‘Home Away From Home’ is the first single from Touch Tone, the new alter ego of Andrew Verner, better known to you lot as Binary staple Short Circuit. Whether this draws a line under his Short Circuit work and represents a new era for Mr. Verner or if this is just a side project we are yet to find out, we’ll have to bug him about it, but it does showcase a big new sound.
A couple of years ago we referred to Short Circuit as RoboPop, with ‘Home Away From Home’ Touch Tone shrugs off that vibe and comes storming back with a huge, emotionally resonant ElectroPop sound. Like Josh Legg’s recent more Goldroom work Touch Tone seems to be getting back to the core of what Dreamwave was supposed to be about, not necessarily musically, but in an atmospheric sense. ‘Home Away From Home’ captures that nostalgic optimism that the original Dreamwave releases professed. It’s an insanely catchy, anthemic, ElectroPop track with a cool Indie vibe and some nice ‘90’s House elements. The passionate vocals flowing effortlessly over the smooth LA vibe, this is a track that feels so comfortable with itself, and could be the one to break Verner to a wider audience. I’m sure a Goldroom reMix could be arranged, that would be sick.
♫ Touch Tone – Home Away From Home
Touch Tone’s ‘Home Away From Home’ is released today on Binary.
From the glut of reMixes of Young Empires’ ‘Enter Through The Sun’ we’ve been inundated with recently, Short Circuit’s was actually the first I heard about, and the one I was most looking forward to hearing.
It doesn’t disappoint either. With a melodic refrain that is pure B-Boy Electro injected into Short Circuit’s RoboPop the mix delivers a rich, thick synth backing and a Disco beat for the piercing, icy lead lines to bodypop all over. It totally changes the feel of the track, for the better.
The king of RoboPop™, Short Circuit, has just dropped a brand new free single.
‘After Burner’ is a companion peice, an epilogue to his ‘Late Night Drive’ EP and comes complete with three minute intro. After the intro slowly builds, layering lush synth sounds and building anticipation with a sense of urgency, the track proper feels as much a spiritual successor to ‘Let Go’ as it does to the ‘Late Night Drive’ EP. This is one of Short Circuit’s slickest productions to date, everything sits together nicely, the combination of growling bassline, 16-bit melodies and melodic vocoded vocals all achieving the right balance. ‘After Burner’ strikes a nice balance between the aggressive the romantic in it’s sound, which leads to a Poppy, catchy track with a underlying edge and drive.
Short Circuit’s ‘Late Night Drive’ EP, is out now on Binary Entertainment, you can download the whole ‘After Burner’ single from Short Circuit’s SoundCloud.
LA Dreamwave innovator Short Circuit is here to send shivers down your spine with a track full of dread.
Opening with the synthesizer equivalent of nails on a chalkboard, ‘Visitors’ assaults your senses on three fronts, growing electronics and spooky melodies and banshee lead lines. Amongst all the chills, though, is a damn cool track, the shuffling percussion in particular lends the track an ‘80’s funk.
The Chicagoan producer lays on the Fuck thick on his reMix. He already had the sweet vocoder Disco of the original to work with and has taken that and run with it. The retro chords and digital slap bass are almost too much to bear playing off each other to bring whole new levels of smooth to ‘How We Speak’.
LexiconDon Quarter and Binary solo artist Fabian has given fellow Binarian Short Circuit’s ‘How We Speak’ a late night going over.
His reMix is a crazy mash-up of everything that works on the dancefloor. There’s some Breaks, some Electro-House riffs, some nice 90’s House keys and some smooth Nu-Disco & Dreamwaveyness in the background. Taking Short Circuit’s vocoded vocals and turning them into a hypnotic mantra Fabian has crafter a mix designed to do one thing and one thing only, get you dancing, and once the false finish kicks back in it’ll have you going crazy.
Binary’s Short Circuit, the king of RoboPop, just dropped this reMix of Freelance Whales’ ‘Hannah’ on an unrespecting world.
Apparently it was for some Freelance Whales reMix contest, it didn’t win, which is odd, but then again if you look at this picture of Freelance Whales they seem a little simple. I mean, you’ve got to have a few difficulties if you pass up a deep synthin’ jam like this. It;’s got a bit of funk in it’s bass and a bit of the cosmic in it’s lead and is, generally, really easy on the ears.
Short Circuit is the alter ego of one Mr. Andrew Verner. DJ, musician, producer and Vocoder abuser.
A lifelong musician, Andrew turned his attention completely to electronic music around 2008 and has since become an Electro workhorse, producing reMix after reMix as well has his own, acclaimed, single ‘Let Go’. With a sound that owes as much to European dancefloors and Sci-Fi soundtracks as it does to the LA party scene, Short Circuit’s cyborg Funk mixes up hard, pounding, beats and harsh basses with sweet soaring leads and sparkling arpeggios.
