Radian

Austrian post-rock/electronic trio Radian blend acoustic and electronic instruments in their music, yet the players execute their acoustic parts with such rhythmic exactitude that the ensemble often registers more like an electronic act than a conventional band. Bassist John Norman, drummer Martin Brandlmayr, and synth player Stefan Németh assembled the group in Vienna in 1996, though its first live appearance did not occur until the following year. Shortly afterward the Rhiz label issued the self-titled EP domestically. The full-length debut TG 11 arrived in 2000 through a co-release by Rhiz and Mego. During 2002 the trio journeyed to Chicago to work with producer John McEntire, and Thrill Jockey put out the resulting album rec.extern later that year. This record marked Radian’s first wide U.S. distribution, leading the group to tour the Northeast and Midwest in October 2002. Juxtaposition reunited the band with McEntire and appeared on Thrill Jockey in August 2004. Chimeric, tracked in Vienna without McEntire, followed on Thrill Jockey in 2009. Németh exited in 2011, succeeded on guitar and electronics by Martin Siewert. The 2014 collaboration Radian Verses Howe Gelb, featuring the Giant Sand founder, became the first title on the group’s own Radian Releases imprint. Radian returned to Thrill Jockey in 2016 with On Dark Silent Off.