Apocrypho

Apocrypho was an Electronic Body Music band discovered by Dirk Ivens^[1] and signed to A.D.S.R. Musicwerks in 1999, releasing one album, Spiritual Cannibal, and touring briefly^[2] before band members Brian Paul Gross (using the alias "Brian Von Gross" for Apocrypho) and Lupos Sobre-Vega moved on to other independent projects. Gross' projects include Fig. 1,^[3] and his various books on media production,^[4] ethics^[5][6] and management.^[7]

Sobre-Vega wrote in 2013, "One album of a particular genre is always enough because I don't believe in repeating a sentiment -- when it comes to art." Also noting, Lupos is now following an early form of Christianity based on love and personal evidence, unlike faith and strict adherence to the Bible. "Texts are not Christ or Christos," according to him. He was a practicing yogi, for 24 years!, and became a Kundalini Yoga "teacher" in 2000. He taught a form of meditation called Open-Eye with Bruce Joel Rubin^[8] as the head guru of the ashrams.

Lupos is the published co-screenwriter with Warren Deacon-Wren on five projects, including Two of Hearts^[9] which was a finalist in the Beverly Hills International Screenwriting Festival^[10] and the Trigger Street Productions. The paperback is now available on Amazon and in bookstores worldwide.

DJ Vex (Lupos' alias) is acclaimed by music insiders as the "godfather" of West Coast Acid House. His releases include BEAT PER BAR "That's Nice" and "Yahh...Money!,"^[11] and 4 A.M. "I Love It" and "Just Wait and See,"^[12] distributed worldwide by MUV Underground U.S.A. and Household Records and City Hall Records.^[13] He also compiled the hard-hitting Electro Radiovengeace compilation album for A.D.S.R. Musicwerks, which includes such influential bands as Dive, Noisex, Xorcist, Hypnoskull, Noxious Emotions, Apocrypho and more.

Reception

Apocrypo received mixed, though mostly positive - or at least curious reviews, with comments such as, "They have created a unique sound without defining themselves," and "Lyrically it’s hard to tell if their content is typical industrial diatribe or if there is a purpose here.".^[14] "On the plus side, though," one reviewer wrote, "they score definite points for not sounding like anyone else or rewriting the same exact song twelve times.".^[15]

Perhaps reviewer Marcus Pan from Legends Magazine best-epitomizes reception, stating, "Rather experimental in places, Spiritual Cannibal provides a lush and heavily filled soundscape of intensity. With a spiritual in-depth overtone that isn't bound to one religious promenade, but instead seem to overflow over a multitude of ideals throughout, Apocrypho's Spiritual Cannibal maintains a diverse collection of movements for your mind. Musically it is wide-spread as well, going from the groove-laden Catch My Fall to the heavier industrial sound of Blame, they move effortlessly across the EBM and heavier industrial genres well and apply a nicely arranged ambient synthetic background from one to the next."^[16]

References