Lovespirals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lovespirals | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genre(s) | Dream Pop Electronica |
| Years active | 1999 – present |
| Label(s) | Chillcuts Projekt |
| Associated acts | Love Spirals Downwards |
| Website | http://www.lovespirals.com |
| Members | |
| Ryan Lum Anji Bee |
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| Former members | |
| Doron Orenstein Gabriel D. Vine Sean Bowley |
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Lovespirals is a US Dream Pop and Electronica band from Southern California featuring multi-instrumentalist/producer, Ryan Lum, and lyricist/vocalist, Anji Bee.
Contents |
[edit] History
Lovespirals began in 1998 as a side project of Lum's Projekt Records band, Love Spirals Downwards [1] The new outfit found Lum teaming up with Doron Orenstein and Gabriel D. Vine, of Subliminal Records duo, Monkey Bars, for the instrumental track, "Beatitude." [2] Bee joined in as vocalist soon after [3], and was the motivating force in shortening the band's name to Lovespirals. [4]
At first, Lovespirals' music picked up where Lum left off with Flux, the final Love Spirals Downwards' studio album, creating Drum and Bass and Downtempo compositions. The first song officially released to CD was a Jazzstep remix of Claire Voyant's "Bittersweet," for Time Again: A Collection of Remixes, in April 2000. The remix was attributed to Love Spirals Downwards, though the song was composed by Lum and Bee, with saxophone contributions by Orenstein. [5]
In July of 2000, the band launched an Mp3.com page under the name "Lovespirals" which included the first song featuring Bee's vocals, "Ecstatic." [6] They followed up with a second digital single called "Hand in Hand" in August. These tracks were pressed to acetate for Lum's use in DJ sets during promotions for the Love Spirals Downwards career retrospective CD, Temporal: A Collection of Music Past & Present, released earlier that year. [7] In 2001, these songs were released via an Mp3.com Enhanced CDR called the Ecstatic EP, along with a new track called "Spanning Time," and their Claire Voyant remix. [8] StarVox Magazine listed the Ecstatic EP and Time Again in their Top 10 Staff Favorites of 2001, citing Lovespirals and Claire Voyant's "triphop-influenced grooves" as "Goth's Next Big Thing." [9] Mp3.com featured the EP in their "Hot Artist Spotlight" on January 25, 2002, stating:
- For those fans of Good Looking Records, Lovespirals could easily be found amongst their ranks in talent and sound.[10]
By 2002, however, the band had eschewed Drum and Bass in favor of more Dream Pop focused territory - albeit with Jazz and World flavorings - for their first full-length CD, Windblown Kiss, released on Lum's long time label, Projekt. The album features two collaborations with former Projekt labelmate, Sean Bowley, of Eden, as well as sax contributions by Orenstein. [11]. Oddly enough, Windblown Kiss was linked to another burgeoning Gothic subgenre, "slow teary-eyed Gothic Jazz":
- Lovespirals’ "Windblown Kiss" of 2002 was heralded as the style’s official birth and fulfilled the lifelong dreams of darkwave and lounge lovers like myself by blending the melancholy, ethereal vocals of the former with the breezy, slow sway of the latter. [12]
After leaving Projekt to form their own label, Chillcuts, Lovespirals returned in 2005 with Free & Easy. This second album continued the band's exploration of Jazz, but in a much more Electronica-oriented style. As part of the album's promotion, Peace Love Productions held a remix contest for the album single, "Walk Away." [13] An entry by Bitstream Dream - whom Bee has collaborated with on several songs - was one of Lovespirals' first tracks deemed podsafe. Podsafe Music Network founder, Adam Curry, premiered "Walk Away (Bitstream Dream Remix)" on Daily Source Code #261 [26] on October 17, 2005. [14] This remix currently holds the #2 position on the Podsafe Music Network's "Most Played on Podcasts" chart under the Downtempo category. The #1 position is held by another Free & Easy single, "Love Survives." Also in the Downtempo Top Ten is the "Ecstatic (Podsafe Edit)" and Bitstream Dream's "Phantasma" featuring Bee's vocals and lyrics. [15]
In June 2005, Lovespirals began a band podcast entitled "Chillin' with Lovespirals" [16] The show's theme music is the opening intro from title track, "Free & Easy." [17] In addition to band news, the podcast discusses "recent trends in music and technology." [18] Chillin' with Lovespirals became available on the iTunes store in July 2005. [19] In 2006, the podcast was signed on with PodShow with the extended the show name "Chillin' with Lovespirals: Insights of an Indie Band." [20]
Bee was signed to PodShow as a podcast producer in February 2006. Her first PodShow property was the weekly podsafe Chillout music podcast, The Chillcast with Anji Bee, which she originally launched in January 2007 on ourmedia.org as "The Chillcuts Chillcast" as a tie-in to the band's label. [21] The show's theme song was created by Lovespirals. [22] The Chillcast was added to the Adam Curry's PodShow lineup on Sirius Stars in January 2007. [23]
Lovespirals' 3rd album, Long Way From Home, was released on October 23, 2007. The band has returned once more to guitar and vocal based material, more in the Dream Pop style, with Americana or Alt. Country influences. The CD was named after a lyric in the American Spiritual, "Motherless Child", which was the first single from Long Way From Home. [24] Lovespirals' rendition of "Motherless Child" was first released on the Podsafe Music Network on June 1, 2007, and has been featured on podcasts including Daily Source Code [25], Accident Hash [26], Financial Aid Podcast [27], PodShow Radio [28], and the Podsafe Music Countdown Top 10 [29].
Lovespirals' music has been featured internationally on network television, cable, DVD, podcasts, vidcasts, Internet and radio including: The Oprah Winfrey Show, E!'s Gastineau Girls, VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, the WB's Popular boxed set, The Strand: Venice (by Daniel Myrick of The Blair Witch Project fame), The Chalet Show with Lynn Parsons, and Adam Curry's Daily Source Code.[27]
[edit] Discography
- Ecstatic (2001 Mp3.com)
- Windblown Kiss (2002 Projekt Records)
- Free & Easy (2005 Chillcuts)
- Long Way From Home (2007 Chillcuts/reapandsow)
- Motherless Child EP (2007 Chillcuts)
[edit] Various Artist Compilations
- Claire Voyant Time Again: A Collection of Remixes Accession Records (2000)
- Chill Out Lounge Vol. 2 Water Music Records (2001)
- Chill Out in the City Water Music Records (2001)
- Music Inspired by SWAT SWAT Productions(2001)
- Excelsis 3: A Prelude Projekt Records (2001)
- Claire Voyant Time Again: A Collection of Remixes Metropolis Records (2001)
- Excelsis Box Set Projekt Records (2001)
- Mondisk: A Celebration of 13 Years Monitor Records (2002)
- Cool Terrasse CH Musiq (2002)
- Blisscent 1 Blisscent Records (2002)
- Projekt: Gothic Projekt Records (2002)
- Projekt 2002.2 Projekt Records (2002)
- The Arbitrary Width of Shadows Projekt Records (2002)
- A Dark Noel: The Very Best of Excelsis Projekt Records/Hot Topic (2002)
- Projekt 2002.3 Projekt Records (2002)
- Dark Horizons - A Decade of Darkness Dark Horizons (2003)
- Projekt 2003.1 Projekt Records (2003)
- Precipice Vol. 2 Precipice Recordings (2004)
- NPF Tribute Vol. 1: None Of Us Is Pink NPF (2005)
- NPF Tribute Vol. 2: The Return of the Sons of Neptune NPF (2005)
- Asian Variations: Various Artists Remixed by MoShang OnsePlate (2007)
- Projekt200 Projekt (2007)
- The Best of Sunday Sundown Intralog Sunday Media Network (2007)
[edit] References
- ^ [1] lovespiralsdownwards.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [2] lovespirals.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [3] choler.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [4] jivemagazine.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [5] lovespiralsdownwards.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [6] lovespiralsdownwards.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [7] lovespiralsdownwards.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [8] discogs.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [9] starvox.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [10] lovespirals.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [11] projekt.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [12] The Collegian Online Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [http://www.peaceloveproductions.com/lovespirals.html Peace Love Productions Retrieved on 12-06-07
- ^ [13] lovespirals.com Retrieved on 05-11-07
- ^ [14]Podsafe Music Network Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [15] LinkedIn: Anji Bee Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [16] anjibee.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [17] PodShow Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [18] lovespirals.com Retrieved on 12-06-07
- ^ [19] LinkedIn: Anji Bee Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [20] ourmedia.org Retrieved on 12-06-07
- ^ [21] anjibee.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [22] anjibee.com Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [23] All Music Guide Retrieved on 11-29-07
- ^ [24] Daily Source Code Retrieved on 12-06-07
- ^ [25] Accident Hash Retrieved on 12-06-07
- ^ http://www.lovespirals.com/bio.cfm?page=bio lovespirals.com Retrieved on 05-11-07
[edit] External links
- Lovespirals Official site
- Lovespirals on MySpace
- Lovespirals at Allmusic
- Lovespirals Discogs.com page
- GearWire Article about Ryan's use of ProTools and GarageBand software
- solipsistic NATION No. 56: Lovespirals Podcast. Interview with Anji Bee and Ryan Lum, plus, select tracks from their EPs and LPs and side projects.
