story by Josh Zanger
photo by Doug Coombe
Glitch, jungle, ragga, trance. Without any insight into electronic
music and its innumerable subgenres, the previous sentence is merely
a list of words that one might randomly find in a Webster's Dictionary.
To some, and even those who are cogs of electronic culture, the syntax
of electronic music means little if only to mark a broad roadmap of
the many styles that are being performed.
For Tadd Mullinix, also known as Dabrye, keeping track of the cultural
vocabulary is sometimes altogether fruitless. It is fortunate that
Mullinix is an electronic musician who cares little for the labels
placed upon him. He just constantly goes out and redefines them.
"I gave up on this genre thing," said Mullinix, who also
writes and performs under the monikers James T. Cotton and SK-1. "In
the end I don't get the 'electronic hip hop' subgenre name since most
hip hop beats are, in essence, electronic music. When electronic music
writers first called Dabrye 'glitch-hop,' I listened to other artists
that fit this genre name and thought, 'This isn't what I'm trying
to do at all! Do they really hear me like that?'"
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DABRYE'S INNER VIEW
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"I guess that's just the sound of
my musical syntax."
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Dabrye has indeed projected a style that is all his own with recent
releases One/Three (Ghostly International) and Instrmntl (Eastern
Developments). One exemplary track, "With a Professional,"
is structured over a slow-strutting De La Soul-shaped hip hop breakbeat.
Nothing too fancy - a thin digital texture on top (hi hat, snare,
and clap track) with a sharp and deep puncturing feel on the bottom
end. Over the surface of this grooveable rhythm is layered a number
of filtered sounds and vocal-esque utterances. A focal voice is found
in melody-baring digi-bass punctuation while the background is painted
with warm, oscillating ambient keyboards. Throughout his catalog of
releases, as in this one track, Dabrye's style comes off as simultaneously
soothing and enthralling, simple yet creatively profound, the evolution
of digital noise and likewise of natural sound.
"I guess that's just the sound of my musical syntax," Mullinix
states. "Each alias has got to specialize because I like very
different kinds of music. I suppose I try to make the most of each
stylistic path."
Currently "each stylistic path" is leading Tadd all over
the electronic map. He is currently working with a friend on a piece
for symphony and electronics; finishing a project with Daniel Meteo
(of Bus); putting out releases from his SK-1 pseudonym and Soundmurderer
on his ragga label, Rewind!; launching an acid label called TNT with
Todd Osborn (of Soundmurderer); and, as Dabrye, is looking forward
to future work with MCs such as Kadence.
Apparently there is only one electronic phrase that Tadd Mullinix
truly cares about - throwin' down.
Dabrye featuring Kadence :: with Radian and John McEntire :: Empty
Bottle :: March 22.
Listen to an mp3 of Tadd
Mullinix as James T Cotton performing "Press Your Body,"
courtesy of Better Propaganda.