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Electronic music is sometimes unfairly characterized as cold, sterile and lacking in emotion. But the music of Orgatroid \u2013 an Asheville duo of Jason Daniello and Jeffrey Richards \u2013 is none of those things. Created almost completely from electronic elements, the music benefits from the very non-electronic backgrounds of the pair of musicians who make it. Orgatroid has just released its debut, the Future Youth<\/i> EP.<\/p>\n
Multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Richards played with Vic Chesnutt, and was later the drummer in Albuquerque-based alt-country band Hazeldine. He first met Daniello in New Mexico in 1995, and they played together for a time with Chimayo holy man Armando Ortega.<\/p>\n
Daniello, who relocated to Asheville from Albuquerque in 2006, has long played as both a solo musician and as a leader or member of Asheville rock bands (Broomstars, Jason and the Argonauts). But his primary instrument is guitar.<\/p>\n
The two reconnected after Richards moved to Asheville in 2009. Since that time, he has played in a number of bands with Daniello, usually on drums, guitar or bass; he only occasionally dabbled on keyboards. \u201cBut Jason started building up his little collection of keyboards,\u201d he recalls. \u201cSo when we were practicing, I just started playing them, and I was like, \u2018Damn, I actually have a knack for this!\u2019\u201d The more time he spent with the electronic instruments, the less mystifying they seemed.<\/p>\n
Both musicians were keenly interested in pursuing a creative path substantially different from their previous projects; Orgatroid was born from that idea. Launched in 2014, Orgatroid \u2013 its name a neologism combining organic and android \u2013 relies on modular and keyboard-based synthesizers, sequencers and loops as its primary sonic elements.<\/p>\n
In some ways, Orgatroid\u2019s music hearkens back to \u201880s new wave and \u201890s darkwave, but more modern elements combine with the analog textures to make something that doesn\u2019t feel tied to any particular style or era. \u201cI think it’s our own thing and it has elements of everything,\u201d Daniello says, though he admits an appreciation for dreamy trip hop\/chillwave acts like Massive Attack and Air.<\/p>\n
Richards concurs, though his wildly eclectic tastes cover most every style; he\u2019s as likely to rave about an old, obscure middle eastern folk recording as he is to talk about a Van Der Graaf Generator LP. \u201cI\u2019m really into a lot of Italo-disco as well,\u201d he adds. \u201cI weird Jason out sometimes,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cBut we meet in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
There\u2019s nothing middle-of-the-road about Orgatroid\u2019s songs, though. The lush sonic landscapes sometimes feature pulsing beats; other times the sounds are more airy and ethereal. But there consistently unifying elements are sturdy melodic lines and an emotionally evocative vibe. Daniello likens the collaborative creative process to sculpture. \u201cYou’re subtracting bits from the palette of the sound,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Richards \u2013 who is also an abstract painter \u2013 compares Orgatroid\u2019s music to what he creates on an actual canvas. \u201cHowever ill-defined it is, it is something<\/i>, and then you run with that something,\u201d he says. And eventually, \u201cit starts evoking something a little more thing<\/i>-ish. And you follow the path to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Depending on the song, that path may be well-defined, or it may be blurry; the strange and often impressionistic videos made to accompany the songs emphasize the otherworldly feel of Orgatroid\u2019s music. \u201cWe want each song to tell a story,\u201d Daniello says with a smile. \u201cBut we don\u2019t necessarily know what that story is all the time.\u201d Richards describes the listener reaction he hopes for: \u201cI don’t know where it\u2019s going, but I’m going to go there with them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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