Cargo

Cargo is a Romanian hard rock/heavy metal band formed in 1985. There is also a Dutch heavy rock outfit, who operated in the early '70s. Finally Cargo is a Danish dance/electronica band. Below there is some information about all of them. Also, the picture in the upper left presents the Romanian band.

1. The Romanian band

Cargo is a rock band from Timişoara, Romania, founded by guitarist Adrian Bărar in 1985.

Two of the current members are from Arad - Adrian Igrişan (vocals, guitar) and Octavian Pilan (drums), one is from Hunedoara - Cristian Pup (keyboards) and another one is from Deva - Alin Achim (bass guitar, backing vocals) - but they are all settled in Timişoara. After many changes in the band's lineup, it finally reached stability in 1995: Adrian Bărar (guitar/vocals), Ovidiu "Kempes" Ioncu (vocals), Adrian Igrişan (guitar/vocals), Cristian Pup (keyboards), Alin Achim (bass guitar) and Tavi Pilan (drums). With this lineup they released the majority of their albums: "Povestiri din gară" (Tales from the Train Station) (1992), "Destin" (Destiny) (1995), "Ziua vrăjitoarelor" (Day of the Witches) (1998), and also the album "Cargo şi Corala Teofora - Colinde şi obiceiuri de iarnă" (Cargo and Corala Teofora - Carols and Winter Customs) (1996). Both Ovidiu Ioncu (1995) and Adrian Igrisan (2001) suffered severe injuries in motorcycle accidents. Ioncu's accident was an opportunity for vocalist Adrian Igrisan to temporarily replace him. The year 2003 held new surprises for the band: with a dedicated and passionate audience waiting, Cargo was preparing to celebrate its 18 year anniversary with the release of a new album. Unfortunately, the band's plans have taken an unexpected turn: the vocalist (Ioncu) suddenly abandoned the band and moved permanently to Australia. The members decided to go on with Igrişan as main singer and rhythm guitarist, while Achim would handle, besides the bass guitar, the backing vocals. Their latest studio effort, "Spiritus Sanctus", has been recorded with Ioncu's voice but after his departure just before releasing the album, the disc has been re-recorded with Igrisan as lead singer. In 2007 they released a "Best Of" album with re-recorded tracks, that also featured a brand new song - the ballad 'Ca o stea'.

2. The Dutch band

This unit started out as SEPTEMBER and recorded a few singles that hold no interest to progheads. They then changed their name to CARGO and recorded their sole album. CARGO consist of brothers Ad and Jan De Hont both on guitars, Willem DeVries on bass and vocals and English drummer Denis Whitbread. The music developed here is a seducing hard rock with a killer twin-guitar attack much in the line of WISHBONE ASH around their "Argus" album. The two brothers play delightfully long and cooperative guitar lines that intertwine beautifully (what a pleasure it is to follow in stereo their progress) proof of their long-standing mutual trust and camaraderie.

Dutch Cargo at the Port Of Amsterdam

The De Hont and De Vries brothers had found particular favour with the Dutch public under the rock band September with numerous singles in 1970 such as Presley’s “Little Sister” and the De Vries penned “Yelly Rose”. September’s finest cover was an urgent version of Bert Bacharach “Walk On By” which kicks the shit out of the original. After changing their name to Cargo they launched their 1970 self-titled album has enough guitar slash to rip half of Holland’s Dykes to shreds. To describe the turbulent guitar breaks of Cargo, one needs to create a setting and describe the structures that extorted the ferocious solos. It was awesomely pulverizing when Jan De Hont unleashes his Fender Strat in parallel with Ad De Hont’s Gibson SG on the thudding “Cross Talking” in the spirit of Wishbone Ash. This 8min indulgence also trembles with the bass hammering Willem De Vries on his Gibson B3. Nothing like this has ever thundered through Amsterdam since the rolling Panzerwagens of 1940. Cargo’s entourage of drummers comprised of drummers Jerry Gobel, Frans Smit, Snuffel and ex Ekseption Dennis Whitebread who played on the Ekseption concept album Beggar Julia's Time Trip. Cargo was primal export that never happened.The tour de force of the album is vibrantly illuminated on the 15min “Summerfair” with escalating guitar trade - offs that reach an excruciating pinnacle.The astounding vox by Willem De Vries shudders like those November North Winds that lash the barges of Amsterdam. Cargo are turbulently forceful in the same windforce as Tractor, Rush or Jericho. Cargo also covered the sensitively squeezed “Lydia Purple” originally written by Dunn & McCashen for their album Mobius. This superb psychedelic gem was also covered by The Collectors and Giant Crab. Cargo released This power packed Prog group supported the Flock during sell-out concerts. Next to the summit driven Focus and Finch, Cargo were Holland’s most engaging contraband.

3. The Danish band

The Danish dance act Cargo, comprising the two honoured and respected DJ´s and producers; Ronnie NME Veiler and Kenn "The Killer", who throughout the last decade have been a major part of the Danish dance scene, teamed up with rapper Mikee to complete the line-up for Cargo.

The band have enjoyed major success in the Danish sales and dance chart throughout the last four years, with hits like "The Horn", the Grammy nominated tune "Loaded With Power", "La La (Legal Alien)", " Space Trucking (Bring The Noise)", the controversial smash " Pornstar", "Surrender", and the disco house tune " I Want Your Luv". The Cargo album " The movie goes party" debuted at # 13 in the national album sales chart, and climbed 6 positions the following week, spending two weeks at # 7.

The album was six weeks in the top 20, and achieved gold status within one month (25000 copies). Right after releasing the second album "Sex Appeal" their (previous) record label had to close. Without any marketing or promotion whatsoever, Cargo sold more than 6.000 Sexappeal albums based on their live concerts and "fame" from the first album (gold status in DK is 25.000).

The year 2001 was a tough year for the band, trying to get out of their contract and getting their master rights back, the band was trapped in legal disputes for 9 moths. In April 2002 CARGO signed up with Danish indie label Big Star Records, and after making some small changes in the music, from dance/ techno to RnB/house.
First single on Bigstar records, the RnB hit - Ill show you, Came out really fine and showed the band from another side. Lead vocalist, Cecilia Cruz stopped in the band right after the promotion tour on I´ll show you.
She decided to spend time on an education as a journalist…

After that, Cargo needed a new female and hooked up with the beautiful Yazzmin. After 4 month of promotion on there new smash hit Vacation the band and Yazzmin decided to split op. Vacation is played at radio and discos all over the world. The release for Vacation was in the summer of 2003, but it seems like 2004 and 2005 was the really big years for the song.

In October 2004 cargo released there latest song The Party. The song was not released in shops but only on internet websites and as a promo song for dj´s around the world. Today, Cargo is back in its original form with dj Kenn the killer, Ronnie NME Veiler and Rapper Mikee.
The group still likes to produce songs in different styles and sounds and in that spirit there next album will be an album with mix of RnB/ Rap and dance.