Emancipator (musician)

Last updated
Emancipator
Doug Appling.jpg
Emancipator in Istanbul in 2013
Background information
Birth nameDouglas Appling
Also known asEmancipator
Born (1987-05-27) May 27, 1987 (age 37)
Virginia, U.S.
Origin Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Producer, DJ
Instrument(s) Drums, violin, guitar, keyboard
Years active2006–present
LabelsLoci Records, Emancipator Music, Hydeout Productions, 1320 Records
Website emancipatormusic.com

Douglas Appling (born May 27, 1987), better known by his stage name, Emancipator, is an American producer and DJ based in Portland, Oregon, United States. He launched his music career by self-releasing his debut album, Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, in 2006 while he was a college student. [1] He has released eight studio albums (two of which are collaboration albums), two live albums, five EPs and three remix collections. He also founded his own record label, Loci Records, in 2012 and formed a live band called the Emancipator Ensemble in 2013. [2]

Contents

Early life

Doug Appling was born and raised in Virginia, where he studied violin from ages 4 to 12, progressing to electric guitar, drums and bass as a teenager. He cites his father's "eclectic music collection" as sparking his interest in electronic music, while his mother "who'd volunteered in the Peace Corps" exposed him to "African thumb pianos and sounds from beyond the Western palette." [1] He played drums in a rock group in high school that won its prom's "battle of the bands" competition. [1] On how he got his start producing, Appling stated, "I got hooked on [producing electronic music] when I started chopping up loops in Acid Pro for fun in high school." [3] After high school, Doug attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, completing an undergraduate degree in psychology. While there, he took a number of classes in music theory, which influenced him as an artist. [4] He self-released his first solo album, Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, under the name "Emancipator" in 2006. Distribution was limited since he burned the CDs at home, sold them via his MySpace channel and "hand-delivered them to the post office every week." [1]

Career

In late 2007, Emancipator came to the attention of Nujabes' Japanese label, Hydeout Productions, which re-released Soon It Will Be Cold Enough in April 2008. Moving to his current home of Portland, Oregon, in 2009, he played his first live U.S. show as the opening act for Bonobo, who Appling admits is "one of [his] favorite producers." [4] This, along with a tour of Japan in 2008–2009, helped to provide exposure to larger audiences both at home and abroad. During this timeframe, he switched from using Acid Pro and Reason to using Ableton Live as his music sequencer and digital audio workstation software for all of his productions. [1] His second album, Safe in the Steep Cliffs, was released in January 2010 on the Hydeout label to some acclaim. [5] Remixes, an album of reworked versions of Emancipator tracks by Blockhead, Big Gigantic, Tor and others, was self-released in 2011. [6] Around this time, Appling began touring with a live violinist, Ilya Goldberg; the duo drew positive critical attention. [7] In 2012, Appling founded his own label, Loci Records, and released the album Drum Therapy by Tor as the label's debut album. [8]

2013 saw the release of Emancipator's third studio album, Dusk to Dawn, his first album on Loci Records. Significant touring and studio work followed the release of the record and a four-piece full-band, Emancipator Ensemble, debuted for live audiences. [9]

In 2015, Emancipator released his first live album, Live from Athens, in June; his second remix album, Dusk to Dawn Remixes, in July; and his fourth studio album, Seven Seas, in September. [10] [11]

Emancipator's fifth studio album, Baralku, was released in November 2017. [12] The album, named for a spiritual island where some Australian indigenous tribes believe the dead reside, [13] was supported by three singles: "Ghost Pong," "Goodness" and "Baralku." [14] [15]

In January 2020, Emancipator released a new single, "Labyrinth," along with the title of his sixth studio album, Mountain of Memory, and announced a tour for the album. At the end of February 2020, Emancipator released his second single off the album, "Iron Ox." [16] On April 3, 2020, Emancipator released his sixth studio album, Mountain of Memory. [17]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleRelease date
Soon It Will Be Cold EnoughJanuary 19, 2006 [18] (re-released April 25, 2008, on Hydeout Productions) [19]
Safe in the Steep Cliffs January 19, 2010
Dusk to DawnJanuary 29, 2013
Seven SeasSeptember 25, 2015
Baralku November 17, 2017
Mountain of MemoryApril 3, 2020
Dab Records, Vol. 1 (with Dab Records and Asher Fulero)January 29, 2021
Xylem (with Rena Jones and Flowerpulse)April 9, 2021
11th Orbit (with Lapa)September 23, 2022

EPs

TitleRelease date
Maps & Father KingNovember 11, 2016
Cheeba Gold (with 9 Theory)March 22, 2019
A Thousand Clouds (with 9 Theory)December 11, 2020
Xylem (with Rena Jones and Flowerpulse)April 9, 2021
Citrus Fever Dream (with Cloudchord)July 16, 2021

