Honey Bizarre
We dance for laughter, we dance for tears,
we dance for madness, we dance for fears,
we dance for hopes, we dance for screams,
we are the dancers, we create the dreams.
Honey Bizarre is made up of the theremin rebel Gilda Razani and key god Hanzō Wanning – flying through the universe in their spaceship, longing for freedom and improvisation; always in search of new adventures and unusual sounds that make the world dance and dream.
They take you on an energetic sound trip through the great symphony of the world with cinematic sound paintings, thrilling rhythms and haunting melodies and the sky is deep, dark, heavy and sweet!
Gilda Razani is one of the most innovative theremin players of our time. Using the world’s oldest electronic instrument, she creates soundscapes ranging from classical to jazz to pop music, which hover between poetry, science fiction, magic, and deepest emotion, as can be heard on the Grammy-nominated album “Fifty” by The Manhattan Transfer, which brought her international recognition. Razani studied saxophone (master’s degree) at the Detmold University of Music.
Hanzō Wanning combines classical composition with jazz, pop harmonies and improvisation. His style is marked by lyrical melancholy, complex harmonic concepts and refined electronic sound design. He studied piano and classical composition in Hilversum (Netherlands), won the Belgian Jazz Award 2010, and teaches at TU Dortmund and the Glenn Buschmann Jazz Academy.
Together they have composed several albums for their bands Sub.vision and About Aphrodite, film scores and radio plays for West German Broadcasting Cologne and founded the sound branding agency Honeysounds.
On their intergalactic journeys, Razani and Wanning land in special places to perform their concerts and livesets, be it at festivals, in concert halls, in the theatre or at art exhibitions, at events, in the mountains, on the street or in other universes.
ALBUM
LITTLE DEEP MISS STRANGE, released 2024 at Floating World Records, based in London.
SINGLES
AMARYLLIS, released in January 2024 by RosenundPralinen Records
DESERT ROSE, released in February 2024 by RosenundPralinen Records
CUYOLITA, released in April 2024 by RosenundPralinen Records
POSSIBLE IN CONSULTATION WITH US:
Fantastic visuals by Mario Simon and incredible percussion by Fethi Ak take you on this magical, almost psychedelic journey far away from everyday life.
REVIEWS
NRW Jazznet
…Theremin player Gilda Razani, Hanzō Wanning on keyboards, and percussionist Fethi Ak created a definitely non-religious but nevertheless deeply spiritual communal experience with their fascinating interplay of electronic soundscapes and oriental rhythmic structures.Razani made imaginary strings vibrate within the magnetic fields of her theremin, Wanning painted wistful timbres on the synthesizer and played the keys powerfully. Ak delivered a dense, ethnically colored fireworks display of filigree beats on the djembe and tablas. The fact that Razani, who comes from Iran, dedicated several pieces to the women who lost their lives in the fight against the regime there gave the concert a necessary political dimension. The sound world of this trio can also be heard at techno festivals such as Fusion – here in this church, it unfolded a spiritual intimacy that will probably remain unique.
Musikansich
…Gilda Razani also plays the theremin in the ‚classical‘ sense, but one often thinks of electric guitar sounds that one would not expect from this instrument. Yet she is an incredible virtuoso on this instrument. The theremin is often only known as background music, but in Gilda Razani’s hands the instrument is awakened from its slumber. She shows that there is much more to the instrument and does so with a naturalness that is fascinating. Little Deep Miss Strange is a great album that we wish many listeners. Gilda Razani and Hanzō Wanning are also more than convincing under their new band name Honey Bizarre. Excellent from front to back and therefore highly recommended!
Fazemag
…The duo draws on a colourful array of instruments and live equipment, served by outstanding improvisation skills and a fine feel for „music for dancing and dreaming“.
Musikreviews
…If musical comparisons had to be made, then bands such as TANGERINE DREAM or PINK FLOYD would be suitable references. Because like these two heavyweights, HONEY BIZARRE also know how to create a variety of moods with supposedly calm music.
Coolibri
… The duo delivers sounds that you can dance to with your eyes closed in the strobe light, or alternatively meditate to. It’s psychedelic, mystical, tinkling, a little eerie or even relaxing and beautiful.
O-Tone
…the music unfolds a hypnotic, even psychedelic effect, carries you into another orbit. Neither Pink Floyd nor Genesis have managed that!
Ragmag Music Online Magazine Las Vegas/USA
…This is clearly made by people who have a pure love for their craft and sit at it until it becomes something almost fantastic, which these songs are. The musicianship here is perfect and the ear for mixing textures to create sounds that are so massive and expansive and turn into a melody and something with drive behind it is absolutely incredible. That’s part of the place you get drawn into when you listen to the album. They get experimental, they get fun, and it’s thought-provoking music, which I enjoy. I give this album a 9 out of 10, which is quite a rarity. Beautiful from start to finish, and the fascination remains. I want more!
A.Tsalastras, Head of Cultural Affairs Oberhausen
Was that jazz? Was that techno? Well, it was pretty brilliant! Honey Bizarre took the Gdanska to a new dimension with their electronic music. Great class with this performance. More of this !!!
NRWjazznet
…Even the last person to claim that electronic music is artificial and soulless up to this point will have no choice but to dream away to places of longing, carried away by these sounds.
VirginJazzFace
Of course, this was also evident during the concert evening, because how you rock a concert evening and captivate the audience and turn the concert into an experience was absolutely great.
Melodiva
If you can’t experience them live, you can indulge in the dreamy, expansive sounds with an album and headphones and treat yourself to a (dis)exciting time-out.
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