DICE (band)
| DICE | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Gütersloh, Leipzig, Germany |
| Genres | Progressive rock, art rock, space rock |
| Years active | 1974-present |
| Website | www.dice-band.de |
| Members | Christian Nóvé, Peter Viertel, Thomas Hanke, Ramona Nóvé, Tom Tomson, Dennis Lee Small |
DICE is a German progressive rock band that was founded in 1974 in West Germany (Gütersloh/Eastern Westphalia) by Christian Nóvé (voc, git), Andreas Schattschneider (git), Gerd Brummel (dr) and Norbert Schulze (effects). After several regroupings the band moved to Frankfurt am Main in 1977, and released 2 LP albums. In 1992, the band’s composer and lead singer Christian Nóvé revived the group in Leipzig. Since having released a record every year since 1997, the band attained a somewhat iconic position in the progressive rock genre. Today, DICE is internationally known.
Biography
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DICE was founded by Christian Nóvé and has been in existence with its original band members since 1974. In 1979, the first DICE record was released. It featured musicians such as Alto Pappert (formerly Kraan) and George Kochbeck (formerly Joachim Kühn). "Live-DICE" followed in 1983; an additional release in picture disc format is fetching high prices from today’s collectors. Today, the first DICE records are listed in rarity catalogues.
After having been founded in Gütersloh in 1974 and having moved to Frankfurt am Main, it only took a few years for the group to establish itself as one of Germany’s progressive rock institutions. The long band history saw several turnarounds and changes; especially notable is the group’s revival after DICE mastermind Christian Nóvé moved to Leipzig in 1991.
Since 1997, DICE has been releasing a longtrack CD annually. The group is regularly reviewed in international music magazines and has become an integral part of the progressive rock scene. The music of DICE is characterized by intelligent arrangements of catchy melodies, a foundation of complex rhythms underneath seemingly floating keyboards, and guitar sounds reminiscent of bands such as Pink Floyd. The music is often compared to that of Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Eloy, IQ (band), as well as Marillion and Flower Kings.
In addition to the release of their 8th CD, "Waterworld", the largest live performance in the history of DICE made 2002 an important year for the group. During the THEATRON-Musiksommer Open-Air-Festival in Munich, close to 3000 fans celebrated the band. Live recordings of this concert have been released in CD and DVD format.
Since 1999 Dennis Lee Small from Des Moines / Iowa, USA is a part of the line up as the standard lyricist for DICE.
Dice become known as an interesting band in the sophisticated, melodic prog scene: Extremely complex metric again meets perfectly harmonious arrangements! It is almost normal for DICE, that they have compositions reaching beyond the 10-minute limit.
Since 2013 the superb German harp player Thomas Hanke plays with DICE. Especially in the over 20 minutes long "Flowing River Rain" his wonderful harp solos brings more than just a new musical color to the DICE sound.
To date, the band has released 17 studio albums, as well as 4 live recordings and 2 DVDs.
Discography
Studio Albums
1979: DICE "1979-1993" (vinyl, re-released in CD format in1993)
1997: DICE "Nightmare"
1999: DICE "Silvermoon"
2000: DICE "Dreamland"
2001: DICE "2001 - Dice In Space"
2002: DICE "Waterworld"
2004: DICE "If The Beatles Were From Another Galaxy"
2005: DICE "Time – In Eleven Pictures"
2006: DICE "Without vs. Within Pt. 1"
2007: DICE "Within vs. Without Next Part"
2009: DICE "Versus Without Versus - End Part"
2010: DICE "Eternity's Ocean"
2011: DICE "Newborn"
2012: DICE "Comet Highway"
2013: DICE "Para-Dice"
2014: DICE "Twentaurus"
2015: DICE "Son.Sister.Sun"
2016: DICE "X Is Double Two On The DICE Map"
Live Albums
1983: DICE "Live 1983" (vinyl, re-released in CD format in 2000)
1998: DICE "Space Rock live" (CD)
2003: DICE "Cosmic-Prog Live" At The Theatron - Munich Olympiapark-Festival (CD)
2008: DICE "The Torgau Show" (CD)
DVDs
2003: DICE "Cosmic-Prog In Concert" (live performance)
2008: DICE "A Long Cosmic Trip" (video clips)