Though his music can range from gritty cut-up Electro to borderline EBM stompers to smooth Robotic love songs, Andrew’s experience as a DJ allows him to craft tunes guaranteed to rock a dancefloor regardless of genre. A skill he puts to good use with a live show that blurs the boundaries between performance and DJing.
Check out what Short Circuit in his own words:
ER: How did you start getting into making making music?
A: I’ve been making music as long as I can remember, ever since my dad bought me my first Casio keyboard when I was 4 or 5. All throughout my childhood I would make little home recordings on my tape deck and make my family suffer through listening to them. I was in bands all through high school and a while after playing different instruments. I got into electronic music about 4 years ago and have been making it ever since.
ER: And how would you like your music described?
A: That’s a tough question to answer. Recently, a blog described my music as “Robopop” (that was us! – ER) which I think is pretty cool. Really, I don’t care what people call it as long as they like it.
ER: Who are your heroes and influences, both musical and otherwise?
A: I’d say musically my influences would range anywhere from Depeche Mode to Neil Young. I grew up listening to rock music and it greatly influences my work and I feel that it comes through in my songs. I wouldn’t say that I have any “heroes”, but I greatly admire anyone that can write great songs. Anyone from MJ to Paul McCartney to Prince. If you can keep writing hit after hit, your pretty awesome in my book.
ER: You style seemed a bit harder than the rest of Binary’s roster, I’m thinking of ‘Music Machine’, but seems to be becoming a bit smoother, how would you say your style is evolving?
A: I’m always changing up my style a bit. Its hard to say that my style is getting lighter or smoother because there are some heavier songs I have yet to release. What I’ve released to the public so far is a very small taste of the stuff I’ve been working on. Some of it is rock some of it is disco and some is really dark slow electro.
A: In 2008 I started making remixes and original songs as a side project from my electronic band “Mechanical Hands Electric Heart”. Basically anything I did that wouldn’t fit in the bands style I just started putting out on my own. I did a few remixes that started getting some recognition and according to Josh, it was my post on Missingtoof debuting my remix for Digitalism’s “Magnets” that caught their ear. They emailed me and we set up a meeting with Josh and Kyle (Binary/ NightWaves) and Fabian and Alex (LexiconDon) along with myself and the rest is history I guess.
ER: Is the name a Johnny5 reference?
A: Definitely. A couple years ago I had to change the name I was using due to some legal issues and was racking my brain for a new name. I was thinking of robots and electronics and immediately thought of Johny5. My first idea was actually to use the name Johnny5 but I decided against it for a few reasons. So yeah, Short Circuit was the next obvious choice.
ER: What does Short Circuit have in his studio? How does the writing process work for you?
A: Right now I have my laptop running Reason 4, Logic Pro and Ableton Live. I have an Alesis Micron and a MicroKorg that I use for pounding out ideas but the sounds rarely ever make it to the final song. I also have an array of guitars and other instruments and a pretty decent assortment of mics (mostly AKG’s). Everything runs through my Mackie VLZ3 16 channel mixing board and that gets piped into the computer via a Mackie Onyx 400f interface.
As for the writing process, it varies depending on the song. Sometimes I’ll have a melody or loop in my head and I’ll try to recreate it in the studio. Sometimes Ill get inspired by something I hear and sit down and start working. Some of my best songs though have actually come about while working on a different song. Ill be messing around with the song and all of a sudden come up with something great that will inspire me to start from scratch.
ER: And how does that translate live, both with gear and performance?
A: When I play live I use my Micron and MicroKorg synths along with a small percussion set up. My laptop runs Ableton for the backing tracks and I use a Numark Total Control to control Ableton. I run everything through a small 4 channel mixer so I don’t have to worry about the sound guys not getting the levels right.
I try to do as much as I can live as far as playing synths, singing with the vocoder and doing some percussion. Basically, I try to put on the best show I can as just one person. So far the response has been good but I am always trying to improve what I’m doing. I’ve recently made a few adjustments to my set that I am really excited about and cant wait to try them out in front of a crowd.
ER: If money was no object, what synth would you go after?
A: Its hard to pin down any particular synth, probably an old Moog or a Juno. Anything would be better than what I have right now.
ER: Has being part of Binary helped you as a musician?
A: Yes, immensely. Its great to be surrounded by a group of guys that are great musicians and producers. There is always this level of friendly competition that has improved all of our songs. If you listen to the tracks we were all putting out before Binary and compare them to what we are all doing now, there is no question that we have all helped each other improve.
ER: What does Dreamwave mean to you?
A: Not much really. I think the whole Dreamwave thing has been taken out of context and the term has been applied to many things that are not “Dreamwave”. I really don’t think most of my music fits under that category and the Binary collective as a whole has a lot more to offer than just one type of sound.
