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Piano Prodigy Jude Kofie to Headline Project Harmony’s 30th Anniversary Gala
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Dead Can Dance is a British-Australian musical duo known for their atmospheric and diverse soundscapes, encompassing neoclassical dark wave, world, and ambient music.
Collaborated on seven albums and twelve-year musical partnership.
Mentioned as a band with whom Dead Can Dance collaborated through their association with 4AD.
Mentioned as a band with whom Dead Can Dance collaborated through their association with 4AD.
Mentioned as a band with whom Dead Can Dance collaborated through their association with 4AD.
Recorded and released multiple albums with the label, including their initial catalogue and reissues.
Peter Ulrich released 'Drumming With DEAD CAN DANCE and Parallel Adventures', a memoir collecting his adventures with the band, highlighting his role as a past member and collaborator.
One of the labels Dead Can Dance released music on.
One of the labels Dead Can Dance released music on.
One of the labels Dead Can Dance released music on, including the compilation album 'A Passage in Time'.
One of the labels Dead Can Dance released music on, including albums like 'Anastasis' and 'Dionysus'.
Lisa Gerrard teamed with Pieter Bourke (Snog, Soma) to issue 'Duality' in April 1998.
Released limited-edition recordings of thirteen shows from its European tour and eight recordings from the subsequent North American tour, as well as a compilation titled 'Selections from Europe 2005' in 2005.
The song 'Nierika' became part of the opening titles for Mexican television station TV Azteca's soap opera 'La Chacala' in 2005.
Remastered Dead Can Dance's catalogue, released in June 2008 by 4AD.
Awarded 'Anastasis' a Gold certification in 2012.
Used a reversed voice sample from 'Song of Sophia' in 'Song to the Siren' (1992).
Used samples from 'Dawn of the Iconoclast' as core elements of 'Papua New Guinea' (1992).
Used samples from 'Song of Sophia' on 'Monument (Lost Classic Mix)' (1993).
Used a voice sample from 'As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins' on the single 'Voyage 34' (1993).
Used a voice sample from 'Song of Sophia' in 'Simple', from their album 'Flowermouth' (1994).
Used 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley' as a sample on 'Blood for Blood' by the group Killarmy, which appeared on 'Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars' (1997).
Sampled extensively from 'Persian Love Song' in the song 'Forgotten Worlds' on their 1997 album 'Karma'.
Used a lengthy sample from 'The Host of Seraphim' in his 1999 single 'Unity'.
Used a sample of 'Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)' in the song 'Habibi Halua' on their 2001 album 'We Bring the Noise!'.
Sometimes uses a looped sample from 'The Host of Seraphim' as an introduction to 'Tower of Strength' in rehearsals and at their live shows.
Dead Can Dance was formed in August 1981 in Melbourne, Australia, by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard. The duo, joined by Paul Erikson on bass guitar and Simon Monroe on drums, quickly gained recognition in Melbourne’s post-punk scene, headlining venues like the Crystal Ballroom. Their early work included a home recording, “Fatal Impact,” featured in the December 1981 issue of ‘Fast Forward.’ In 1982, Gerrard and Perry moved to London, England, and signed with the independent music label 4AD. Their debut album, ‘Dead Can Dance,’ released in February 1984, showcased their distinctive sound, characterized by drum-driven, ambient guitar music with chanting and singing, fitting within the ethereal wave genre. This was followed by the four-track EP ‘Garden of the Arcane Delights’ in August of the same year, demonstrating their expanding musical range.
The group’s career progressed with their second album, ‘Spleen and Ideal,’ released in November 1985. This album, co-produced by the duo and John A. Rivers, incorporated session musicians adding cello, trombone, and timpani, contributing to its medieval European sound. It achieved commercial success, reaching No. 2 on the UK indie charts. Later, in 1989, Gerrard and Perry separated domestically, with Gerrard moving to Barcelona and then Australia, and Perry to Ireland, yet they continued to collaborate musically as Dead Can Dance. The duo released several more albums throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, including ‘Within the Realm of a Dying Sun’ (1987), ‘The Serpent’s Egg’ (1988), and ‘Aion’ (1990).
A significant milestone was their sixth studio album, ‘Into the Labyrinth,’ released in September 1993, which sold 500,000 copies worldwide and entered the Billboard 200, making them 4AD’s highest-selling act. They followed this with a world tour in 1994, documented in the live album ‘Toward the Within.’ After a temporary disbandment in 1998 following their seventh album ‘Spiritchaser’ (1996), they reunited for a world tour in 2005 and again in 2011 to release ‘Anastasis’ in 2012. Their most recent album, ‘Dionysus,’ was released in 2018, followed by a European tour in 2022. While future activity as a duo is uncertain following recent comments from Lisa Gerrard, Brendan Perry has indicated plans for a new album, ‘Apollo,’ as a solo work under the Dead Can Dance name.
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