Psyche (band)

Psyche is the name of a Canadian dark synthpop band, now based in Germany, centered on Darrin Huss.

Originally founded by brothers, Darrin and Stephen Huss in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Psyche's debut performance was December 13, 1982 with Dwayne Goettel on additional keyboards. Since then Psyche has continued with various line-ups including David Kristian, Per-Anders Kurenbach, and Remi Szyszka all recording albums with Darrin under the name Psyche.

Some examples of their best known songs to date are "Brain Collapses", "Unveiling the Secret", "Eternal", "Misery", "Tears", "Sanctuary", "Gods And Monsters", "15 Minutes", and a remake of the famous Q Lazzarus song known from the movie Silence Of The Lambs; "Goodbye Horses" as well as their cover version of Soft Cell's "Sex Dwarf".

1985

After releasing their own self produced album, Psyche secured an international deal with NEW ROSE Records out of Paris, France. With the addition of "Mr. Eyeball Ooze", "Wrench" and "On The Edge" to an updated mix of their original debut, PSYCHE's "Insomnia Theatre" was unleashed. Rave reviews in English press such as NME and Melody Maker, plus overseas record sales persuaded PSYCHE that it might be worth their while to try their luck in Europe.

After releasing the the 4-Track "Contorting the Image" E.P. with the bombastic new track "Why Should I?", and the now collector price 12" "Thundershowers", Psyche arrived in Paris to record their follow up album "Unveiling The Secret" (1986).

To premiere the new recordings Psyche had the honour of performing for nearly 2,000 psychotic electro fans as the support of the world's first known synth duo, the legendary Suicide. This, a roaring success at Paris' Elysee Montmarte catapulted Psyche quickly to grandiose levels coupled with their biggest dance hit ever. "Unveiling The Secret" was the title track of the second album, and along with titles such as "Prisoner To Desire", "Black Panther", and "The Saint Became A Lush", Psyche achieved the European breakthrough they needed to go on a proper tour. And that they did, performing throughout France, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, and eventually Germany.

Psyche had just finished work on their third album "Mystery Hotel" and unleashed it on a unsuspecting European audience between 1987-88. With this album PSYCHE finally got attention on radio, released two singles, "Uncivilized" and "Eternal" and even got video play on several programs in Germany, and France with the filmed in 16mm clip to "Eternal".

1989 - 1992

After moving briefly to Montreal, Canada, Darrin began delving into other musical areas creating such diverse entities as the more industrial Vanishing Heat (together with Kevin Komoda), and the acoustic blues version of Marianne Faithfull's "Guilt" later to be released on "Strange Romance". Darrin then teamed up with David Kristian to form a new Psyche album "The Influence", and the much loved "Secret Angel". This recording introduced a whole new depth to Psyche's sound with samples created by David, and performed entirely on the Casio FZ1. It also began a long term relationship with the German label SPV Records. Although there was no single released "Misery" made a lasting impression that still holds today, and was recently covered by "Lights Of Euphoria" on their debut album. Somewhat darker in context "The Influence" paved the way for a whole new revival of 'gothic' tinged atmospheres in electronic music. A brooding tone that had, and would occasionally pop up throughout Psyche's recordings.

Despite these thoughtful moods, Psyche's next album would re-introduce the group as innovators in electronic dance.

While Darrin decided to live on in Germany, David left to Montreal. A visit home to Waterloo in 1991 reunited the Huss brothers and produced "Daydream Avenue". A cornucopia of styles from the lush pop of "Angel Lies Sleeping", and "If You Believe" to the experimental "Ghost" and "Skywalking". While Stephen stayed in Canada, Darrin returned to tour Europe with German keyboarder Johannes Haeusler in support of England's legendary poetic artist Anne Clark. This tour brought Psyche to an even larger audience where they presented fans with a mix of new songs and their well known dance hits.

After experimenting with various techno mixes on the Psyche single "Angel Lies Sleeping" (with renouned remixer Mousse T !!), Darrin then made a single under the project name "Our Heaven". The song "Heaven In Pain" was written with the hope of reaching the dance charts, and establishing Darrin as a solo singer in his own right. It was remixed by Elektric Music which was a team founded by Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk. Despite all this concentration on the revived trend in electronic dance, a cross over into the pop charts was not in the cards, and Darrin took a creative pause to find himself again together with his brother Stephen, and future Psyche developments.

1994

In 1993 SPV Records had re-released the first two Psyche albums together on a special Mid-Price CD, and a "best of" under the name "69 Minutes Of History" collecting Psyche's most played songs from 1987-1991. The collection reminded the electro scene once again of Psyche's achievements and the time was ripe for a step in a new direction.

