Long before electronic wizard Dan Deacon released his commercial debut, 2007’s Spiderman Of The Rings, he’d gigged with a high-school ska band, earned a computer-music-composition degree from SUNY at Purchase, blew tuba for Langhorne Slim, shredded improv grindcore guitar with Rated R, started a chamber ensemble, co-founded Baltimore’s Wham City arts/music collective and released a series of experimental computer-music/sine-wave recordings. Deacon continues to pursue an eclectic musical course—his Carnegie Hall debut in March was part of a John Cage tribute—but his greatest successes have been in the electronic/dance scene. America (Domino), Deacon’s new album and the follow-up to 2009’s highly regarded Bromst, could cement his status as one of the country’s most adventurous and inspired electronic architects. Deacon will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on him.
Deacon: Ed Schrader’s Music Beat released their first full-length, Jazz Mind, on Load Records in the spring. And it is the most slept-on record of the year. It has an energy and a sound that a lot of contemporary music is lacking these days. Even though it’s super raw, it’s quintessential pop music. For all its originality, it’s not esoteric—it’s immediate and catchy. I can’t totally put my finger on it, but it’s brilliant. Ed is an eccentric personality in Baltimore, which is saying a lot, I think. He played his music solo for a while, singing and banging on a drum, and it was definitely compelling, but adding Devlin Rice on bass really focused his sound.
Video after the jump.
