The whole story

Germany in 1991 - the nation has been reunified for a while now. The music world is facing the greatest revolution since the invention of rock’n’roll. Acid House and New Beat have emerged out of Belgium and set the tone for things to come, and Techno House and Rave are conquering the world - a time of discovery and exploration. Unlike other acts of the time who dedicate themselves to the attitude of the hands-in-the-air generation, Jeyênne screams into the microphone and terrorises the community with his punk attitude, climbing fences and crossing borders that shake the dance scene awake. He is something unheard of, and the ravers' little white gloves and cheap whistles suddenly turn into objects best hidden where the sun does not shine. 

During this euphoric time of change and renewal, Jeyênne writes a song titled “XPQ-21“.
It turns into one of the first techno hits on what is still a very young scene. What follows, though, is an uncontrollable chain reaction. Everything is happening at once. The world is breathing techno. Even the most inconsequential little children's ditty is set to a techno beat. With considerable history under his belt and countless productions to his name, Jeyênne and his band XPQ-21 continue to ride the crest of the wave, rocking like they have never done before.

But let us start at the beginning, shall we?


Jeyênne’s Childhood

Eccentric artist Jeyênne was born in the Campania region of southern Italy, where he set the stage for his future life very early on. What sounds like the plot of a good book is the real life of an artist with a personality, authenticity and talent that has become a rare find these days.

Jeyênne spends his childhood in the house of a strict Catholic priest who teaches him to hallow the daily rituals between altar, Sunday school and cemetery with chants and songs. A nun instructs him in breathing techniques for singing. Inspired by the preacher’s dedication, the five-year-old Jeyênne already plays the huge old pipe church organ, usually sacred music. This, among other places and inspirations, is what puts him in touch with the creative. The priest raises him like his own son, giving him all he could have given had he been a father.

After numerous relocations, the ten-year-old Jeyênne finally moves to Germany for good. This comes as quite the culture shock to him, imprinting itself on his personality and his artistic perspective more than anything else. School, puberty, social circles, more relocations, attempts at escape and adaptation all turn out to be dead ends with only one way out: recreating the world around him by means of rebellious and angry music. On top of that, Jeyênne changes school frequently - a traumatic experience that forces him to keep seeking out new friends. His music teacher, meanwhile, throws him out of class.


Jeyênne’s Youth

At first he attends a music school, later various bands allow him to learn other keyboard instruments as well as guitar and drums. A musical world traveller, Jeyênne expands his sonic landscape to include funk rock, hip hop and radical rock music - influences that still live on in his productions and that have made him an exponent of the electronic freestyle movement in 1994. Flashes of inspiration provided in quick succession by bands such as “KISS“, “The Clash“, “GenerationX“, “Depeche Mode“, “Beastie Boys“ or styles like “Electronic Body Music“ and the “Acid House Boom“ lead Jeyênne to a new understanding of his music, culminating in the decisive step forward, towards his own groundbreaking electronic creations.

After playing in bands of varying styles for several years (among them “Black Hole“, “Stereo“, and hip hop outfit “Äi-Tiem“, still successful today), all the while experimenting with analogue-electronic music, he produces his first demos in 1986, initially on a Commodore, later on an Atari computer and a synthesizer.


The Early Years: THE JEYÊNNE

It is 1990 - Acid House and Techno are about to take over the world when a DJ friend listens to Jeyênne’s demo in 1991 and promptly presents it to a small label. A few months later, “Adam & Eve Records“ releases the debut EP “THE JEYÊNNE EP“. At the label release party, the legendary “Union Rave 3“ in Düsseldorf, Jeyênne premieres the track “XPQ-21“ live, together with a label-mate, and spontaneously grabs the microphone. Until that day, techno with vocals (or shouting) and live performance is unimaginable. But it works - and it works so well that that evening becomes the birth hour of THE JEYÊNNE OnStage. The track “XPQ-21“ grows into an underground hit that leaves the world yearning for more.

1993 sees the release of the “Time Warp“ EP, which once again raises the bar with the track “Kickin´“. As the techno scene’s resident upstart and enfant terrible, THE JEYÊNNE plays the most famous raves and festivals the world over, with a variety of partners.  On top of that, he regularly acts as a DJ, which he still occasionally does today. He is discovered by TV, his track “Kickin´“ is used in a remake of “Charleys Tante“, and the “Invasio Asiarum“ EP released the following year finally raises  THE JEYÊNNE into the Olympus of techno gods.

1994 is the year THE JEYÊNNE makes it big. The “Invasio Asiarum EP“ and the track “Das Nippel“ make huge waves in Europe’s techno scene. Even before the commercial breakthrough of the fledgling “Frankfurt Beat“, it becomes increasingly evident just how far Jeyênne has moved away from other DJs’ and producers’ routines. Even then, his vast charisma and stage presence are unique.

The accompanying video is aired on “VIVA TV“ several times, and Jeyênne is presented on TV with several snapshots. At the same time, he also produces several other projects under various pseudonyms (“Space Chaos“, “DJestelle“...), but is always ready to lay these aside or end them completely in favour of THE JEYÊNNE.