ER: When are we going to be hearing your EP?, What should we expect for in?
A: Good question, I’m hoping for sometime this year. All the songs are there, some are just waiting for some minor tweaks and some need a lot more vocal work. But as far as a set date, I cant really give one right now.
As for what to expect, the songs I have lined up are all very different but fit together somehow. I’m really excited to see what people think of the new stuff and also nervous as well since some of it is a bit of a departure from what I normally do. There are also a couple of tracks that I sing on which is the first time I’ve ever done anything like that and it definitely adds to the anxiety of it all.
ER: Is Short Circuit more of a cereal or pile of pancakes for breakfast kinda’ act?
Well I would like to think of it as more of a cereal kind of breakfast. Always good and you can count on it every day to please. In the words of the late great Mitch Hedburg “You don’t want to be like pancakes, all exciting at first then after a while you get sick of them”.
Andrew’s not just a musician, the man is also a DJ, having held residencies at some of LA’s hottest spots. Get your ears round his latest mix:
♫ Short Circuit – Greatest Hits
Just check out that tracklist!
1. Metronomy – Radio Ladio (Micachu reMix)
2. Pink Floyd- Another Brick In The Wall (DJ Agent ‘86 reMix)
3. Tensnake – Need Your Lovin’ (Dub Mix)
4. Yacht – Psychic City (Classixx Remix)
5. Empire Of The Sun – We Are The People (The Golden Filter reMix)
6. Short Circuit – Just Because
7. Flight Facilities (Feat. Giselle) – Crave You (Cassian reMix)
8. JBAG – X-Ray Sex (Kill the Hero reMix)
9. LBCK – Start (Moonchild reMix)
10. Madeon – For You
11. Paul – Together Again
12. Annie – Songs Remind Me Of You (The Swiss reMix)
13. Miami Horror – Holidays (Miami Horror And Cassian reMix)
14. French Horn Rebellion – This Moment
15. ODahl – Hold Me
16. Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars
Short Circuit’s single, ‘Let Go’ is out now with a new EP forthcoming.
Welcome to Binary week, here on electronic rumors, readers!
Over the next seven days we’ll be dedicating most of our output to Binary Entertainment, that haven for all things ElectroPop, all things Indie-Electro, all things Nu-Disco. That’s right…all things Dreamwave!
A couple of years ago this sound had no name, the Valerie crew had their little corner of the retro, 80s, inspired ElectroPop/Nu-Disco world pretty sorted, but not named, and around the world there were great artists producing music you could only really describe as Valerie-esq. While The Valerie Collative were making music largely inspired by American teen movies of the 80’s their sound still had a strong European quality to it…enter the Binary stable of artists, who took this mixture of melodic retro ElectroPop and contemporary, dancefloor aimed, production and ran with it. Adding a healthy dose of LA-centric Americana, a certain swagger if you will, to the genre and naming it. Dreamwave.
I’ll admit I was a little hesitant about the name when I first heard it being used. ‘I’ve been listening to ElectroPop for over 20 years’ I thought ‘it really doesn’t need a new name’, but credit is due to Josh and Kyle (Binary’s founders) as their vision of Dreamwave has stuck, and makes sense (even to me!) now. In retrospect the guys did a amazing job by giving this scene a name, it’s more than just a style of music (the Binary artists themselves span quite a diverse range of electronica), it’s an attitude, a soft focus outlook on life where loving and dancing are the priority. When you think of Dreamwave, not only do you thing of the perfect smooth ElectroPop/Nu-Disco blend but also of warm summer nights, partying in LA.
Whether it’s the laidback Indie-Electro of NightWaves, the Disco flavours of Keenhouse or LexiconDon’s real world ElectroPop the Binary crew are putting melody back on the dancefloor, or Disco back into songwriting, and the term Dreamwave is becoming so ubiquitous now that January’s print edition of The NME named Dreamwave their ‘D’ in an ‘A to Z for what to watch in 2011’. Let’s hope their readers take note!
Not only did Josh and Kyle pull off the (pretty hard) task of branding a type of ElectroPop, but they also branded a feeling. An aspirational lifestyle that can be yours, even if you can’t get to LA, through the music of the artists who call Binary their home.
J: Well, I suppose it started out of a frustration for doing what people consider to be conventional lives and jobs. Kyle and I both desperately wanted to try doing something special and different before we became tied down by things like a mortgage, a marriage, or kids. We’ve been musical compatriots practically since the day we met (sailing in Long Beach!), so starting a music company was something we felt really excited about trying. We spent a bunch of time thinking long and hard about what we wanted Binary to be, and eventually, near the middle of 2008, we quit our jobs and haven’t looked back since!
ER: Is there a Binary Mission statement?
