darkworld's blog

Artist Dean Pazzi opens new internet gallery at Dark World International

2008-07-03

Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland - 03 July 2008 - Dark World International is proud to announce the opening of a new internet gallery featuring the digital artwork of Edina, Minnesota artist Dean Pazzi. Pazzi has expanded beyond his work in surrealist portraits in the new Dark World International gallery. "I felt it was a bit of a stretch for me, but I'm very pleased with the results and thrilled that Dark World International is including them at their web site," according to Pazzi.

A long time fan and game player of Dark World International's top ranked web site www.darkworld.com, Pazzi was immediately drawn to the company's internet artwork philosophy. "You can tell Dark World is very concerned that everyone in the world is able to access their site. They don't clog up their pages with cgi or ads of any kind. Playing on-line in their visual area is amazing. There's no other web site I've found with the style and impact of www.darkworld.com," said Pazzi. "They've requested art submissions from fans for a long time. I wasn't sure they'd be interested in what I do, but they were really enthusiastic to hear from me."

Pazzi's surrealist painting style has greatly influenced his digital artwork. "I worked with digital photos, manipulating colours and layering images. I think each image has a peculiar beauty of its own, but 'Fusion' and 'The Pied Piper' are my favourites." Seventeen stunning images are on display for fans everywhere to enjoy. Pazzi's unique vision of a chroma-coloured world are "a delight to behold, energetic and soothing" according to one critic.

Dark World International has opened a new gallery at www.darkworld.com featuring the artwork of Dean Pazzi. Pazzi's surrealist digital manipulations using layered images and colour manipulations are now available for fans world wide to enjoy.


Contact:
Dark World International
presscontacts@darkworld.com
http://www.darkworld.com

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Dark World International releases 'Chapter One - Remastered' from Stygian Tars

2008-06-23

Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland - 23 June 2008 - The early work of avant-garde industrial dance group Stygian Tars has been remastered and digitally released on iTunes by Dark World International. 'Chapter One - Remastered' reintroduces fans to Stygian Tars' first release, 'Chapter One', with a cleaner and crisper sound than ever before available.

Hailed as a band to remember as early as 1997, Stygian Tars impressed critics not only with their professional sound quality but also with their style, called "very eclectic and unusual industrial with lots of experimental and gothic influences" (Corridor of Cells). Compared to the works of avant-garde composer Gyorgy Ligeti, and masters of twentieth century music John Cage, Penderecki, and Schoenberg, Stygian Tars' sound remained "... very original ... a style and sound truly their own." (Corridor of Cells)

The combined improvisational work of Milwaukee's Black Orchid members J.A.B. and Sven Kort with recording artist Kylyra, Stygian Tars recorded their live sessions of dynamic, unforgettable playing for one year. Having felt they had musically explored all they could together Stygian Tars ceased active recording in 1997, but the possibility of a future reunion is not out of the question. "Interest in Stygian Tars is very high on the internet," according to Dark World International President Kris Ameringer. "Everyone at Dark World would love to see Stygian (Tars) reunite. With the growth I've heard from the artists involved and the continued increased quality of Dark World's recording abilities, a reunion of Stygian Tars would be sure to produce some of the best experimental improvisation the industry has heard in awhile."

With three well-selling releases, 'Abridged Edition', 'Chapter Four', and 'Chapter Five', already available on iTunes fans worldwide will be sure to include 'Chapter One - Remastered' in their collections. Streamed tracks from Stygian Tars can be listened to at Cyqo Music, CNET and MySpace.

'Chapter One - Remastered' from Stygian Tars is now available on iTunes. Dark World International is proud to release the industrial dance 'Chapter One - Remastered' for fans worldwide to enjoy.


Contact:
Kris Ameringer, President
presscontacts@darkworld.com
http://www.darkworld.com

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Trance Project Dream Quest releases 'Season Three: Herb Garden'

2008-06-19

Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland - 19 June 2008 - The sophisticated ambient trance sound of Dream Quest has returned in full force with the digital release of 'Season Three: Herb Garden' on iTunes. Influenced by Dark World International's renowned World of Herbs, Dream Quest has recorded fourteen brand new tracks that mix deep club grooves, world rhythms, and gently intertwining melodies.

