bio and history
Jordan Reyne grew up on the west coast of New Zealand's south island, to the sound of booming surf and eclectic wildlife. Her love of machines and folk music was born from a childhood of playing with broken farm impliments, and exploring abandoned mines and native forests. Jordan began playing real musical instruments when she attended school. teachers and students alike praised her voice, but were somewhat mystified by her experimentations. by the 1990's jordan had moved to wellington with her family, but hitchhiked up to auckland soon after to brave a musical career.
In 1997 her first album "Birds of Prey" was released by Deepgrooves/ Festival and gained her two separate nominations for a new zealand music award. In 1999 - in an attempt to shirk the misleading categorisation of "singer songwriter" (applied to almost all solo female artists at the time in New zealand) jordan changed her performance name to "Dr kevorkian & the suicide machine". A move that was unpopular locallly, but saw her reach a wider audience internationally, as well as a following with the dark end scene at home. in 2002 her concept album "The loneliest of creatures" was also released under this name .
In 2003, Reyne bought a one-way ticket to Germany and travelled around the country recording train noise on her MiniDisc recorder. The results of her experiences on this journey was the 2004 album Passenger, which gained her a further music award nomination.
In November 2004, Reyne began a two month residence in Karamea funded by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. She used this time to work on songs inspired by the life of Susannah Hawes, an Englishwoman who emigrated to Karamea in 1874. These songs form the backbone of her fifth album; the folk noir "How The Dead Live", which was released in 2009.
Jordan relocated to Germany in March 2006, fleeing the increasingly pop-oriented music scene at home. She currently lives in Hamburg.
releases
How
the
Dead Live (2009)
dark folk/ folk noir
based on the story of one of New Zealands first settlers and her battle
with the character "History".
Passenger
(2004)
dark electronica
Passenger is a tale of the
emptiness in ourselves we run from, but find reflected in the wider
world.
The
Loneliest of
Creatures
(2002)
avant garde electronica
The
story of a space probe who goes in search of intelligent life only to
find an empty universe and the ghosts of failed human endeavor.
The
Ironman
(2000)
darkwave/ industrial
A concept CD about how humans live with machines, and how we seek to
impose order on chaos.
Birds
of Prey (1997)
alternative/ industrial/
dark folk
Jordan's debut album and a mix of styles ranging from grunge riot grrl
to experimental industrial found sound.
Plus appearances on:
Cafe Del
Mar - 25th Anniversary Edition
Wall of Bass Technique - Baitercell and Schumacher
Roofers - Breaks Co op
Baxter - Various
Count Backwards from 10 - Strawpeople
Collaborations
Outside of her own dark folk/ folk noir and industrial inspired compositions, Jordan has performed with a range of New Zealands most notable artists. From the renowned experimental orchastra "Stroma" to some of New Zealands top dance/ hip hop acts suchs as "Baitercell and Schumacher", "Strawpeople", "Rob Salmon" and "Breaks Coop". She also appeared on Cafe Del Mar, and collaborated posthumously with James K Baxter, as part of the Baxter Project. An undertaking organised by Charlotte Yates, where notable New Zealand artists put music and melody to one of New Zealands most celebrated poets. Reynes contributions to film and television include: Lord of the Rings, Blessed, Shortland Street, Off the Beaten track, and further New Zealand documentaries. Her collaboration with New Zealand Cyber-Pop artist "Johnny Chrome" features on the Cafe Del Mars 25th Anniversary Edition CD.
awards
2005
Nomination for Best Female Artist
at the Vodofone
2004 New Zealand Arts Council commission to
record the historical folk noir album "How the Dead Live".
2004 "
2003 Wild Creations Artists Scholarship.
2001 Nominated for a Student Radio Network
(bNet) Award
2001 SOUNZ Contemporary Awards Commendation for
"The Long Goodbye at the APRA Silver Scroll Awards.
2001 Wellington Music Awards
"National Achievement" award.
2000 Nominated for a New Zealand Music award
2000 Album of the Year Award as voted by the New
Zealand Gothic
Underground (GUNZ) webzine in their annual readers poll.
1999 Arts Council commissioned the writing of "The
Ironman"
1997 Nomination for a
1997 Arts council funded a national tour by
Reyne to promote
technology in music.
notable performaces
"
Annual Gothic Ball (
2004
National Music Expo (
Real Groovy Records Performance (
Annual Gothic Ball (
Wild Creations Residency 6 week writing
residency supported by the New Zealand Arts Council and Department of
Conservation. Karamea , New Zealand.
2003
APRA Silver Scroll Awards
(09)03 Contemporary Music Festival
performance with the Stroma Orchestra
National Radio Performace (as vocalist) of
Victoria Kellys Short Song Cyle with Stroma (orchestra)
Version Electronic Music Festival
Performace (as vocalist) of
Victoria Kellys Short Song Cyle with Stroma (orchestra)
Taranaki Festival of the Arts (New
Fuel festival of the Arts (
2001
Carnival
of Souls (Wellington, New Zealand)
Wellington International festival
of the
Arts (Wellington, New Zealand)
The
Darkness Gathering (Wellington, New Zealand)
1997 & 1998
42-date National Tour of
Secondary Schools
sponsored by Fender and the Arts Council Aotearoa.
The Big Day Out (headliner: Soundgarden. Auckland, New Zealand)
The
Big Day Out (Auckland, New Zealand)
Mountain
Rock Festival (headliner: Joe Satriani. Palmerston North, New Zealand)