With 1994's "Intimacy" Psyche returned to release a masterful mix of short dramatic pieces under the productive eye of U.S. Mixer Joseph Watt (Razormaid). This album included "Heaven In Pain" as a bonus for those who'd missed the single. With fascinating atmospheres, and mature thought-provoking lyrics Psyche once again received great notice for their continuing innovations. "Love Is A Winter" a piano piece written by Mark Hessburg, a friend of Darrin's from Kassel became a concert favourite. "Peepshow" and "Blind" depicted the darker zones of love and sensuality, and "Freaks" set a new standard in sinister electronics. In this time period Psyche was on the edge of the next decade in their career surrounded by new groups, and a new generation of electro fans. Together with the German group De/vision, Darrin and various stage keyboarders took his Psyche to a new audience.

Feeling that there was no real powerful dance numbers on "Intimacy" Darrin decided to cover Soft Cell's legendary classic "Sex Dwarf". Once again showing Psyche's darker dance side, the "Private Desires" release became a kind of exclusive retrospective of Psyche's early beginnings, and included "Brain Collapses" live as well as the 'insider tip' "Secret Angel" and a previously unreleased "Until The Shadows" from Darrin's brother. This E.P. presented not only the rare collaborations of Darrin and his brother, but also those of David Kristian, and stage keyboarder Johannes Haeusler.

After an exciting "Castle Party" concert in Poland to promote Psyche's releases there. Psyche made a small tour once again through Germany, and appeared at various events. This was then the end of a decade for Darrin, and after several collaborations with other artists for various label compilations, it was uncertain what might follow. At this time Darrin was looking for a new keyboarder/composer to work with for the future of Psyche. As it was clear that he would continue his career in Germany while Stephen lived in Canada.

1995

While searching, Darrin was approached as a vocalist to form a new group out of the ashes of the disbanded The Eternal Afflict. This group came to be called Inside and released it's debut "Room Full Of Mirrors" at the end of 1995. As the titles "Vampire" and "The Whip" became hits in the German electro scene, Inside began to appear at several festivals. Their aggressive sound and dark atmospheres came out as a perfect segue from Psyche's last release and brought Darrin to the audience of the 90's generation. Although Inside also released a second album "Beware", the band dissolved after touring at the beginning 1999.

1996-1999

Despite a little confusion as to the future of Psyche, when Darrin did finally begin the next album with Per-Anders Kurenbach, he changed gears completely to create a friendlier up-beat sound for Psyche. After more than a decade since its debut, Psyche transformed into a German/Canadian partnership between keyboarder Per-Anders Kurenbach, and founder, singer Darrin Huss. The single "You Ran Away" with its wistful harmony and classy rhythms was simply an example of pure pop ecstasy! Also included for the serious collector was Psyche's cover version of the hard to find Q Lazzarus song "Goodbye Horses" from the movie "Silence Of The Lambs". Together with the release of "Strange Romance" at the end of 1996, Psyche had surmised all their best components, and created an accessible sound to bring listeners up to date with the personal events described in Darrin's lyrics. With "Tears" and already "Goodbye Horses" a guaranteed dancefloor favourite, this album found an appreciative audience as the latest incarnation of Psyche presented the songs live with a new found energy, and a maturity of experience.

After playing for the first time in Oslo, Norway and a return to Sweden. Psyche released a live video featuring highlights from their "Strange Romance" Tour. 1998 saw the beginning of a new record label partnership, and in June of that year Psyche released their eighth official album on the StrangeWays label out of Hamburg, Germany. The album "Love Among The Ruined" added a few more experimental touches to the pop side of Psyche's style, and solidified their following with the hits "Murder In Your Love", "Land Of Broken Promises", and other new soon to be classics.

Later that same year, Psyche's history repeated itself when Gero Herrde from Synthetic Symphony/SPV requested that Psyche re-release their first two albums allowing for the chance to remaster the material , add historical early recordings, and update the design for the legendary "Insomnia Theatre" and "Unveiling The Secret" albums.

Winter of 1999 also brought a return to Göteborg, Sweden and Oslo, Norway for Psyche. Where newcomers Icon Of Coil made their debut as support. Ending off the year was a PLUSWELT festival concert with the groups Mesh, Beborn Beton and Second Decay in Krefeld, Germany.

Despite their long time in the music business, Psyche proved once again with some newer selections "Assassin" and "Misguided Angels" that they remain unique and inspiring to both new and old generations of synth-pop fans.

2000

At the beginning of 2000, Psyche signed to Art Of Fact Records for North America. The specially compiled release of "Misguided Angels" contained material all the way from 1983-2000 as a re-introduction of PSYCHE back on their original continent. It contained the last material from Per-Anders Kurenbach, and Darrin as well as some rare mixes. In the meantime, Psyche 2000 had become Darrin Huss (Vocals, Sampling) and Remi Szyszka (Synths and Sound Design). This line-up presented itself throughout the year with new versions of old favourites and the song "Sanctuary". Psyche performed together with Invisible Limits on four occasions under the theme of "Legends United", and several concerts later PSYCHE found themselves supporting SPARKS (even more legendary) on three of their German dates. All this activity without a European release!

