Xymox

In 1981 the electronic goth ensemble Clan of Xymox originated in Nijmegen, Netherlands, shaping an aesthetic that echoed Depeche Mode, New Order, and Sisters of Mercy. The founding roster of Ronny Moorings on guitars and vocals, Pieter Nooten on keys, Frank Weyzig on guitar and keys, and Anka Wolbert on bass and vocals first appeared together on the 1983 debut EP Subsequent Pleasures. An early association with the influential British indie 4AD helped spotlight the quartet’s fusion of icy synthesizers, hard dance beats, and dramatic vocals, which gained notice via the self-titled 1985 debut LP and its sophomore follow-up Medusa. Once the group left 4AD, Moorings—by then its only remaining member—altered the official name to Xymox and secured a deal with Polydor. Starting with 1989’s Twist of Shadows, he continued to issue recordings aimed at a loyal cult audience. Working with an ever-shifting roster of supporting musicians, Moorings produced a succession of albums that capitalized on the late-’90s industrial boom and electronica phases before restoring the Clan of Xymox moniker in 1997. The late-’90s catalog received reissues on the Gravitator label in 2006 and 2007, and the band’s fifteenth studio effort, Matters of Mind, Body and Soul, arrived in 2014.