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MODAN GARU

I Miss The Thunder! I Miss The Rain!

About Me


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Spring 2006: Modan Garu doesn't exist. But Tore Renberg seeks new musical directions. Being a longtime devotee of early synthpop, post-punk and electronic music, he travels from the west coast of Norway to the capital in search of the crisp embrace of an old love: The analogue synthesizer.
Renberg gets hold of a wonderful little black and silvery machine; Roland's classic, simple and unstable SH-1. He goes home to Portamento Productions, his own studio, and starts that same evening with newfound energy, exploring the strange world of his first synthesizer. He works, writes and composes day and night, and over the next months things evolve into Modan Garu, a three-piece poptronic act consisting of Renberg, the fabulous, whispery Elisabeth Røise, and Helge Olav Øksendal aka HOH, the baron of underground westcoast electronica.
Now things really begin to boil in the analogue kettles; a lot of songs are being tossed around, a lot of sounds are being tweaked, new machines are being bought, a lot of lyrics are being spoken, shouted, mumbled and whispered; should we use the Prophet 5 here? My gawd, this sounds like Japan's "Ghosts"! Oh, this must be an arpeggio from the library of Nick Rhodes! Ah, now, here's a space for the wonderful SH-1 again.
It twists and turns, the band move from homely pre-production to the lovely studio of HÃ¥vard Rosenberg - Sweet Music; their final stop, where the 20 or so songs are being cut down to eleven, where the album finally is being produced, strengthened and pieced together: nine songs signed Modan Garu, plus two highly original covers, to say the least: Billy Bragg's classic love-ballad "St. Swithin's Day" and Duran Duran's classic "Rio".
September 2007: Modan Garu releases their first single while making their live-debut at the prestigious NuMusic-festival. "Foxhunting For The Future" is available on MG's own label Moga Records, 500 ltd copies, hand-numbered + a promo cds. It is backed by a smoothe & cool Rosenberg-remix, exclusive for this single. The single gained fine critical response and did well on radio, several class DJ's having picked it up.
The band have done several live-shows, gaining fabulous response from both media and audience, and have been picked as one of few acts to play at By:Larm 2008 in Oslo.
Modan Garu release their 2nd single mid-february 2008, the pop-wonder "Schiller's Children", a snappy, catchy gem based on a smoothe piece of german philosphy (what? what!?!). Available in all formats, you want the real thing? Order from [email protected]. You want the digital thing? Surf on: iTunes, Rhapsody ... all over the place.
And now, finally: April 25th will see the debut-album hitting stores and fans.
So please, dear friends: Stay tuned to our MySpace-Site for information and electronic joy & sadness, or knock down our doors if you simply can't wait.
And if you wonder what Modan Garu means, keep on wondering - or travel to Tokyo and start asking around for The Modern Girl.
This is the band that puts the warmth back into cold.
NEW SINGLE FROM MODAN GARU OUT IN FEBRUARY!
7" - double a-side "Schiller's Children" and "St. Swithin's Day"
Modan Garu's new single paired with the trio's highly original electroversion of Billy Bragg's classic 80's ballad of love lost - a most interesting musical rendezvous! Billy Bragg himself says this about the Norwegian's take on his song: "I Love you version of St. Swithin's Day! It sounds like an outtake from the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange."
12" - "Schiller's Children EP"
A stunning EP with no less than four remixes of Modan Garu's electropop-hit "Schiller's Children" plus the original version. Including a brilliant Techno Romantic Mix from Record Makers stars Sex In Dallas, and an irresistible NuDiskoMix from London-based musician King Knut (one half of Elektrofant, who recently released the acclaimed "Cocaine" on Cassette Records). Transparent Orange Vinyl!
Everything dressed up in Are Kleivan's beautiful artwork.
All songs will be made digitally available for purchase through Artspages / CCAP, all for your delightful pleasure.
You're going to enjoy this, either you go for Sex In Dallas "Rising Sun" remix, which is going to make you want to drive through Berlin at night, King Knut's irresistible Dance-O-Rama NuDiskoMix, Rosenberg's 80's Cheesy SentiMental Mix, Nes' All Ove The Place suprisemix, the classic original - or all of them.
The records can be bought from good record shops, or directly from Modan Garu. Distribution: BAM. Promotion: Head Of Promotion. Booking: 360 B&P.
HOW THOSE OLD STONES MAKE ME CRY!
HOW THOSE NEW TEARS MAKE THE DAY!
"Foxhunting For The Future", Modan Garu's first single, 500 ltd. copies, hand numbered with the beautiful artwork by Are Kleivan. Don't miss this Electropop gem from the band that warms up your heart with analogue love.
B/W a steal-cool Rosenberg-remix "Foxhunting For The Dancefloor".
Order from [email protected]
Or get them here:
Stavanger: Platekompaniet, Tou Musikk Shop, Cementen Pub
Sandnes: Record World
Oslo: Shadowland, Tiger, Big Dipper, Ringstrøms Antikvariat
Bergen: Apollon, Robot
"Great song, top 40 quality indeed." - FdW, Vital Weekly
"Fan vad bra!" - Ronny Larsson, Radio Virus
"Modan Garu er rogalands svar på The Knife" - Jørgen Hegstad, NRK P3