'Season Three: Herb Garden' is the solo work of Dark World International recording artist Navigator X. Having finally arranged a move to the EU, Navigator X was asked by Dark World International President Kris Ameringer to record a new release for Dream Quest. "I felt pressured. I'm not Johnny M. So I thought about what happened in Season One. I liked the concepts of Stygian Tars; writing songs that were soundtracks to life," according to Navigator X. Working with Dark World International producer J.A.B. has greatly influenced Dream Quest's sound. "J.A.B. and I both like a Canadian project called Intermix and Bill Leeb's other bands and projects, which get very industrial in sound. J.A.B. has these ideas of 'NON', and talks about 'non-songs' with 'non-melodies'. I'm very influenced by these ideas. I chose to not step on the other dance artists and keep the tempos down for 'Herb Garden'. The President wanted the release to be pleasant to listen to, not too chaotic. I hope I achieved that. Though 'Rosemary' comes off quite goth to me."

Two full length tracks from 'Season Three: Herb Garden' are streamed for listening at Cyqo Music. The delightfully upbeat 'Daisy' and the deeper and darker 'Valerian' both demonstrate the effectiveness of Dream Quest's musical style. Rich in sub tones and recorded with the clarity and strength of Dark World International's masterful production, 'Daisy' and 'Valerian' are set to be instant fan favourites and high company sales are expected.

Dream Quest has returned to Dark World International with the digital release of 'Season Three: Herb Garden' on iTunes. Join the rest of the world in discovering Dream Quest's trance techno sound. Visit www. darkworld.com for more information.

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Techno artist Johnny M releases 'Riddle'

2008-06-16

Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland - 16 June 2008 - The organically-developed techno of Johnny M is now available worldwide with the digital release of 'Riddle' on iTunes. 'Riddle' includes nine new ambient club tracks from this versatile and dynamic artist and three bonus tracks from Johnny M's early work as Asigiri.

A highly sought after Minneapolis, MN, DJ, dancer, and back-up vocalist, Johnny M's decision to work with Irish based Dark World International was an easy one. "I had worked with Dark World in the past, and I continue to have a great deal of respect for them both from an artistic and business standpoint," according to Johnny M. "Dark World places artists above all, and that is tremendously attractive. As for the distance between us, thanks to the internet and mail, it's possible to do anything."

Johnny M’s magnificent release 'Riddle' proves he is an artist capable of moulding songs from equal parts club and ambient. "I usually get an idea in my head for a song and then map it out. Rarely does what I hear in my head translate perfectly to what I create, but I always go in knowing the basic idea I want to get across. The technical aspects are just dressing to the ideas. My two favorite tracks (on 'Riddle') would have to be 'With Joanna Lumley As Jessica' and 'Throne Of Music Model 904'. 'Joanna' is both playful and dark, kind of sexy but kind of foreboding. A lot of how I approach my music can be seen in that track. As for 'Throne', it seemed like such a trifle when I made it, but I hear a different sound and see a different picture every time I hear it."

With Johnny M's streamed songs at Cyqo Music, MySpace, and CNET all grabbing the attention of internet music lovers, anticipation for the newly released 'Riddle' on iTunes is red hot. For more information visit Dark World International.



Contact:
Kris Ameringer, President
presscontacts@darkworld.com
http://www.darkworld.com

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Dark World International moves operations to new location

2008-06-14

Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland - 14 June 2008 - Dark World International has moved its base of operations to a new location in West Cork, Ireland. The digital label's growing catalogue and artist roster contributed to the move, according to President Kris Ameringer. "Dark World added two new artists and has already released three albums this year," said Ameringer. "We needed more recording and office space. We're expecting both Johnny M and Doctor When in, and we need to juggle final recordings for Tor's Angst, Kylyra, and Deemed Psychotic as well."

Dark World International's new location in West Cork combines a traditional Irish setting with modern convenience. The renovated one hundred year old Irish building is close enough to cities and transportation, but far enough to offer Dark World artists the anonymity and privacy needed to comfortably complete their work. "The new place is very rural. It's wonderfully quiet and a beautiful spot down by the ocean," said Ameringer. "I think our artists will appreciate the peace and serenity of the area. We've got room for recording, artist accommodations and living space, and our growing offices."

The past six months has seen unparalleled growth in Dark World International's web presence. "We (management) drew up a solid marketing plan in 2007. We spent the year prepping the company and our artists for a major push. In February 2008, one month after the implementation of our plan, we saw a three hundred percent increase in our web visitors. By April that had increased another eight hundred percent," according to Ameringer. "We made sure all our artists - Deemed Psychotic, Infinisynth, Milwaukee's Black Orchid, Kylyra, Stygian Tars, Dream Quest, Jam for the Dead, Future Dialogue, Johnny M, Doctor When, and Tor's Angst - had web profiles not only on www.darkworld.com, but also on Cyqo Music. We've seen lots of people listening and downloading material at CNET as well. Our artists are also connecting on MySpace, YouTube, and a host of other networking sites. If you're going to be a digital label you've got to hit the digital market."

