bubbles Artist Bio spring 09
Thanks to the quick draw aesthetics of the Internet, cultural critics, the news media and bloggers are now able to respond to or comment on events as they happen. The door is now also wide open for musicians and artists to utilize this technology and add their distinctive voices to the mix, giving praise and calling bullshit in equal measure.
One such voice belongs to the Portland-based electronic artist and producer bubbles. Just as so many of us have been watching the news of our current economic meltdown and going through a roller coaster of emotions - from fear to distress to confusion to anger - so too was bubbles. But for him, this meant a leaping off point for his latest album, Economics 008.
Over the course of the album, bubbles takes his listeners along on an aural journey through the morass of double-dealings by CEOs, Congressional hearings and home foreclosures by creating tracks that veer from the steely grit of grime ("Credit Freezer") to pure acid house grooves ("Commercial Paper") to Eno-esque ambient (the three part "Is This The Bottom?"). It never settles on one mood, using a variety of sounds to capture the shifting tenor of these uncertain times.
In keeping with bubble's embrace of new technologies, Economics 008 will not be released in CD form. Instead it will be available as a download on CDBaby and iTunes, or on a 1GB USB stick that will feature extra tracks, artwork and other surprises.
Economics008 is just another step in a lifelong musical journey for this talented producer, one that started in Santa Cruz, California. There, he was the host of a pirate radio show on Radio Free Santa Cruz that featured local hip-hop and on-air freestyle sessions, many led by bubbles himself. He moved to Portland in 2001, and soon thereafter formed Transparent Productions, a collective of producers and musicians that have helped record and release a dozen amazing albums. He is also a much sought after DJ who has provided the soundtrack for everything from small, sweaty house parties to huge corporate events.
bubbles' work is far from done. He's already looking ahead to his musical projects and he wants to include you in the process. For his next album, he is opening up his material to his fans, allowing them to give comments and ideas directly to him that he will incorporate into his music.
At the same time, bubbles is going back to his roots as one of the founding members of a new group called Watermelon Funk. This hip-hop project features bubbles working with longtime collaborator BooSen (bubbles produced this talented rapper's 2003 album 13 Years) and respected, quick cutting DJ Kut Throat. The music is pure old school revival wrapped up in new school beats.
It might seem hard to keep up with every move that bubbles makes, but he has made it a lot easier to do so, providing updates on his website (http://www.bubblesmusic.net), his blog (http://bubblesbloggy.blogspot.com), Facebook, Twitter (@bubblesmusic), MySpace and more. If there's a social network online, you can be sure to find bubbles there.
He zigs and zags through the musical world, buoyed by his raw talent and his relentless drive to create. Don't try to box bubbles in because, like his name suggests, he'll always find a way to float free.
-Bob Ham
For More interesting bubbles Things check out music, photos and other fun pages on this site! bubbles is available at www.cdbaby.com/bubbles and on Itunes, just use the convenient links page.