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Black Dice is an American experimental
noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise within a musical context. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical ...
band based in Brooklyn, New York and consisting of brothers Bjorn and
Eric Copeland Eric Copeland (born 1978 in Brunswick, Maine, United States) is an American experimental musician based in New York City. He is a core member of Black Dice and forms half of the duo Terrestrial Tones with Animal Collective's Avey Tare. Copelan ...
along with Aaron Warren. Formed in 1997, the group was initially inspired by
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
and
noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
, but subsequently shifted toward the extensive use of
signal processing Signal processing is an electrical engineering subfield that focuses on analyzing, modifying and synthesizing ''signals'', such as audio signal processing, sound, image processing, images, and scientific measurements. Signal processing techniq ...
,
effects unit An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing. Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in el ...
s, and
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
instrumentation. They released their debut album '' Beaches & Canyons'' in 2002. They have recorded for labels such as DFA, Fat Cat, and
Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...
's
Paw Tracks Paw Tracks (formerly known as Soccer Stars until 2000, then Animal until 2003) was an independent record label based in Washington, D.C. At first only records by Animal Collective were released on the label, but since 2004 it has also released ...
.


History


Early years

Black Dice formed in spring 1997 soon after guitarist Bjorn Copeland met drummer
Hisham Bharoocha Hisham Akira Bharoocha (born March 12, 1974 in Niigata, Japan) is an American musician and visual artist best known as an ex-member of the Providence bands Lightning Bolt and Black Dice. Currently, Bharoocha is involved in his band Soft Cir ...
and bassist Sebastian Blanck when they were students at the
Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
.
Eric Copeland Eric Copeland (born 1978 in Brunswick, Maine, United States) is an American experimental musician based in New York City. He is a core member of Black Dice and forms half of the duo Terrestrial Tones with Animal Collective's Avey Tare. Copelan ...
(vocals) was still attending high school in Maine and would visit on weekends. Early shows seldom lasted more than fifteen minutes and were characterized by violent performances where injuries were often sustained by the band and audience alike. Live sets mixed structured songs with improvised sound manipulation, and shows differed from night to night. Later joined by Bjorn's brother Eric Copeland on vocals, their early sound has been described by Tiny Mix Tapes as
thrash Thrash may refer to: *Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work *Thrash (surname) * Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers *'' Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video gam ...
-influenced
noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...
. They released several 7"s and embarked on a few brief tours before Blanck left the group.


