Techno Squirrels
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Formed in 2005, Techno Squirrels is a band made up of Ryan Harlin (born
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, USA) and Lisa Eriksson (born Lund,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
). Both Eriksson and Harlin are sound engineers and producers for Techno Squirrels. Their music has been used in MTV's
The Real World Real World or The Real World may also refer to: * Real life, a phrase to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds Television * ''The Real World'' (TV series), 1992–2017 * "The Real World" (''Stargate Atla ...
(Sydney),
The Real World Real World or The Real World may also refer to: * Real life, a phrase to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds Television * ''The Real World'' (TV series), 1992–2017 * "The Real World" (''Stargate Atla ...
(Hollywood), The Real World vs. Road Rules Challenge, Regenesis (Sci Fi Channel), and on LucasArts' Thrillville 2 soundtrack. Their debut album, Plastic Makes it Possible, was released in August 2007 with two singles (Love Comes First, and Unbelievable). In September 2007, Love Comes First began getting regular rotation on
Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially lau ...
and by October of that year it had reached the number one spot on Channel 35's Top 40. Shortly after Sirius,
KCRW KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to program ...
's
Nic Harcourt Nic Harcourt (born September 23, 1957) is an English-born American radio and television presenter, producer, and journalist best known as the former Music Director and on-air presenter for the Santa Monica, California-based radio station KCRW. Har ...
picked up another cut off the album, "South of Colorado," to play on his nationally syndicated shows "Sounds Eclectic" and "Morning Becomes Eclectic." On February 19, 2008
Om Records Om Records is an American record label, established in 1995, which releases electronic music, dance music and hip hop. The label was founded in San Francisco in 1995 by Chris Smith. Om Records releases both artist albums and compilations, incl ...
released their Chill Compilation, volume 2, featuring Techno Squirrels' "Love Comes First" track as track 1 on the CD. A remix of the track "Love Comes First (StyrofoamKid Remix) was recently included on the Cream Ibiza
Paul Van Dyk Matthias Paul (; born 16 December 1971), known professionally as Paul van Dyk () is a German DJ, record producer and musician. One of the first true renowned DJs, van Dyk was the first artist to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the newly a ...
Compilation of 2008.


Style

Techno Squirrels' music forms a blending of styles spanning various types of pop and electronic music. Classified as pop, electronica,
trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
, house, progressive-house, or
techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
by different music reviewers and critics most people identify Techno Squirrels' sound by its cohesive similarity to itself more than its comparison to other artists. Techno Squirrels' style walks a line between club-destined floor-thumping techno and more sensitive pop productions. Not often ones to settle for a single vocal sample to carry an electronic track, Techno Squirrels are more known for their pop structures (verses, choruses, bridges, etc.) laid over danceable foundations of " 4-on-the-floor" beats and bass lines. They do also, however, depart more dramatically from dance music into electronica tracks closer in nature to artists like the
Postal Service The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal syst ...
, Telepopmusik, or Frou Frou.


