- Kurt Harland
Infobox musical artist
Img_capt = Kurt Harland and wife Michelle Larson, 2004
Name = Kurt Harland
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Kurt Harland Larson
Alias = Kurt Valaquen, Kurt Larson
Born = birth date and age|1963|1|25
Origin =Minneapolis ,Minnesota
Occupation =Singer ,songwriter ,record producer , game soundtrack composer,audio engineer
Associated_acts = Information SocietyKurt Harland is a
singer ,composer , andvideo game developer /audio engineer . He is best known as the lead singer of Information Society and composer of the soundtracks for the "Legacy of Kain " video game series.Biography
He was born Kurt Harland Larson, on
January 25 ,1963 ) inMinnesota . Starting at the age of six, he took piano lessons, and by the end of high school, this had expanded into choral and theatrical singing and stage performing.During college, he and a high school friend started a recording group they called Information Society, which would become a decades-long involvement with music, electronic audio, and recording/programming.
After living in New York, Vienna, and Minneapolis, Kurt moved to California, where he now resides in San Francisco with his wife and son.
Career
Kurt Harland Larson has twenty-six years of experience with electronic audio gear and recording, beginning in 1982.
Information Society
Formed in 1982,
synthpop band Information Society achieved mainstream success for a while in the late eighties and early nineties. They are most widely known for their 1988 hit single "What's On Your Mind? (Pure Energy) ".In early concerts and albums, Harland was credited under the pseudonym "Kurt Valaquen." After the band had achieved mainstream success, he began using his own middle name as his professional last name. [http://insoc.org/texts/Name.HTML]
After Information Society broke up, Kurt kept the rights to the name of the band and released a solo album, "Don't Be Afraid", in 1997.
A 2004 episode of VH1's
Bands Reunited , caused a brief controversy when Kurt Harland refused to appear in anInformation Society reunion performance, despite apparently accepting the invitation on-camera by signing a copy of their first album. In an account of the incident written by Harland and available on his website [http://insoc.org/texts/BandReunion.HTML] , Harland disputes VH1's depiction of the events and his portrayal on the show, claiming that the show was edited to make it look as if he had accepted the invitation and then backed out of it. [http://insoc.org/texts/BRMail05.HTML]In 2006, he turned the name back over to
Paul Robb and James Cassidy, who reformed the band with a new singer. Harland cited family obligations and a demanding career in not returning full time; he has since been involved nonetheless, performing at a few concerts, and is featured as a vocalist on their most recent album "Synthesizer".Video games
After 11 years as a full-time recording artist, Kurt moved to San Francisco and began his career in video game audio engineering. Over the years he has been involved with eighteen different projects, notably six years with Crystal Dynamics and a stint at Electronic Arts. He is currently the audio director for
Slipgate Ironworks , a San Francisco-based game development company founded byJohn Romero . [http://backstagelive.groupee.com/displayvideo/content/66153123681593662]Harland has worked on the following:
* 1995: "
Scooby-Doo Mystery " —Sunsoft ,Mega Drive
* 1995: "" — Headgames /Sega , Mega Drive
* 1995: "Ballz " —PF Magic ,3DO
* 1995: "Nightmare Circus " — Funcom Oslo / Sega, Mega Drive
* 1997: "" —Crystal Dynamics ,PlayStation
* 1999: "" — Crystal Dynamics, PlayStation /Dreamcast
* 2001: "" — Crystal Dynamics, Windows /PlayStation 2
* 2003: "Whiplash" — Crystal Dynamics, PlayStation 2 / Xbox
* 2003: "" — Crystal Dynamics, Windows / PlayStation 2 / Xbox
* 2005: "The Godfather" —Electronic Arts , PlayStation 2 / Xbox / PC
* 2005: "Death Jr. " -Backbone Entertainment , PSP
* 2006: "" - Backbone Entertainment, PSP
* 2007: "Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom " - Backbone Entertainment,Nintendo DS Four songs from Information Society's album "Don't Be Afraid" were also used in video games that had their soundtracks composed by Kurt Harland:
* Early versions of "Closing in" and "On The Outside" had been used in the 3DO version of "Ballz ".
* The instrumental track "Ozar Midrashim" would later be used as the intro theme of "".
* A slow instrumental mix of "Empty" also appeared in Soul Reaver.Other works
In 1983, with bandmates, Kurt Harland directed the music video for "Fall In Line" by Information Society, [http://youtube.com/watch?v=ITd6Y4ka60s] with a budget of exactly $0.00.In 1987, Harland directed the $10.00 music video for "And So It Goes" by Ex-Sample. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdI_VifAxME] Kurt is alleged to have "invented the mash-up" with his combination of
Pop Will Eat Itself 's "Ich Bin Ein Auslander" with the Halloweentown theme song fromNightmare Before Christmas , titled "Ausoween".=External Links=
* [http://informationsociety.us InformationSociety.us] - the official Information Society band website (as of 2007)
* [http://www.insoc.org InSoc.org] , the original official Information Society website (largely a historical archive, written by Kurt Harland)
* [http://lokmusic.com Downloads of Kurt's music from the "Legacy of Kain / Soul Reaver" series]
* [http://www.insoc.com.br InSoc Brasil fan site]
* [http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20000217/harland_pfv.htm Composing for Interactive Music] , an article written by Kurt Harland, 2003
* [http://www.caltrops.com/pointy.php?action=viewPost&sid=1&pid=13818 Project: Snowblind/VH1 Bands Reunited Review]
* [http://www.insoc.org/texts/BandReunion.HTML InSoc VS. TELEVISION!] , an article/account of "what really happened" on VH1's Bands Reunited, according to Kurt Harland
*
* [http://web.morons.org/article.jsp?sectionid=7&id=6723 Podcast interview] discussing a demo recorded withPaul Robb , music, and the "coming destruction of life as we know it on earth."References
* "Information Society." Bands Reunited. VH1. New York. 10 November 2004
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