Kurt Harland

Kurt Harland is an American singer, songwriter, and audio engineer who is the lead singer of Information Society and composer of the soundtracks for the Legacy of Kain video game series.

Kurt Harland
Also known asKurt Valaquen
Kurt Harland Valaquen
Kurt Larson
OriginMinneapolis, Minnesota
GenresSynthpop, new wave, freestyle
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, record producer, game soundtrack composer, audio engineer
Associated actsInformation Society

Biography

During college, he and a high school friend started a recording group they called Information Society, which would become a decades-long involvement with music, electronic audio, and recording/programming.

Career

Harland began his experience with electronic audio gear and recording in 1982.

Information Society

Formed in 1982, synthpop band Information Society achieved mainstream success for a time in the late eighties and early nineties. They are most widely known for their 1988 hit single "What's On Your Mind? (Pure Energy)".

In early concerts and albums, Harland was credited under the pseudonym "Kurt Valaquen," Valaquen taken from Tolkien, meaning child of light. After the band had achieved mainstream success, he began using his own middle name as his professional last name.

After Information Society broke up, Harland kept the rights to the name of the band and released an album, Don't Be Afraid, in 1997.

A 2004 episode of VH1's Bands Reunited, caused a brief controversy when Harland refused to appear in an Information Society reunion performance, despite apparently accepting the invitation on-camera by signing a copy of their first album. In an account of the incident written by Harland and available on his website,[1] Harland disputes VH1's depiction of the events and his portrayal on the show, claiming that the show was edited to make it look as if he had accepted the invitation and then backed out of it.

In 2006, he turned the name back over to Paul Robb and James Cassidy, who reformed the band with a new singer. Harland cited family obligations and a demanding career in not returning full-time; he has since been involved nonetheless, performing at a few concerts, and is featured as a vocalist on their 2007 album Synthesizer. He later rejoined the band full-time, singing and writing for subsequent releases.

Video games

After 11 years as a full-time recording artist, Harland moved to San Francisco and began his career in video game audio engineering. Over the years he has been involved with eighteen different projects, notably six years with Crystal Dynamics and a stint at Electronic Arts.

Harland has worked on the following:

Four songs from Information Society's album Don't Be Afraid were also used in video games that had their soundtracks composed by Kurt Harland:

  • Early versions of "Closing In" and "On the Outside" had been used in the 3DO version of Ballz.
  • The instrumental track "Ozar Midrashim" would later be used as the intro theme of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.

References
  1. "InSoc vs. TV!". December 30, 2007. Archived from the original on December 30, 2007.
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