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portastudio

by [esc]

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1.
Sad boy 01:31
2.
Lazy Lover 01:32
3.
4.
HI 5-0 02:02
5.
Hangover 05:13
6.
Morning 01:41
7.
I <3 eluvium 01:36
8.
They say 00:57
9.
Distance 02:58
10.
11.
12.
Not today 01:29
13.
Lazy boss 01:23
14.
15.

about

In the 1930’s, legendary folklorist father-son duo John and Alan Lomax set out with a tape recorder, to document the true voice of the United States - capturing the authentic voices and experiences of Mississippi Sharecroppers, New England crabpotters, Apallachian coalminers, and other vanishing ways of life.

In 2017, drummer Ben Dahmes set out on tour with the blasted Doom Country outfit Roselit Bone. Armed only with a cheap Casio keyboard and a cellphone, Dahmes captures both the time and temperature of the current cultural climate; the voices and experiences of real (strange) people in 2017, the landscape itself, and the timeless travails of a touring musician on Portastudio, under the auspices of his [esc] guise.

If John and Alan Lomax took a detour through Mario’s warp level, to bump, grind, and sashay with Prismo at the Center Of All Things, perhaps it might sound a little something like the greasy falsetto funk, synth jams, and surreal sad sack singer/songwriter seductions that comprise Portastudio.

On Frank Zappa’s breakout freakout Cheap Thrills, Ringo Starr’s chauffeur Martin Lickert laments “In this business you either gotta play the blues or sing with a high voice.” Dahmes ignores this dichotomy, bringing together Prince-style slow jams with some charcoal soul, especially on Portastudio’s opening half. “Sad Boy,” and “Lazy Lover,” bear a sonic resemblance to skewed tape tunesmiths like Ducktails or Sun Araw, while “Gospel According To Ben,” sounds like Alan Vega officiating a wedding in the Church Of Elvis. Dahmes gets in on some of this season’s Tropical vibes, on the post-Beach Boys tropicalia of “HI 5-0”, while “Morning,” sounds like a post-acid makeout session watching Saturday Morning Cartoons.

There’s nothing normal or conventional about [esc]’s vocal fare, however. Dahmes’ sardonic drawl sparkles and shines with scintillating synth, like sunlight reflecting on crystalline waves; dipped in mysterious, mystical reverb and batiked with ancient drum machines and weirdo warped production. These abstractions form a Rainbow Bridge to Portastudio’s ambient instrumental interludes, which form a sonic landscape for [esc]’s oddly confessional exhortations and slivers-of-life from the margins of society. Tracks like “Hangover,” “Morning,” and “Distance,” showcase the emotional landscapes of Dahmes’ touring existence, while other atmospherics like “I <3 Eluvium,” “Cooooooorrrrrrrrnnnnnnn,” and “U ()))) do it,” sound like the blurred world outside of the van window. Finally, there’s “Sega Dance Night,” which captures the random fun and excitement that can sometimes happen, in living rooms and basements across the United States, with PlayStation beats, lo-fi booty bass, and rinkety dink roller rink organ.

Portastudio is a striking addition to Dahmes’ Viberary, bringing together Dahmes’ apocalyptic blues of his full-time job with Roselit Bone, and his personal lifelong interests in atmospheric, cinematic shoegaze and psychedelia. There’s flavors of New Order’s “Ceremony,” or a C86 take on M83, and a dash of modern underground cassette culture mindmelt, along the lines of The Skaters, James Ferraro, or Portland’s own Spencer Clark. .

As authenticity seems to be in such short supply, these days, with so little being true and so much being permitted, catching a glimpse into one of the hardest working musicians in Portland, Oregon is beyond refreshing. Hurry up and listen, before everything is serialized, syndicated, centrally broadcast, and officially censured! The underground still exists, if you know where to look. Let Portastudio be your roadmap.

credits

released June 15, 2017

made on my cellphone with a casio while on a month long tour

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viberary Portland, Oregon

Viberary is an online database for music made by and or with Ben Dahmes.

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