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/30/2007
Band Website: modangaru.no
Band Members: Elisabeth Røise: vocals, Roland Juno-60.
Tore Renberg: Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Roland SH-1, Moog Little Phatty, Roland Juno-60, Roland Jupiter 6, Yamaha CS-80, Korg MS-20, vocals.
Helge Olav Øksendal: Rhythms, Roland SH-101, backing vocals.

Influences: Kraftwerk, David Bowie, The Knife, Duran Duran, Dostojevskij, Devo, Depeche Mode, Coil, Björk, Buggles, Billy Bragg, Japan, Hitchcock, Aphex Twin, Ladytron, Proust, Doktor Kosmos, Gary Numan, Eurythmics, a-ha, Tuxedomoon, Wall Of Voodoo, Bergman, Lindstrøm, Roxy Music, OMD, Talking Heads, Visage, Thomas Mann, Pet Shop Boys, XTC, New Order, Kate Bush, Sex In Dallas, Air, The Human League, Orbital, Stevie Wonder, Wire, Cabaret Voltaire, Selma Lagerlöf, Pere Ubu, The Police, The Aller Værste!, Friedrich Hölderlin, John Foxx, Goebbels A-Go-Go, The Cars, Halldór Laxness, Ultravox, Sex In Dallas, The B-52’s, Honoré de Balzac, The Smiths, David Sylvian, Stig Larsson, LCD Soundsystem, Propaganda, Frank Capra, Yazoo, Prefab Sprout, Bob Hund

Sounds Like: The Missing Link Between Ingmar Bergman & Pet Shop Boys
Record Label: CCAP / MOGA RECORDS
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

EVERYTHING AT ONCE!

Dear Mods! Now it's on: the single is out, ready for your ears & eyes, 7", 12", digital, whatever, tune in to your radio station for the next weeks & months. And we're off to Oslo & ByLarm. Lovely day...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:03:00 PST

FOXHUNTING BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Oh no. Not popular at all. We removed "Foxhunting" from our player some weeks ago, thinking that it had been there for quite some time now. But no. Oh no. That didn't turn out right. So here it is: Mo...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:13:00 PST

12" PREVIEW - SEX IN DALLAS REMIX UPLOADED!

Oh, Friends: You want to hear it. Here it is: The Sex In Dallas remix of Schiller's Children! Enjoy! Dance!
Posted by MODAN GARU on Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:05:00 PST

SEX IN DALLAS CAME FIRST!

Dear Friends! Those top nodge people in Sex In Dallas have uploaded their astonishing remix of "Schiller's Children". Go visit their page and check it out: www.myspace.com/sexindallasfeatbiladollIt wi...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:04:00 PST

GOODIES FROM 07!

Well, what was good in 2007? You want a list? Some songs I enjoyed? In No Particular Order? In No Particular Order:Sex In Dallas - Forever YoungModest Mouse - DashboardBritney Spears - Piece Of MeShin...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:49:00 PST

TWO NEW SONGS! NOW HOW ABOUT THAT!

Friends! Felt generous today, so we've uploaded two more songs on our playmobile: Back by Popular Demand, our version of St. Swithin's Day! And World Premiere of one of the remixes from the upcoming S...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Tue, 01 Jan 2008 07:56:00 PST

MODAN GARU ON DJ FRIENDLYS 2007 TOP TRAX!

The prestigious & genius DJ Friendly has presented his 2007 top 25 Scandinavian Trax: Modan Garu are represented with "White Noise" from the upcoming album. Oooooooh. What a X-mas! And yesterday the b...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 07:07:00 PST

MODAN GARU AT BY:LARM!!

One of Modan Garu's first goals were to play By:Larm. A couple of months ago Tore said: "If we don't play By:Larm we might as well quit, or at least get really depressed." Well! No need for it: By:Lar...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 08:29:00 PST

NEW ALBUM BY DURAN DURAN!

So: Are you one of those who think DD is a hedonistic cruiseship lost somewhere in the Pacifics cirka summer of '83? What a shame. Are you one of those that starts laughing when people say that DD's t...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:13:00 PST

SCHILLER'S CHILDREN ARE ALIVE!

Weeeeeell: We've uploaded "Schiller's Children" live from this years NuMusic-festival, Folken, Stavanger. This was our first gig ever, so here we are, all charms and nerves intact, with roses and flaw...
Posted by MODAN GARU on Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:43:00 PST