SIRKE

Latvias’ leading underground guitar heroes, founded back in spring 1996 in the capital city Riga. The band PLASTALINS split up and three members formed SIRKE:MARTINS KORSIETIS-voc,guit; LAURA-bg,voc; SAKALIS-dr. They soon started playing concerts, all across the country, and recorded their first songs for "Sirke" short cass on TORNIS label. In the fall of '96 they recorded more songs for a longer album "Melna uzvalka" ("In A Black Suit") but this remains unpublished. Soon after this a fourth member joined SIRKE, JURIS ALKSNIS, who is one of best guitar players in the underground scene out here (he also plays for soon-to-be-famous Latvian lovesongs band BALOZU PILNI PAGALMI).
In summer'97 there was a tour with two UK bands BOWLING BOY and RAY SPEEDWAY AND THE DEVILS OF PACE around Latvia and Lithuania. In December'97 SIRKE made their regular recording - from a traditional Christmas recording session at TORNIS studio, released as "Lo-ve-fi Zsv" cass EP on TORNIS/VELO. Previous to this was a cassette album called "SIRKE 603" (VELO/TORNIS), this is their famous instrumental set/programme.
In the summer of 98 TEN PIN PRODUCTIONS (Newcastle, UK) released SIRKE/RAY SPEEDWAY AND THE DEVILS OF PACE split 7" EP. SIRKE's side contains 2 instrumentals - "Zals" from "Sirke 603" and "Lovepunk" from "Lo-ve-fi Zsv", one of their greatest hits at that moment.
Band leader MARTINS KORSIETIS also does his solo acoustic stuff, and soon his debut 65min album will be out. LAURA has played in first ever Latvian rrgrr band ATDOD ZAPTI, and SAKALIS has played drums for Latvian most legendary underground HC band INOKENTIJS MARPLS.
Somewhen around the end of 1997 they decided to switch to instrumental music only and this resulted in several foreign tours. In October 1998 the band went on a tour to Western Europe. At this phase SAKALIS had already left the band and the drum-man for the 1998 tour as well as the following Finland tour in 1999 was ARTURS MEDNIS,later known as DJ Helly Judas. He also takes part in the recording of HELLY JUDAS, the 1998 album (released in 1999) where his DJ nick actually comes from. After this recording KORSIETIS turns to synth playing only, leaving the guitar for his other projects.
The Finland tour also results in the addition of a brand new member - DJ HENCHA.
Skipping some history between 1999 and 2001, the current situation is as follows - after another drummer change, now with ULDIS ZARINS behind the rhythm wheel, SIRKE records some more stuff with a guest synth-star MARTINEZ GONZALEZ.
In the end of 2000 KORSIETIS leaves SIRKE and the current line-up includes only one of the founding members - LAURA, the bass player. The band's conscience (and the guitar player) still is JURIS ALKSNIS, ULDIS ZARINS is the drummer, MARTINEZ GONZALEZ makes the audience go crazy with his synths and HENCHA plays samples from vinyls to substitute the loss of vocals.

Discography:

"TAKE ONE DO" (2002 cd)
"HE PROBABLY HOPED TO GET REMIXED" (2001 Sirke cd)
"HE PROBABLY HOPED TO GET AWAY WITH JUST A SIMPLE APOLOGY... I DON'T THINK SO, NOT THIS TIME" (2000 Sirke cd, cass)
"HOW TO USE LIFT" (2000 Alises Ieraksti, cd ep)
"HELLIJS DŽŪDASS" (1999 Alises Ieraksti, cd)
"SPLIT" (1998 ten Pin Production, split 7" with RAY SPEEDWAY AND THE DEVILS OF PACE)
"LO-VE-FI ZSV" (1997 Tornis, cass-ep)
"TOUR 1997" (1997 Velo, split cass with RAY SPEEDWAY AND THE DEVILS OF PACE un BOWLING BOY)
"SIRKE 603" (1997 Tornis/Velo, split with BUNGI KUNGI)
"SNIEGA VEČA LAIKS" (1996 Velo, cass-ep)
"MELNĀ UZVALKĀ" (1996 Tornis)
"SIRKE" (1996 Tornis, cass)

E-mail:
tornis@tornis.lv