Julien-K
Encyclopedia
Julien-K is a music group that began as a side project for electronic music created by Amir Derakh
and Ryan Shuck
from Orgy
, with the later addition of Elias Andra, and Anthony 'Fu' Valcic.
Their debut album, Death to Analog
, which was mixed by Tim Palmer
, was released on March 10, 2009 in the U.S., and later on March 5, 2010 in Europe. The album was initially planned to be released on February 17, 2009, the date the United States switched from analog to digital television.
Julien-K's webpage was launched in the summer of 2003 with initial demo versions of songs "Look at You", "Kick the Bass", "Someday Soon", "Everyone Knows", and "Technical Difficulties", the latter of which was later featured both in the film and on the soundtrack from Michael Bay's 2007 Transformers. Up until 2007, the webpage said "Coming Soon." Since the official webpage launch, the site has been redesigned and updated with a wealth of information, links, photos, and other media.
Julien-K have also lent musical contributions to several video games, including Sonic Heroes
("This Machine"), Shadow the Hedgehog
("Waking Up"), and the official musical score for the 2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
video game.
from Linkin Park
to perform the song "Let Down" for the ReAct Now: Music & Relief
televised concert.
The Julien-K production team of Amir Derakh
, Ryan Shuck
and Anthony 'Fu' Valcic also worked with Chester Bennington to perform an exclusive version of the song "Morning After" for the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack and for the remix album of the band Mindless Self Indulgence
's "What Do They Know?". The track was released as a bonus remix on Another Mindless Rip Off, with a completely "Instrumental DJ Dub" version being released for free download on their official website.
Julien-K has also teamed up on Chester Bennington
's solo project, the band called Dead by Sunrise
Dead by Sunrise has since released their debut album Out of Ashes
on October 13, 2009.
"Both bands are the same. The one where Chester sings and writes is Dead by Sunrise, but when I sing, and Amir and I are the primary writers, it becomes Julien-K and it's more electro... Julien-K and Dead by Sunrise are basically a creative collective, we're sort of a Warhol-style factory in that sense, " explains Ryan Shuck. "Dead by Sunrise is Chester's Julien-K if that makes any sense."
During Projekt Revolution
2007, Bennington replaced lead singer Ryan Shuck for the Chicago date of the tour while Shuck attended his brother's wedding.
In June 2010 Ryan Shuck announced that Brandon Belsky had left the band, to be replaced by long-time collaborator Anthony 'Fu' Valcic.
Ryan Shuck told in a recent interview on www.de-re.de that 70% of a new record is already finished.
The band announced via their facebook page that We're Here With You is scheduled for a January 23rd, 2012 release.
tour and one of the opening bands for Evanescence
's North American "The Open Door" tour, and followed it up in 2008 opening for Mindless Self Indulgence
, with supporting bands Fake Shark - Real Zombie!
, London After Midnight
, The Birthday Massacre
and Combichrist
.
In July 2010 the band announced their first European tour, scheduled for August and September, playing in Germany, Netherlands, France and England.
Julien-K will be appearing as the musical guest at the 4th annual Summer of Sonic
fan convention in London on the 25th June 2011.
Former members
and Brandon Belsky used to DJ under the moniker of JK DJS. They did their first DJ performance together December 31, 2007 at a hotel resort in Del Mar
(San Diego), California
. Since then they have played numerous shows and have released some of their DJ sets as free downloads from their myspace. However, since Brandon is no longer a part of Julien-K, it can be assumed that the project has been discontinued.
Amir Derakh
Amir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
and Ryan Shuck
Ryan Shuck
Ryan Christopher Shuck , better known as Ryan Shuck, is the rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Orgy and rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of alternative rock band Dead By Sunrise. He also has a side project with fellow Orgy member Amir Derakh called Julien-K...
from Orgy
Orgy (band)
Orgy is an American synth rock band formed in 1996, from Los Angeles, California. Orgy described their music as "death pop".-History:Orgy was formed in 1996 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarist Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley, guitarist Amir Derakh, and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up...
, with the later addition of Elias Andra, and Anthony 'Fu' Valcic.
Their debut album, Death to Analog
Death to Analog
- Death to Digital :- References :* * *...
, which was mixed by Tim Palmer
Tim Palmer
Tim Palmer is a British music producer, audio engineer and songwriter of rock and alternative music.-1980-1990:Palmer worked as an assistant engineer at Utopia Studios in London, England in the early 1980s...
