UPCOMING SHOWS 2010 : VNV Nation's next shows are in Spain, Sweden (2nd date in Gothenburg added), the "One by One Festival" in Zurich and shows at the end of the year in Germany. See the LIVE page for dates and links.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES : There are links on the main page to all our social networking sites (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and Youtube). Join up and follow us there.
NEW EP UPDATE The next VNV Nation release, "Crossing the Divide", has been delayed due to some unforseen issues but it will be released very soon. We're sorry for any frustration this has caused but, we're using the delay to our advantage by adding a track or 2 to the release.
The EP includes alternate versions and remixes by a number of artists (rotersand, reaper, afi, leatherstrip and more), as well as some unreleased tracks. The remixes and alternate versions will be of different songs from the "Of Faith, Power and Glory" album. Michal Karcz has come up with some beautiful artwork for the EP and this is definitely going to a release with something for everyone. There's a promo video for the single version of "The Great Divide" that's been put together by Crazy Clip TV, featuring footage filmed during the recent European Tour.
"REFORMATION 01" BOX SET OUT NOW : The 3 disc limited Boxset is out now.
If you want some help finding a store where you can buy it in the US, click HERE Order Online : USA - CANADA - GERMANY - UK
Buy from iTunes (US)
There are 2 previews on Contents and tracklist are on the PRODUCTS page.
ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM "OF FAITH, POWER AND GLORY" : One full track and previews from the album can be found on our myspace page
Order the album online (USA) AMAZON or ISOTANK
Order the album online (Germany) AMAZON or INFRAROT or INDIETECTIVE
Otherwise, the AMAZON store in your country will have it available.
The album cover was designed by Michal Karcz, who also created the artwork for the album "Judgement". It is undoubtedly one of his finest works. The image of a momument, in the middle of a wasteland, is a metaphor for all our greatest hopes and solemn intentions and the brutal extremes that we're capable of, our schizophrenic nature as humans and the eternal struggle to move forward.
In sound, the album moves on from where Judgement left off, taking the VNV Nation sound a firm step forward. It is an album that is, at times, soulful and anthemic while, at other times, it is raw and uncompromising.
And now, allow us to step up on a soapbox, for a moment, and tell you something special about the album that we feel is worth mentioning...
For a long time, as many of you know, we've expressed our views about the environment in ways we felt appropriate (cue crowd reaction from the Simpsons Movie). We never wanted to preach or appear patronising as we know you're all dashing and salubrious folk who are smart enough to look into it, think about and act upon it as much as you can. We'll never claim to be militant about it but we do the best we can. The funny thing is, it's easy to apply these principles far and wide and it's something we started getting into more and more through the help of some friends of ours who care a great deal about these issues. For example, we were able to source special lighting for our studio that only uses 5% of what normal lighting requires and has a long lifespan (www.leds.de). As well as that, the materials used in the studio build were as environmentally friendly as we could find. If anyone's building a studio, they should check the articles on the interweb about environmentally friendly sound absorbers and basstraps that someone made with hemp (the male of the species) and Ikea Billy Shelves. We've seen it done and it sounds incredible. Unfortunately for Gaia, nothing is as environmentally friendly as it could be. You only need to read about where hydrogen fuel cells are produced to know that.
In any case, we try to apply these principles as best we can. As a resull, the new CD will come in extremely environmentally friendly packaging. This wasn't something we found particularly possible a few years ago (other than not producing a CD at all) because it was either too expensive for a record company to agree to pay for, or the finished product was really low quality and would have won no hearts in showing that going green was a valid choice in their world. A number of companies now produce packaging that only use recycled paper, vegetable ink and water based glue. Even the print on the CD uses vegetable ink. The best part is that it looks great too and we know a lot of bands who have been investigating the same thing so hopefully we'll all help one another with what we find out so that we can all take it as far as we can. The packaging weighs 40-50% less than normal packaging which means it uses less fuel when it's transported, which reduces the carbon footprint of the CD production.
We're very happy to let you know that, now that we are able to do this, all future releases from VNV Nation will come in environmentally friendly packaging and we plan to work on taking this as far as we can with any other aspects of the production.
If any bands reading this, or companies producing CDs for various purposes, want to know where you can have this done, drop us a line and we can give you a list.
VNV NATION ON FEARLESS MUSIC : During the North American tour, we recorded 4 songs for Fearless Music TV, at their studio in New York. You can see the episodes where we were featured here
Fearless Music TV is on Saturday nights at 12:30am on Fox 5 in New York City, and if you don't live in the area, check out the time and channel listing at the Fearless Music website to find out when and where else it airs: http: / / www. fearlessmusic. com/ channels/
Each show is uploaded to Youtube, one week after it is show on TV, so all of you who don't live in the NYC area can see it.
