faq
Who are Apparatjik..?
Apparatjik are a group consisting of Guy Berryman, Magne Furuholmen, Jonas Bjerre and Martin Terefe. They originally came together to create the theme for BBC2's Amazon series. This track, Ferreting was released on the Songs for Survival charity album, along with tracks from several other artists.
They subsequently worked together again in Magne's studio in Norway, creating a whole album's worth of interesting experimental, electronic/rock hybrid music. As well as music, the band also encompasses artistic endeavors and scientific interests, particulary those in physics, quantum theory and special relativity. Their collective hero is Max Tegmark.
They subsequently worked together again in Magne's studio in Norway, creating a whole album's worth of interesting experimental, electronic/rock hybrid music. As well as music, the band also encompasses artistic endeavors and scientific interests, particulary those in physics, quantum theory and special relativity. Their collective hero is Max Tegmark.
Who is Guy Berryman?
Guy is the bassist in British band, Coldplay. Apart from bass he also plays guitar, mandolin, keyboards and drums. Guy is a keen amateur photographer, preferring vintage film cameras over modern digital ones.
Jonas who..?
Jonas is the vocalist in Danish band, Mew. He has a distinctive singing voice with a wide vocal range. Jonas also plays guitar and keyboards and is a talented visual artist, producing much of Mew's on-stage imagery.
Who is this Magne bloke?
Magne (or Mags) plays keyboard and guitar in the Norwegian band, a-ha. He has also released successful solo albums and is a celebrated artist, working with canvas, sculpture and ceramics.
..and who is Martin Terefe?
Martin played guitar in various rock bands in his native Sweden before moving to London and establishing himself as a respected songwriter and producer. His extensive list of production and writing credits include albums by KT Tunstall, Jason Mraz, Ron Sexsmith, a-ha and Yusuf Islam. Martin co-owns the Kensaltown Records label and Kensaltown Studios.
Ok, so what does Apparatjik actually mean..? And how do I pronounce it..?
It's pronounced app-a-rat-chick. A literal translation is 'agent of the apparatus'. Apparatjik is the Swedish word for apparatchik, which is a word of Russian origin and is used to describe 'people who cause bureaucratic bottlenecks in otherwise efficient organizations'.
Who, or what are the Apparatchicks?
The band's official myspace page used to contain an invitation for fans to become "apparat-chicks" - so that phase has become the collective noun for Apparatjik fans. It really shouldn't be gender specific but, as the band were only initially accepting friends requests from the more feminine looking profiles, it has come to be indicative of the female fanbase. There are apparatchicks from all over the world and for the most part have discovered Apparatjik through being active fans of a-ha, Coldplay and/or Mew. The preferred collective noun for male fans is apparatchucks :-)
For the definition of other Apparatjized words like this one, see the apparictionary.
For the definition of other Apparatjized words like this one, see the apparictionary.
Is there an album..?
Yes, Apparatjik's debut album 'We Are Here' was released on 1st February 2010. You can download We Are Here for £8.00 from their own shop www.theoutland.com. You can also pre-order the album on cd (with bonus dvd of videos and live footage) from theoutland, shipping dates for the cd/dvd have yet to confirmed.
The double A-side single, Antlers/Electric Eye is available on 7" vinyl from theoutland, limited to 1000 copies.
The track Ferreting is available on the Songs for Survival album.
The double A-side single, Antlers/Electric Eye is available on 7" vinyl from theoutland, limited to 1000 copies.
The track Ferreting is available on the Songs for Survival album.
So, where else can I hear their music?
Album tracks are available for streaming on their myspace page. Videos are also available on the Apparatjik's official youtube and vimeo channels.
Teaser tracks that were previously only available for short periods on their website and myspace page for example, Snow Crystals (non-album version), Frozen Fingers, and the bizarrely named, 4Could Keep aSecret if 3 Of Them Were Dead have been preserved in the audio and video sections of this site.
Hand your name and email address over to the eyeoncommittee and they will send you the link to download the double A-side single, Antlers/Electric Eye for free!
Non-album tracks can also be downloaded from the forum.
Teaser tracks that were previously only available for short periods on their website and myspace page for example, Snow Crystals (non-album version), Frozen Fingers, and the bizarrely named, 4Could Keep aSecret if 3 Of Them Were Dead have been preserved in the audio and video sections of this site.
Hand your name and email address over to the eyeoncommittee and they will send you the link to download the double A-side single, Antlers/Electric Eye for free!
Non-album tracks can also be downloaded from the forum.
I can't find Ferreting on this site..
Ferreting has been intentionally left off this site as it's a charity song. I urge you to go buy the track, or better still buy the album. You can hear parts of the track and learn more about Survival International here.
