Benn Jordan
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| Benn Jordan | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Also known as | The Flashbulb, Human Action Network, Q-Bit, Flexe, Dr. Lefty, Acidwolf, DJ ASCII, Lucid32, rnd16 | |
| Born | October 28th,1978 Georgia, United States |
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| Genre(s) | Electronica, Breakcore | |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, Drums, Sitar, Oud, Piano | |
| Label(s) | Sublight, Alphabasic, Bohnerwachs, Rephlex, Merck, Accel Japan | |
| Website | TheFlashbulb.net | |
Benn Lee Jordan is an electronica musician operating under many pseudonyms. Since 1999 his most widely distributed and eclectic music has been released under the name of The Flashbulb, whose songs mostly fall under the breakcore genre. Other names Benn operates under are Q-Bit, Flexe, Dr. Lefty, Acidwolf, Human Action Network, DJ ASCII, Lucid32, and rnd16.
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[edit] Biography
Benn Jordan was born in Georgia in 1978, but moved to Chicago to live with his grandparents at a young age. His career began releasing instrumental music on small labels in the United States and Europe, but has recently developed into other paths such as record producing and freelancing as a television and film composer. Benn is also an active jazz guitar player and drummer in Chicago venues. In 2005, The Flashbulb toured with Dillinger Escape Plan which helped diversify his listeners. Most recently, Jordan's music (from 'The Flashbulb - Kirlian Selections') was featured in Dove's controversial ad campaign: Dove - Evolution (Campaign For Natural Beauty), which has drawn a large amount of attention from mainstream media. Jordan is a sufferer of bipolar disorder[1], which may explain the extreme diversity in his musical endeavors.
[edit] Musical style
As The Flashbulb, Jordan typically releases drill 'n bass music. His style differs strongly between albums, but they all have a cohesive bond tied around fast drum programming, acid-influenced melodies, and a wide array of live instrumentation from various instruments Jordan has acquired. He also often records his melodies through MIDI-synced guitars. His guitar style and skill has gained attention because he typically plays it strung backwards, and makes heavy use of fast sweeping and tapping. The last two Flashbulb albums have been feauturing violinist Greg Hirte, and it seems that Hirte will feauture heavily on the next Flashbulb album (september 2007) as well.
Under other aliases, Benn Jordan's work varies quite a bit. His Acidwolf and Human Action Network aliases feature retro acid music that uses old drum machines such as the TR-808 and relies heavily on the melodies of the TB-303. Tracks made under the FlexE alias tend to be laid-back and classic acid. According to him, he showcases his more fundamental, classical, and personal pieces under his own name, Benn Jordan.
[edit] Discography
All as "The Flashbulb", unless otherwise indicated.
[edit] LPs
- M³ (2000, Metatone)
- These Open Fields (2001, Alphabasic) (re-released in 2002 with different cover art and a bonus track)
- Girls Suck But You Don't (2003, Accel Muzhik)
- Resent and the April Sunshine Shed (2003, Alphabasic)
- Programmable Love Songs (2004) (as FlexE), Nophi
- Red Extensions of Me (2004, Sublight)
- Kirlian Selections (2005, Sublight)
- Acidwolf Legacy 1995-2005 (2005 (as Acidwolf), Bohnerwachs, Alphabasic)
- Réunion (2005, Sublight)
- Flexing Habitual (2006, Sublight)
- Welcome To Chicago (2007, (as Human Action Network), Alphabasic)
- (Yet untitled album, as The Flashbulb) (September 2007)
[edit] EPs/etc.
- 2 Remixes for Bogdan Raczynski (w/Nautilis 2001, Rephlex)
- Drain Mode = ON (2001, Suburban Trash)
- Lawn Funeral EP (2004, Alphabasic)
- Binedump EP (2005, Suburban Trash/Bonnerwachs)
- Flexing Habitual (2006, Sublight/Bonnerwachs)
[edit] Citations and references
[edit] External links
- The Flashbulb - official site
- The Flashbulb - iTunes music
- Suburban Trash
- Alphamart
- Campaign For Real Beauty A Dove Soap campaign that showcases some of Jordan's original compositional and sound design work.
- Vapor Music Company Benn Jordan is an in-house composer for the Vapor Music Group, a company that does music consulting for commercials and the CBC (Canadian News).
