Castles of New York

Castles of New York (short: 'CoNY') are an experimental rock band, mainly operating from Kabul, Afghanistan and Ghent, Belgium. CoNY coined the term conceptual rock, a brand of rock music in which the quality of the songs themselves are regarded as inferior to the philosophical concepts underlying them . The band was formed in May 1996, by two school friends of unknown origin, operating under the pseudononyms War and Aletheia. In 2008, legendary music producer / multi-instrumentalist offered to produce the band's debut album The Protosynthesis and subsequently joined CoNY as part-time member.
Castles Of New York quickly acquired cult status among fellow musicians such as David Bowie, Soulwax and Nick Cave (or so Aletheia claims). The band first received international media attention on Ghent-based radio station Urgent.fm, which devoted a one week special to CoNY in June 2008. However, during the presentation of their debut single on Urgent.fm, Aletheia and War engaged in a fierce argument and decided to put CoNY on hiatus.
The legacy of CoNY was continued by and CoNY's manager, Armenian/American entrepreneur Parker Tyrone 'PT' Sabachtani. As 'CoNY Research Foundation', the duo released several Castles Of New York recordings, originally intended to feature on 'The Protosynthesis'. Since then, War and Aletheia have repeatedly expressed their displeasure with the actions of the Foundation, most notably when a remix of Aletheia's mystical vocal piece 'The Calling' was dismissed by the latter as sacrilegious'.
Genesis
War and Aletheia
Little is known about the early beginnings of CoNY. It is most commonly believed that founding members Aletheia and War originate from the Polish city of Kraków, where they both attended the same primary school. However, War and Aletheia soon realized they were not cut out for traditional education. In a rare interview with NME in September 2008, Aletheia stated: Aged 12, I began to realize that conventional knowledge was lost on me. Although I had no difficulties whatsoever interiorising the information that was submitted to me, I was painfully affected by the emptiness hidden behind by what I came to perceive as platitudes most shallow and munneries of spectacular simplicity. Two years the latter, I deemed my 'education' finite and set out on a spiritual journey. In a Rolling Stone article of the same month, War tells a similar story: Me not like school. Me kill many pupils. Police make me leave. I follow Aletheia. He know stuff.
The CoNY saga has it that War and Aletheia wandered the windy moors of the Carpatian region for 40 days and 40 nights, feeding on rocks and poisonous mushrooms prior to discovering an abandoned World War II bunker, which to this day remains unfound. CoNY scholars generally agree that the duo inhabited the bunker (consistently referred to by Aletheia as the Hexahedron) for exactly 12 years, 3 months and 23 days. What happened in the Hexahedron during that period of time has remained a mystery of biblical proportions and nor Aletheia, nor War have been willing to shed any light on the question. What can be ascertained, however, is that on the morrow of the last day of the Grand Meditation, first contact with was made.
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The First Contact
Aletheia in Melody Maker, 25 September 2008: I still recall the scene most vividly. Despite our opious reclusion, War and I were, philosophically speaking, at a dead end. The Synthesis was far from fostered, War grew ever more impatient and tensions inevitably rose to cataclistic heights. And it was at that precise point that a strange yet familiar sound, vibrating through the Hexahedron, drew my attention. War, always quick on the uptake, pointed to a household apparatus commonly known as 'telephone', which was apparently ringing. Surprisingly so, as this fine piece of machinery had long since been skillfully neutralized by one of War's trademark fits of directionless anger. Anyhow, as one does, I picked up the receiver and listened intently. A mechanized voice spoke: 'I am willing to produce. I am '. And so the Great Doubt came to an abrupt halt and was gloriously replaced by the Age of the Protosynthesis!
The Berlin Years
The first known 'sighting' of occurred on the 23d of September 1974 in the SO36 music club in the Kreuzfeld district of West-Berlin. There, is said to have played his first in a series of 23 legendary DJ-sets. The set caused great turmoil among spectators for a number of reasons. Firstly, opted to play his own compositions exclusively, resulting in a viciously experimental, never before heard playlist. Secondly, rather than physically operating the mixing table, apparently managed to project a 3-D hologram of himself onto the stage. Attendants were shocked to see that the hologram itself seemingly put on records and pushed buttons. Seeing that such technological trickery is generally believed to have been inexistant at the time, 's Berlin performances have given rise to several theories on 's (non-)physical identity, commonly known as the SF-debate.
's SO36 performances soon acquired cult status, with curious youngsters from all over Europe flocking to Berlin, hoping to catch a glimpse of 'Das Musikalischen Gestalt'. On the 23d of December 1974, approximately 500 rabid spectators witnessed what would be 's last live performance to this date. In the months leading up to the concert, had been experimenting intently with a new form of sonic rendering known as the Reverb. Having successfully tested the Reverb on his lab rats Lou and Andy, finally decided to put the device into practice, with dramatic effect. Seconds after deployment, the Reverb induced severe schizophrenia among spectators, eventually leading to the mass suicide of the entire audience. Overcome with panic, fled into refuge. Large scale police investigation proved to be futile: was nowhere to be found and the case was officially closed one year later, on the 23d of December 1975.
As swiftly as he disappeared into it, emerged from oblivion on the 23d of February. A privileged witness: Me and Iggy are just unpacking our things in the appartement when the phone starts ringing. Which I thought was odd, because I didn't see how anyone could already have our phone number. I didn't even know it myself actually. Anyway, I pick up and I hear this artificial voice saying 'I am willing to produce. Meet me at Hansa Studio tonight at eleven-twentythree. I am '. So I go down to the Studio and, you know what, there's no one there. Only darkness. And then a light on the operating table starts blinking and I hear that voice again: 'I am willing to produce. Please enter the recording booth. I am '. And then I just freak out and get the hell out of there. Most unsettling experience of my life.

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