User:Stevedavies1st/sandbox

Feline and Strange are an alternative electro-wave cabaret duo from Berlin. They blend mezzo-soprano voice and cello riffs and solos with an electro-pop beat.

Band formation and first album
The band was founded in 2009 by Berlin opera singer Feline Lang of the operatic ensemble Canteatro. At first the band consisted of Lang as singer-songwriter accompanied by pianist and electronic producer Chrischto. The band first appeared in galleries and smaller festivals. Soon they were joined by Uli Christenn (trombone and other wind), Marc André Haller (bass) and Christoph Klemke (percussion and cello). Chrischto left the band and was replaced by pianist Matti Häcker. Feline Lang took over the electrical production herself. For a short time, the band also included the flamenco guitarist Cristobal and the harpist Brigitte Langnickel-Köhler but for logistical reasons, were only occasional guests. The five-piece band released their first album Behavior! in early 2011. The album was well received by the press.

Steampunk and transatlantic collaboration
To the band's apparent surprise, their second album Science Fiction was welcomed as an addition to the steampunk scene. However, they embraced this new identity and began playing at steampunk events. The cello became more central to the sound of the new repertoire, so Christoph Klemke was replaced on drums and percussion by guest drummer Agustin Strizzi.

In early 2014 trombonist Uli Christenn left the band, so recordings for a new album were made with the brass band Discovery Horns."Space Radio", a cabaret version of the stage show, was also taking shape. Lang took over the piano part herself, and the show became the monthly residency in Berlin's only steampunk bar, the 12-degree Aetherloge.

In late 2014, during the final work on the planned third album, the band received an invitation from US producer Jason Rubal to record an album with him. The band accepted and the album Lies was produced, with the three core band members Feline Lang, Christoph Klemke and Marc André Haller, with the addition of Brian Viglione on drums and Jesse Platts on the piano. The band received a grant from the Music Initiative of the German Bundestag for the first US tour in the spring of 2015.

The launch party for Lies became the first "Steamball", using Rubal and other contacts to create a festival offering performance opportunities for artists from Germany and abroad. The "Steamball" has now been held four times in Berlin.

The earlier unreleased album was re-recorded during the US tour tour, again featuring Jason Rubal and Brian Viglione plus the co-producer Tyler KouqJ Garrett on bass, because Haller withdrew from the tour for family reasons. The album was released in 2016 under the title Truths. 2016 also brought the band to the UK for the first time.

Shortly before the release of Lies, Feline Lang received a scholarship from the Berlin Musicboard to take up a short residency in Marseille at the start of the Syrian refugee crisis. While there, she wrote a number of songs on the theme of having nowhere to go. In the spring of 2016, the band traveled to the US for the fourth time, toured and recorded the songs written in Marseille, again with Brian Viglione on drums and Tyler KouqJ Garrett on bass, as Haller had recently left the band. This became the band's fifth album, OUT, released in early 2017. The tour in support of this took the band to Coalescarimonium in Brussels as well as an extensive tour of the UK.

Style and presentation
As the band personnel changed from a five-piece to the current two-plu-ohers line-up, the music also evolved into a more electro-pop style incorporating elements from cabaret and a range of other styles. Klemke's cello continues to play a lead role in the sound, complementing Lang's mezzo-soprano voice.

Many of Lang's compositions are sprawling and epic in scale, and have a strong narrative quality, reflecting her training and past as an opera singer. The lyrics are often dark, sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes angry, dealing with themes like love, death and alienation.

On stage, the band present themselves as aliens stranded on Earth, trying to remember their mission: unsure whether they are to save or destroy the planet. This story is played out through costumes, staged dialogues and actions, giving the shows the character of musical theater or a revue.

Lang also creates the band's artwork for the band's stage show, videos, CDs and merchandise.

All the band's works are licenced under Creative Commons. The band publishes all their works via the streaming portal bandcamp.com and are supported by a small group of patrons via Patreon. For owners of the CDs there are bonus tracks, puzzles and other rewards, as well as the sometimes very elaborate artwork, e.g. a book, a cartoon, a metal box, a pop-up box with code disc.

Discography
2011: Behavior! (recordJet) 2013: Science Fiction (recordJet) 2015: Lies (motor) 2016: Truths (motor) 2017: OUT (motor)

Web Links
Official website Feline on Patreon