Watching THE JEYÊNNE perform is still a challenge - while his live band are rigid, cool and perfectly focused, Jeyênne grins and pogoes, bounding around the stage grimacing menacingly, gesturing mysteriously and spitting into the crowd - a brutal energised stage show that is more than a little reminiscent of an asylum escapee. In short: A long, long way away from your traditional rave techno act with two keyboard players twiddling knobs to their own backing tracks, moving their heads from side to side and making the whole affair looks like a Kraftwerk karaoke cover act.

Ever more often, he is quoted as being “Electro Punk”, and comparisons with Billy Idol or Nina Hagen are frequent. “Das Nippel“ is what makes a raver’s heart beat faster: a fast track at more than 160 bpm, with a catchy tune, psycho sounds and a simple structure. Admittedly not the perfect track to release your aggression to, but perfectly good for paying the rent. After three years of permanent partying, Jeyênne is just taking time out to reflect on the techno scene of the time when he meets Nicque for the first time in early 1995.

It does not come as a surprise to most people (though it did come as a surprise to the performer himself!) that “The Prodigy“ and “Moby“ insist on having THE JEYÊNNE join them for their German tour later that year. He is the only Continental act on that tour. Even the year before, Jeyênne’s performance was greatly applauded at Germany’s first “Universe - The Tribal Gathering“. Following the success of this tour, Jeyênne is sure he has found his direction.

Later that year, the “Universe - The Tribal Gathering Compilation“ features the first track released under the name of  XPQ-21: “The Darkness“.

1996 marks the release of Jeyênne’s first CD with vocal lines: “Japanese Train“. At this point, it is clearly audible that THE JEYÊNNE is about to redefine his style and cross the scene’s borders. The words Crossover / Independent are in the air.

The magic of everything Jeyênne does is rooted in his artistic personality, a result of the early fracture in his personal cultural history. It gives rise to an elevated, melancholy energy that suffuses his productions, his performances and each and every tone of his voice: it is the revelation of a man in touch with the power of ancient rituals and archaic feelings, but also well aware of their fleetingness. His unique and playful positive aggression makes Jeyênne what he is - the lightness of being combined with a hearty dash of humour.

In order to gain a little distance and re-orient himself, Jeyênne moves to Austria, from where he plays world-wide gigs as THE JEYÊNNE, together with Nicque and various third parties. Consequential changes are beginning to cast their shadows ahead. THE JEYÊNNE and the techno scene are drifting further and further apart. At that time, techno does not allow for experimentation nor for vocals. Everything is one uniform mass, governed by rules that Jeyênne refuses to conform to. On top of that, his productions are beginning to be too varied and too hard for the dance and techno community.

To top it all off (after even major labels had shown interest in signing him), Jeyênne signs a deal with “East West/ Warner“. The video for the new single “Monopoly“ is blacklisted by “VIVA TV“ and other music channels as it depicts BDSM scenes. “Monopoly“ contains more vocals than previous productions. “East West“ invests a hefty amount of money in 1997. The production is “big“, the marketing is too, and following the next maxi single “Darkness“ (a cover version of “The Darkness“) and Remixes by “Front 242“ among others, THE JEYÊNNE plays his last gig at the Mayday 1997. “Darkness“ already has the characteristics of a song, with a verse, chorus and middle eight. The vocals have moved into the foreground for good, and there is now no way back.

Enriched by experience, Jeyênne leaves both “East West“ and his management behind in 1998. He shuts down his solo project at a time where he is most famous for it; it has always been his goal to make music and not money. The music itself, with all its facets and forms and its rich possibilities for expressing his own life and past in it, has always been his main concern, as has his freedom. It was the end of THE JEYÊNNE and the beginning of something new. He ended an era in order to begin a new one a year later with the foundation of new band project XPQ-21, named after THE JEYÊNNE´s first club hit.

Destroy To Create !


XPQ-21

Full of rage and new revelations, Jeyênne and a handful of DJ friends set up their own label, Fourbiddentones Recordings, in 1998. The sole purpose of the venture is to release XPQ-21´s debut album. From now on, XPQ-21 stands for uncompromising hardness, broken electro punk beats, absolutely no dogmas or rules, cynical lyrics, no stopping, no compromising and no hypocrisy.

The debut album “Destroy To Create“ is released in 1999. As the name states, this album is bursting with anger and resolution like no other. The press calls it a milestone and compares the artists to “Front 242“ and the “Chemical Brothers“. The single “A Gothic Novel“, released shortly afterwards, turns into a club favourite. In 2000, the “Belle Epôque“ album is released, containing a cover version of Bauhaus’ classic “Bela Lugosi´s Dead“. Nicque and Jeyênne, who had been an item since they first met, split up now. Musically, though, they continue to work together. In the following year, XPQ-21 plays support act to Swedish band “S.P.O.C.K“, followed by regular dance orgies in front of the stage that reach fever pitch every time “A Gothic Novel“ and “Bela Lugosi´s Dead“ are played. Die-hard Bauhaus fans regularly turn up in groups to XPQ-21 concerts determined to boo down the band, but that quickly turns into frenetic applause. “Bela Lugosi´s Dead“ is deemed the best cover version in ages.

