gin ga

Gin Ga released their debut album in Austria, Germany and Switzerland at the start of 2011. The album got lots of rave reviews in those countries and the two singles "Final Call" and "This Is Happening" were picked up by numerous radio stations with "Final Call" reaching the number 1 spot in Austria’s national alternative radio charts. The successful release was followed by a series of club concerts and festival shows in the GSA countries. But also outside the German speaking territories, Gin Ga´s debut album did not pass by unnoticed: Eurosonic Festival in Holland immediately put Gin Ga on of their main stages. After that, the band played some (remarkable) showcase gigs all across Europe ( Paris, London, Rome, Berlin, Hamburg....), and was invited by a number of international showcase festivals such as Spot Denmark, Culture Collide Festival USA and also the new GLIMPS festival in Belgium. In addition, there was even some time left for some creative exchanges with other bands: in their home town of Vienna, Gin Ga teamed up with Mintzkov for a sold out show at one of Vienna’s most favorite venues WUK. In Aahrus (Dk) they did a joined performance with Danish band KissKissKiss and, just before hitting the recording studio last spring, Gin Ga joined Absynthe Minded for a showcase at the renowned Primavera Festival in Barcelona as part of Small Countries, Big Music, a new European project where both bands are involved in.

Comparisons with bands such as Arcade Fire or Broken Social Scene may be justified, but they neglect the fact that Gin Ga are much more than just another indie combo with a choir, strummed riffs, and violins. Musically, the band members have been trained in the inde sound of the 90´s. The band learned to control their abilities on the instruments, to refrain from using too many complex, at times improvised structures, and discovered the kind of simplicity which sometimes characterises good songs. Gin Ga repeatedly disrupts aesthetic parts with drum attacks and creaking guitars and has developed an autonomous musical language throughout the years. This shows in the driving drums which again and again remain danceable - and often leads to comparisons with the art school pop of Franz Ferdinand. But it also becomes aparant in song passages during which the partly still playful melodies ad structures are allowed to shine. The signature feature of the band - apart from the use of violins, keyboards and choirs - remains the vocals. Alex Konrad has one ot those wonderful voices which appear masterfully artificial, but which never degenerate into an act. Those who do not mind the complex sound aesthetics will eventually be rewarded with amazing and stylistically diverse pop songs which crystallise out of the tracks´rough edges. You should continue to keep an eye on this band.

At the moment Gin Ga is working hard, recording their second album. Shortly the band will release a new 4 track EP "The Nights", as a teaser for the forthcoming album. The EP also shows the somewhat new direction the band is evolving musically