Немецкая электрондық музыка тобы: Evils Toy және T.O.Y. эволюциясы

German electronic music band

T. O. Y. (Trademark of Youth) is a German futurepop/synthpop band headed by Volker Lutz. The project originated as electro industrial band Evils Toy until a change in membership and sound style precipitated the rebranding in the year 2000.

Evils Toy started out in 1992 as the project of Volker Lutz and Thorsten Brenda. Thorsten and Volker were introduced by a mutual friend who knew that each of the duo were heavily into industrial music and were already working on music of their own. After completing several tracks together they sent a demo tape to several labels, including the German Hypnobeat label (a sub label of Hyperium Records) who released their debut album Human Refuse at the end of 1993. Their second full length release, Morbid Mind, was released a year later and was recorded at André Schmechta's T. G. I. F. Studios, known for recording works by André's project X Marks the Pedwalk and many other well known German EBM and industrial bands. This studio collaboration with André also yielded an XMTP remix of "Dear God" that was included on the album and as a standalone CD maxi single. Their combination of distorted vocals and EBM rhythms with occasional touches of melody proved relatively successful, though their real breakthrough came in 1995 with their "Organics" single, which received significant airplay on both sides of the Atlantic. Organics, and the follow on album XTC Implant, demonstrated a new sound for the band, integrating a high energy techno style into their typical dark electro that stood apart from their contemporaries at the time. XTC Implant proved to have a lasting and influential effect on the EBM scene. The Illusion album, released in 1997, was the last album by this act that might accurately be defined as "industrial". Angels Only!, released the following year, moved away from distorted vocals and towards a more synthpop style. This was the first Evils Toy recording to feature Oliver Taranczewski, as well as the last recorded with Thorsten Brenda. For background vocals and live keyboards Volker brought in his long time girlfriend Cordula K, who also appears in the videos for "Virtual State" and "Dream With Me". The addition of Taranczewski to the band in 1997 brought with him lyrical inspiration from the stories of H. P. Lovecraft to infuse into the band's sci fi ethic. Lyrics on several tracks on Angels Only! — "Back On Earth," "From Above Comes Sleep," and "Colours Out Of Space" — drew directly from Lovecraftian themes of the Great Old Ones, R'lyeh, and the text The Colour Out of Space respectively. Taranczewski continued to weave these themes into the remaining Evils Toy releases and into early T. O. Y. songs as well. The album Silvertears was released on E Wave Records (with distribution through BMG) in 2000 and was the last release under the name Evils Toy. The project was known as "T. O. Y." thereafter.

In 2001 the band renamed then released their first album, Space Radio, through E Wave/BMG. That year they toured with De/Vision for 28 dates across Europe. Their second album under the new name, White Lights, continued the "softer" tone of the previous album. The band have produced many remixes for other bands like Apoptygma Berzerk, In Strict Confidence, De/Vision and !Bang Elektronika. Volker also used his SonicStage Recording Studios to record and produce works by bands such as And One, L'Âme Immortelle, and Funker Vogt. In 2004 Volker made a song for the German radio play The three investigators song contest. Also in 2004, the computer game company Konami used a song produced by T. O. Y. on the PS2 & Xbox release Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2. The track was a remix of the DDR and Beatmania IIDX song "I Feel " by game music composer, Akira Yamaoka. Bands like Neuropa, Echo Image, Alien#Six13 and Midihead also contributed to the soundtrack. In 2005 Taranczewski released an album with Stephan Voigt of the band Plastic under the name Yavin 4, an album sounding more like the older Evils Toy releases mixed with modern dance and drum & bass elements. He also produced the Cruciform Injection album Aftermath that was released in 2006. In May 2009 Taranczewski left the band for good. Volker said he would finish the album, entitled Pain is Love, on his own. After Taranczewski's departure, Markus Helmert and Christian "Léo" Leonhardt joined Volker, playing keyboards and drums, respectively. In September 2014, Helmert quit the band due to health reasons. About the same time, Taranczewski re joined the band as a keyboardist, while Leonhardt was replaced by Marc A. Nathaniel on drums. The new lineup continued to work on finishing the long delayed album, Pain is Love, as well playing live gigs. In March 2017 Taranczewski again left the band for personal reasons. Helge Wiegand, a songwriter from Cologne and also keyboard player and vocalist of the band Diorama, joined the band in April 2017. That Summer the album Pain is Love was finally released. Later that year the band headlined the XV Synthetic Snow Festival in Moscow, Russia. In 2019, T. O. Y. released a two track single, "Silent Soldiers", on the Swedish Progress Productions label. Videos were filmed for the tracks by director Rytis Titas on location in Lithuania and were inspired by the aesthetics of the series Stranger Things.

