| Blaqk Audio | |
|---|---|
Blaqk Audio performing live in 2007. From left to right: Davey Havok and Jade Puget. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Oakland, California, United States |
| Genres | Synthpop,[1] EBM, Dark Wave |
| Years active | 2001–2002, 2006–present |
| Labels | Interscope |
| Associated acts | AFI, Loose Change, Redemption 87, Influence 13, Son of Sam |
| Website | www.blaqkaudio.com |
| Members | |
| Davey Havok Jade Puget |
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Blaqk Audio is an American electronic music duo formed by current AFI members Davey Havok and Jade Puget under Interscope Records. Their debut album CexCells was released on August 14, 2007 and reached number eighteen on the Billboard 200.
The band's second album Bright Black Heaven has been completed as of December 2, 2011.[2] The album's release has been postponed many times; there is currently no official release date. There are no officially released singles yet from the album, but a number of new songs have been played live and received radio airplay and published by the band on their SoundCloud page.
Contents |
Havok and Puget started writing music for Blaqk Audio around the year 2001, but they were too busy with AFI to devote enough time to the electronic side project.[3] They returned to the project only in year 2006,[3] and the debut album CexCells was put out in August 2007.
AFI have increasingly included synthesized elements into their recent albums; 2003 release Sing the Sorrow and 2006 release Decemberunderground credit Puget with 'programming and keyboards'.[4][5] These synthesized elements are particularly apparent on songs such as "Death of Seasons" and "37mm". In the August 2006 edition of Guitar World, Puget states that AFI songs "37mm" and "Love Like Winter" were both originally intended as part of the Blaqk Audio side project.[6] Elements of programming, however, can be found as early as 2000's The Art of Drowning, which featured a drum machine on "The Despair Factor".[7]
Blaqk Audio entered the studio to record several songs for their first album in January 2007.[8] Puget kept fans apprised with updates through his blog, before the Blaqk Audio Myspace was created in February 2007. By July 27, they had filmed footage for the music video for their debut single "Stiff Kittens", but the video was never finished.
On January 12, 2008, Puget uploaded a new song to the Blaqk Audio Myspace titled "The Ligature".
Instrumental versions of the songs, "Between Breaths" and "The Love Letter" were used in trailers and on the official website for the 2008 film The Eye. In response to the buzz it created, Puget suggested at a possible public release of all the CexCells songs in instrumental form.
Puget did a remix for the band Tokio Hotel of their song "Ready, Set, Go!" called "Ready, Set, Go! (AFI/Blaqk Audio Remix)" and it can be found on the CD Scream America!. Blaqk Audio contributed a cover of "No New Tale to Tell" to the tribute album for Love and Rockets, New Tales to Tell: A Tribute to Love and Rockets.
While promoting AFI's new single "Medicate" on KROQ, Havok said that Blaqk Audio's second album was already completed, but they are focused on AFI as they feel "if all of a sudden we're doing two Blaqk Audio records in a row people will think AFI is not happening or something."[9] Puget has revealed that the name of the upcoming album is Bright Black Heaven.[9] They have continued writing new songs, so the new album may go through considerable changes before the release.[9][10]
They have recorded over thirty new songs.[11] Since February 2010 the California based radio station Live 105 has been playing a new Blaqk Audio song entitled "Ill Lit Ships". From July 22, 2010, BPM on Sirius XM Radio have been playing a new song entitled "Bon Voyeurs." On October 24, 2010, Live105 premiered a song titled "Mouth to Mouth".
Blaqk Audio performed at Subsonic Spookfest 2010 with eight songs, three of them being completely new songs: "This Is...", "Fade to White" and "Let's Be Honest".[12][13]
On November 25, Blaqk Audio posted a song titled "Down Here" on their SoundCloud page.[14] On December 1, Live105 posted a song titled "Cold War".[15]
On January 6, 2011, they performed a show at club Popscene in San Francisco, playing two new songs among others: "Say Red" and "Everyone's Friends".[16]
On July 19, a clip of an unknown song was played on Jade Puget's Turntable.fm account.[17]
On July 23, a previously unheard song called "Bliss" was uploaded to their Soundcloud page,[18] along with "Ill-Lit Ships" and "Mouth to Mouth".[19] The song "Bliss" was also premiered on Live 105.
A new Blaqk Audio song called "The Witness" is on the official soundtrack album of the 2011 movie Abduction, released on September 20.[20]
Another song called "Afterdark" is on the official soundtrack album of the video game Batman: Arkham City, released on October 4.[21]
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [22] |
US Alt. [23] |
US Dance [24] |
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| 2007 | CexCells
|
18 | 5 | 1 |
| 2012 | Bright Black Heaven
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| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt. [25] |
US Dance [26] |
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| 2007 | "Stiff Kittens" | 20 | 38 | CexCells |
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