Ian Schranz (born March 9, 1977), best known by the stage name Bark Bark Disco, is a Maltese indie musician. Schranz first began his career as the drummer of the band Beangrowers before establishing himself as a solo artist.
Schranz released a demo single under the name Bark Bark Disco called "Song for the Lovers"[1] which was a tribute to 1970s adult actress Brigitte Lahaie, and was taken from Erwin Dietrich's film Six Swedish Girls in a Boarding School. It received half a million views on YouTube in two weeks. Following this, organisers asked him to play a solo show opening for Bonnie Prince Billy in a masonic cemetery in Valletta.
Schranz has collaborated extensively with other artists such as JOON, Andre Herman Dune aka Stanley Brinks, Johnny Jewel and Jeffrey Lewis among others.
Schranz met the two other members of his first band, Beangrowers, when they were fourteen years old.[2]
Ian Schranz has survived bacterial meningitis three times, making him a recurrent meningitis sufferer.
He and his brother David became co-owners of the Hole in the Wall, Sliema, a cafe and live music venue in Sliema, Malta, in 2015.[3][4] The brothers gentrified what had been a sports bar, and turned it into a hip venue for live music.
Permanent members
Ian Schranz – vocals, guitar, keys, bass and drums
Guest members
JOON, Rebecca Theuma, Katryna Storace, Daniel Cassar, Daniel Abdilla, Antonio Tufignio, Mark Zizza, Stanley Brinks, Freschard[5]
Discography
Albums & EPs
On the Dance Floor - EP (Italians Do It Better, 2022)
Holy Smokes (Minty Fresh, 2018)
Your Mum Says Hello! (2010)
Singles
"Your Broke My Heart to Pizza" (2024)
"On the Dance Floor" (Italians Do It Better, 2022)
↑"Another Drink in the Wall : Sliema's Oldest Bar". Times_of_Malta. Archived from the original on 2021-01-10. Retrieved 4 January 2021. He changed the background music and started supporting homegrown bands by allowing them to play upstairs. He hosted film nights and pub quizzes and watched the bar community grow.
↑
Ramona Depares (2018-05-10). "Watch: New Bark Bark Disco single brings all the feels". Times_of_Malta. Retrieved 2021-01-26. Bark Bark Disco - which started out as a project by Ian Schranz and now also includes Rebecca Theuma and Daniel Cassar - recently returned from a very well-received tour in the US.