Year Compilation Label Track 1994 Body Rapture Vol. 3 Zoth Ommog Track #9 "Make Up" 1994 We Came to Dance Vol. V Sub Terranean Track #14 "Third World War" 1995 Diva Performance 10th Anniversary Cinemanyx Track #4 "Sacred (Diva Mix '95)" 1995 Hypnobeats Hypnobeat Track #5 "Make Up" 1995 Moonraker Vol. II Sub Terranean Disc #1, Track #14 "Make Up" 1995 There Is No Time Ras Dva Records Disc #4, Track #13 "Dear God" 1995 We Came to Dance – Indie Dancefloor Vol. VII Sub Terranean Track #5 "Dear God" 1996 Belle Epoque – Romantic Wave Episodes Sub Terranean Track #15 "Lonely" 1996 Hypnobeats 2 Hypnobeat Track #1 "Organics" 1996 Sound Line Vol. 4 Side Line Track #5 "Home" 1996 The Digital Space Between Vol. 3 Cleopatra Track #11 "Dear God (X Marks the Pedwalk Remix)" 1996 The Gothic Compilation Part 5 Gothic Records (Germany) Track #5 "Home" 1997 Alternative Nova Tekk Track #7 "Prevision" 1997 German Mystic Sound Sampler Volume VI Zillo Track #10 "The Old Race" 1997 Moonraker Vol. 3 Sub Terranean Disc #1, Track #4 "Dizzy Divination" 1997 Virtual X mas 97 Energy Records Track #5 "Virtual X mas 97" 1997 We Came to Dance – Indie Dancefloor Vol. 10 Sub Terranean Disc #2, Track #9 "Organics" 1998 Best of Electronic Music TCM Musikproduktionsgesellschaft mbH Disc #1, Track #11 "Transparent Frequencies" 1998 Cyberl@b Nuclear Blast Disc #2, Track #7 "Lucifer's Garden" 1998 Deejay Tribe Credo Disc #2, Track #11 "Transparent Frequencies" 1998 Electrocity Level X Ausfahrt Track #8 "Lucifer's Garden" 1998 Electropolis: Volume 1 Metropolis Track #12 "Organics (Slow Motion Mix)" 1998 Hypnotic & Hypersonic Hyperium Records Disc #2, Track #3 "Organics (Remix)" 1998 Innovation Eins Credo, Nova Tekk Track #6 "Motionless" 1998 Moonraker Vol. IV Sub Terranean Disc #1, Track #2 "Co Existence" 1998 Sauna – Våren 1998 Sauna Magazine Track #2 "Motionless" 1998 Sender Rio Presents Rock and Wave Credo Disc #1, Track #1 "Fallen Angel" 1998 Stage 1 Schwarzrock Track #1 "Co Existence" 1998 We Came to Dance – Indie Dancefloor Vol. 11 Sub Terranean Disc #2, Track #4 "Lucifers Garden (Remix)" 1998 We Came To Watch Part 1 Credo Video #5 "Co Existence" 1999 Body Rapture 7 Zoth Ommog Disc #1, Track #3 "In Silence (Album Mix)" 1999 Body Rapture 8 Zoth Ommog Disc #1, Track #5 "Co Existence" 1999 Cover Classics Volume One VISION Records Track #9 "In The Army Now" 1999 Deejay Tribe 2 Credo Disc #1, Track #6 "Angels Only! – Beyond" 1999 Electro Club Attack – Shot One XXC Disc #1, Track #11 "Angles Only! > Beyond" 1999 Electro Club Attack – Shot Two XXC, Zoomshot Media Entertainment Disc #2, Track #6 "Lucifer's Garden (Remix)" 1999 Electro Mania Zoth Ommog Track #5 "Mad Modern Dream" 1999 Memobeat – An Electro Industrial Compilation Memento Materia Track #3 "Transparent Frequencies" 1999 The Electronic Challenge Vol. 3 COP International Track #6 "Transparent Frequencies (Klupp Miks)" 2000 Gothic Compilation Part XI Betbeliever Releases Track #5 "Rainbow vs. Stars" 2001 Electro Club Attack – The Classix I XXC Disc #1, Track #3 "Make Up" 2003 DJ Revelation 01 (Compiled By L'Âme Immortelle) Angelstar Track #8 "Make Up" 2003 Tonedeaf Records Presents: Vinyl Conflict No. 1 ToneDeaf Records Track #2 "Space Radio" 2005 Synth & Wave Essentials ZYX Music Track #19 "Virtual State"

Year Compilation Label Track 2001 Club Bizarre 2 Angelstar Disc #1, Track #8 "Welcome to Spaceradio" 2001 Strange Love 5 Orkus Track #1 "Strange Modern Art" 2002 Advanced Electronics Synthetic Symphony Disc #1, Track #6 "Loner (Remix)" 2002 Dark Decryption – The Electro Remix Selection Vol. 02 XXC Disc #1, Track #14 "Dream With Me (Massiv in Mensch Remix)" 2002 Synth & Wave Essentials ZYX Music Disc #2, Track #4 "We Are Electric" 2002 Zillo Dark Summer – Best of Goth Open Airs 2002 Zillo Disc #1, Track #7 "Dream With Me (Fairlage Mix)" 2003 Gothic Compilation Part XX Batbeliever Releases Track #10, "Long Distance Ride" 2003 Orkus Compilation VII Orkus Track #3 "Long Distance Ride" 2003 Sonic Seducer Cold Hands Seduction Vol. 28 Sonic Seducer Track #1 "Long Distance Ride" 2003 Stromschlag Volume 1 Electro Shock Records Track #7 "Dream With Me (Massiv In Mensch Remix)" 2004 Listen to the Future A Different Drum Track #2 "Color Matching" 2004 Synthpop Club Anthems 3 A Different Drum Track #6 "Another Lovesong (Trance Mix By Massiv In Mensch)" 2004 The Collector's Set of Dark Electronic E Wave Records Disc #3 Tracks #1 #14 2005 Synth & Wave Essentials Vol. 2 ZYX Music Disc #1, Track #2 "Do Dreams Bleed (Memphis Mix)" 2006 DDR Festival & Dance Dance Revolution Strike Original Soundtrack Toshiba EMI Ltd Disc #1, Track #42 "I Feel (T. O. Y. Remix)"