Biography
Formed in 2006, the dark synth pop duo Ghost & Writer sprang from the partnership of Belgian producer Jean-Marc Lederman, recording under the alias Jimmyjoe Snark III and already known through the Weathermen, and German vocalist and lyricist Frank M. Spinath, recognized from Seabound and Edge of Dawn. The pair issued two full-length efforts, Shipwrecks in 2011 and Red Flags in 2013, before parting ways later in the decade to pursue separate endeavors. Their atmospheric sound fused goth-tinged synth pop with traces of EBM, evoking the combined influences of Depeche Mode, VNV Nation, and Covenant.
Lederman and Spinath first crossed paths in 2006 while each remained active in prior projects. A longtime admirer of the Weathermen, Lederman reached out to Spinath in search of merchandise, and the ensuing exchange quickly blossomed into a lasting friendship. Under the Ghost & Writer banner, Lederman handled all musical composition while Spinath crafted introspective lyrics drawn from his professional experience as a psychology professor. Several early recordings surfaced on the 2007 Fourplay compilation, yet the duo’s first proper album did not appear until January 2011. Released via Metropolis/Dependent, Shipwrecks presented an eight-track set alongside eight reinterpretations contributed by contemporaries including File Not Found on “Hitman,” Diskonnekted on “Nightshift,” and Acretongue on “Fraud.” The same dual-structure approach reappeared on the follow-up Red Flags, issued in April 2013. That album included the single “Never Take Fire,” received mastering from Front 242’s Daniel Bressanutti, and featured additional remixes by Akanoid, Dead When I Found Her, and Titanic Moon.
Barely a month after Red Flags arrived, the duo dissolved. They reconvened briefly two years later to assemble the demos-and-rarities collection Girls Rejected, which spotlighted the single “Into Your Girl,” though a contemplated live return never materialized and the members again went separate routes. Spinath resumed activity with Seabound and launched the solo outlet Lionhearts, while Lederman focused on film and video-game scoring. In 2018 Ghost & Writer released the previously unheard demo “Not Us,” mastered by Edge of Dawn’s Mario Schumacher, as a tribute to Spinath’s father following his death from cancer.
Lederman and Spinath first crossed paths in 2006 while each remained active in prior projects. A longtime admirer of the Weathermen, Lederman reached out to Spinath in search of merchandise, and the ensuing exchange quickly blossomed into a lasting friendship. Under the Ghost & Writer banner, Lederman handled all musical composition while Spinath crafted introspective lyrics drawn from his professional experience as a psychology professor. Several early recordings surfaced on the 2007 Fourplay compilation, yet the duo’s first proper album did not appear until January 2011. Released via Metropolis/Dependent, Shipwrecks presented an eight-track set alongside eight reinterpretations contributed by contemporaries including File Not Found on “Hitman,” Diskonnekted on “Nightshift,” and Acretongue on “Fraud.” The same dual-structure approach reappeared on the follow-up Red Flags, issued in April 2013. That album included the single “Never Take Fire,” received mastering from Front 242’s Daniel Bressanutti, and featured additional remixes by Akanoid, Dead When I Found Her, and Titanic Moon.
Barely a month after Red Flags arrived, the duo dissolved. They reconvened briefly two years later to assemble the demos-and-rarities collection Girls Rejected, which spotlighted the single “Into Your Girl,” though a contemplated live return never materialized and the members again went separate routes. Spinath resumed activity with Seabound and launched the solo outlet Lionhearts, while Lederman focused on film and video-game scoring. In 2018 Ghost & Writer released the previously unheard demo “Not Us,” mastered by Edge of Dawn’s Mario Schumacher, as a tribute to Spinath’s father following his death from cancer.
Albums
