DICE (band)

DICE
Origin	Gütersloh, Leipzig, Germany
Genres	Prog Rock, Art Rock, Space Rock
Years active	1974-present
Website	www.dice-band.de
Members
Christian Nóvé, Peter Viertel, Jens Lübeck, Tom Tomson

DICE is a German prog rock band that was founded in 1974 in West Germany (Gütersloh/Eastern Westphalia) by Christian Nóvé (voc, git), Andreas Schattschneider (git), Gerd Brummel (dr) and Norbert Schulze (effects). After several regroupings the band moved to Frankfurt am Main in 1977, and released 2 LP albums. In 1992, the band’s composer and lead singer Christian Nóvé revived the group in Leipzig. Since having released a record every year since 1997, the band attained a somewhat iconic position in the prog rock genre. Today, DICE is internationally known.

Biography

DICE in a live performance

DICE was founded by Christian Nóvé and has been in existence with its original band members since 1974. In 1979, the first DICE record was released. It featured musicians such as Alto Pappert (formerly Kraan) and George Kochbeck (formerly Joachim Kühn). "Live-DICE" followed in 1983; an additional release in picture disc format is fetching high prices from today’s collectors. Today, the first DICE records are listed in rarity catalogues.

After having been founded in Gütersloh in 1974 and having moved to Frankfurt am Main, it only took a few years for the group to establish itself as one of Germany’s prog rock institutions. The long band history saw several turnarounds and changes; especially notable is the group’s revival after DICE mastermind Christian Nóvé moved to Leipzig in 1991.

Since 1997, DICE has been releasing a longtrack CD annually. The group is regularly reviewed in international music magazines and has become an integral part of the prog rock scene. The music of DICE is characterized by intelligent arrangements of catchy melodies, a foundation of complex rhythms underneath seemingly floating keyboards, and guitar sounds reminiscent of bands such as Pink Floyd. The music is often compared to that of Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Eloy, IQ (band), as well as Marillion and Flower Kings.

In addition to the release of their 8th CD, "Waterworld", the largest live performance in the history of DICE made 2002 an important year for the group. During the THEATRON-Musiksommer Open-Air-Festival in Munich, close to 3000 fans celebrated the band. Live recordings of this concert have been released in CD and DVD format.

To date, the band has released 12 studio albums, as well as 4 live recordings and 2 DVDs.

Discography

Studio Albums

1979: DICE "1979-1993" (vinyl, re-released in CD format in1993)

1997: DICE "Nightmare"

1999: DICE "Silvermoon"

2000: DICE "Dreamland"

2001: DICE "2001 - Dice In Space"

2002: DICE "Waterworld"

2004: DICE "If The Beatles Were From Another Galaxy"

2005: DICE "Time – In Eleven Pictures"

2006: DICE "Without vs. Within Pt. 1"

2007: DICE "Within vs. Without Next Part"

2009: DICE "Versus Without Versus - End Part"

2010: DICE "Eternity's Ocean"

Live Albums

1983: DICE "Live 1983" (vinyl, re-released in CD format in 2000)

1998: DICE "Space Rock live" (CD)

2003: DICE "Cosmic-Prog Live" At The Theatron - Munich Olympiapark-Festival (CD)

2008: DICE "The Torgau Show" (CD)

DVDs

2003: DICE "Cosmic-Prog In Concert" (live performance)

2008: DICE "A Long Cosmic Trip" (video clips)

External links

• http://www.dice-band.de
• http://www.scene-records.de
• http://www.myspace.com/diceprog