Koxbox is the innovative electronic music project of Ian Ion and Frank'e. Working together in the very early 90s alongside early band member Peter Candy, the Denmark-based trio formulated new sound concepts in techno music. Ian Ion came from a long history of production work with The Overlords, while the other two had years of experience DJing throughout the eighties, focused on sounds by bands such as Kraftwerk, Front 242, Tangerine Dream and Nu Beat. After releasing a pair of singles on various labels they were signed to Sven Väth's legendary Harthouse where they would go on to release six singles before dropping their first epic album Forever After to instant acclaim. With the positive feedback in mind the group decided to try out their music in a live setting and played alongside UK electronica act Fluke at a club called the Blitz in Denmark. It was clear at this point that something unique was coming into being.

In 1997 the band signed to Blue Room Recordings out of London, UK. Later that year they released Dragon Tales, an incredible album full of devious sound textures and neuron-scathing noise patterns. During this time a side project by the name of Psychopod was also founded, focusing on taking the Koxbox sound into ever-more psychedelic realms and creating what is (in my opinion anyway) the most insanely acidic, mind-bending piece of music known to mankind: the Headlines EP (released on T.I.P. Records, the classic Goa label that started it all). Plenty of remixes (of Slinky Wizard, Juno Reactor, and others) and compilation appearances were also undertaken in this time period, marking it as the halcyon golden days of the band.

1998 marked a turning point for the group, as Peter Candy left to pursue other interests, while the remaining band members worked on music for film and strange new directions for the group. A new album emerged in 1999 which is best described by a quote from their bio: "The Great Unknown was a radical departure from the known Koxbox style, slower and more funky, but retaining the crystalline production and exquisite application of state of the art technology for which the band is known." This third album was to shatter barriers with its warped amalgamation of influences from jazz, techno, downtempo, trance, house, drum & bass, and all points in between.

Since then the Koxbox team of Ian Ion and Frank'e revisted their Psychopod side-project and decided to give the concept a complete rework. Since T.I.P. records was long gone by this time around the turn of the millenium they changed the name to Saiko-Pod (reflecting a japanophile tendancy which began to clearly emerge with the release Dragon Tales) and began to focus on progressive house and lounge/club-oriented sounds. The album Phutures and Options was released in 2002 and has been slowly digested by the world electronic music scene through frequent remixes and numerous high-profile compilation appearances of the various singles.

In 2004 the Koxbox team finally split after over a decade of illustrious musical history. Ian Ion continues to make progressive and clubby sounds as Saiko-Pod while Frank'e retains the Koxbox name and has begun to release new singles with a hard acid techno flavour, though both projects retain an unmistakeable and distinct quality that elevates them to the realm of legends.

Selected Discography:

Koxbox - Crystal / World of Illusions (12") - Where's The Party 1992?
Koxbox - Acid Vol.3 (10") - Harthouse 1993
Koxbox - Acid Vol.3 & Birdy (12") - Outloud Records 1993
Koxbox - Flashback (12") - Harthouse 1994
Koxbox - Insect (12") - Harthouse 1995
Koxbox - Forever After (CD/LP) - Harthouse 1995
Koxbox - Point of No Return / Tribal Oscillation RMXs (12"/CDS) - Harthouse 1995
Psychopod - Dreampod (12"/CDS) - T.I.P. Records 1996
Koxbox - Stratosfear (12"/CDS) - Blue Room Released 1996
Koxbox - Dragon Tales (CD/LP) - Blue Room Released 1997
Koxbox - Life Is... EP (12"/CDS) - Blue Room Released 1997
Psychopod - Headlines EP (CD/LP) - T.I.P. Records 1997
Koxbox - Too Pure (12"/CDS) - Blue Room Released 1997
Koxbox - The Great Unknown (CD/LP) - Liquid Audio Soundz / G.T.N. 1999
Koxbox - A Major Problem In Australia EP (CD/LP) - Liquid Audio Soundz 2000
Saiko-Pod - Phutures and Options (CD/LP) - Spiral Trax / Solstice 2002
Saiko-Pod - Groove Moderator (12") - ACDC 2003
Saiko-Pod - Phuturemixes (CD) - ACDC 2004

Homepage:

http://www.koxbox.dk/