Twine (band)
Twine | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Genres | IDM, glitch |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Members | Greg Malcolm Chad Mossholder |
Twine is an 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
Greg Malcolm and Chad Mossholder went to the same high school in Cleveland, Ohio, when they began making music together.[1] They also 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, 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 2003–04.[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careers in the interim, though they continued writing and recording new material, and have a large collection of unpublished music.[3] Mossholder has done extensive work writing music and doing sound design for video games,[3][4] while Malcolm works in the telecom industry.[4] In 2011, Malcolm said that the duo would attempt to "re-launch" Twine that year.[4]
Musical style
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
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
Studio albums
- Reference (1999) – Ad Astra
- Recorder (2002) – Bip-Hop
- Twine (2003) – Ghostly International
- Surfaces (2006) – Ghostly Digital
- Violets (2008) – Ghostly International
Loop libraries
- Intelligent Dance Music (2000)
- Build (2001)
- Either/Or Electronica (2008) (only Malcolm)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Twine Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- ^ a b c Arnold, Jacob (November 27, 2000). "Weaving Twinesounds". Igloo Magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Schepper, Ron (September 19, 2008). "Twine interview". Cyclic Defrost. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Mendelson, Katie. "Twine, Unraveled". Interview. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- ^ Couture, François. "Recorder Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- ^ Bryne, Michael (January 1, 2009). "Know Your Product; Twine: Violets". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved June 25, 2012.