Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
Electronic music
Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...
duo, formed in Toronto in 1990.
Biography
Temperance was founded by music hobbyist Mark Ryan (
H.A. Der-Hovagimian
Harout Arthur Der-Hovagimian (sometimes spelled "Ter-Hovakimyan"; born 22 February 1974) is a Canadian-Armenian composer, songwriter and record producer.
Career
Harout Arthur Der-Hovagimian signed his first recording contract at the age of 17 wit ...
), who began it as a solo commercial
Tech house
Tech house is a subgenre of house music that combines stylistic features of techno with house. The term ''tech house'' developed as a shorthand record store name for a category of electronic dance music that combined musical aspects of techno, ...
project until he was joined by singer Lorraine Reid. The duo signed a recording contract with Hi-Bias Records in 1991.
Temperance's first commercial
release
Release may refer to:
* Art release, the public distribution of an artistic production, such as a film, album, or song
* Legal release, a legal instrument
* News release, a communication directed at the news media
* Release (ISUP), a code to id ...
was in early 1992 with the 5-track EP ''Phantasy''. The
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
"Losing Touch" featured the vocals of Lorraine Reid, Ryan's former schoolmate. The follow-up was a 5-track EP titled ''Obsessive''.
Although the first two releases charted on multiple underground charts throughout the world, Temperance crossed over to commercial pop dance with the release of the single "Music Is My Life" in early 1994. It was the second single on which Lorraine Reid appeared, and thereafter Temperance became known as a group project with Ryan as the sole
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
and producer, and Reid on lead vocals. In 1994, "Music is My Life" won the MuchMusic Video Award for Best Dance Video.
Over the next three years, Temperance released the album ''Virtues of Life'', and several back-to-back
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
singles which were licensed by nine international labels.
Temperance was considered one of the
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
pioneers of the early to mid-'90s
Eurodance
Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. Thi ...
movement, and although most Eurodance singles were considered too aggressive for radio play, Temperance's singles received great airplay on radio as well as in the clubs. They toured worldwide and were nominated for, and/or won, multiple music awards, including seven
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...
nominations.
In 1996, Mark Ryan launched a solo project under the name 'S.P.O.T.' (an acronym for Side Project Of Temperance). S.P.O.T. had two commercial releases, a 4-track EP titled ''Drum-Head'' and a single titled "Welcome to Paradise". It was a departure from the more commercial sound of Temperance, focusing on a more raw house sound. "Welcome to Paradise" became a huge hit throughout many parts of
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
and, a few years later, charted nationally in Canada.
Ryan left Temperance in mid-1997. He was replaced as songwriter and producer by Hi-Bias Records label founder
Nick Fiorucci
Nick Fiorucci is a Canadian electronic and dance music DJ, songwriter, remixer, producer, and founder of record label Hi-Bias Records, and founder and owner of zipDJ, subscription-based digital music pool. Fiorucci has done production and remix ...
.
With the release of the follow-up second album ''If You Don't Know'' in 1999, Temperance took on a more commercial
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
sound, attracting a more mature audience.
In 2000, the 1996 Temperance
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of cop ...
of the Alphaville song " Forever Young" appeared in Season 1, Episode 18 of the TV series ''
Queer As Folk
''Queer as Folk'' may refer to:
* ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000
* ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of the UK series
** ''Queer as Folk'' soundtracks, soundtrack albums from ...
''.
Lorraine Reid went on to a career as a linguist. Nick Fiorucci continues directing his label Hi-Bias Records, as well as producing under a few
aliases
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
such as ''Fierce'', ''DJ's Rule'' and ''The Polorbabies''. Mark Ryan has relocated to
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and ...
,
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ...
, producing for local artists and producing
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
es for international artists, under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
DerHova
Harout Arthur Der-Hovagimian (sometimes spelled "Ter-Hovakimyan"; born 22 February 1974) is a Canadian-Armenian composer, songwriter and record producer.
Career
Harout Arthur Der-Hovagimian signed his first recording contract at the age of 17 wit ...
.
Band members
* Mark Ryan – songwriting, production, vocals (1990–1997)
* Lorraine Reid - vocals (1992–2000)
* Nick Fiorucci – songwriting, production (1997–2000)
Discography
Albums
*''Virtues of Life'' (1995), Hi Bias Records, PolyTel
*''Hands of Time'' (1998), Hi Bias Records
*''If You Don't Know'' (1999), Hi Bias Records, Wood Records (Japan)
EPs
*''Phantasy'' (1992), Hi Bias Records
*''Obsessive'' (1992), Hi Bias Records
Singles
*"Music Is My Life" (1994), Hi Bias Records,
BMG Music Canada
BMG Music Canada was the Canadian division of BMG, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
History
BMG was formed in 1970. In 1986, it acquired RCA Records. In the acquisition, the company acquired RCA Victor Ltd. to form BMG Music Canada as par ...
,
Ariola
Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...
*"Never Let You Go" (1995), Hi Bias Records
*"Let Me Take You Away", (1995) DFC (Italy)
*"Let Me Take You Away", " Do They Know It’s Christmas?" (1995), Hi Bias Records
*" Forever Young" (1996), Hi Bias Records, Popular Records (US)
*"Lost in Love" (1996), Hi Bias Records
*"Universal Dream" (1997), Hi Bias Records
*"Hands of Time" (1998), Hi Bias Records, Discoball, (Sweden), ZYX Music (Germany), Dance Factory (Italy)
*"Dancing in the Key of Love" (1998), Hi Bias Records, One Step Music (UK)
*" Chains of Love" (1999), Hi Bias Records
*"If You Don't Know" (1999), Hi Bias Records,
Attic Records
Attic Records was a Canadian independent record label,