Move to New York

In the summer of 1998 the band relocated to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
where Eric Copeland was attending college. At an early New York performance the band met current member Aaron Warren who had recently moved from Los Angeles to attend NYU. began to experiment with their sound, While their earlier sound can be described as a mix of early-eighties-inspired thrash and harsh noise, the band has changed their music with each record and era of performance, Eric Copeland has stated about the band "We definitely have eras; we have records that feel like they indicate all the songs we were playing at that time.".Levee
"Black Dice: Interview"
''Tiny Mix Tapes'', January 2006, accessed March 22, 2011.
and Bjorn has said that it's always been a very gradual progression for the bands evolution of sound stating "To be honest, I think we've been in this weird in-between space the entire length of the band. There will be these moments where people can identify really strongly to this one (sound)... Once it got kind of weird, the kids that were into hardcore really didn't like it.". The band began incorporating more
pedals A pedal (from the Latin '' pes'' ''pedis'', "foot") is a lever designed to be operated by foot and may refer to: Computers and other equipment * Footmouse, a foot-operated computer mouse * In medical transcription, a pedal is used to control p ...
into their setup and slowly leaving their earlier
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
-leaning style in favor of more rhythmic music similar to
motorik Motorik is the 4/4 beat often used by, and heavily associated with, krautrock bands. Coined by music journalists, the term is German for "motor skill". The motorik beat was pioneered by Jaki Liebezeit, drummer with German experimental rock band ...
and
dub music Dub is an electronic musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican re ...
.Beta, And
"Pitchfork: Features: Black Dice"
, ''Pitchfork'', June 1, 2002, accessed March 22, 2011.
Eric Copeland describes this transition as "...it stopped being thrashy and started being more sounds instead of songs." "Our shows used to be "all songs." Then it would be songs with these long transitions between things, instead of just flat or silent. When Aaron came along, we got better at that stuff, and that became more what we wanted to play. Playing the songs became secondary." It was around that time that the emphasis shifted from conventional song structures to more open-ended sonic investigations. Shows of this era maintained an equally physical presence through the use of high volume levels and an extreme range of frequencies, and violent performance became less frequent. The music bore more resemblance to crude first generation industrial music or contemporary
power electronics Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power. The first high-power electronic devices were made using mercury-arc valves. In modern systems, the conversion is performed with semiconducto ...
than straight noise or hardcore. Eric describes this era as "we were like heavy noise dudes, and it got a lot of industrial people would ask 'Oh, you guys to listen to
Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to: People * Charles S. Whitehouse (1921-2001), American diplomat * Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor * E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883-1965), American diplomat * Elliott Whitehouse (born 1993), ...
?'" Warren recounts when he lived in Los Angeles, "I remember seeing like
Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada ...
and stuff when he was just doing all pedals, and that was the first time I had ever seen a performance with no guitars, no keyboards, no anything. When I saw
Masonna , better known by his stage name Masonna, is a Japanese noise musician. He was born on November 16, 1966, in Miyazu, Kyoto, Japan. was started in 1987 in Osaka as Maso Yamazaki's noise project. The name is a combination of the Japanese words ...
, he just had a coin purse, a microphone, and stacks behind him. That was a revolutionary musical experience for me, but I still played guitar for five years after that, and sang, and it never occurred to me to that that was something I was going to do." By the fall of 2001, live shows had grown in length to almost five or six times of the earlier sets, with the occasional song reaching 45 minutes. An emphasis on signal processing provided a broader sonic palette. While volume and physical presence of sound remained crucial, melody and repetition became key compositional elements. During this time, the band recorded with
post-industrial In sociology, the post-industrial society is the stage of society's development when the service sector generates more wealth than the manufacturing sector of the economy. The term was originated by Alain Touraine and is closely related to s ...
/
noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...
band
Wolf Eyes __NOTOC__ Wolf Eyes is an American experimental music group from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1996 by Nate Young. Currently a duo, Wolf Eyes are a prominent act within contemporary noise music. They have collaborated with a variety of artists from ...
initially meeting them because they wanted to book a show in Michigan and Wolf Eyes member John Olson booked them in his basement. The brothers recall recording with Wolf Eyes in an interview for Tiny Mix Tapes "We probably burned through like $100 worth of
grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
... On the first day!".


DFA and Fat Cat years

Four months after recording with Wolf Eyes they would record '' Beaches and Canyons''. The release of the album '' Beaches and Canyons'' on DFA/ Fat Cat and its follow-up, 2004's ''Creature Comforts'', saw the band reaching a worldwide audience. The album would later be ranked by
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
as number 97 of The Top 100 Albums of 2000–04. It was during this time the band was interviewed and filmed in performance for Scott Crary's documentary ''
Kill Your Idols Kill Your Idols is an American hardcore punk band from New York, active from 1995 through 2007 and again from 2013 to the present. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records. Their releases on SideOne were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split w ...
'', along with bands like
Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complem ...
and Liars. In spring of 2004, the band parted ways with long-time drummer and friend Hisham Bharoocha. The band was set back with the departure of Bharoocha and their cancellation of a heavily planned tour co-headlined by their friends
Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...
. Nonetheless, reduced to a trio, Black Dice recorded '' Broken Ear Record'' in Australia in early 2005. Without a drummer, their music took another turn towards
Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...
and
breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and UK ...
. Metamorphosed once again, Black Dice emerged as a tight compositional unit, with little emphasis remaining on improvisation or long-form songs. A near-pop sensibility was embraced, with shorter and catchier tunes. Also in 2004, the band's song "Skeleton" was featured in HBO's documentary
Thinking XXX ''Thinking XXX'' is a 2004 documentary television film about the process photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders went through to create his book ''XXX: 30 Porn Star Portraits''. Content The film shows Greenfield-Sanders as he shoots portraits o ...
. Though they were not included in the film's soundtrack the song is listed in the film's credits. In summer 2005, the group released its first non-music object; a 128-page book of collage art made in collaboration with photographer Jason Frank Rothenberg.