Remix albums

TitleRelease date
Remixes [20] June 21, 2011
Dusk to Dawn RemixesJuly 8, 2015
Mountain of Memory (Remixes)October 9, 2020

Live albums

TitleAlbum details
Live in AthensReleased June 4, 2015 [21]
Recorded live at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, on February 22, 2014
Baralku TourReleased December 13, 2019

Singles

TitleSong details
"Shook (Sigur Ros X Mobb Deep)"Released April 20, 2011
Mashup of Sigur Rós's "Untitled 1" and Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones Part II"
"Maps"Originally released as a track on Soon It Will Be Cold Enough in 2006, this song was omitted from Nujabes's remastered version of the album in 2008. [3]
Re-released April 20, 2011
"Father King"Originally released as a track on Soon It Will Be Cold Enough in 2006, this song was omitted from Nujabes's remastered version of the album in 2008. [3]
Re-released April 20, 2011
"Elephant Survival"Released December 15, 2011
Mashup of Elephant Revival's "Forgiveness" and Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing"
"Kids/Truman Sleeps"Released September 30, 2015
Mashup of MGMT's "Kids" and the theme from The Truman Show
"Ghost Pong"Released August 22, 2017
"Goodness"Released September 20, 2017
"Baralku"Released October 23, 2017
"Cheeba"Released March 8, 2019
"The Bridge (feat. Lapa, Frameworks & TOR)"Released August 23, 2019
"Himalayan"Released March 2020
"Sea To Sky (feat. Murge)"Released March 18, 2022

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Clarke</span> Synth-pop english musician

Vincent John Martin, known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously the main songwriter for several groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and the Assembly. In Erasure, he is known for his deadpan and low-key onstage demeanour, often remaining motionless over his keyboard, in sharp contrast to lead vocalist Andy Bell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sasha (DJ)</span> Welsh DJ and record producer

Alexander Paul Coe, known professionally as Sasha, is a Welsh DJ and record producer. He is best known for his live events and electronic music as a solo artist, as well as his collaborations with British DJ John Digweed as Sasha & John Digweed. He was voted as World No.⁠ ⁠1 DJ in 2000 in a poll conducted by DJ Magazine. He is a four-time International Dance Music Awards winner, four-time DJ Awards winner and Grammy Award nominee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ableton Live</span> Digital audio workstation

Ableton Live, also known as Live or sometimes colloquially as "Ableton", is a digital audio workstation for macOS and Windows developed by the German company Ableton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Beat Records (American record label)</span> American electronic and dance music record label

Big Beat Records, Inc. is an American electronic and dance music record label, owned by Warner Music Group and operates through Atlantic Records. It was founded as an independent record label in 1986 by Craig Kallman with an emphasis on house music, and later hip hop. It was absorbed into Atlantic Records in 1998, and eventually relaunched separately in 2010 as a primarily electronic music label. Its current roster includes 100 gecs, Dog Blood, Galantis, Whethan, Cash Cash, and Clean Bandit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mugison</span> Icelandic musician (born 1976)

Örn Elías Guðmundsson, known professionally as Mugison, is an Icelandic musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EOTO</span> American electronic band

EOTO was an electronic band consisting of Michael Travis and Jason Hann. On July 22, 2021 the band announced via social media that they would no longer be performing, due to irreconcilable creative differences. The post indicated that the decision did not impact The String Cheese Incident, which they both play in.

André Allen Anjos, better known by his stage name RAC, is an American musician and record producer based in Oregon. RAC has created more than 200 remixes in the rock, electronica, and dance music genres for various musical artists, with his work featured in ads from Citigroup and Hulu, among others. The live, five-piece touring act has been featured at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Firefly Music Festival, Bumbershoot, Corona Capital music festival and Lollapalooza music festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beats Antique</span> American-based experimental music group

Beats Antique is a U.S.-based experimental world fusion and electronic music group. Formed in 2007 in conjunction with producer Miles Copeland, the group has become noted for their mix of different genres as well as their live shows, which mix samples and heavy percussives with Tribal Fusion dance and performance art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrik</span> English electronic music producer

Tom Mundell, better known as Metrik, is an English electronic music producer from London. He has been releasing records since 2007, primarily through Hospital Records, the UK-based independent dance music label. He has found success in the UK Dance Albums Chart, with his second and third studio albums "Life/Thrills" and "Ex Machina" peaking at No. 4 and No. 2 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloudchord</span> American music producer and musician

Derek VanScoten, known professionally as Cloudchord, is an American music producer, multi-instrumentalist and electronic musician. Based in Austin, Texas, he has been actively releasing solo material since 2009. In 2011, under the moniker D.V.S*, he released an official remix of Break Science featuring Talib Kweli, and in 2012 he was a featured guitarist and co-producer on Michal Menert's album Even If It Isn't Right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Algorithm</span> French musical project

