019-06-11). "Ian Schranz: 'I cry all the time. Probably watching Moana or Frozen'". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2021-01-25. Fatherhood, music, and owning the iconic Hole In The Wall pub in Sliema – Beangrowers drummer and Bark Bark Disco singer-songwriter Ian Schranz tells all in the Q&A
  5. ^ Ramona Depares (2018-05-10). "Watch: New Bark Bark Disco single brings all the feels". Times_of_Malta. Retrieved 2021-01-26. Bark Bark Disco - which started out as a project by Ian Schranz and now also includes Rebecca Theuma and Daniel Cassar - recently returned from a very well-received tour in the US.
  6. ^ Daphne Caruana Galizia (2019-12-30). "Maltese music stars to perform in national 'protest concert': Indie musicians Brikkuni, Beangrowers, il-Lapes and Cikku l-Poplu taking part". Times_of_Malta. Retrieved 2021-01-25. Ian Schranz, drummer with indie group Beangrowers, said it was 'standard and normal' for artists around the world to 'react to oppression and injustice, by expressing themselves in art, comedy and music'.
  7. ^ Jean Paul Azzopardi (2019-07-30). "WATCH: 'Lie Becomes The Law' – Maltese Indie Rock Band Take Us To A Dystopian World For Their Latest Single". Loving Malta. Retrieved 2021-01-26. Overlaid are band members Alison Galea, Ian Schranz and Mark Sansone (choreographed by Steffi Schranz) performing in front of a green screen, creating a very DIY/ retro feel to the music video.
edit