Paw Tracks years

After their contract with DFA/Fat Cat was over, Black Dice took the remaining DFA material in 2007 and released it as '' Load Blown'' on the Animal Collective label Paw Tracks. The band made their first music video, a visual mash up of images culled from television and the Internet featuring the single “Kokomo” off the album. In 2009 the band released their fifth studio album ''Repo''. Visual art has been a key counterpart to the music, with all record-sleeve design made by band members. Artists Ara Peterson and Danny Perez have made videos for songs, and Mr. Perez has contributed a live video mix to the band's live set since fall of 2005, Perez would later direct ''
ODDSAC ''ODDSAC'' is a visual album by Animal Collective, featuring psychedelic visuals directed and edited by Danny Perez. First announced in August 2006, the film took over four years to complete. The band members and director Danny Perez dubbed the ...
'' with Animal Collective supplying the music. Animal Collective member
Noah Lennox Noah Benjamin Lennox (born July 17, 1978), also known by his moniker Panda Bear, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and co-founding member of the band Animal Collective. In addition to his work with that group, Len ...
said about Black Dice in an interview with The Milk Factory in 2005: " ..I feel like the wisest things I’ve learned about being in a band I learned by watching them." In early 2009, he confirmed in an interview with
Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
that he looks to Black Dice "as a model for a band. ..I feel like as a band, I can't speak for the other guys
f Animal Collective F, or f, is the sixth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Let ...
but certainly for myself, like I modelled the way I approach to everything with the band watching the way ''Black Dice'' did it."


Ribbon Music and ''Mr. Impossible''

Black Dice returned with their sixth studio album ''
Mr. Impossible The following is a list of ''Mr. Men'', from the children's book series by Roger Hargreaves, also adapted into the children's television programme ''The Mr. Men Show''. Books one (''Mr. Tickle'') to forty-three (''Mr. Cheerful'') were writ ...
'', released April 10, 2012, on
Ribbon Music Ribbon Music is an American-based independent Music Publishing Company, representing a diverse roster of international writers working across a multitude of genres including rock, country, punk, metal, dabke, electronic, Latin and folk. For a com ...
. The release of the album was preceded by the single and video for the track "Pigs".


Members

;Current * Bjorn Copeland – guitar, custom sequencer/effects box, sampler, electronics (1997–present) * Eric Copeland – vocals, sampler, delays, electronics, percussion (1997–present) * Aaron Warren – electronics, sampler, bass sounds, MPC, percussion, vocals (1999–present) ;Former * Sebastian Blanck – bass (1997–1999) * Hisham Bharoocha – drums, electronics, vocals (1997–2004)


Timeline


Touring

The band has toured America and Europe dozens of times, and has visited Japan twice. Having been together over ten years, the group has performed shows in five continents sharing the stage with artists including
The Residents The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, ''Meet the Residents'' (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music vi ...
and
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock band which originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located i ...
. In 2005, the trio recorded an album in Byron Bay, Australia following a tour. In 2006, the band played in Brazil and a live set was captured on national television in Lima, Peru. Virtually any and every type of venue has served as the backdrop for Black Dice shows; from basements and warehouses to art galleries and museums, from house shows to gigantic outdoor festivals or formal seated theaters. Placing the music in a context contrary to the average show remains a compelling inspiration for unique performances.