, was released on March 10, 2009 in the U.S., and later on March 5, 2010 in Europe. The album was initially planned to be released on February 17, 2009, the date the United States switched from analog to digital television.
Julien-K's webpage was launched in the summer of 2003 with initial demo versions of songs "Look at You", "Kick the Bass", "Someday Soon", "Everyone Knows", and "Technical Difficulties", the latter of which was later featured both in the film and on the soundtrack from Michael Bay's 2007 Transformers. Up until 2007, the webpage said "Coming Soon." Since the official webpage launch, the site has been redesigned and updated with a wealth of information, links, photos, and other media.
Julien-K have also lent musical contributions to several video games, including Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes
is a 2004 platforming single-player/multiplayer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team USA. It is the first multiplatform title in the Sonic series, developed for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and released in Japan in December 2003, in North America in...
("This Machine"), Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog (video game)
Shadow the Hedgehog is a 2005 video game developed by Sega Studio USA, the former United States division of Sega's Sonic Team. Featuring the titular fictional character Shadow the Hedgehog from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game was revealed at the March 2005 Walk of Game inauguration of...
("Waking Up"), and the official musical score for the 2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (video game)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Game is a 2009 third-person shooter video game based on the 2009 live action film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were developed by Luxoflux, and ported to the PC by Beenox Studios...
video game.
Collaborations with Chester Bennington
Julien-K teamed up with Chester BenningtonChester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
from Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
to perform the song "Let Down" for the ReAct Now: Music & Relief
ReAct Now: Music & Relief
ReAct Now: Music & Relief was a four and a half hour long benefit concert which aired on September 10, 2005. MTV, VH1, CMT, MTV2, MTVU, VH1 Classic and The N broadcast the concert, which raised about $30 million for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts via the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army,...
televised concert.
The Julien-K production team of Amir Derakh
Amir Derakh
Amir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
, Ryan Shuck
Ryan Shuck
Ryan Christopher Shuck , better known as Ryan Shuck, is the rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Orgy and rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of alternative rock band Dead By Sunrise. He also has a side project with fellow Orgy member Amir Derakh called Julien-K...
and Anthony 'Fu' Valcic also worked with Chester Bennington to perform an exclusive version of the song "Morning After" for the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack and for the remix album of the band Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence is an American musical group formed in New York in 1997. Their music has a mixed style including rap, punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno and industrial...
's "What Do They Know?". The track was released as a bonus remix on Another Mindless Rip Off, with a completely "Instrumental DJ Dub" version being released for free download on their official website.
Julien-K has also teamed up on Chester Bennington
Chester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
's solo project, the band called Dead by Sunrise
Dead by Sunrise
Dead by Sunrise is an American rock band. It is the side project of Linkin Park's lead vocalist and songwriter, Chester Bennington. The band also features Amir Derakh, Ryan Shuck, Brandon Belsky, Elias Andra, and Anthony "Fu" Valcic from Julien-K and Orgy...
Dead by Sunrise has since released their debut album Out of Ashes
Out of Ashes
Out of Ashes is the debut studio album by American rock band Dead by Sunrise, which consists of Linkin Park lead vocalist Chester Bennington and the band members of Julien-K. It was released on October 13, 2009 through Warner Bros. Records, to mixed reception. The album was produced by Howard Benson...
on October 13, 2009.
"Both bands are the same. The one where Chester sings and writes is Dead by Sunrise, but when I sing, and Amir and I are the primary writers, it becomes Julien-K and it's more electro... Julien-K and Dead by Sunrise are basically a creative collective, we're sort of a Warhol-style factory in that sense, " explains Ryan Shuck. "Dead by Sunrise is Chester's Julien-K if that makes any sense."
During Projekt Revolution
Projekt Revolution
Projekt Revolution is a music festival hosted by Linkin Park, bringing artists of various genres of music together. Linkin Park started Projekt Revolution in the year 2002 with just one stage...
2007, Bennington replaced lead singer Ryan Shuck for the Chicago date of the tour while Shuck attended his brother's wedding.
In June 2010 Ryan Shuck announced that Brandon Belsky had left the band, to be replaced by long-time collaborator Anthony 'Fu' Valcic.
Ryan Shuck told in a recent interview on www.de-re.de that 70% of a new record is already finished.