ANACHRON AMERICA : We are very proud to announce the creation of our own North American label. We've been working on this idea for a while now and have known for some time that this was the next step we wanted to take. In its current climate, the music industry affords artists lots of new opportunities and innovative ideas to release their music and it's a situation that we felt we should take advantage of. We don't want to change what we've been doing so far. We want to build on it. The new label is a collaboration with Channel Zero, who bring a wealth of experience with alternative music, an energy and enthusiasm that fits with our own, as well as the know-how to turn our ideas into reality without affecting or sacrificing the spirit in which we do things and our loyalty to the people who love our music. With this move, our aim is to continue doing what we have always done best but, with a great organisation behind us, to do it better and to take it further than we have been able to, with complete independence and complete control over how our music is released and promoted. Reformation 1 will be the first release on Anachron America, to inaugurate the label. Which brings us neatly to the next piece of news.
VNV'S STUDIO : For those wanting to know what equipment VNV Nation use in their studio you can find a full up-to-date list HERE
SONIC SEDUCER 2009 REVIEWs : The "Jahresrückblick" issue (review of 2009) has VNV Nation on the cover and an in-depth interview with Ronan. There's also a video clip for the upcoming single "The Great Divide" on the free DVD that comes with it. The video clip was put together by Crazy Clip TV and features lots of footage from the recent European Tour. The issue will be available for 2 months and can also be bought from the magazine's homepage.
BOOKING AGENCY CHANGE (North America) : VNV Nation's North American booking agent, Nick Storch, recently moved to ICM Talent and VNV Nation are happy to be moving with him to his new home at ICM Talent.
REMIX FOR COMBICHRIST : Ronan has just finished a remix of Combichrist's "All pain is gone". The Combi-lads plan to release the mix on vinyl and as a digital download, though those plans might change
GERMAN FESTIVALS 2009 : VNV Nation will headline one of the days at the Wave Gothic Treffen in Leipzig and at the Blackfield Festival in Gelsenkrchen in 2009.
NORTH AMERICAN MANAGEMENT : We are very happy to announce that VNV Nation are teaming up with Paul Conroy and Nick Grimaldi from Channel Zero Entertainment to handle our management in North America. This is a great move for us and we're very happy about it. We'd spent a lot of time thinking about what management should be for us - no suits, no industry cliches, just people who understand what VNV is about, share our passion and can help us reach our goals. It can only mean great things for VNV Nation. Contact information can be found on the WORLD page.
BARCA DATE CHANGE : The gig in Barcelona has been moved one day earlier, from December 13th to December 12th.
THANKS OZ and SA : Thanks to all for the great time we had in Australia and South Africa recently. Flying there, between shows and back, was gruelling, but the time we had made it all worthwhile. We got to see some Aussie wildlife, do a group photo with koala bears, avoid the killer drop bears and tyre pythons, sampled the local beverages and experienced the Aussie wit first hand, mostly during the shows, especially the outstanding request for "Chrome"at the Brisbane show. For the Sydneyites - as we've said in the many replies to emails from people who were at the show, two overly aggressive idiots do not reflect the whole audience and it hasn't affected our impression of the City. We very much hope to be back there again. A special thanks to the people of Perth who seem starved for bands and were one of the most euphoric audiences we've seen in a long time. Our first visit to Cape Town was a great way to continue a run of good shows but ... if you weren't at the Pretoria show (our 3rd visit), you seriously missed something. The gig, the energy, the crowd. You guys are insane. See you next year?
FEARLESS MUSIC : An appropriate TV Show name for VNV Nation's first ever live studio performance. Enjoy "Standing" and check out Fearless TV. They supported us so we would appreciate it if you would support them by giving them a look.
The audio on this Youtube version of the clip isn't the best but we hope you enjoy it anyway.
FROM THE SILENCE : This is the "what've we been up to these last months" update. Well, at the end of December, after 9 months near-solid touring across the world and back, preceded by four months working on the album and one month promoting it and preparing for the tour, it was time for a well earned break for a few months. Alongside that, we reported a while back that, the boss of the studio complex, where we'd been for 2 years, decided to close the place while we were on tour. The timing wasn't great and we had little time to find a new home. Along with some of the people from the old studios, we found a perfect old building in Hamburg (the one in Germany, not Michigan). Renovating and building have been ongoing since the tour. We started building our studios in March and, after four months of long days, 7 day weeks, enough dust to fill a quarry, the gratuitous use of powertools, frustrating delays from unexpected obstacles, problems and near disasters that inevitably appear (else you'll never learn why it should have been done otherwise), it's finished and it looks great (thanks to Sven, the Baumeister). The main thing is, it's ours and thus we plan to be here for a long time. As you can imagine, having been busy with the studio build, there's quite a backlog of material to work on and we can't wait to get that underway.
