*. Chandeen .*

Album: Jutland (1995)
Genre: Darkwave (Ethereal/Dream Pop/Electronic)  /  Germany

BIO: Chandeen was founded in 1990 in Germany by Oliver Henkel and Harald Löwy. Chandeen’s first singer - of Iranian descent - was Aline Akbari, who entered the band in 1991. The second singer, Antje Schulz, joined in 1992. Akbari and Schulz shared vocal responsibilities for the first two years. During the same year Oliver Rösch, founder of the world-famous label Hyperium Records, heard Chandeen and offered them record deal. The group’s first album, Shaded By The Leaves, was recorded without Akbari who left the band some weeks before they were signed. The new singer, Catrin Mallon, sang with Schulz on the first Chandeen album. In the autumn of 1994, Henkel and Löwy moved to Jutland, Denmark for six weeks to compose and produce the second album entitled Jutland. They created a deeply atmospheric album which had a lasting effect on the German underground scene. Ecki Stieg, the eye and the ear of the scene in 1995 says: “With Jutland, Chandeen created an album which will be a benchmark for all other bands in this genre. This is the best release in several years.” The album reached the top ten for more than 10 weeks in the German independent charts and Jutland remains the most startling and unique of Chandeen’s albums. Mallon and Henkel left the band in late 1994 and Mallon was replaced by vocalist Stephanie Härich in the spring of 1995. The EP, Light Within Time was released siix months later, followed by the third album, The Waking Dream in 1996. Chandeen toured extensively in 1996 and became the spearhead of the German Heavenly Voices-Romantic scene. In 1997 Chandeen left Hyperium records and signed a new contract with SPV. One year later they released their fourth studio album Spacerider-Love At First Sight, with their new guitar player Florian Walther. It was no coincidence that the music-industry had begun to take notice of Chandeen’s music, and in late 1998 the band filmed their first video, Skywalking. The clip got airtime on MTV and Viva for several weeks and Chandeen received a nomination for the German video awards. In spring, 1999 Chandeen began to tour again while Harald Löwy founded his own record label Kalinkaland Records and released the fifth album, Bikes And Pyramids, in fall, 2002. It was the last album to feature Stephanie Härich. They released their latest and sixth studio album Echoes in 2003, then disbanded in 2004. In 2007 Löwy reactivated the project, releasing a new album, Teenage Poetry, in 2008. Julia Beyer joined for this release as their new singer. Currently the band is working on a new album. (www.sputnikmusic.com)

RATING: 7.75 / 10

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