Originally categorized as progressive rock and later dubbed industrial-world music, Konqistador formed in 2005 out of Melbourne, Australia while originating members were on hiatus from other projects. The group is led by Canadian singer/songwriter E. R. Graham and Producer R. R. Tiessen and accompanied by a collaborative collective of artists, producers and engineers from Detroit (USA), Melbourne (Australia), Istanbul (Turkey), Bucharest (Romania), Toronto and Windsor (Canada).
Konqistador’s debut release Courage Riot was followed by (5) consecutive, international tours and over 200 club and festival dates in Australia, North America, Europe and Central Asia. Festival highlights include; Barisa Rock Festival (Anti-War / Anti-Violence) in Istanbul and Stufstock Festival (Anti-Corporation) in Bucharest.
In 2007 Konqistador released Electriker and electriker infested in 2008, an EP remixed by Sydney, Australia’s Infest8, followed by a (4) year hiatus from touring and performing live. During this time, Konqistador traveled extensively throughout Europe and later settled in Istanbul, Turkey to explore foreign instrumentation and recruit Turkish and Persian musicians for the recording of their next album.
In May of 2012, Konqistador released their sophomore album Suada. Fearless and unflinching, the multi-format recording collects a gathering of medieval and glowering tracks recorded in Melbourne, Detroit and later in Toronto, Bucharest, and Istanbul. Suada, Latin for persuasion, symbolizes the creators’ gravity towards the East exploring a range of musical and cultural influences while featuring a global collaboration of over twenty musicians, producers, and engineers. Challenged by the tyranny of distance between creators, lack of funding and Konqistador’s waning desire to make sense of today’s precarious music industry, Suada was destined to be an underwhelming collection of unfinished stories and incomplete tracks, never to see the light of day. Still, never one to surrender to the immanent or inevitable, Konqistador carried on and did what they do best – survive to conquer. With tenacious laboring and a heart of urgency, Konqistador reunited in 2010 to re-create a fertile base of collaboration to re-plant the seeds that would finally see Suada come into full bloom.
Following on from their success created by several earlier released tracks licensed to film, television and Internet including; CBS’ Supernatural (CW Network), Suada pushes the World Music 2.0 boundary, delivering ancient themes, delving in eastern European industrialism, Baltic and Black Sea folklore and time honored Middle Eastern history. The band taps original found sounds from around the world, bridging news worlds with old and collaborates with World musicians through digital sessions and digital file sharing, forging a ‘no borders – no boundaries’ international creation and recording process.
