Since 1979

Kirlian Camera — Story

Electronic pioneers from Italy. Active since 1979.

Founded in Italy in 1979 by Angelo Bergamini, Kirlian Camera is one of the longest-running and most distinctive Italian electronic music projects. Throughout its history, the band has continuously explored the boundaries between electronic music, industrial, dark atmospheres and experimental songwriting, developing a unique and ever-evolving artistic language. Elena Alice Fossi has been the band's lead vocalist and one of its central creative figures since 2000. Kirlian Camera currently records for SPKR Media / Dependent Records. The band's latest album, Radio Signals For The Dying (2024), continues a journey spanning decades of innovation, while the 2025 double-cover single featuring Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Pink Floyd's “Julia Dream” further reflects the band's constant dialogue with different musical worlds. The Pink Floyd cover was included in the official tribute album Pink Floyd in Jazz, released by Wagram Music Paris and acknowledged by Pink Floyd themselves.

The name

Kirlian Camera takes its name from Kirlian photography — the technique that captures the electric aura around living bodies. It has been the band's guiding image for over four decades: sound as a field of energy, visible only at its edges.

1979 — Origins

The project began in 1979 in Italy, founded by Angelo Bergamini — an elusive, independent figure often referred to as “Don Angelo” and sometimes described as a “lone eagle” by those close to the band. A naturally private artist, Bergamini has always preferred to let the music speak rather than place himself at the centre of attention, rarely discussing the personal experiences and inner journey that shaped his artistic vision. Nevertheless, throughout the 1990s he also represented Kirlian Camera on stage as a second lead vocalist. Initially operating briefly under the name Suicide Commando, the project adopted the name Kirlian Camera in May 1980. From its earliest years, the band established itself among the pioneers of Italian electronic music. Kirlian Camera became the first Italian act signed to Virgin Records, and its self-titled mini-album, released at the end of 1981, sold out its initial pressing and was subsequently reissued several times.

The evolution of an electronic vision

By the late 1980s, Kirlian Camera's musical language had entered a new phase, evolving towards colder, more atmospheric and increasingly sophisticated electronic landscapes. This transformation found one of its most significant expressions in works such as Eclipse — Das Schwarze Denkmal (1988), where experimental electronics, dramatic arrangements and darker sonic textures converged into a distinctive artistic vision. Rather than following a single stylistic path, Kirlian Camera continued to explore and absorb different influences throughout the following decades, moving through synthpop, industrial, ambient music and art rock while constantly reshaping its own identity. With a catalogue spanning more than sixty releases, the band has always resisted simple genre classifications, developing an ever-evolving musical language that reflects its continuous search for new forms of expression.

2000 — Elena Alice Fossi

On 1 January 2000, singer, composer, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist Elena Alice Fossi officially joined Kirlian Camera, beginning what would become the band's longest-running and most artistically significant line-up. Having already established herself as a remarkable vocalist and composer, she soon became one of the principal creative forces behind Kirlian Camera, shaping much of its musical identity while emerging as its unmistakable voice and visual presence. A former protégé of the acclaimed soprano Susanna Rigacci — the celebrated vocal interpreter and artistic muse of Academy Award (Oscar)-winning composer Ennio Morricone — Fossi developed a distinctive expressive style rooted in classical vocal training while consciously avoiding purely academic conventions. Her performances combine technical discipline with emotional intensity, qualities that have earned her widespread appreciation as both a recording artist and a live performer. Before devoting herself entirely to music and writing, Elena Alice briefly pursued opportunities in high fashion, attracting the attention of prestigious designers and photographers. She soon abandoned that path, however, choosing artistic independence over a promising modelling career and dedicating herself exclusively to composition, performance and literary work. In 2010, the influential German magazine Orkus ranked her among the Top 10 female vocalists in its annual readers' poll. Alongside Kirlian Camera, Fossi founded and leads Spectra*paris, a more glamorous electronic project that, out of the blue, independently reached No. 5 in the UK electronic music charts, as well as the ethereal project Siderartica. Together with Angelo Bergamini, she also co-leads the apocalyptic industrial/symphonic project Stalingrad Valkyrie, further demonstrating the breadth of her artistic vision. Recognising both her artistic leadership and organisational abilities, Angelo Bergamini, founder of Kirlian Camera, officially entrusted the band's leadership to Elena Alice Fossi in 2015. From that moment onward, he chose to focus primarily on part of composition, production and artistic direction, while Fossi assumed responsibility for representing and leading the band, ensuring continuity without compromising its identity or vision. In 2025, Bergamini and Fossi began work on a new Kirlian Camera album, opening what both regard as a new chapter in the band's artistic evolution — one that promises to further expand the distinctive language they have developed together over more than two decades of collaboration.

Germany, and the charts

Germany and Central Europe have long been Kirlian Camera's strongest markets. In 2017, the single Sky Collapse, featuring Eskil Simonsson of Covenant, reached No. 1 on the German Alternative Charts. Hologram Moon (2018) entered the official German Album Charts, while the double albums Cold Pills (Scarlet Gate of Toxic Daybreak) (2021) and Radio Signals for the Dying (2024) also charted in the official German charts (Offizielle Deutsche Charts) and the MTV charts, both reaching high positions.

Today

Kirlian Camera continues on SPKR Media / Dependent Records, led by Angelo Bergamini and Elena Alice Fossi. New editions and live dates are announced first through the band's own channels — never the algorithm.