Deine Lakaien

Deine Lakaien
Alexander Veljanov (left), Ernst Horn (right) performing with the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt in Berlin, Feb. 19th, 2007
Background information
Origin	Germany
Genres	Avant-garde, electronic, neoclassical, dark wave
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Chrom Records, Indigo Records, Columbia/Sony Music, Capitol Records, EMI
Website	http://www.deine-lakaien.com/
Members	Principal Alexander Veljanov (vocals) Ernst Horn (instruments) Other Goran Trajkoski (since 2014): E-guitar, electronics, back up vocalist Slobodan Kajkut (since 2014): drums
Past members	Other Christian „Komo“ Komorowski (1991–1999): violin Michael Popp (1991–2001): E-guitar, medieval instruments Robert Wilcocks (2002–2011): E-guitar Tobias „B. Deutung“ Unterberg (since 2002): cello Yvonne „Ivee Leon“ Fechner (since 2002): violin, back up vocalist Katharina „Sharifa“ Garrard (since 2002): violin, back up vocalist

Deine Lakaien is a German band project active since 1985. It is formed by the vocalist Alexander Veljanov and by the composer and multi-instrumentalist Ernst Horn. The group unites influences from dark wave with pop music and elements of avant-garde.

Deine Lakaien was founded in 1985 by Ernst Horn and Alexander Veljanov. Ernst Horn had just quit his position as a conductor at the Statestheater of Baden in Karlsruhe, while keeping his freelance work as pianist and composer for dramas at the "Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel" in Munich being engaged in avant-garde music of the 20th century. Alexander Veljanov, born in Republic of Macedonia, was enrolled for film and theatre studies in Munich in 1985. He was part of the gothic subculture and mainly interested in Dark Wave. Alexander Veljanov described the first meeting with the about 10 years older Ernst Horn like this:

Two quite different men were standing face to face and the difference in age could not be overlooked. As we started talking about music, the ice melt quickly, though our taste in music could not have been more different.

Ernst Horn was dissatisfied with his occupation in the past and wanted to do something more modern. He had recorded a few pieces for a new project in winter 1984 already. Only a singer was missing. In 1985 he advertised in a newspaper "Vocalist wanted who enjoys experimenting". After Alexander Veljanov contacted Ernst Horn responding to the ad, both met in Munich and founded Deine Lakaien within the same year.

Their debut album Deine Lakaien, that was distributed by themselves, was released in 1986 an edition of 500 records, which Ernst Horn financed personally. Though the musicians were looking for record stores all over Germany to sell the album, only few showed interest. Thanks to some stores a few 100 records could be sold eventually. The track Colour-Ize got played in local discos and became an underground-hit. The success of Deine Lakaien remained locally restrained. Colour-Ize was released in 1990 on the first Zillo-Sampler German Mystic Sound Sampler Volume I. At this time, the band was already under contract.