Nadja

A Canadian experimental drone duo based out of Berlin, Germany who offer traces of shoegaze and doom metal amidst their monolithic squall, Toronto-born Nadja is the brainchild (and originally the solo project) of musician and writer Aidan Baker. Citing a wide array of influences that includes Godflesh, Arvo Pärt, My Bloody Valentine, the Cure, Swans, and Caspar Brotzmann, the group emerged in the early 2000s and continued pushing sonic boundaries well into the ensuing decades with albums like Under the Jaguar Sun (2009) and Sonnborner (2018). The project began in 2002, and grew in scope in 2005 with the arrival of vocalist, violinist, and bass player Leah Buckareff, who enabled Nadja to exist outside of the studio. Beginning with 2005's Truth Becomes Death, the duo honed their ambient doom/metal/electronic aesthetic into something truly grand, with Baker coining the term "dreamsludge" to describe their towering sonic emissions. The duo released the bulk of their early material through multiple labels, including Alien8 Recordings, Hydra Head, Important Records, and Essence Music before issuing material via their own label Broken Spine Productions. EPs, collaborative efforts, and full-length outings abound, with highlights arriving via 2007's Radiance of Shadows, 2009's Under the Jaguar Sun, 2012's Dagdrom, and 2018's Sonnborner, the latter of which was the group's 20th LP and featured guest string players Julia Kent, Agathe Max, and Simon Goff. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi