Silence

HISTORY:

1992 - the band is founded by Boris Benko, Matjaz Ferenc and Primoz Hladnik



1994 - First Silence concert in Ljubljana



1995 - Peter Penko, one of the most important Slovenian producers (Coptic Rain, April Nine, Laibach…), starts working with the band.

1995 - Ferenc leaves the band



1996 - Silence's international debut - the song Shut Up is released on The Daydream Compilation, an international collection of modern European Synth Pop.

1996 - Silence sign a contract for two albums with Chrom Records, an independent label from Berlin (at the time, the label was situated in Munich).



1997 - Ma Non Troppo, Silence's debut album, is released by Chrom Records.

1997 - Ma Non Troppo is voted 'Album of the month' in New Life



1998 - Silence sign a contract with one of the biggest German publishers, Brainstorm / Devman Publishing

1998 - Silence embark on a short German Tour with the German act Distain!

1998 - Gregor Zemljic, one of the most influential Slovenian producers (a member of the internationally acclaimed Random Logic duet) produces four songs from Silence's upcoming second album.



1999 - The second album, Unlike A Virgin, is released by Chrom Records.

1999 - Unlike A Virgin is voted 'Album of the year' in Orkus, one of the most influential German alternative music magazines. It receives the highest grades in Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Ragazzi, Online.de, Wrath, Zillo…



2000 - Sold out unplugged performance at Cankarjev Dom (the central Slovene culture and congress centre).

2000 - Chrom Records releases the Son Of Sin Maxi Single. Ernst Horn contributes one of the remixes.

2000 - Silence write the soundtrack for Midnight Meat Flight, the eighth performance by the notorious Betontanc dance theater.

2000 - Delo, Slovenia's biggest newspaper, classifies Unlike A Virgin as 'one of the five most important Slovenian albums this year'

2000 - Unlike A Virgin is nominated for 'best newcomer' at the Bumerang awards - the Slovenian awards for different music

2000 - Benko interprets Cliffs of Norway, a beautiful piece written by Ernst Horn, the songwriter of Deine Lakaien. The song appears on Subout, a compilation featuring some of the biggest names in the alternative scene (De/Vision, Oomph!, Front 242, Wolfsheim…)



2001 - Silence write the music for Peter Pan, a play co-produced by Lutkovno gledalisce Ljubljana and Slovensko Mladinsko gledalisce.

2001 - Benko sings live in Svic & Svarc (Sweat & Soot), a post-modern ballet piece interpreted by Fico Balet and directed by Goran Bogdanovski.



2002 - Silence write the soundtrack for Maison Des Rendez-Vous, the ninth Betontanc play

2002 - Silence write the score for Viktorji, the biggest Slovenian media awards.

2002 - The band renews its contract with Brainstorm/Devman Publishing



2003 - Silence write two songs for Emofad (Emotivity Of Adventures), a contemporary dance performance directed by choreographer Goran Bogdanovski. Benko and Random Logic perform live in the performance.

2003 - Silence's private production facility - the Daily Girl studio - becomes operational.

2003 - Nika Records releases the Maison Des Rendez-Vous soundtrack.

2003 - Silence record Hall Of Mirrors for Trans Slovenia Express volume 2, a compilation featuring Kraftwerk classics reinterpreted by acclaimed Slovenian acts. Anne Clark appears on the track as guest vocalist.



2004 - Silence write the soundtrack for Wrestling Dostoievsky, the tenth Betontanc play.

2004 - Silence write the soundtrack for Winnie The Pooh, a puppet show produced by Lutkovno gledalisce Ljubljana.

2004 - The band writes and produces two tracks, Klise and God Forsaken Country, for Rozmarinke, a Slovene female string quartet. Klise achieves a surprising second place at the Slovene selection for the Eurovision song contest.

2004 - Matrix Music & Chrom Records release Vain - A Tribute To A Ghost. Silence become part of the legend surrounding Matej Smolnik a.k.a. Vain, a young artist whose strange death in 1998 baffled pathologists.

2004 - Sold out unplugged performance at Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana.

2004 - Silence write the soundtrack for Lulubaj, a theatre play produced by Slovensko Mladinsko gledalisce.

2004 - Sobotna priloga (the renowned weekly supplement of the biggest Slovene daily, Delo) lists Vain - A Tribute To A Ghost as one of the three best Slovene releases of 2004.



2005 - The band writes the soundtrack for Veronika decides., a contemporary dance performance directed by Gagik Ismailian and produced by the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana. The premiere is accompanied by the release of an exclusive, limited edition of the soundtrack, entitled Veronika.

2005 - The band joins Contribe, a German booking and promotion agency.

2005 - German tour with Diary Of Dreams

2005 - Matrix Musik releases Skin: The Remixes. The vinyl features remixes by Umek, Valentino Kanzyani and Random Logic.

2005 - Silence write the soundtrack for Peter Rabbit, a puppet show produced by Lutkovno gledalisce Ljubljana.

2005 - Silence sign to Accession Records, a prominent German independent label.



2006 - Sold out acoustic performance at Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana.

2006 - Accession Records releases Key Silence, a 2CD anthology / rarities collection.

2006 - Silence write the soundtrack for Show Your Face, the twelfth Betontanc play, in collaboration with Ugis Vitins.

2006 - Silence write the soundtrack for Tesla Electric Company, a theatre play directed by Tomaz Pandur.

2006 - Silence write and produce Volk, Laibach's 12th album. Hladnik and (occasionally) Benko join Laibach on their 2006/2007 world tour.



2007 - The band writes the soundtrack for I Am My Own Wife, a one-man play directed and performed by Primoz Ekart.

2007 - The band writes fifteen songs for Love Unto Death, a theatre play produced by the Slovene Mladinsko theatre