History
Formation 1986 to 1990
Anything Box was started by Claude S. (original name Claude Strilio born in Rosario, Argentina) in Paterson, New Jersey playing local clubs, such as The Pipeline in N. Newark and The Loop Lounge in Passaic. This is where Claude met Dania Morales who joined as a group shortly after. Playing numerous shows and producing demo-tapes, they drew the attention of Epic Records. The band moved to Orange County, California where Paul Rijnders joined the group.''Peace'' (1990)
Then they began recording their first album, ''''Worth'' (1992)
Following the success and praise for ''Peace'' in the electronic music scene, Claude and Dania headed to Germany to begin recording their second album, '' Worth'' with producer Gareth Jones. Paul Rijnders had left the band to pursue personal goals. The album was completed in 1992, but a dispute with Epic and eventual break-up with the label prevented the album's release to the public. It was later distributed by the band to members of its fan-club as the band continued to perform shows despite the non-release of the album. The album shows the softer side of Anything Box, as many of the album's songs are slower, softer, and emotional. In 2000, the album was remastered and re-issued as ''Worth V2'' with 2 unreleased tracks.''Hope'' (1993)
With Claude's brother Gary joining the band, Anything Box recorded and self-released their third album, ''''Dance CD-5'' (1994)
The band released the EP ''Dance CD-5'' which features remixes of tracks from the ''Hope'' album as well as some unreleased songs.The Diary: ''Page One'' (1995)
Claude released a solo album under the name The Diary on the Orangewerks label. The album, ''Page One'' was heavily influenced by the music of''Mixology.1/Living in Oblivion'' (1996)
With a high-demand for Anything Box tracks and the difficulty in obtaining singles mixes from ''Peace'', the band released a collection of remixes and unreleased songs called ''Mixology.1'' on Orangewerks. They also released a new version and new mixes of "Living in Oblivion". The EP, ''Living in Oblivion MCMXCVI A.D.'' was released on Jarrett Records which had merged with Orangewerks. Anything Box performed at the Synthstock Music Festival in''Elektrodelica'' (1997)
Dania Morales departed Anything Box and Paul Rijnders returned to the band. The band released the album ''Elektrodelica'' on Jarrett Records, including a deluxe version featuring a bonus interview disc. The album marked a musical change for Anything Box as Claude experimented in what he coins as an "elektrodelic" sound. The album fused the band's traditional synthesizers with Rijnders' guitar playing. The album is considered the band's most ambitious and daring effort and songs and sounds are considerably more diverse and the album's focus much broader. The album contains soft melodic tunes such as "Conscious" which is influenced by Claude's affection of''Elektrospective'' (1999)
With anticipation for a second Mixology album, Jarrett Records instead released ''Elektrospective'' which contains alternate versions of songs from both the ''Peace'' and ''Worth'' albums. Tension between the band and the label grew as ''Elektrodelica'' only received wide-distribution, two years following its initial release and ''Elektrospective'' artwork was mis-printed. The band left Jarrett Records which later closed.''Recovered'' 1993-1995 (2000)
Claude discovered a collection of older Anything Box recordings from 1993-1995 on a nearly-destroyed DAT. He recovered these recordings and remastered them. They were released on an album called ''Recovered 1993-1995''. ''Recovered'' was released on the band's new, self-owned label, Presswerk.13.''The Universe Is Expanding'' (2001)
Following in the footsteps of ''Elektrodelica'', Anything Box continued its musical experimentation. The band released ''100% Air-Friendly Groove Pak'', an EP featuring the single "Clean" and a beat-box, hip-hop influenced B-side called "Radio Static". The band followed with the album ''The Universe Is Expanding'' on Presswerk.13. The album continued the band's fusion of synthesizers, guitar, and bass guitar. Dania Morales returned to provide backing vocals on several tracks, but did not perform live with the band. Dave South joined the band on keyboards and bass guitar.''The Effects of Stereo TV'' (2003)
Anything Box released ''The Effects of Stereo TV'' on Presswerk.13 as a long-awaited companion/follow-up album to ''The Universe Is Expanding''; a short, in-your-face experience. The album continued the band's synthesizer and guitar sound, but while some songs are soft melodies, others are abrasive guitar-driven rock songs.The Diary: ''Separate'' (2005)
While debating the direction for the next Anything Box album, Claude experimented with playing several instruments on his own including guitar, bass, and drums. The result was his most personal work to date. Returning as The Diary, he released ''Separate'', a lo-fi mixture of synthesizers and live instruments all performed by Claude. Many of the song's lyrics are based on Claude's life experiences including his near-death by drowning when he was young. The result was an album truly from the heart as Claude expressed himself in a manner he had never done so before.''The Future Past EP'' (2007)
With Dania Morales returning to the lineup and Dave South and Gary S departing, Anything Box came full-circle and returned to the same lineup as its original ''Peace'' album from 1990. Having played several "reunion" shows throughout the Americas, the demand for new material grew. Anything Box renamed its label Endpop and released ''The Future Past EP'' in June. The EP features a remake and remixes of the band's popular 1990 song, "Carmen". It also includes a version of the song in Spanish. This is the first Anything Box song release sung in Spanish. The EP also features remixes of other popular Anything Box songs as well as some new material.''Fan Tapes and Time Travel'' (2007, short films)