After a few concerts with guest drummers, Nicque and Jeyênne decide to take Kebbasasch on board as their third member - a smart and firm-beated drummer. In 2001, Jeyênne moves back to Germany, back to where it all started, where his creative spark originated, in order to come to terms and seek closure with his past. What follows are two years of constant touring all over Europe. XPQ-21 supports British band “VNV Nation“, followed directly by a lengthy US tour with “Funker Vogt“.

As a result of relationship strife and the separation as well as an attempt at working through his past, Jeyênne releases the album “CHI“ in late 2002. The press is over the moon, celebrating XPQ-21 as the new heroes of electro punk. The single “White And Alive“, released one month before the album, climbs to #3 on the DAC charts and is still one of the most frequently played electro club songs. An article on XPQ-21 in the UK’s  “Rock Sound Magazine“ makes it clear that the band have now easily conquered both the rock and electro arenas. It is undeniable: with the “CHI“ album, XPQ-21 proved once and for all that they are among the major forces ad that Jeyênne is one of the multi-talents in the music business.

But “White And Alive“ is not met with enthusiastic praise everywhere - the track also attracts its share of criticism from the ‘moral majority’ and others who will only hear what they want to hear. The song is often misinterpreted as a glorification of the white race. Not least due to the fact that the B side was a track called “Israel“, accusations of anti-Semitism cropped up at random. Concert requests from Israel are declined, but this is due to the political situation in the country. Jeyênne does not offer attempts at justification and refuses to explain his songs. The lyrics are uploaded to the internet.

Next up is the band’s first headlining tour of Europe. Totally exhausted and burnt out, Nicque and Jeyênne decide to go their separate ways musically as well.

In 2003, Jeyênne retreats again to recharge his batteries, and once again changes management, booking agency and label. He is working on new material and makes a number of appearances as a DJ abroad. Months of disorientation follow. Shortly afterwards, Annelie Bertilsson from Sweden joins XPQ-21. Annelie initially acts as a guest to the band as she is heavily involved in Swedish electro band “Cat Rapes Dog“ and also runs a small fashion label (Moosewear) as a sideline. Between 2003 and 2005, XPQ-21 play a number of shows with Annelie on electric guitar. The chemistry, both professional and private, is so good that it is decided to carry on together from now on. The band plays more and more shows abroad, stage-testing new material before committing it to record in the studio. 

In March 2006, the three-year hiatus following “CHI” is broken by the release of the new album “ALIVE”. The live line-up now comprises four band members, with the fourth person bridging the gap between the technical and the real. What had originally been Jeyênne’s task, namely to act as the techno DJ or “the man behind the turntables” is now “The Mask”’s job. A masked Zorro forms the centre of the line-up and provides balance, fuelling the band with impulses and musical orders.

Jeyênne bridges the gap between brutal, eminently danceable electro punk and melodic and soulful sound lines. He melds New Wave melancholy and punk into one unified expression that, thanks to its creator’s skill, is exceptionally well-rounded and as yet unsurpassed. “ALIVE” is rockier and groovier than all previous productions, and Jeyênne’s voice is far more to the fore than in the past. Let’s be honest: XPQ-21 may not be a pure punk band, but they live that attitude and sound more punk than any electro band around. After all, Jeyênne’s quest has always been one against mediocrity and unimaginativeness.

Journalists have tried desperately to pigeonhole the band, but there is no pigeonhole available that hey would fit into. Unless you opened up one especially for XPQ-21: Pin-Up Punk at its best!

2007: working on the next album


© fourbiddentones recordings


Press release „ALIVE“

After a three-years break the Electro Cult Band XPQ-21 is back with ”Alive“, an album full of self-confidence and self-irony. Jeyênne, the brain of XPQ-21, sometimes comes under attack with its versatile and controversial work but has always proved a keen sense of producing club hits for the Electro/EBM genre: take ”White And Alive“ as an example which still brings dance floors to a boil today. The sounds and breaks of the beats and basses are programmed infernally well. Those who go for FRONT 242, LEAETHERSTRIP, PRODIGY or HOCICO will love "Alive": elements of Electro, Punk, Industrial and EBM are all mixed together in songs like "Dead Body" or "Jesus Was Gay" and culminate in an aggressive inferno. However, XPQ-21 also take on more gentle tones on ”Alive“ which may well send shivers down your spine by using  minimal electro and melancholy soundscapes. This album is a very welcome change compared to the usual pap of deliberately displayed anti-religiousness, pubertal fantasies of violence and religious apocalypses. The most absorbing album in a long time!


 ”Alive“ is released as a limited, luxurious A5 double-Digipak with a special stamping technique and contains besides a 28-sided booklet the re-release of the extremely rare and thus valuable XPQ-21 single „White And Alive“ plus remixes by FUNKER VOGT, DOPE STARS INC., ALICE IN VIDEOLAND, MASSIMO VIVONA, etc... and various other exclusive songs.


Biografie in Deutsch >>> (pdf)
Biography in English >>> (pdf)
Press release / Presseinfo in English & Deutsch >>> (pdf)