Biography
Dance or Die is an electronic/goth/industrial band, formed in 1988 by Andreas Goldacker (aka A.N.G.O.) and Gary Wagner in Berlin, Germany. Heiko Duus (aka Falgalas) joined the band in 1993, first for live touring, later as full member. Chris Lorenz (frontman for Agonoize) joined in 1998 solely to assist with live touring.
Their first, eponymously-titled mini album was the first release ever of Berlin-based label Machinery, its title track becoming one of the most frequently played titles in Northern Europe. They continued their collaboration with Jor Rosen's label, in time releasing 6 singles and 3 albums until the label was acquired and later dissolved by new management.
In 1997 they signed with Polydor, but after one album (Dehumanizer) that partnership ended - clearly the dark electronic sound didn't fit in with Polydor's dance-label What's Up ?!. On Dehumanizer the band was briefly joined by Norbert Drescher (aka Norri) as drummer.
2001 saw the release of their latest album, Schlafende Energie, on Synthetic Symphony. According to their homepage (2008), they have a new album finished. They are just shopping around for a new label to master, press and distribute it.
Dance Or Die are a popular (at least in Central and Northern Europe) band that span many musical genres. Cold techno sound meets deep goth voice (vocalist Gary Wagner even sings as guest on other artist's records, as on "Take Some More" by And One) form a perfect ground for the cyber-themed lyrics about life in the machine age.
Their albums were thus appropriately named:
-3001 for the future.
-Psychoburbia for the psychotic nature of modern suburbia.
-Everspring for the spring of a watch and life being bound within the artificial boundaries of mankind's inventions (time).
-Dehumanizer for what modern society does to individuals. (Though it may have been named after the album of Black Sabbath, whose song "Black Sabbath" Dance Or Die did cover on Psychoburbia.)
-Schlafende Energie (literally: sleeping energy) is a term coined by German television series Raumpatrouille and means an energy reserve, but it was used for its potency.
Dance Or Die are members of a media collective called Clan of Nihil. For some American versions of their records, they were renamed Do Or Die by their label Machinery.
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