experimental

Swans is an influential band from New York City, New York, United States, active from 1982 to 1997, reformed in 2010, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. Marginally associated with the no wave scene at first, their original sound was slow and heavy, with live performances that were often so brutal and physical that in a number of instances certain audience members were made ill, police were called and venues were shut down. This early physical sound is possibly best heard on the live album Public Castration Is a Good Idea.

Keith Fullerton Whitman is a composer/performer obsessed with electronic music; from its mid-century origins in Europe through its contemporary worldwide incarnation as "digital music." Currently he is working towards implementing a complete system for live performance of improvised electronic music that incorporates elements from nearly every era: a reel-to-reel tape machine, a selection of small "jerry-rigged" / "circuit-bent" battery-powered sound-producing boxes...

Teebs (aka Mtendere Mandowa) has been in the right place at the right time. The avid skater met esteemed workaholic producers Flying Lotus and Samiyam at a 2007 Red Bull Music Academy function in Orange County and later became immersed in Los Angeles's weekly future-bass hot spot the Low End Theory, witnessing the Gaslamp Killer, Daedelus, Kutmah, and others tear it up on the regular. An Achilles-tendon injury forced Teebs to take a year off from skating, which allowed him to focus on his music.

Protest the Hero is a band from Whitby, Ontario. Formed in 1999, when they were just 14 years old, they originally used the name Happy Go Lucky, but changed their name before releasing their first EP, A Calculated Use of Sound, to Protest the Hero. This was followed by the release of their first full length, Kezia, on the indie label Underground Operations. On January 23, 2006 the band officially signed with Vagrant Records for Kezia's United States release.