Discography

;Studio albums * '' Beaches & Canyons'' (2002), DFA /
Fat Cat Records FatCat Records is an English independent record label based in Brighton. The label's output reaches into many styles including experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic folk, contemporary classical, noise and post-punk. Notable artists that ...
* ''
Creature Comforts ''Creature Comforts'' is a British adult stop-motion comedy mockumentary franchise originating in a 1989 British humorous animated short film of the same name. The film matched animated zoo animals with a soundtrack of people talking about th ...
'' (2004), DFA / Fat Cat Records * '' Broken Ear Record'' (2005), DFA / EMI * '' Load Blown'' (2007), Paw Tracks * ''
Repo A repurchase agreement, also known as a repo, RP, or sale and repurchase agreement, is a form of short-term borrowing, mainly in government securities. The dealer sells the underlying security to investors and, by agreement between the two par ...
'' (2009), Paw Tracks * ''
Mr. Impossible The following is a list of ''Mr. Men'', from the children's book series by Roger Hargreaves, also adapted into the children's television programme ''The Mr. Men Show''. Books one (''Mr. Tickle'') to forty-three (''Mr. Cheerful'') were writ ...
'' (2012),
Ribbon Music Ribbon Music is an American-based independent Music Publishing Company, representing a diverse roster of international writers working across a multitude of genres including rock, country, punk, metal, dabke, electronic, Latin and folk. For a com ...
* ''Mod Prog Sic'' (2021), Four Four ;EPs and singles * ''Untitled'' (a.k.a. ''Printed Paper'') (1998), Vermin Scum * ''Black Dice 3'' (2000) * ''Cold Hands'' (2001),
Troubleman Unlimited Troubleman Unlimited Records was a record label specializing in indie rock and similar genres. Founded in 1993, the label was based in Bayonne, New Jersey and owned by Mike Simonetti. History The label started as an offshoot of a fanzine called ...
/ Catsup Plate * ''Lost Valley'' (2002), Catsup Plate / Tigerbeat6 * '' Miles of Smiles'' (2004), DFA / Fat Cat Records * ''Smiling Off'' (2005), DFA/EMI * ''Manoman'' (2006), DFA * ''Load Blown'' (2007), Paw Tracks * ''Chocolate Cherry'' (2009), Catsup Plate * ''Rodriguez'' (2012), Ribbon Music * ''Big Deal'' (2017), L.I.E.S. ;Singles * "Lambs Like Fruit" (Gravity, 1998) * "Semen of the Sun" (Tapes, 2000) * "Ball" / "Peace in the Valley" (31G, 2001) * "Cone Toaster" (DFA, 2003) * "Roll Up" / "Drool" (Paw-Tracks, 2007) * "Big Deal" / "Last Laugh" (L.I.E.S., 2016) * "White Sugar" (Four Four, 2021) ;Splits and collaborations * split with
Erase Errata Erase Errata was a band from San Francisco, California. The group favored improvisation as a compositional tool and each of their performances were a unique manifestation of established songs. History Erase Errata formed in Oakland, California ...
(2001), Troubleman Unlimited * ''Wastered'' with
Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...
(2004), Paw Tracks ;With
Wolf Eyes __NOTOC__ Wolf Eyes is an American experimental music group from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1996 by Nate Young. Currently a duo, Wolf Eyes are a prominent act within contemporary noise music. They have collaborated with a variety of artists from ...
* ''Chimes in Black Water 1'' (2001) * ''Chimes in Black Water 2'' (2002) * ''Black Dice & Wolf Eyes'' (2003) * ''Chimes in Black Water 3'' (2003)


References


External links


official Black Dice website

Pitchfork.com

Three Imaginary Girls : a Black Dice Interview


*
Deathrockstar's interview w/ Eric Copeland

Czech Radio Wave live interview with Aaron Warren podcast (English audio + czech translation
{{Authority control American noise rock music groups American experimental musical groups DFA Records artists Musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups from Rhode Island Musical groups established in 1997 Rhode Island School of Design alumni in music