Digital label Dark World International has moved to a new location in West Cork, Ireland. Old and new fans of Deemed Psychotic, Infinisynth, Milwaukee's Black Orchid, Kylyra, Stygian Tars, Dream Quest, Jam for the Dead, Future Dialogue, Johnny M, Doctor When, and Tor's Angst can continue to expect the same high level of professional quality recordings that Dark World International has become so well known for.

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GENRE CONFUSION

2008-02-27

Rock. Rap. House. Metal. Techno. R&B. Alternative. Indie. Industrial. Punk. Grunge. Underground. Rave. Avant-Garde. Ska. Shoegaze.

The genre lists these days on music internet sites have grown to bewildering proportions. It's become the 'hip' thing to reclassify every new band hitting the market with their own unique genre; witness Korn's birth of the emo classification. While this may serve to give your music it's own niche out there on the internet, the overall result from the explosion of musical genres is confusion and malaise in internet users. It's no longer possible for a fan of rock music to simply search for songs in the rock genre; now they must choose between hard rock, indie rock, alternative rock, punk rock, emo rock, goth rock...the list goes on and on. Add to that the fact that more and more artists are adding their music out there for download, and you've got millions of tracks in hundreds of genres; too many for even the most dedicated web surfer with the fastest connection in the world to listen to them all. So how should you classify your music to get the most attention from your audience?

The problems of choosing a proper genre classification for your music is not one limited to independent artists; every artist faces this problem today. New genre classifications are poorly defined at best, and even the major players in the music industry seem to have forgotten the old tried and true definitions of 'classic' genres such as rock or dance. There was a day when genre classification had some basis in musical reality. Differences between rock, hard rock, metal, and industrial were defined by the tempo of the music, the choice of instrumentation, and the style of production. Genre classification seems these days to be driven by audience perceptions of music. In other words, it's your listeners who decide whether you're 'heavy' enough to be called hard rock or 'grunge' enough to be called garage. And here's where we get to the heart of the problem.

Depending on where you're at, a group like AC/DC can go from being classified as simple rock to hard rock to metal. Think I'm wrong? Ask a 'rock' fan in the Northern U.S. what rock is, then ask someone from the Southern states. You'll get two different answers. It gets even worse when you widen your search to the world. I've found UK sites listing Elton John as hard rock and German sites listing Rammstein as just rock. This makes it difficult for you as an independent artist to get your music out to the people who might like it, especially when you're up against the majors who throw money around advertising their artists everywhere.

Research is one way to overcome this problem. You must develop an understanding of how each country or region would classify your music in order to effectively reach your audience. Your advertising pitch should be modified for every new country to best fit their expectations. The easiest way to do this is to pick one well-known band or artist that you think your music is similar to. Then search that band or artist out on every music site you can find. If you think you might sound similar to Marilyn Manson, check to see what genres he's listed under in various countries. You may find a need to advertise your music as hard rock or metal in France but pop rock in Germany. This is particularly important in getting reviews in other countries. A reviewer in France expecting a hard rock release may be shocked and disappointed when he/she thinks you belong in metal or pop rock.

Inherently there are several problems with doing the research yourself. First, it takes a lot of time. Second, unless you are well schooled in various languages you'll find you can't read much on foreign sites. And third, you'll still make mistakes and run into people who don't agree with your decided genre classification.

Another way to tackle this problem is to flood the market under every conceivable genre listing you can find. If you're working at one site (like musicdownloads.com) you'll realize very quickly you'll need multiple email addresses in order to keep signing your music up under different genres. Then you'll need to upload your music many times over. And finally, you'll need to monitor your results on a regular basis in order to figure out which genre classifications are getting you the most plays and downloads. This is a nasty, time consuming job and it's not a big surprise that most independent artists just don't have the time to do this. However, in the changing world of digital downloads it's almost necessary to do it.

My best advice to all independent artists is to stop trying to be so different in your genre classification. Calling your music some new, slick type of genre doesn't help your audience find you. Stick to the broadest category your music could possibly fit under. You may not end up with a hot new genre being born out of your songs, but you'll get more fans. And as we all hope, more fans of the music will bring more sales of our releases, which means we can all go on doing what we want to do - making more music.

Cut through the genre confusion. Stop trying to be unique. If your music is truly unique, it'll stand out and get noticed. You shouldn't have to shout about it, or tell people to add you to their playlists. If you're doing that you're grasping at straws...if you had the fan base to start with you shouldn't need to tell them to listen to your tracks or add your songs to their playlists. It would already be happening. There are fans of all styles of music out in the world today. You've just not reached the people who like your kind of music yet. Regroup, rethink, reclassify your music, and try again.

-Kristi Ameringer, President and Producer, Dark World International

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