Twine (band)

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Twine
OriginCleveland, Ohio
GenresIDM, glitch
Years active1997 (1997)–present
MembersGreg Malcolm
Chad Mossholder

Twine is an American electronic music duo that formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1997.[1] In addition to releasing four albums and one EP,[1] the duo have also created two royalty-free libraries of audio samples for the Sonic Foundry digital audio workstation, ACID.[1]

History[edit]

Greg Malcolm and Chad Mossholder went to the same high school in Cleveland, Ohio, when they began making music together.[1] They shared a common interest in skateboarding and attended Akron University together for a year.[2] The group formed at Kent State University in 1997[1] as a collaboration between Mossholder and David Graves. They were working under the name "The New Severe Theatre" before Graves moved to Maryland a few months later.[2] Mossholder then asked his old friend Malcolm to join, and they changed the name of their pairing to Twine.[2] Both Malcolm and Mossholder have formal educations in computers and technology.[1]

The group's first album Reference, was released in 1999.[1] The second, Recorder, came out in 2002, followed by an eponymous release in 2003.[1] There followed a five year wait until their fourth album, Violets, which finally arrived in 2008.[1] The majority of work on the album occurred from 2003–2004.[3] Commenting on the delay, Malcolm stated, "After four years, I felt personally hopeless about the release and lost faith basically in the entire indie-electronic music business."[3] Mossholder, on the other hand, said that both the band and label Ghostly International wanted to "release something special for the listener".[3] Both men were also busy with their personal careers in the interim, though they continued writing and recording new material, and have a large collection of unpublished music.[3] Mossholder has done extensive work writing music and doing sound design for video games,[3][4] while Malcolm works in the commercial photography industry.[4] In 2011, Malcolm said that the duo would attempt to "re-launch" Twine that year.[4]

Musical style[edit]

Mark Richardson of Allmusic said that the duo "combine samples, digitally generated tones, and processed instruments into an electronic mix that defies easy categorization."[1] Malcolm also said of their sound: "I can't define it, but I know what it is when I see (hear) it."[4] Mossholder said of their collaborative style, "We create a common virtual space where we can deposit ideas, sounds, song fragments, and sometimes complete thoughts."[4] Malcolm commented that the pair were "like Voltron: able to operate independently," but able to "come together when needed, and make the sum greater than the parts."[4]

Reception[edit]

The pair's second album, Recorder, was positively received, called both "dark and deep"[1] and "an achievement".[5] Their fifth, Violets, was described as "powerful" and "really worthwhile".[6]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

  • Reference (1999) – Ad Astra
  • Recorder (2002) – Bip-Hop
  • Twine (2003) – Ghostly International
  • Surfaces (2006) – Ghostly Digital
  • Violets (2008) – Ghostly International

Loop libraries[edit]

  • Intelligent Dance Music (2000)
  • Build (2001)
  • Either/Or Electronica (2008) (only Malcolm)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Twine Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Arnold, Jacob (November 27, 2000). "Weaving Twinesounds". Igloo Magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e Schepper, Ron (September 19, 2008). "Twine interview". Cyclic Defrost. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Mendelson, Katie (6 April 2011). "Twine, Unraveled". Interview. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  5. ^ Couture, François. "Recorder Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  6. ^ Bryne, Michael (January 1, 2009). "Know Your Product; Twine: Violets". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved June 25, 2012.