Gitane Demone
Encyclopedia
Gitane Demone is a singer and musician. She was a member of Christian Death
in the 1980s, and is currently a solo artist.
. She joined Valor's band and the pair also become lovers, giving birth to a son, Sevan, in 1984, and later a daughter, Zara. Gitane stayed with the band when it joined with Rozz Williams
to become the new line-up of Christian Death.The rough guide to rock, p. 194 (3d ed. 2003)Issit, Michael L. Goths: A Guide to an American Subculture, p. 94 (2011) Gitane split from both Valor and Christian Death in 1989.
and deathrock
/gothic rock
, but she also had a passion for jazz
and a number of legendary female vocalists, most notably Billie Holliday. Her visual image was no less intriguing, a rubber-clad S&M look the order of the day, with the fetish
theme carried through into her lyrics.
Gitane released a couple of EP
s early in her solo career (eventually collected on the compilation Facets In Blue). She then renewed her friendship with former bandmate Rozz Williams, touring together and then recording an album "Dream Home Heartache" in 1995 which included both cover versions and their own material. She then paired up with Mark Ickx to produce a full-length album, released under the name 'Demonix', around the same time
Gitane recorded an album of her own entitled Am I Wrong? in 1997. She also continued to provide guest vocals for bands on both sides of the Atlantic, and also released a compilation of the songs she sung in her Christian Death days. A second studio album, Stars of Trash (again self-penned, but recorded with the assistance of the band Dreadful Shadows
) followed in 2000.
She is currently involved in a new project, The Crystelles, with daughter Zara Kand.
She just recently released a two disc DVD entitled "Life after Death" which was published by Cult Epics. The DVD contains various footage throughout her career including a live performance with Rozz Williams.
She has also performed with the experimental noise band +DOG+.
Christian Death
Christian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
in the 1980s, and is currently a solo artist.
Pompeii 99 and Christian Death
Gitane joined Pompeii 99 after answering an ad placed by Valor KandValor Kand
Valor Kand is the current vocalist/guitarist/songwriter of Christian Death, an American deathrock/goth rock band once fronted by Rozz Williams. He is an ex-lover of Gitane Demone, with whom he has two children, Sevan Kand and Zara.-External links:...
. She joined Valor's band and the pair also become lovers, giving birth to a son, Sevan, in 1984, and later a daughter, Zara. Gitane stayed with the band when it joined with Rozz Williams
Rozz Williams
Rozz Williams was an American vocalist and musician of several varieties, most famous for fronting the band Christian Death, then later Shadow Project with musician Eva O, though his main project throughout his career was the industrial, Premature Ejaculation...
to become the new line-up of Christian Death.The rough guide to rock, p. 194 (3d ed. 2003)Issit, Michael L. Goths: A Guide to an American Subculture, p. 94 (2011) Gitane split from both Valor and Christian Death in 1989.
Solo History
Gitane may have had an obvious background in punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and deathrock
Deathrock
Deathrock is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in 1979.-Characteristics:...
/gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
, but she also had a passion for jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and a number of legendary female vocalists, most notably Billie Holliday. Her visual image was no less intriguing, a rubber-clad S&M look the order of the day, with the fetish
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
theme carried through into her lyrics.
Gitane released a couple of EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s early in her solo career (eventually collected on the compilation Facets In Blue). She then renewed her friendship with former bandmate Rozz Williams, touring together and then recording an album "Dream Home Heartache" in 1995 which included both cover versions and their own material. She then paired up with Mark Ickx to produce a full-length album, released under the name 'Demonix', around the same time
Gitane recorded an album of her own entitled Am I Wrong? in 1997. She also continued to provide guest vocals for bands on both sides of the Atlantic, and also released a compilation of the songs she sung in her Christian Death days. A second studio album, Stars of Trash (again self-penned, but recorded with the assistance of the band Dreadful Shadows
Dreadful Shadows
Dreadful Shadows is a German Gothic metal band, formed in 1993 in Berlin. Initially part of the Gothic rock and Dark Wave movement, the band had developed considerably by the time of the release of their debut album, incorporating metal elements and modern electronics, causing the band to be...
) followed in 2000.
She is currently involved in a new project, The Crystelles, with daughter Zara Kand.
She just recently released a two disc DVD entitled "Life after Death" which was published by Cult Epics. The DVD contains various footage throughout her career including a live performance with Rozz Williams.
She has also performed with the experimental noise band +DOG+.
Discography
- A Heavenly Melancholy EP (1993)
- Lullabies for a Troubled World EP (1993)
- Facets in Blue (1993 - Compilation of previous EPs)
- Love for Sale (1993 - Live in Bern)
- With Love and Dementia (1994 - Live In Cannes)
- Never Felt So Alive (1994 - as 'Demonix')
- Dream Home HeartacheDream Home HeartacheDream Home Heartache is an experimental dark cabaret collaboration album featuring Rozz Williams and Gitane Demone, both former members of Christian Death. It was released in late 1995 by Triple X Records after being recorded between March 28 and April 5, 1995 in the Netherlands...
(1995 - as 'Rozz Williams and Gitane Demone') - Am I Wrong? (1997)
- Life In Death '85-'89 (1999 - A collection of all the Christian Death songs Gitane sang)
- Never Felt So Alive (The Lost Mixes) (1999 - as 'Demonix')
- Stars of Trash (2000)
- Solitary War MCD (2000)
- Life After Death (2008)
- Attach and Detach (2010) (With her current band The Crystelles)