Also in 2007, the band began releasing a series of short films put together by Claude S called ''Fan Tapes and Time Travel'' on the Internet. These films were constructed from old video footage of the band throughout its history which have been provided by its fans. It continued as a work in progress.''Nineteen'' 1987-1988 (2008)
With a large collection of old Anything Box recordings in his possession, Claude, after much deliberation, decided to share some of this raw, early material from his past. Taking a cassette tape of these old recordings, Claude remastered and repaired them. The end result was ''Nineteen'', a short digitally released album. The songs date back to 1987-1988, with the exception of the final track which is roughly from 1990. The sound is darker, sadder, and quite a contrast to ''''Volume One'' 1988-1989 (2013)
''Volume One'' is a collection of Anything Box songs Claude remastered, including some remixes of "Living in Oblivion" and a new remix of "Kiss of Love" (the Pumped Mix). It also includes songs from the albums ''Worth'', ''Hope'', ''Elektrodelica'', ''The Universe Is Expanding'', ''The Recovered'', ''The Effect of Stereo TV'', and four unreleased songs from early Anything Box demos dated from 1988-1989. ''Volume One'' was published on the Argentinian record label, Twilight Records.''Distances'' 2015-2018 (2015)
Mired in controversy, the 2 CD set entitled simply ''Claude Distances'' was originally set to become the next Anything Box album, but due to internal pressures within the group, it was released as a solo album. Released on the endpop.com label, the album features the songs "Fast Forward", "Dead Stars", "Hello" and a strange subset of ambient electronic tracks.endpop.com and Claude S. of Anything Box, anythingbox.comBand member projects
Claude S has released three albums as his solo project, The Diary, as well as a solo album titled ''Distances'' under his own name, Claude. Paul Rijnders has several music projects including Goodbye July (synthpop) and The Lamented (garage rock). He is also known as a mashup remixer under the pseudonym Kult Litre, best known for the undergroundDiscography
Albums
*''Compilation albums
*''Dance CD5'' (1994) (CD contained all the Twitch remixes, plus remixes of "Every Single Day") *''Mixology 1'' (1994) (effectively a 'best of' collection of tracks released only on 12" vinyl of "Living in Oblivion", "Jubilation", "Beat of Life" and unreleased B-sides on one disc) *''Elektrospective'' (1999) (CD compilation of early demo versions and unreleased remixes of previously released material) *''Recovered 1993-1995'' (2000) (CD released material written between ''Hope'' and ''Page One''. It was initially known as ''Deconstructivism'', but after the masters were damaged, preventing the release. After remastering and mixing the surviving songs, the name was changed to ''Recovered''. This is the first release on Presswerk13) *''Sharewear 1 Orange'' (2001) (no longer available) (a T-shirt/CDR with a selection of rarities and classics) *''Sharewear 2 Blue'' (2001) (no longer available) (shirt/CD combo) *''Binaural Repeats: 1993–2002'' (2002) (the front 'cover' of this download-only collection states "An elektrodelic body of enhanced works. Produced by Anything Box. Recorded at various studios. This isExtended plays
*''Ascension EP'' (1989) (no longer available) (cassette-only release sold at early shows, including songs "Living in Oblivion", "World Without Love", "Kiss of Love", "Ascension" and "Heaven". "Kiss of Love" and "Living in Oblivion" entered the college chart in NJ and lead to a management deal in California, prompting the band's move to the West Coast) *''Descension EP'' (1989) (unreleased cassette-only demo. "The Pain I Inherited" is one of the few surviving songs) *''100% Air-Friendly Groove Pak'' (2001) (EP to promote the release of ''The Universe Is Expanding'') *''Future Past EP'' (2008) Most of the physical copies of these releases are out of print but can be found digitally on iTunes, CD Baby, or Amazon Music.Singles
*1988: "Beat of Life"/"I Know What You Want" (12" single, demo single pressed on lacquer for loan to DJs) *1988: " Living in Oblivion"/"Time to Go" (12" single, demo single pressed on lacquer for loan to DJs. Also contained a slow mix of "Living in Oblivion" on B-side) *1990: "Living in Oblivion" (Epic Records) - U.S. #65, U.S. Dance #10 *1990: "Jubilation" - U.S. Dance #16 (2 variations of this CD single were released; one for radio, and one for retail. The retail version had "Do You Hear Me Anymore" as a B-side. A 12" single was pressed in the US, and a 7" single in Mexico by Sony Music) *1991: "Soul on Fire"/"Our Dreams" (released as a 12" single with a CD single released only to radio) *1994: "Where Is Love & Happiness" - U.S. Dance #26 (12" single with remixes by Twitch and Anything Box, limited to 1,000 units) *1996: "Living in Oblivion" (newly recorded and remixed version of the 1989 release with mixes by Digital 3,Claude S. solo albums
*1994: ''Page One'' (as The Diary) *2005: ''Separate'' (as The Diary) *2014: ''Seven Sleepless Nights'' (as The Diary) (Claude's third, and most current album under the Diary name. It was an acoustic album released digitally only on iTunes, CD Baby and Bandcamp) *2015: ''Distances'' (double album self-released by Claude under his own name and funded by fans on PledgeMusic)References
External links
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