The band announced via their facebook page that We're Here With You is scheduled for a January 23rd, 2012 release.
Touring
In 2007, prior to the release of their debut album, Julien-K was on the main stage for Linkin Park's Projekt RevolutionProjekt Revolution
Projekt Revolution is a music festival hosted by Linkin Park, bringing artists of various genres of music together. Linkin Park started Projekt Revolution in the year 2002 with just one stage...
tour and one of the opening bands for Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
's North American "The Open Door" tour, and followed it up in 2008 opening for Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence is an American musical group formed in New York in 1997. Their music has a mixed style including rap, punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno and industrial...
, with supporting bands Fake Shark - Real Zombie!
Fake Shark - Real Zombie!
Fake Shark – Real Zombie! is a Canadian dance punk band. Formed in 2005, their musical style combines elements of IDM and post-hardcore. The name is a reference to Lucio Fulci's film Zombi 2, where a real shark and a zombie engage in combat.-History:...
, London After Midnight
London After Midnight (band)
London After Midnight is a project formed in the 1990s by songwriter and instrumentalist Sean Brennan. It is active to the present day....
, The Birthday Massacre
The Birthday Massacre
The Birthday Massacre is a synthrock band, based in Toronto, Canada. The band formed in 1999, known then as Imagica...
and Combichrist
CombiChrist
Combichrist is a Norwegian Aggrotech band formed in 2003 by Norwegian Andy LaPlegua based in Atlanta.-Formation:The first material LaPlegua wrote was a few powernoise/techno crossover tracks under the moniker DRIVE...
.
In July 2010 the band announced their first European tour, scheduled for August and September, playing in Germany, Netherlands, France and England.
Julien-K will be appearing as the musical guest at the 4th annual Summer of Sonic
Summer of Sonic
The Summer of Sonic is an annual convention focusing on all aspects relating to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The event was created in 2006 by computer game journalist and Sonic fan site owner Svend Joscelyne , as the collaborative creation during July and August of a celebratory website in...
fan convention in London on the 25th June 2011.
Band members
Current members- Ryan ShuckRyan ShuckRyan Christopher Shuck , better known as Ryan Shuck, is the rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Orgy and rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of alternative rock band Dead By Sunrise. He also has a side project with fellow Orgy member Amir Derakh called Julien-K...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Amir DerakhAmir DerakhAmir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Elias AndraElias AndraElias "Bones" Andra is an American Musician who is mostly known as the drummer of bands Julien-K and Dead by Sunrise.-Biography:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, backing vocals - Anthony 'Fu' Valcic – keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, samplesSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Former members
- Brandon Belsky – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, backing vocals
JK DJS
Aside from the band, Amir DerakhAmir Derakh
Amir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
and Brandon Belsky used to DJ under the moniker of JK DJS. They did their first DJ performance together December 31, 2007 at a hotel resort in Del Mar
Del Mar, California
Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...
(San Diego), California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Since then they have played numerous shows and have released some of their DJ sets as free downloads from their myspace. However, since Brandon is no longer a part of Julien-K, it can be assumed that the project has been discontinued.
EPs
- Kick The Bass Promo EP (2008, Self Released)
- Look At U (Deadmau5 Remixes) (2008, Circuit Freq Records) - Digital Release
- Maestro (Koma + Bones Remixes) (2008, Circuit Freq Records) - Digital Release
- Someday Soon Remixes (2009, Circuit Freq Records) - Digital Release
- Kick The Bass Remixes (2009, Circuit Freq Records) - Digital Release
- Spiral Remixes (2009, Circuit Freq Records) - Digital Release
- SDS Sessions V.1SDS Sessions V.1SDS Sessions V.1 is the upcoming debut live release from Julien-K, recorded on August 9, 2011 at the Clouds Hill Studio in Hamburg, Germany.- Track listing :...
(2011, Tiefdruck-Musik) - Vinyl Release
Singles
- Kick The Bass (2009, MetropolisMetropolis RecordsMetropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres....
) - Digital Release - Kick The Bass (2010, Tiefdruck-Musik) - European Release
- Dreamland (2010, Tiefdruck-Musik) - European Release
External links
- Blender.com Interview
- The Second SupperThe Second SupperThe Second Supper is a web site and newspaper published in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The newspaper is published weekly from its headquarters in Downtown La Crosse....
Interview with Ryan Shuck