James Singleton, known professionally as James Pants, is an American multi-instrumental recording artist. Although his music defies simple categorization, he is promoted as a purveyor of the "fresh beat," an early-1980s sound with influences from 1980s

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, electro

boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...

, early rap, new wave, and post-punk disco.

Early life

Singleton's father is a Presbyterian minister and he has lived in Texas, Boston, and Spokane. Singleton used to be in a rap group called Ballistix in Austin, Texas. Singleton was discovered by DJ and

Stones Throw Records Stones Throw Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Under the direction of founder Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw has released music ranging from hip hop to experimental psychedelic rock. '' LA Weekl ...

head

Peanut Butter Wolf Christopher George Manak (born October 8, 1969 ), better known by his stage name Peanut Butter Wolf, is an American disc jockey and record producer from San Jose, California. He is based in Los Angeles, where he moved to in 2000. He is the found ...

, whom he approached while still in high school. When Peanut Butter Wolf did a gig in his hometown of

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, Pants left his prom, with his date in tow, to meet him at the show.

Career

Singleton interned at Stones Throw offices. After releasing several singles and compilations with Stones Throw, he released his debut album, ''Welcome'', in 2008. At some point between 2008-2009, he was part of the Bastard recording sessions and produced "Let's Dance," an unmixed Tyler, The Creator track from his Dinosaur EP. The second James Pants LP, ''Seven Seals'', was released in July 2009; his third, self-titled LP was released on May 3, 2011, and his fourth LP, ''Savage'', was released on April 14, 2015. Singleton currently resides in New York City and works as a software engineer for

Bloomberg L.P. Bloomberg L.P. is a privately held financial, software, data, and media company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, with Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan (Bloomberg), Duncan MacMi ...

He is affiliated with the

Red Bull Music Academy The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festiv ...

Discography

Albums

*''Welcome'', CD, 2008

*''Seven Seals'', CD, 2009 Stones Throw Records *''James Pants'', CD, 2011 Stones Throw Records *''Savage'', CD, 2015 Stones Throw Records

EPs

*''James Pants Meets Egyptian Lover'', 2009

(split 12'' with

Egyptian Lover Gregory James Broussard (born August 31, 1963), better known by his stage name Egyptian Lover, is an American musician, vocalist, producer and DJ, and was a part of the L.A. dance music, electro, and rap scene in the early 1980s. History Th ...

) *''New Tropical'', 2010

References

External links

Stones Throw Records: James Pants

James Pants Interview Fact Magazine

James Pants Interview Red Bull Music Academy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pants, James American electronic musicians American multi-instrumentalists American boogie musicians Stones Throw Records artists Living people American electro musicians Year of birth missing (living people)