Julien-K

Lore & Background

After internal conflicts within Orgy following the release of *Punk Statik Paranoia*, Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh began writing songs that lead vocalist Jay Gordon had no interest in working on. They continued writing and recording with Shuck on vocals, eventually launching Julien-K as a side project with drummer Elias 'Bones' Rodriguez and keyboardist Brandon Belsky. The band's webpage launched in summer 2003 with demo versions of songs including 'Look at You', 'Kick the Bass', and 'Technical Difficulties', the latter later featured in Michael Bay's 2007 film *Transformers* and its soundtrack.

Julien-K's debut album, *Death to Analog*, mixed by Tim Palmer, was released on March 10, 2009, in the US and March 5, 2010, in Europe, originally planned for February 17, 2009—the date the United States switched from analog to digital television. The band released subsequent albums *We're Here with You* (2012), *California Noir* as a double album in two chapters (2015–2016), *Harmonic Disruptor* (2020), and *DRK/MODE* (2025), each funded through Indiegogo campaigns that consistently surpassed their goals. In 2017, they released the four-disc set *Time Capsule: A Future Retrospective* of previously unreleased material, funded via Indiegogo.

Julien-K collaborated extensively with Chester Bennington, performing the song 'Let Down' for the *ReAct Now: Music & Relief* televised concert and working with him on an exclusive version of 'Morning After' for the *Underworld: Evolution* soundtrack. Bennington also replaced Shuck on vocals for the Chicago date of Projekt Revolution 2007 while Shuck attended his brother's wedding. The band toured as direct support for PIG in summer 2017 and supported Powerman 5000 in 2024.

Reader's Guide

Julien-K occupies a distinctive niche in the electronic rock and industrial metal landscape, emerging from the post-Orgy creative divergence of Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh. Their significance lies in their role as a collaborative collective, described by Shuck as a 'Warhol-style factory' where the same core members operated under different names—Julien-K for Shuck-led, more electro material, and Dead by Sunrise for Chester Bennington's vocal-led projects. This fluid structure allowed them to produce a diverse body of work spanning film soundtracks, video game scores, and studio albums, all while maintaining a direct-to-fan funding model through Indiegogo campaigns that repeatedly exceeded targets. Their legacy is further cemented by their contributions to the *Transformers* franchise and their long-running partnership with Bennington, whose involvement brought them wider exposure. The band's ability to sustain a career through crowdfunding and touring, including appearances on Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution and Evanescence's 'The Open Door' tour, demonstrates their resilience and dedicated fanbase. Their later work, particularly *Harmonic Disruptor*, returned to the darker, heavier industrial metal sound of their debut, reinforcing their stylistic consistency.

Did You Know?

• The band's name comes from the film *American Gigolo*, where Richard Gere's character was named Julian Kaye.
• Their debut album *Death to Analog* was originally planned for release on February 17, 2009, the date the United States switched from analog to digital television.
• Julien-K's Indiegogo campaign for *California Noir Chapter One* reached its $10,000 goal in one day, finishing with over $28,000.