Azure

There are seven (7) different artists/bands under the name Azure; 1. Azure was a German 90's emo band. They released a self-titled 7” (Honesty Records, 1995) and split 7" with Cerulean (Crooners Club Records, 1996). 2. Azure is a female R&B/Pop Group. 3. Azure is also a trance alias of hard house producer Paul Maddox. 4. Azure is also a Finnish ghost/death metal band. 5. Azure is a jazz quartet based in France. 6. Azure is a folk death metal band from Sweden 7. Azure was the initial name of Azure Hiptronics, a jazzfunk group based in The Netherlands. 6. Sweden's extreme metal band Azure was formed in 1995 by guitarist/vocalist Robban Kanto. In the beginning the music was heavily influenced by the melodic black/death metal scene but later went on to a more technical approach when Mattias Holmgren (Embracing, Tired Tree, ex. Naglfar) and Peter Uvén (Embracing, April Divine etc) replaced the old rythm section. The lyrics theme takes place in a fantasy world created by Robban called Hevalia, but in different time periods. The latest album "King Of Stars - Bearer Of Dark" is though a continuation of where the Moonlight Legend album ended. Discography: King of Stars - Bearer of Dark - CD (2005 Pulverised/Deathgasm) Moonlight Legend - CD (1998 Solistitium) A Vicious Age Lasting - EP (1998 Pentheselia) 7. The story of the multi-national, but Holland-based, jazzfunk outfit Azure starts in 2006 when a pianist and a guitar player meet at a spontaneous jam session. Immediately sensing a musical spark, they decide to collaborate. They get together with two friends, start composing and gigging, and call the band Azure. ​ After their first big concert at The Hague Jazz, they decide to work towards a recording.In June 2008 the quartet records their debut album When She Smiles, containing nine original pieces inspired by love. The self-released album gains wide critical acclaim in both the U.S. and the Netherlands. Azure's compositions, eclecticism and unique sound are given a lot of praise. They play some major Dutch summer festivals, followed by the first tour abroad: for three weeks they play across South America, receiving a warm welcome. Two years later the band is nominated as finalist for the 'Get Your Jazz On Stage' competition, culminating in a final concert at Amsterdam's pop-temple Paradiso, for which they team up with star trumpeter Rik Mol and rap-outfit L4. Producer and synthesizer wizard Federico Solazzo replaces the original composer/pianist, who relocates to Paris, and trumpeter Mol continues to work with Azure. Yet again a musical spark is felt and Azure dedicate themselves to composing and rehearsing new material. A brand new second album called Hiptronics is released on 7 July 2014. It presents Azure's newfound groovy, eclectic and electric sound, and features Rik Mol NYC-based songwriter/vocalist Benjamin Rhodes and rapper DNA (Surinam). Soon after the release of the second album the group decided to change the band name into Azure Hiptronics. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.