History
Early years
In the early 2000s, Barcelona was a hub of musical activity in the rock and pop scene as well as in the electronic genre. Marc Dorian, Belly Hernández and Bart Sanz (three musicians linked to the independent scene) decided to start a project in which the sound was a combination of new wave elements from the 80s and electronic sounds from the 90s and 2000s. That is why some of the first influences of the band were groups like Radio Futura, Nacha Pop, Aviador Dro, New Order, The Cure, The Chameleons, Dntel or The Postal Service.
It was not easy for Dorian at the beginning. They gambled on a sound based on the mixture of synthesizers and guitars and lyrics in Spanish, but the underground musical scene was mostly dominated by rock in English. Nevertheless, the band made their way step by step winning demo competitions, like the one organized by the Zorrock Festival in which the band won against 1500 contestants.
The first times the band played abroad were in festivals like the MIFOC (Balkans) or the Maus Hábitos (Portugal). Between 2003 and 2004 Dorian performed in many Spanish cities. This tour helped the band to have a good apprenticeship before the release of their first album.
2004: 10.000 metrópolis
10.000 metrópolis is the title of their debut album. Critics praised their work and the band earned a place in the musical scene. Songs like Solar or Te echamos de menos (which is about the death of a young person) became underground hits which are still playing in indie clubs. Between 2005 and 2009, Te echamos de menos appeared on more than 12 compilation albums.
In 2005 this debut album was reissued named 10,000 metropolis Vs. 10,000 metropolis remixes, including a second album of remixes of the songs performed by some of the best DJs in the music scene of the moment, among which were DJ Undo (Razzmatazz / The Loft), Ferenc (Nitsa - Apolo) and Dj Coco (Nitsa - Apolo).
In 2006 Dorian appeared on more than the best clubs and festivals in Spain. Internationally recognized events, such as Benicassim (which are usual), BAM or Primavera Sound, in addition to other events such as Expresa Pamplona, Festival Do Norte, Festival Tendencias, Indirama, Low Cost, Razzmatazz, Apolo, Stereo, El Cau...), allowed the band to perform on big stages and share billing with artists such as Suede, Placebo, Frank Black or Underworld. At the same time, the band began to focus on recording a second album that would unexpectedly end up propelling the band's career.
2007: El futuro no es de nadie
In 2007, Dorian published El futuro no es de nadie, reinforcing its indie musical style composed of electronic melodies and demanded poetic and political lyrics, whose standard bearer is the successful single Cualquier otra parte, turned into an entire generational anthem in Spain and countries like Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru or Argentina has already seen through their music. This second album resulted in an extensive two-year tour and more than 150 performances, which allowed them to perform in outstanding clubs and festivals in Spain, Portugal and the United States.
At the moment Cualquier otra parte is considered one of the first songs that obtained a massive support thanks to the social networks in Spain, without counting on the support of campaigns of promotion or marketing.
Some lyrics of El futuro no es de nadie, like La playa bajo el asfalto, Cualquier otra parte or even the song El futuro no es de nadie, were used as slogans by some protesters during the sit-ins of the 15-M movement in Madrid, when the economic crisis that struck the United States and Europe broke out in 2008.
2009: La ciudad subterránea
The band's third album, titled La ciudad subterránea, was released in 2009 after a tough process of recording that lasted 8 months. This album has reached the top 30 on the AFYVE sales list and it was rated as the best album of 2009 and the 32nd of the decade in the independent magazine Mondosonoro.
With this work, Dorian conquered the dance floors and they managed to be set as one of the leading bands in the new independent music scene, formed by groups that have managed to get ahead without submitting to the mercantilist interests of the music industry. La ciudad subterránea took the band to Canada, Argentina, Chile or Mexico, the country where they performed in front of thousands of spectators who attended to festivals and cities, among them the prestigious Vive Latino festival.
For the singles of La ciudad subterránea, the band filmed with Crampton video producer an original trilogy of video clips in which the same story of love between young people is narrated by way of beginning, middle and end. The songs selected for this trilogy of video clips were in this order: La tormenta de arena, Paraísos artificiales and La mañana herida, which are essential tunes in any concert of the band, nowadays. This trilogy of video clips has received millions of views on Internet channels like YouTube or Vimeo.
After an extensive tour that brought them for the first time to Canada, Argentina and Chile, Dorian ended 2009 with fourteen consecutive hits in Spain and three multitudinous concerts in Mexico, in which they accompanied Zoé and Café Tacvba, two of the most important bands of the Aztec scene.
In 2010 Dorian went a joint tour of Spain with Love of Lesbian and continued to visit Mexico, a country in which the band is highly valued and ended up spending much of 2012.
The Mexican edition of La ciudad subterránea is edited by Terrícolas Imbéciles and they also collaborate with Denise Gutiérrez (lo blondo) from the band Hello Seahorse! with the song Verte amanecer from Leon Larregui, the singer of the song Simulacro de emergencia.
2013: La velocidad del vacío
La velocidad del vacío, the Barcelona men’s fourth album, was produced by Phil Vinall, known for his work with bands such as Placebo, Pulp, The Auteurs, Radiohead or Zoé. The album reached the top 11 in the Spanish charts (AFYVE), remaining at number 1 for several weeks, and number 3 in ITunes.
It was released in countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and Chile. La velocidad del vacío was recorded and produced in Fatman Studios of the City of Mexico. This piece is distinguished from the rest of the band's productions by its sound, analogue and explicity, in which electronics does not play such a predominant role.
In La velocidad del vacío the band also introduced some acoustics from the border between the United States and Mexico, especially in songs like the hit song El tremblor and El sueño eterno, considered unanimously by public and critics as two of the best compositions of the band.
Los amigos que perdí, the first single from La velocidad del vacío, was voted by the musical press of Spain, Mexico and Colombia as one of the best songs of 2013.
2015: Diez años y un día
In 2015 Dorian celebrated their first ten years as a band with a special album: Diez años y un día.
It's an unplugged album in which the band reinvented in an acoustic key some of their most iconic themes, such as Cualquier otra parte, Verte amanecer, El temblor, Los amigos que perdí and La tormenta de arena. They complete the album with two unpublished themes: Arrecife (which opens the set) and Ara, a song sung in Catalan, in which the band tackles the profound disconnection that is being experienced in Europe and Spain between the political class and the citizens. Diez años y un día shows a rare instrumental display in contemporary music that includes pianos, cello, violins, wind instruments, theremin, harpsichords, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, percussions and even the harmonious timbre of the ronroco, an instrument made from rope originating in the Southern Cone of America that belongs to the Charango family.
The album includes a version of Los amigos que perdí sung by Santi Balmes, lead singer of Love of Lesbian, and El temblor, which features the collaboration of Mexican singer Marion Sosa, member of the Mexican duet Love la femme. Diez años y un día was top 9 in Spain and has been released in numerous countries. The band is currently immersed in an intense tour of Spain and much of Latin America.
They recently released the video of Cualquier otra parte included in Diez años y un día, starring the prestigious actors Daniel Brühl (Inglorious Bastards, Good Bye, Lenin!, Rush, Captain America: Civil War) and Maria Valverde (Three Steps above Heaven, Exodus, Now or Never). Expertly directed by Alexandre Tregón, the video shows the origin of an infectious love between both protagonists, who meet again through the music of Dorian after a separation.