What are the numbers and letters in thebirthofapparatjik all about?
The weird computer voice in the track thebirthofapparatjik spells out; A P P A R A T J I K... 18 04 69... 21 09 76... 01 11 62... 12 04 78. The numbers of the birthdates of the band members in the following order; Martin, Jonas, Magne, Guy.
Who is Phyllis Gap/Constance Hurt/Helen Highwater/Annie Hulleight?
These profiles were four of the five top friends of the band on myspace during the first half of 2009, the other being Josie A. These profiles were occasionally used to post random observations and Apparatjik related photos, all part of their internet games and shenigans that helped create a buzz about the band during that year. The general consensus amoungst apparatchicks is that each 'lady' represented one of thre band members. Magne posted a poem about Phyllis Gap back in 2006, and also references Constance Hurt and Helen Highwater in his blog.
Certain clues suggested that Constance represented Jonas, Phyllis was Guy, Helen = Magne and Annie was Martin, but it's an educated guess. Photos that each 'lady' uploaded had some vague significances to one of the boys; for example, Annie's Terefe-style glasses, Constance's Jonas-like artwork and japanese writing and Helen with a photo of Magne's ski goggles. Also whilst the ages didn't match exactly, the ordering did fit the assumption.
In August '09, all the information, photos and comments on these four profiles were removed in readiness for the 09/09/09 website alterations.
Who is Josie A?
Josie was a 'top' friend of Apparatjik on myspace, along with Phyllis Gap et al. Josie was another Apparatjik alter-ego whose profile was used to share photos and clues. Again, much of Josie's photos and interesting information disappeared in August '09 prior to the main website being launched in Septemeber '09.
What was 09/09/09 and 30/11/09 all about? And what's the relevance of 01/02/2010..?
The whole 09/09/09 thing counted down to the launch of the new version of their website, apparatjik.com, which is now full of intruiging little squares and texts to click on. The links yield several photos, videos, datascrolls, countdowns and numerous other random goodies.
The new website was also home to four intro videos, with each one appearing at two week intervals. The final video can be found here or on their youtube page; links to previous videos appear at the end of each film. The first video, premiere was made available 9th Sept, the second Америки Part 1 on 23rd. The third video Америки Part 2 went online 7th Oct and the fourth & final one Datascroller on 21st Oct.
The Apparatjiks wanted fans to invent a synopsis or story of our own to connect the four videos and invited us email it to the EyeOnCommittee. The 30 or so fans that submitted their stories, were rewarded with an exclusive preview of a new track, Electric Eye and instructions to pass the message on that the full version of the track would be available as a free download on 30th November '09. The dedicated Apparatchicks dutifully spread the word around the internet, even getting the story into several online media blogs and articles. For the full story as it happened, read the apparatchick.com blog post - The secret is out.
At midnight GMT on 30/11/09, the promised track, Antlers/Electric Eye became available for free downlaod. If you haven't already done so, give the EyeOnCommittee your email address and they'll send you the link so you can download it for yourself.
The track itself gave a hint of another interesting future date to watch out for, namely the palidromic number 01022010 given as the track's genre.
This date turned out to be not only the album's release date but also the day of the band's first ever (and, to date, only) live performance. Apparatjik performed in a glass cube at the CTM.10 festival in Berlin, Germany. More info here.
The new website was also home to four intro videos, with each one appearing at two week intervals. The final video can be found here or on their youtube page; links to previous videos appear at the end of each film. The first video, premiere was made available 9th Sept, the second Америки Part 1 on 23rd. The third video Америки Part 2 went online 7th Oct and the fourth & final one Datascroller on 21st Oct.
The Apparatjiks wanted fans to invent a synopsis or story of our own to connect the four videos and invited us email it to the EyeOnCommittee. The 30 or so fans that submitted their stories, were rewarded with an exclusive preview of a new track, Electric Eye and instructions to pass the message on that the full version of the track would be available as a free download on 30th November '09. The dedicated Apparatchicks dutifully spread the word around the internet, even getting the story into several online media blogs and articles. For the full story as it happened, read the apparatchick.com blog post - The secret is out.
At midnight GMT on 30/11/09, the promised track, Antlers/Electric Eye became available for free downlaod. If you haven't already done so, give the EyeOnCommittee your email address and they'll send you the link so you can download it for yourself.
The track itself gave a hint of another interesting future date to watch out for, namely the palidromic number 01022010 given as the track's genre.
This date turned out to be not only the album's release date but also the day of the band's first ever (and, to date, only) live performance. Apparatjik performed in a glass cube at the CTM.10 festival in Berlin, Germany. More info here.