J: For a long time we were somewhat known for saying that our mission was to “bring the song back to the dancefloor”… In a lot of ways that is definitely still a mission of ours. Most of the music we work with, put out, or write about is expertly produced electronic music that’s made for fans of all music, not just dance junkies. I don’t think that part of the mission has changed. What I’m no so sure about anymore is whether or not you could call Binary a ‘dance music’ music factory. Kyle and I love a lot of different kinds of music and I think Binary will end up being a home for a lot of music that people can’t dance to. I believe our mission is to provide an artist friendly home for great songwriters, be it on the blog, on our label, or as an artist that we manage.
ER: How do you find your roster?
K: Well our roster hasn’t changed since it was fully in place back in September of 2008. But for that process, it was a mix of musicians we were associating with at the time through a friend and we were really impressed by the material they were putting together (Fabian and Alex from LexiconDon), a couple guys we found on some blog posts (Short Circuit and Alfa), we found The Kids Are Radioactive by scouring through MySpace, which took up a lot of our time in the early days of Binary. And we saw Keenhouse play a show that another one of our friends was promoting. We spent a ton of time just jumping in head first into this community of artists online, on MySpace, that were making original music and showed a certain creative edge rather than just chopping up some songs and making remixes…it was really a great journey to take. So we found what we thought was the best and the guys that showed the most potential, and guys that were in the LA area since we were trying to build a local scene and community here, and that’s how we ended up with the roster we currently have. Nowadays, because of the blog, we get a lot of promo emails, so we’ll find a lot of upcoming talented producers that way, and just staying on top of blogs looking for new artists. I personally really like finding the totally unknown guys that I can just sense have a lot of potential and watching them grow into bigger things, whether that’s due to us or not, but unfortunately that’s getting a lot harder since MySpace has died…which is the only bad part about MySpace dying.
ER: Is LA really as cool and romantic as the music would suggest?
K:Haha, yeah, I think so. LA is as cool and romantic as you make it. LA gets a bad reputation around the world (though I think this is changing a lot) and people think it’s plastic and fake, and yeah, there are certainly big parts of the city that are like that. But it’s a very big place…big enough for all of us to create or live the life we want to live. When I first moved out here from Chicago I actually kinda’ hated this place, but once you settle in and can comfortably call it home, you start to find your own little world that works for you, with the friends you want, going to the places you want to go to, doing the things you want to do. I can’t think of a better place to live in your young 20’s than the east side of LA. We’re just all such like-minded people here, and everyone kinda’ gets each other, and we all know that we’re all kind of out here trying to live the dream. So it all works out, and some days you’ll find yourself on the freeway looking at the big green hills and the blue sky with the sun shining and you take a breath and really appreciate being here right now.
ER: Where the ladies at?
K: My lady’s at home, she’s awesome. Oh you mean where are the ladies on Binary? Haha, man there are a lot of times we wish we had more of a female presence on the label, whether that be having a full fledged Binary female artist, or even just a source to go to for female vocals on some tracks. I really hope that day comes soon, cause we could really use it. The problem is that it just seems harder to find…as I said we haven’t really expanded our roster in any case, but even if we had, I don’t usually come across female producers or singers sending us their music that would fit well with Binary. We try and push our current artists to collaborate with other singers, especially female singers, because a lot of times that is the best thing that could complement a track they may be working on, but it’s tough working on random collaborations like that. I don’t know, I think we’re going to need to start exploring some other channels. But that day will come and it will be a great day.
To get you started on your week long journey down the Binary rabbit-hole here’s NightWaves ‘Binary Hour’ mixtape, showcasing some of the best from the label:
Over the course of this week we will be profiling and interviewing each act on in the Binary stable. We’ll be featuring loads of awesome music, some exclusives, mixes and a competition so make sure you check back daily as we bring you the low-down on some of the finest ElectroPop being produced today.
Andrew Verner A.K.A. Short Circuit is fast becoming the king of Robo-Pop. Coming out of L.A.’s Binary family, the go-to gang for forward thinking cotemporary ElectroPop, Short Circuit has been responsible for some awesomereMixes of late, but the time has come for him to release some original material into the wild.
Setting himself apart from the pack with his heavy use of vocodered vocals, his début single, ‘Let Go’, is a robotic love letter set to a soundtrack of warm synth leads and burbling basses. The single is backed by the kind of reMix package that has fans of electronic Pop music grinning like idiots all day after hearing it. Fellow Binary act, the reliably amazing, NightWaves bring a bit more of a Dreamwave flavour to the track, although heavier than you’d expect from these guys They bring the robot to the Disco with some thick bass sounds and screaming synths. Small Pyramids take ‘Let Go’ to a more chilled, atmospheric, place with a deep electronic groove while Popskarr reveal themselves as one to watch after turning in a blinding, funky, late night House mix.
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