J Lesser is the
stage name for Jason Doerck (born December 19, 1970). Between 2003 and 2006 Doerck was a member of the defunct laptop group Sagan, alongside
Blevin Blectum,
Wobbly
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...
, and video artist Ryan Junell.
Early years
Born and raised around
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, including
Willits and
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
, Doerck began his music career listening to and playing bass guitar (as J.C Backstreet) for the three-piece ensemble Cradlestone RIP and the Sutter Valley Claimjumpers.
black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...
and
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
, including a Metallica cover band. In San Diego, he had a job coloring
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...
comic books using computers. In 1997, he helped form the group
Disc with Kid606, M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel (of
Matmos
Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore. M. C. (Martin) Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their per ...
).
An interest in
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
drove Doerck to begin work with record label Vinyl Communications in 1992, adding more electronic flavor to what was otherwise a punk record label. Doerck settled in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
in 1994, where he participated in the
drum & bass
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-b ...
scene. There he toured with
A Minor Forest, and later collaborated with
Kid606
Miguel Trost De Pedro (born July 27, 1979), better known by his stage name Kid606, is an electronic musician who was raised in San Diego and later moved to San Francisco. He is most closely associated with the glitch, IDM, hardcore techno and b ...
, publishing a number of records on the label
Tigerbeat6
Tigerbeat6 is a San Francisco and Berlin based independent and (mostly) electronic record label run by Kid606 (Miguel De Pedro). The label is run as a DIY operation and releases a variety of electronic music styles, including noisecore, intelli ...
. Doerck also played with members of
Crash Worship
Crash Worship or ADRV (''Adoración de rotura violenta'', Spanish for "crash worship") was a San Diego, California based experimental music and performance art ensemble formed in 1986. They were most renowned for live performances partly inspired ...
. Doerck's early electronic music influences included
Luke Vibert
Luke Vibert (born 26 January 1973) is a British electronic musician and producer, also known for his work under several aliases such as Plug and Wagon Christ. Raised in Cornwall, Vibert began releasing projects in the 1990s across varied genre ...
's work released under the alias ''Plug'', which Doerck admits he tried to imitate (with little success).
Brave New Waves
''Brave New Waves'' was a Canadian radio program which aired on CBC Stereo, later known as CBC Radio 2, from 1984 to 2007. Airing overnight five nights a week, the show profiled alternative and indie music and culture, including film, comics, ...
interview, aired February 22, 2001
2000s
In 2001, Doerck became a live/touring member of Matmos when they toured as an opening act with
Björk in addition to playing as supporting musicians in her band on the ''
Vespertine
''Vespertine'' is the fourth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 27 August 2001 in the United Kingdom by One Little Independent Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. Production on the album ...
'' tour. During the same year, his album ''Gearhound'' won an Honorable Mention for Digital Musics in the
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the best known and longest running yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music. It has been awarded since 1987 by Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria) ...
.
In 2001, Doerck released an
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
compilation of Lesser material on CD entitled ''LS-MP3CD-R'' that included hundreds of files and over 12 hours of audio.
In 2004, Doerck remixed "Who Is It" from Björk's ''
Medúlla
''Medúlla'' is the fifth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 30 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by One Little Indian Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. After the release of her electro ...
'' album.
Discography
* ''I Hate Me'' (Cassette, 1990)
* ''Split 7" with bigblackMariah'' (Hate Posse Records, 1991)
* ''VC-39'' (Vinyl Communications, 1992)
* ''I Hate Me'' (Endless Records, 1993)
* ''The 1995 Lesser / Rob Crow Split CD'' (Vinyl Communications, 1995)
* ''Excommunicate The Cult Of The Live Band'' (Vinyl Communications, 1996)
* ''Welcome To The American Experience'' (Vinyl Communications, 1997)
* ''Gigolo Cop'' (Vinyl Communications, 1997)
* ''Elements of Pessimism, vol.1'' (Box Theory Records, 1998)
* ''Lesser / Kid606 Split CD'' (Vinyl Communications, 1998)
* ''Gearhound'' (Matador Europe, 2001)
* ''MENSA Dance Squad'' (Tigerbeat6, 2001)
* ''LS-MP3CD-R'' (Tigerbeat6, 2002)
* ''Suppressive Acts: I-X'' (Matador Europe, 2003)
References
External links
*
*
Jay Lesser on Matador Records* Golden, Barbara. “Conversation with J Lesser).â€
(April 2010). Montréal:
CEC.
* Hood, Stu
Interview with J Lesser ''SHZine'' (1 October 2002).
{{DEFAULTSORT:J Lesser
Living people
American electronic musicians
1970 births
People from Willits, California