WEBSITE UPDATE : Unless this is your first visit, you've probably noticed that we've revamped our website. This is all part of a general reorganisation of how we handle our online sites. There'll be a few useful pieces added over the coming weeks to bring it right up to date. The Myspace site will be undergoing a revamp of its own as well as some changes to how it's managed so we can do things better.
IMATEM : Ronan and Project Pitchfork's Peter Spilles recently collaborated on a track for Peter's side-project "Imatem". The result is "Haven" where Peter composed the music and Ronan wrote the lyrics and sang the track.
LIVE SHOWS 2008: Lots of shows have just been announced for 2008 on the LIVE page. As well as festivals in Belgium and Holland, the Mera Luna festival in Hildesheim, Germany on August 9th, a visit to Australia and South Africa in August. a show on a boat in Sweden, some shows in Spain and more to come.
RELEASE PLANS AND NEW STUDIO : We still have tracks that had been intended for a single or two from Judgement, not to mention the Reformation EP. As for why they're not out yet, well that all comes down to he studio complex, where we'd been for over 2 years, closing while we were on the US tour. This was bad timing as we were going to be almost constantly on tour for some months more which didn't leave us a lot of time to find a new home. We found a new location in Hamburg which has been under renovation since then. We're very much of a DIY band and always have been. The studio build is a collaborative effort between us and some studio nuts we work with and it's a lot of fun, we have to say. Finishing the backlog of releases is something we're very much looking forward to getting done as soon as the studios are done.
JUDGEMENT : VNV Nation's latest album, entitled "Judgement", was released in early April this year. Musically and lyrically, the album is a firm step forward and is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, VNV Nation releases to date. As for how well the album's done - the album reached #2 on the US iTunes Electronic Albums Chart, #3 on the Canadian iTunes Electronic Albums Chart, #3 on the US Billboard Electronic Albums chart, #7 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Chart, #28 on the US Billboard Independent Chart, #1 on the German Alternative Chart, #3 on the German College Radio chart and #1 on the Italian Alternative Chart and would, quite possibly, be one of the records Shaun would refuse to throw if under attack by Zombies.
MODCOM : is a new project from Ronan Harris which uses analog modular synthesizers and analog sequencers for live sound generation. Sequences and sounds are patched, manipulated, effected, re-patched and mixed live. This kind of performance was common to 70’s synth pioneers who used walls of synths and cables to make sound but now its use will be for 21st century electronic beats, rhythms and soundscapes. Modcom homepage
NORTH AMERICAN BOOKING AGENCY : All North American concert bookings are now handled by The Agency Group. For contact information, go to the WORLD page.
IN LOVING MEMORY : We are deeply saddened at the news that, our dear friend and former live keyboarder, Frank Miller passed away on the morning of May 19th after a long battle with Brain Cancer. Frank was someone very special to us and a very close friend. We would like to express our deepest and sincerest sympathies to his girlfriend Lauren and to his family. Please take a moment to read our MySpace blog entry about him HERE
GENE GENERATION : Ronan will be writing the original soundtrack for this forthcoming sci-fi film from director Pearry Teo. Needless to say, this is exciting news. More info to come.
WELTFUNK : The VNV Nation Fan Forum, Weltfunk, has moved to www.welfunk.net.
AFI : Congratulations to AFI on their album reaching No.1 in the US billboard charts and for winning an MTV Video Music Award. Ronan worked with AFI on the album, to provide electronic sequences and fx for some of the songs, including "Miss Murder".
MORE MSI AND AFI REMIXES : It seems the bands' respective labels are very happy with the VNV Nation mixes of AFI's "Miss Murder" and MSI's "Shut me up". VNV Nation will now be producing remixes of AFI's "Love like Winter" and MSI's "What do they know".
REMIX : The latest single from Joachim Witt features a VNV remix of the title track "Wo versteckt sich Gott".
NEW ALBUM "MATTER + FORM" : VNV Nation's fifth album was released in April 2005. This time Ronan worked alongside German producer Humate who co-produced, engineered and mixed the album. Getting the sound right on this album involved going back to using lots of vintage synthesizer and studio equipment to achieve a warmer more organic sound. The album features many varieties of tone and sound, from the punch of tracks like "Chrome" and "Entropy" to more ethereal soulful sounds of "Endless Skies" and "Homeward". It is certainly an evolution but still retains, and in some ways accentuates, the emotive soulful and humanist elements that people recognise in VNV Nation's music. Conceptually and lyrically the album deals with transformation from potential into ability or action. Ronan feels this is the best and most comprehensive VNV Nation release to date. Excerpts from some of the tracks are available from VNV Nation's MySpace page and from the german fansite at www.vnvnation.de. The album has already charted in Germany at #1 in the German Alternative Chart, #38 in the German Album Chart while over in the US it has charted at #7 in the US Billboard Electronic Chart and #32 in the US Independent Chart.
