Anything Box is an electronic/synthpop musical group originally from Paterson, New Jersey, and now based in Long Beach, California. Formed in 1986, they are best known for their 1989 single "Living in Oblivion". They also garnered some attention for releasing an album entirely in MP3 format in 2003. With a current lineup consisting solely of Claude Strilio, the past lineups have included long-time members Dania Morales and Paul Rijnders, as well as Carlos Pacheco, Mike Zacek, Gary Strilio, Dave South and Barry Bunch.
The band is noted for its melodic, synth-driven dance beats from its early years as well as its fusion of electronics and guitars which is its current musical focus. The band also receives praise for its album artwork which ranges from oil paintings to electronic paintings which are all works of Claude Strilio. Anything Box (also known as Abox by fans) has released several albums, EPs, and singles, and continues to perform around the world.
The band's name comes from the title of a book of short stories by Zenna Henderson, The Anything Box. In the title story, a young girl imagines the world as she would have it, apparently by staring at an empty space between her hands. Her school teacher discovers that the box is invisible, but real.
Anything Box's most recent release is Peace (Endpop.com, January 2018) which is a remastered version of their first album, and features remixes of their hits "Living in Oblivion" and "Jubilation".
History
Formation 1986 to 1990
Anything Box was started by Claude S. (original name Claude Strilio born in Rosario, Argentina) in Paterson, New Jersey playing local clubs, such as The Pipeline in N. Newark and The Loop Lounge in Passaic. This is where Claude met Dania Morales who joined as a group shortly after. Playing numerous shows and producing demo-tapes, they drew the attention of Epic Records. The band moved to Orange County, California where Paul Rijnders joined the group.
Peace (1990) Then they began recording their first album, Peace which was released on Epic in 1990. The band toured in support of the album. Peace MMXVIII was re-released January 18, 2018 as a newly remastered version from endpop.com
Worth (1992) Following the success and praise for Peace in the electronic music scene, Claude and Dania headed to Germany to begin recording their second album, Worth with producer Gareth Jones. Paul Rijnders had left the band to pursue personal goals. The album was completed in 1992, but a dispute with Epic and eventual break-up with the label prevented the album's release to the public. It was later distributed by the band to members of its fan-club as the band continued to perform shows despite the non-release of the album. The album shows the softer side of Anything Box, as many of the album's songs are slower, softer, and emotional. In 2000, the album was remastered and re-issued as Worth V2 with 2 unreleased tracks.
Hope (1993) With Claude's brother Gary joining the band, Anything Box recorded and self-released their third album, Hope on their own label, Orangewerks. The album brought back the dance floor grooves with such songs as "Answer Me", "Where Is Love and Happiness", and "Life Is Fun". The band toured in support of the album. In 1996, the album was re-issued as Hope V3 by Jarrett Records with extra remixes and new artwork.
Dance CD-5 (1994) The band released the EP Dance CD-5 which features remixes of tracks from the Hope album as well as some unreleased songs.
The Diary: Page One (1995) Claude released a solo album under the name The Diary on the Orangewerks label. The album, Page One was heavily influenced by the music of Joy Division and New Order. It is generally considered the darkest of Claude's albums.
Mixology.1/Living in Oblivion (1996) With a high-demand for Anything Box tracks and the difficulty in obtaining singles mixes from Peace, the band released a collection of remixes and unreleased songs called Mixology.1 on Orangewerks. They also released a new version and new mixes of "Living in Oblivion". The EP, Living in Oblivion MCMXCVI A.D. was released on Jarrett Records which had merged with Orangewerks. Anything Box performed at the Synthstock Music Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah where Paul Rijnders reunited with the band for the song "Lady in Waiting" from Peace.