Background

Eriksson, no stranger to electronic and experimental music founded the underground band Schulte/Eriksson (Org Records), whose discordant and poly-rhythmic pop songs caught the ears of legendary
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
DJ
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
in the late 90s. Around the same time, Eriksson joined with
Daniel Hunt Daniel Hunt (born 25 July 1974) is an English musician, songwriter and producer. He is a founding member, principal songwriter and producer of the electronic band Ladytron. Biography Hunt met Reuben Wu in Liverpool in 1995 and formed Ladyt ...
and
Reuben Wu Reuben Wu (born 1975) is a British artist, photographer, musician, and industrial designer. He is also known as a keyboardist, songwriter, and producer for the electronic band Ladytron. Biography Reuben Wu was born in Liverpool in 1975, the so ...
to sing for their recently formed electropop group,
Ladytron Ladytron are a largely British electronic band formed in Liverpool in 1999. The group consists of Helen Marnie (lead vocals, synthesizers), Mira Aroyo (vocals, synthesizers), Daniel Hunt (synthesizers, guitar, vocals), and Reuben Wu (synth ...
. Eriksson recorded their breakthrough single with them, " He Took Her to a Movie", which ended up on their full length LP after Eriksson's departure from the group (as listed on the 2004 reissue of "
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" by
Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...
). Ryan Harlin was a filmmaker and recording engineer prior to his involvement with Techno Squirrels. His film work, still actively in production, documents the musical careers of early and influential punk rock bands like the
Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...
, Youth Brigade, and NOFX. Harlin also ran NovaSound, a recording studio in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, USA from 1996 to 2000. Techno Squirrels formed in 2005 in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. However the two first worked together during a Schulte/Eriksson recording session at the
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) is a performing arts higher education institution in Liverpool, founded by Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty and opened in 1996. LIPA offers 11 full-time BA (Hons) degrees in a range ...
(LIPA) - a higher education institution in Liverpool, England whose graduates from that time in the late 90s include, in addition to Harlin and Eriksson, fellow electronic artist
Kate Havnevik Kate Havnevik (born 27 October 1975) is a Norwegian film composer, songwriter and singer. Her debut album, the critically acclaimed electronica-infused ''Melankton'', was released in March 2006 on iTunes and April 2006 (on physical CD) in Norw ...
, record producer
Sean McGhee Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...
, and
Sandi Thom Alexandria "Sandi" Thom () (born 11 August 1981) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Banff, Scotland. She became widely known in 2006 after her debut single, "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)", t ...
. Ryan Harlin has admitted in several interviews to his early resistance to electronic music and credits record producer and friend
Sean McGhee Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...
with changing his opinion of the genre. For Lisa Eriksson, it was a trip to the European music festival,
Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
, which would first expose her to the sounds of early influential artists like
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and
Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...
. Around the same time, but separate from each other, Harlin and Eriksson were both beginning to experiment with electronic music production. While Lisa Eriksson was beginning to add vintage analog synthesizers and samplers into her work with Schulte/Eriksson, Ryan Harlin was beginning to incorporate electronic elements into his music production and engineering work, even producing two early tracks with
Kate Havnevik Kate Havnevik (born 27 October 1975) is a Norwegian film composer, songwriter and singer. Her debut album, the critically acclaimed electronica-infused ''Melankton'', was released in March 2006 on iTunes and April 2006 (on physical CD) in Norw ...
along with LIPA classmate Duncan Speakman. In 2005, Ryan Harlin and Lisa Eriksson began collaborating musically - passing song ideas back and forth while Eriksson was attaining a master's degree in audio production from the
University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Polyte ...
,
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Later the two both ended up in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, Harlin producing films with Emo Riot Productions and Eriksson working in radio production. By the middle of 2005 the two began production on what would become their debut single, "Mute", released by Rave Police Records in fall 2005. In 2006, their remix of "Om Mani" showed up in repeated rotation on
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
's Asian Network program. In April 2007 "Om Mani" was also featured in an episode of Regenesis, a Canadian Sci-Fi television drama (season 3 episode 6).


Remixers

Techno Squirrels has been remixed by the following DJs and Producers:
Arthur Loves Plastic Arthur Loves Plastic or ALP is the performing name of Washington, D.C. based electronic music recording artist Bev Stanton. Biography Stanton was born in the Bahamas in 1966 and raised near Walt Disney World. She recorded ALP's first project, ...
, Carmen Rizzo,
Sean McGhee Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...
, DJ Denise,
Nebulae A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming region ...
, James Bernard, Johan Afterglow, The Puff, Glycerin, DJ Etain, RED-eye, Rene Patrique, Emotiquon, Robert Jax


Members

Ryan Harlin: (programming, songwriting, production, vocals) 2005–present
Lisa Eriksson: (programming, songwriting, production, vocals) 2005–present


Releases

* Mute (2005; Rave Police Records) * Om Mani (2006; Rave Police Records) * Love Comes First (2007; Rave Police Records) * Unbelievable (2007; Rave Police Records) * Plastic Makes it Possible (2007; Rave Police Records) * Om Chill Compilation (Volume 2) (2008 Om Records, USA) * Cream Ibiza Paul Van Dyk Compilation (2008 Vandit Records, Germany) * Tech Dance Euphoria (2008, Ministry Of Sound, USA) * Ludicity (LucasArts 2009, USA)


External links


Official Website
{{Authority control Electronic music groups from California