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Paradoxx

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Project Members

Ralph Dix (1996-present - writing, guitars, bass, synthesizers, vocals)
Lissa (1996-present - lead and backing vocals)
Steve (1996-2000 - keyboards, guitar, programming)
Jessika (2001-2002 - vocals)
Phoenix (2004-present - vocals)
Kris (2004-present - guitars)

Project History

Aussie musicians Ralph Dix and Lissa founded euro-dance outfit Paradox in 1996. The band was initially called Audio Paradox, but shortened its name to Paradox to avoid confusion with the industrial goth outfit led by Josh Pyle. The outfit later changed the spelling to Paradoxx with a silent x after learning of another Christian rock band that recorded as Paradox in the late 80's.

Paradox (1996 - 2000)

The band's debut album, Subculture, apparently featured a danceable synth-pop style similar to New Order or Code of Ethics, but was not released outside Australia.

The outfit first gained exposure in North America when the hi NRG anthem "Romantic" was included on Electrapop, a compilation of underground Christian synth-pop, industrial and electronica artists jointly released by N*Soul Records and Flaming Fish Music in late 1998. Another song, "Submission", was featured on Ballistic Test 6, a limited edition compilation released by Flaming Fish Music about the same time, as well as a dance remix of the same name appearing on a different drums "Mix,Rinse and Spin'.

The band attained a following in the North American Christian dance scene as a result of these tracks, both of which were subsequently included on its sophomore album, "New Devotion", released in 1999. Although the outfit retained its retro-80's style, "New Devotion" combined the female-fronted hi NRG sound of Animotion and Bananarama with darker, goth imagery and an electro-industrial edge. In addition to the aforementioned "Romantic" and "Submission", other notable songs included the title track, "Retro-bution" and "In My Dream".

Devotio Moderna (2001 - 2002)

The band further explored the goth scene on its next project, an EP titled Devotio Moderna, Latin for New Devotion. Released in 2001, the EP marked a radical musical departure and featured a spooky, dark electro and ambient style reminiscent of Mark Snow, best known for his work on The X-Files. The songs all followed an allegorical fantasy story involving a woman who was called to fight the Nephilim, the mysterious superhuman giants described in Genesis 6:4 and other Old Testament passages as being the offspring of human women and fallen angels. One track, "Abduction" explores the controversial theory that these same fallen angels are also the "aliens" behind the modern-day UFO phenomenon.

Teknologi and Atomika (2002 - present)

Paradoxx returned to dance music on its third and fourth studio projects, Teknologi and Paradoxx - Atomika. This time, the band experimented with "electro-clash," a relatively new style of electronic music that crossed retro-80's synth-pop sounds with punk imagery. With the exception of New York City outfit Soviet, few other overtly Christian bands have recorded electro-clash music.

The band first displayed their new sound on Atomika (demo) a maxi-single demo released as a teaser for the new album in 2002. The music retained the Nephilim and sci-fi imagery from Devotio Moderna, but restored the powerful, female vocals and driving, danceable beats of earlier releases. The "(acoustika)" version of the title track, however, added a unique twist by stripping away the synthesizers and lavish production to create a stripped down, "unplugged" effect comrpised only of vocals and a simple, acoustic guitar riff.

The band released its first version of the full-length, Teknologi, on Tonedeaf Records, in early 2003. In addition to both versions of "Atomika", this release further explored the electro-clash style on the title track, a thought-provoking commentary on the misuse of technology for weapons and greed and the upbeat, praise anthem "Hope In My Eyes". Ralph also takes over the lead vocals on "Wait", a downtempo, electro-goth number featuring a first-person narrative of a person left behind by the Rapture.

Although Teknologi was a good recording, the band rerecorded the album with an edgier, industrial dance style, dropped a couple tracks, added a few others and reissued it as Atomika on the Cold Fusion label in August 2004. Although the title track, "Alien" and new number "Radium Lover" all retained an electro-clash vibe, "Teknologi" now included crunchy, industrial-flavored guitar riffs, and two new songs, "Catwalk" and "Vampyre" explored Euro-dance and electro-goth styles, respectively.

Current Status

Active.

Discography

As Paradox: