Electropolis Sinks One in The Whole Kristen Mueller, blog writer for The Wake Student Magazine (Scroll down to Sunday February 26, 2006) Review from a a young, hip zine: www.babysue.com St. Paul Pioneer Press FEATURE on Electropolis "Just think of it as jazz with a clang, a bang and fritz lang" Electropolis Plays Metropolis fe: Bill Mike, Desdamona, Diana Grasselli, Jelloslave, and Last of the Dinosaurs (Sunday, February 19, 2006, Southern Theater, Minneapolis) By Andrea Myers, www.howwastheshow.com UTNE READER: "If jazz ran helter-skelter through the house of funky rock, Electropolis would be riding piggyback, grabbing a handful of hair. This album is a danceable, can't-wrap-your-head-aroundable fusion of chaos and order. In this context, fusion means the process of atomic nuclei coming together to release unfathomable energy. This music is simultaneously its own invention and the invention of former jazz geeks, a Minneapolis foursome who have juiced up their horns and bass by plugging them into electronic components. Their 'electrosax' and 'electrumpet' are fitting for the uniquely joined form, a sort of experimental rock that transforms itself, jazzlike, in each performance. It's the bomb, chickadees." --Dan Wahl, UTNE READER April 2006 Issue ELECTROPOLIS SPEAKS! Read the interview with Greg Shaw of perfectporridge.com Reviews of the new CD: Electropolis Electropolis shocks Funky Town Contributed by Don Berryman, JazzPolice.com Top Local CDs of 2005 at Minneapolitan Music! Ross Raihala of the Pioneer Press makes Electropolis a top pick of 2005! The Onion AV CLUB Top 10 Local Releases of 2005! Dang! The funny papers! City Pages Kelly's sound is described as a chorus of T. Rexes! Cool! The PULSE "It's moody, atmospheric stuff that knows when to strut and when to break ankles." Howwastheshow.com "maybe the best approach for their pounding, wailing, swooning jazz band is to close their eyes, put the key in the ignition, and put the pedal to the metal. Because even without a roadmap this band is cruising down exactly the right path." WILL DO, thanks!!! Electropolis vs. VJ Neverwas at Intermedia Arts Our attention deficits aren’t all bad. For one, they’ve pressed performing artists to delve farther into genre-bending multimedia work, which, from the audience perspective, keep us occupied by stimulating more of the senses. Gone are tedious radio plays (in that, we mean live radio plays) and, for the most part, guitar-less emo-rockers who croon and cry. In their place, visually spectacular chamber concerts, collaborations between aerialists and actors, and the re-popularization of “Gesamtkunstwerk” have risen. An interesting exercise in multimedia work takes place tonight in a sort of sensory match-up. It’s music verses film in Electropolis vs. VJ Neverwas, where the electro-jazz sounds of Electropolis are pitted against video improvisations by music video auteur Chris Cunningham. 7 p.m.; also on Aug. 8, 10, 11, and 13; Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis; www.fringefestival.org And THE REVIEWS ARE IN at the Fringe Fest site: "Electropolis!" by William Snyder: — Wow. OK, the mix of experimental music and video can be as boring as a lecture on postmodern theory, but this was a blast. Never took itself too seriously, and managed to push the video-live music boundaries while staying playful and fun. Players were dead on, and VJ Neverwas is amazing. The film, "Freshies," would be worth the price of admission alone. (Posted on Aug. 6, 2005) "great music!" by Brinsley Davis: — I always love these guys. It's a bit unusual to see a live music Fringe show, so I applaud them for doing one so well. Their music is experimental in the best sense of the word (not abstract and boring but always interesting and engaging) and the films are great. (Posted on Aug. 7, 2005) "Amazing show!" by Jeanine Krier: — This show is a must see for all music and film lovers. This show was a reminder of the amazing art and music scene in Mpls. I felt like I could have been in a loft in Soho NYC watching this show. (Posted on Aug. 10, 2005) "Very Cool" by Fred Berndt: — The best of both worlds-free style music and video. The show was original from birth to its death. The music has a feel of acid jazz. The effects were deep and soothing in some parts and sharp and stabbing in others. The video was cut, paused, pasted, walked on, dripped in, multiplied and scratched. Visually impressed with the presentation. Hats off to these folks. (Posted on Aug. 10, 2005) _______ HEAR NOW: Electropolis by Jahna Peloquin, St. Paul Pioneer Press Personnel: Michael Ferrier, electronic saxophone; Kelly Rossum, electronic trumpet; Michael O'Brien, bass guitar; Steve Roehm, drums. Background: Take four recovering jazz geeks who've all studied and taught music, introduce them to the freedom of electronics and watch them build something out of nothing. That's the kind of alchemy that's been occurring since April 2000, when the Minneapolis foursome electrified the name of their hometown to form Electropolis. Concept: "All of us were playing in really serious endeavors," Ferrier says, "and wanted an outlet to have fun and be creative and not fit within boundaries." Tired of the formulas of jazz, the band disconnected themselves from the genre and added electronic components to saxophone and trumpet to create what they call "electrosax" and "electrumpet." "Every time someone hears us they think we sound really unique," Ferrier shrugs. "We're not trying to get on MTV. We're not trying to get signed. We just want to make good art." Recordings: Since 2000, Electropolis has released three EPs of their mostly improvisational, free-flowing style of electro-jazz-noise-rock. Songs are composed collectively "on the spot," Ferrier says. So it's no surprise that recording poses some challenges to the band. "It's hard to capture lightning in a bottle," Ferrier says. "When creating spontaneous music, spontaneous problems happen." Review: Electropolis is to music as sci-fi is to film: Appreciated by a select fanatical few, the musicians explore strange new worlds and attempt to boldly go where no band has gone before. If electro-noise-rock is music's final frontier, Electropolis is its fearless explorer. The group's most recent EP, "Electropolis Plays More Music for Trips" (2003), sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a sci-fi film based in a very funky galaxy, with moaning saxophone, gurgling trumpet and unidentifiable noises that twist their way around the prodding bass lines and drumbeats. It's jazzy, it's noisy, it sometimes doesn't make sense, but as a whole, it's focused and intriguing. Photos for Press Electropolis  Credit: David M Olkon black and white, 300dpi, 3.5x2.5" "Hailing from Minneapolis, MN, this avant-garde jazz quartet offers something unique to the scene. With instrumentation including Michael Ferrier on tenor sax, Michael O'Brien on bass, Steve Roehm on drums, and Kelly Rossum on trumpet, one might be wondering where all those wacky sounds are coming from. Well, this band runs just about every instrument, and anything else they can think of, through some distortion pedal or sound synthesizer of one kind or another. The result is astonishing. It's a mish-mash of jazz and electronic music, almost completely improvised, which swirls and pulses at random intervals, titillating and sometimes even disorienting the listener. But the music can also go off on a tangent involving a seriously danceable groove, too. On their first studio effort, Slow Fast, Electropolis even used some audio sample snippets of Kerouac's Beat poetry. This is an experimental band with an anything goes attitude. From a fast assault of bass harmonics to a futuristic cyborg howling through an electronic saxophone, expect this music to go in any wild direction on a moment's notice. The band has recently completed their second album, Plays Music For Trips, and is quickly garnering a hefty fan base in the Minneapolis area. Poised to jump into the national scene, this young, envelope-pushing band of talented musicians deserves a bigger audience." Jon Zinkand of Jambands.com, for "IN-TUNE" magazine Best New Artists of 2003 Nominee -- Minnesota Music Awards ". . . on the other end of the spectrum is Electropolis. The all-star acid- and electro-jazz act with Michael Ferrier on sax, Kelly Rossum on trumpet, bassist Michael O'Brien and percussionist Steve Roehm is promoting its CD, 'Slow<-->Fast.' The disc kicks off with the 23 minute title track, a 'Bitches Brew'-like freak-out jam that left me feeling woozy (in a good, drug-free way, that is)." Chris Reimenschneider, Minneapolis Star Tribune CITY PAGES A-LIST PICK HIT OF THE WEEK FOR AUGUST 7, 2003: "Electropolis are that rare fusion band that's both genuinely funky and actually fusing something--skronk and punk, in this case--which they transform into a sound both surprisingly controlled and graceful." Peter S. Scholtes, CITY PAGES "Electropolis gets high marks for its bracing, ready-for-prime-time mix of jazz, rock and funk." Tom Surowicz, Minneapolis StarTribune "Anthony Cox's Regional Jazz Ensemble, Electropolis -- This cool double bill matches jazz royalty with maverick avant-groove upstarts. Master bassist Cox has distinguished himself with his inventive work on hundreds of sessions for the likes of Geri Allen, Ed Blackwell, and Joe Lovano. His current Ensemble sports the multi-talented lineup of saxophonist George Cartwright, cellists Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan and Michelle Kinney, and drummer JT Bates. Electropolis's Plays More Music for Trips is a trippy electro-jazz-hop-funk escapade to the outer limits in which the local quartet probes influences from such luminaries as Miles Davis, Sun Ra, James Chance, P-Funk, and Frank Zappa." Rick Mason, City Pages "Listen up folks . . . these guys are amazing. . . . Very very trippy psychedelic jazz with a slight ambient twist. Reminds me of Miles' Bitches Brew doused in LSD or with a side dish of Medeski Martin and Wood served with a heaping helping of Bootsy Collins bass lines, and some avant garde beat poetry mixed in every now and then. I can honestly say I haven't been this impressed with a unknown bunch of musicians in a LONG LONG time. With the right exposure, we wont be saying 'unknown' for very long. The horns, drums and bass on this are spectacular, and the grooves are not for the timid, folks." Art Matthies, PhilZone.com Minnesota Public Radio - "Word of Mouth," May 23, 2003 Hear the archived recording featuring Electropolis "REVIEW: Electropolis Plays More Music For Trips Three Words: Original, Avant Garde, Spontaneous. Three sentences: Well organized chaos battles tight, rhythmic genius in this electro-jazz explosion. Improv meets structure (and strangely enough, it works!) in a multigenre feast. Recorded with absolutely NO over dubs, Plays More Music For Trips is a must have for audiophiles everywhere! Three tracks to hear: Blue Omni, Four Square, Fiji." Brooke Aldridge, PULSE of the Twin Cities 3x3 CD Review, May 14, 2003 "A-LIST PICK HIT FOR THE WEEK. March 1, 2003" City Pages ". . . gizmo-happy avant-jazz-funk that sometimes recalls 'Hot Rats'-era Zappa or 'Get Up With It'-era Miles." Dylan Hicks, City Pages Critic's Pick Friday October 29, 2004 — "Having survived numerous edited re-releases and Giorgio Moroder's botched attempt to turn it into a modern-rock fueled cult classic, Fritz Lang's visionary silent masterpiece Metropolis was restored to its original 147 minutes and unfurled at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival. In Lang's highly industrialized 21st century urban landscape, the world is divided into 'workers' and 'thinkers,' two groups that depend on each other but inhabit different societal realms. Revolt is in the air when a thinker visits the underground where the workers toil, and is astonished to find them blending with the machinery all too well. The soundtrack for Friday night's screening will be provided by Electropolis, a robustly wide-ranging group of improvisational musicians who combine elements of free jazz, electronica, funk, and punk into something spooky, slightly mechanistic, and dangerous--in other words, perfect for Metropolis." The Onion