The Algorithm is the musical project of French musician Rémi Gallego from Perpignan. His style is characterised by an unusual combination of electronic music with progressive metal. Gallego chose the name The Algorithm to highlight the music's complex and electronic nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost (Halsey song)</span> 2014 Single by Halsey

"Ghost" is the debut single by American singer and songwriter Halsey from her debut studio album, Badlands (2015). The lyrics and musical composition are attributed to Halsey and Young Rising Sons' past member Dylan Scott. It was first released on February 3, 2014, on SoundCloud. On July 28, 2014, it was officially released by her record label and later included on her debut extended play, Room 93 on October 27, 2014. It was re-released as a single from her debut studio album, Badlands, along the re-release of the EP on March 9, 2015, through Astralwerks. Critical reception for the song was generally positive. The accompanying music video has received over 60 million views on video-sharing website YouTube.

Tanner Petulla, known professionally as Terror Reid, Getter, is an American DJ and producer from San Jose, California.

Bitbird is an independent record label and creative company based in The Hague, Netherlands founded by Sander van Dijck in 2014. The label is jointly run by Sander van Dijck's manager Budi Voogt and his longtime friend and associate Thorwald van den Akker, who is also the label's creative director and co-founder.

Slumberjack is an Australian electronic music duo consisting of Morgan Then and Fletcher Ehlers. Their 2017 single, "Fracture", peaked at 89 on the ARIA Charts.

Nicholas Piantedosi, professionally known as Decap, is an American record producer from Nashua, New Hampshire, United States. Decap has worked with and produced for artists such as Talib Kweli, Joyner Lucas, Hit-Boy, Locksmith, Zion I, Spose, Watsky, Smoke DZA, J-Essential and many more. In 2013, Decap released his full length debut instrumental album, Omni Love.

Alina Baraz is an American singer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, she began her professional musical career in 2013 when she released " Roses Dipped in Gold". In 2015, Baraz and electronic producer Galimatias released a collaborative EP together titled Urban Flora through Ultra Music after discovering each other's work online. The EP was met with positive reception and streaming success. Baraz released her first solo EP, The Color of You, in 2018. In April 2020, Baraz released her debut studio album, It Was Divine.

Jeppe Hasseriis, known under the alias Dynatron, is an electronic and synthwave music producer from Denmark. He started making his own music in 2012. His works are heavily inspired by movies such as Alien and Blade Runner, composer Jean Michel-Jarre, 80s rock music genre and science fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Rakei</span> New Zealand-Australian musician (b. 1992)

Jordan Rakei is a New Zealand-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer currently based in London, United Kingdom. Rakei has also released and performed under the moniker Dan Kye.

Leah Chisholm, known professionally as LP Giobbi, is an American DJ and music producer. As a classically-trained jazz pianist, she is known for her style of piano house music.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Greenwald, David (25 March 2014). "From violin to Ableton: Inside Emancipator's evolving electronic world". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Osorno, Allie (25 Oct 2015). ""Emancipator" Review". The Vermont Cynic. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "IAMA with Doug Appling: "Hey Reddit! I'm Doug Appling, better known as electronic artist Emancipator. Ask me about life, production, owning a record label, and everything in-between!"". Reddit. 24 Sep 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 Carelli, Alexandra Marie (7 May 2010). "Interview with Doug Appling: Emancipator". SFGate. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Fisher, Tyler (17 Feb 2010). "Emancipator - Safe In The Steep Cliffs (review)". SputnikMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Artist Biography - Emancipator". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Pareles, Jon (3 Feb 2012). "Laptops and Hip-Hop Hang Out With a Violin: Emancipator Plays at Highline Ballroom". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Tor new album 'Blue Book' announced + premier of first single "Days Gone"". Loci Records. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Womeldorph, Zane (21 Nov 2013). "Emancipator Ensemble review / Boulder Theater (Boulder, CO)". The UNTZ. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  10. ↑ Greenwald, David (25 Sep 2015). "Emancipator releases new album, 'Seven Seas'". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Emancipator taps into his scopious musical roots on the exemplary 'Baralku' [Album Review]". Dancing Astronaut. 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  12. ↑ "Emancipator Baralku". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  13. ↑ "Emancipator Releases Earthy New Album 'Baralku'". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  14. ↑ "Emancipator announces 'Baralku' and shares new single "Goodness" [Premiere] - EARMILK". Earmilk . 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  15. ↑ "Emancipator shares new track 'Baralku,' announces tour". Dancing Astronaut. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  16. ↑ "Emancipator (@emanc) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  17. ↑ "Mountain of Memory | EmancipatorMusic". emancipatormusic.com. 3 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Emancipator - Soon It Will Be Cold Enough". Discogs.
  19. ↑ "Emancipator - Soon It Will Be Cold Enough". Discogs.
  20. ↑ "Emancipator - Remixes". Discogs.
  21. ↑ "Live In Athens - emancipator". emancipator. 4 June 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.