Finally however, the "new" Psyche made it's debut on Accession Records with their "Sanctuary" CD Single released in April 2001. Psyche experienced a return to Paris where a performance was made at La Locomotive, 13 years after the original Psyche duo of Darrin and his brother Stephen stood on the same stage. Another highlight for the new Psyche was a concert in Olten, Switzerland. Psyche was only once in Switzerland as guests of Anne Clark in 1991, and this lead to further surprises for Psyche as the year went on.

2001

To present the 9th official Psyche album the band appeared in concert in Bochum's Matrix and performed nearly all the new songs as well as some old favourites. The next day, Psyche was on flight to Barcelona in order to perform for the first time in Spain at the renowned KGB. By the end of the year more debuts were to follow resulting in Psyche's first performances in the USA, as well as a return to Darrin's hometown Waterloo, and a great concert at Toronto's DARK RAVE. Finally "The Hiding Place" charted 4th in the year end Top 100 of the German Alternative Charts. Just under Depeche Mode and New Order's latest. Since no further single was released Psyche began working on remixes of some of their favourite tracks for "The Hiding Place" as well as new material.

Without really planning it, Psyche found themselves with a fantastic remix album featuring 4 smashing new tunes and some great versions of "Renegades", "The Hiding Place", and "Goodbye Horses". By the time "Endangered Species" was unleashed in April 2002, Psyche was already booked to be halfway around the world again with two more "first times". The Hague, Netherlands, and in the UK at INFEST. Also returning to Montreal, Canada, and Copenhagen, Denmark for the first concert in 10 years!

2003

When Psyche began 2003, they found themselves in concert for another debut in the country of Finland. An amazing reception was had at Tampere's GROUND ZERO, and then it was off to a special performance for the Electronic Music lover's society in Lund, Sweden with members of bands such as S.P.O.C.K. and Covenant coming to check out the performance. The year continued with several appearances leading up to the single release of "The Quickening". It was a massive 74 minute affair including remixes from Negative Format, and Technoir, as well as Per-Anders Kurenbach returning with his version of "Anonymous Skin" as an added bonus. Psyche topped off their summer with another first, their appearance at Germany's illustrious Wave-Gothic Festival! "Babylon Deluxe" was released in September and found it's way in the German Altenative Top ten once again as Psyche found themselves on stages in Athens, Greece, London, UK, and 3 dates in Spain! By the end of the year PSYCHE had also returned to Norway where they met Spektralized, and joined these ACCESSION RECORDS labelmates with Diary Of Dreams, and Lights Of Euphoria for an 11 date Tour through Germany, and a stop in the Netherlands as well. By year's end "Babylon Deluxe" had spawned further favourites in "X-Rated", "Gods And Monsters", "Edge Of 17" and "Final Destination" which all were performed to the delight of the audience at Top Act in Zapfendorf on New Year's Eve.

2004

This year saw the release of "X-Rated" as a limited CD single and a 12" vinyl with new versions of this song about internet porn reaching quite an eclectic audience of electronic music. Psyche returned to to several Canadian concert dates with Ayria. Also Psyche signed a new North American album deal with US label Metropolis and released a new best of spanning 1991-2003 under the name of "Legacy".

2005

The 11th Psyche album contains the following titles: "Bloodcurse", "Yearning", "Defenseless", "15 Minutes", "September Moon", "Until", "The Belonging Kind", "Justice And Damnation", "11th Hour", "Buried Alive", "Theme 7", and "Assassin Reprise". The songs are a dark soundtrack documenting the rites of passage through the netherworld of the soul. Recorded mainly with Darrin's previous collaborator Per-Anders Kurenbach, but including a farewell track with Remi Szyszka, and a guest appearance by Christian Wirsig, "The 11th Hour" finds Psyche rejuvenating all the elements that made them unique in the first place. Just when it seemed like the end was near, a swerve to the left of centre has garnered Psyche new fans and a Nr.1 position in the German Alternative Charts (DAC), and more international recognition than ever before.

Only 3 months into 2005, and Psyche already started touring to support the album extensively. First up were the dates as special guest on Diary Of Dreams entire European tour from February 4th through to March 5th. Plus, a debut in Sweden at ROMO NIGHT, and a return to NUCLEAR NATION on the same weekend. A return appearance at Germany's prestigious Wave Gothic Festival is on the agenda, and Psyche conitues to be one of the longest lasting and unique dark synthpop acts since their debut 20 years ago.

External link

• The Psyche Home Page (http://www.psyche-hq.de/)