Elliot Peter Earls

BY JOHN HEATON JONES, JOHN BACCIGALUPPI

In theory, the proliferation of low cost multi-track recording devices has democratized the recording process and put these tools into the hands of many people who previously didn't have access to them. All of these people would then go on to create works of musical art that would amaze and gratify, as these musical geniuses were heard for the first time. In practice, if you had to listen to all the recordings made on 4- track cassette recorders and low cost digital recording systems, you'd surely want to die. Like the hapless protagonist of A Clockwork Orange, who's forced to view the terrible acts of humanity for hours on end, you'd beg for it to be over. Admit it. Occasionally heroes emerge from the mist like Beck, with his top 40 single recorded on an 8-track and cheap sampler. But, reason says there must be more, just like reason says that we just can't be the only intelligent life in the universe, right? Well, where are they then? Maybe they're hard to find until they're overexposed like Beck and the dead aliens of Roswell. Elliott Earls is one example of an artist doing great work that very few people have heard. His music and art would probably exist without the proliferation of the digital tools he uses, but it would be quite different and it's even more likely that you'd never hear it. No major label in their right mind would ever open their checkbooks for Elliott like they do for N'sync and the Spice Girls. Most music these days is pretty cookie cutter and predictable, but Elliott produces unique and experimental but ultimately enjoyable pop music that is very original. A bit of a novelty in 1999. While original, his influences are still present, just mixed in and regurgitated and disparate enough in the first place to keep things fresh. Immediate references would include hip- hop, musique concreté, funk, spoken word, slice and dice, and contemporary practitioners of the above like the Beasties and Beck. Standing on top of this all is a passion for the English language and wordplay, and a deep respect for Henry Miller. Elliott has two more or less self released multi-media CDs available, Throwing Apples At The Sun and Eye Sling Shot Lions. Each CD is not only a full music CD, but also has a rich multi-media layer. If you think that a lot of multi-media is boring and soul-less, these CDs will probably change your mind. Instead of trying to create bad TV-like imagery you can control, Elliott strips it down to the basics and fucks with the constraints, turning weaknesses into assets. One nice thing about working with, as opposed to fighting the current technology, is that these CDs run fast and never crash your computer. The only slightly surprising thing about all this if you enter into it from the music, is that Elliott has no training or background as a musician, but is an internationally renowned type designer and graphic designer, albeit an eccentric one who will probably never reach the mainstream status of someone like David Carson. Once you know this, the visual brilliance of the CDs and the eclectic variety of the music begin to make more sense. At this point a more familiar reference point might be someone like Brian Eno, a brilliant musician, and a practitioner of many forms of art.

Richard Franecki: Vocokesh and F/i

BY STEVE SILVERSTEIN

A few years ago, it seemed I couldn't walk down the street without hearing the words "Krautrock" or "lo-fi". Long before these terms became fashionable, Milwaukee resident Richard Franecki was recording himself at home, and he's been listening to German electronic music since his youth. While Franecki's tastes have grown more fashionable in recent years, he's remained obscure. His current band, Vocokesh, has released two records on Drag City, but they've remained two of the label's smallest sellers. I caught up with Franecki at Rockhaus, a fine Milwaukee guitar and drum store owned by Franecki's former bandmate Greg Kurzcewski.

CD-R's: The new cassette culture?

BY ROB CHRISTENSEN