FORMATION TOUR 2005 - EUROPE PART 1 / NORTH AMERICA : From Hamburg to Mexico - the three month tour started on March 31st and finished up in Mexico City on June 25th. We never enjoyed a tour as much as this one nor did we expect that it would leave us quite as exhausted as it did. The vibe at the shows on both sides of the Atlantic, between everyone on the tour and the reaction to the new material was far more than anyone expected. We couldn't have asked for better bands to tour with, musically and personally. Once again, it was like going on tour with good friends. In Europe it was Diorama - soulful emotive music, the chance to hear "advance" and "her liquid arms" every night, endless wit, synchronised swimming, catalogue poses and the random visits from "Werner". In North America it was Imperative Reaction - great music (too many good songs to name here), many laughs, sideprojects, intrigue, Clint's hair and the unforgettable, inimitable, one and only "TGP-IV". Last, but not least, there was Soman (aka Mr.Hmmmm), who pounded out the fine industrial beats nightly during his cardio workout on stage and then came back with us as a live keyboarder for the VNV show. It was a pleasure touring with all of these great people and we wish each and all the best. We also urge you to give these bands a good listen.
GERMAN CHARITY SHOWS - "E H W - Elektronisches Hilfswerk" : We cannot say thank you enough to everyone who made this happen - to the people who came to the shows, the band, the crew and everyone who helped out. We managed to help raise an unbelievable 48,000 Euro for the Deutsche Krebshilfe, SOS Kinderdorf and Die Tafeln through 3 concerts and 1 DJ event. One thing is certain, this will not be the last EHW festival.
PASTPERFECT IN GERMAN DVD CHARTS - The DVD peaked in the Official German Music DVD Charts at #3 (26.05.04)
STUDIO MOVE - Nationhood studio was recently moved to a new location in northern Hamburg. All the equipment that had been packed away during the recording of Futureperfect is back alongside some nice new additions including a custom spec modular system.
BRUDERSCHAFT - is a charity based music project devised and organised by New York's DJ Rexx Arkana to produce the single "Forever" in aid of cancer charities. The single was a collaboration between Ronan from VNV Nation (vocals), Sebastian from Icon of Coil (music), Stephan from APB (backing vocals), Joakim from Covenant (electronic loops) and DJ Rexx Arkana himself who wrote the words after the death of his father through cancer. The single is entirely non-profit is available now.
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS INTERVIEW WITH VNV NATION - Award winning software music tool company Native Instruments recently interviewed VNV Nation about their use of their Reaktor software to make music. You can read the interview HERE.
FUTUREPERFECT GETS DAC ALBUM OF THE YEAR - The album got the no.1 position in the German Alternative Chart (DAC) "top albums of 2002". The list is compiled from the points each release received during its time in the charts. We would like to express our thanks to all of you who made this possible, fans and DJ's alike.
BELOVED CHART ENTRY - The second single from the album Futureperfect charted at no.70 in the German Media Control Singles chart and topped the German Alternative Singles Chart (DAC).
FUTUREPERFECT CHART ENTRY - The album went into the German Media Control Album Charts at #26 and topped the German Alternative Album Charts (DAC).
BELOVED.3 12" - The four Hiver and Hammer mixes of Beloved have been released on vinyl in Germany for the club scene. These 12" singles are only available as imports outside Europe. To answer a question posed by many curious fans - Nationhood and VNV Nation were not involved in the artwork for the 12".
ANGELS AND AGONY's "ETERNITY" IN THE DAC - Ronan Harris produced the Dutch futurepop band's first single "Darkness" and album "Eternity" which are both available now. The album has seen a lot of success in the US and in Europe. It recently reached #5 in the German Alternative Charts.
"GENESIS" - The first single from Futureperfect was released in September 2001 and spent 4 weeks in the German singles charts (reaching #67) as well as topping the DAC.
"STANDING" WINS A GAMA - VNV Nation won the award for most successful single in the DAC (Deutsche Alternativ Charts) at the German Alternative Music Awards in Hamburg last Saturday night (November 18th). The awards will be televised on Germany's Viva 2 music channel although we have no idea when. We'll keep you informed. It was great to finally see the German alternative music scene getting some recognition and all thanks must go to Public Propaganda for organising the event.
The single STANDING went straight in at No.1 in the German Alternative Singles Chart (DAC) and was at the No.1 spot for the full 8 weeks that a single is allowed to remain in the charts. Standing is the second single to have done this since the DAC was started 3 years ago.EMPIRES was the German Alternative Album Charts (DAC) no.1 album of 1999 after having stayed at the no.1 spot for the last 7 weeks of the year.
