Hyperbubble is an international visual and performing arts electropop/synth-pop duo from San Antonio, Texas, formed by Jeff DeCuir and Jess Barnett DeCuir. The music of this American group is variously described as "early Eurythmics meets Josie and the Pussycats," referencing "markers such as New Musik, the Normal and Thomas Dolby." Their songs are "catchy synth pop that mixes kitsch, retrofuturism and pop art in a chrome blender and sets the contents jiggling to a hypnotic robo-rhythm" with "lyrics that offer quirky takes on SF tropes from cyborgs and clones to ray guns and erotic surveillance."
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
History
Spleen, Pink Filth and Crevice
Jeff DeCuir starred separately in numerous bands leading up to Hyperbubble. An example is Spleen, a Jem and the Holograms tribute band, Jeff co-founded in 1989 and in which he played drums under the name Stormer.
Jeff first performed together with Jess Barnett DeCuir in the experimental dark ambient group Crevice and later, the "bouncy AM retro-pop" Pink Filth, both recording primarily with Uncle Buzz Records. In the latter band, the duo played under the stage names, Nick Velvet and Baby Jessica, working lead vocals and keyboards. The two married in 2000.
Both bands mixed art with music, foreshadowing the pair's efforts with Hyperbubble. Crevice collaborated with American visual artist and composer Christian Marclay on the premier of Marclay's now-annual touring exhibit, The Sounds of Christmas, in 1999. Pink Filth created music that was part of an installation by Jess as well as producing the CDs included with the comic books Warrior Nun Areala Special Edition No. 3 and Shotgun Mary CD Edition No. 1 by Antarctic Press.
Hyperbubble
The band started as a creation of Jeff. Hyperbubble first appeared as the attributed author of a track on the 1997 album Acid Ranch 2000. Several years later, Jess joined him after the dissolution of Pink Filth to re-launch the concept band. In 2004, Hyperbubble debuted their first album, Sol!d Pop. Described as "peppy synth pop par excellence" with "good humorous songs," the album showcased their ability to apply "the breakneck pace of punk... to straight-up synthpop," altogether self-described as "bionic bubblepunk."
Their performances contained a wry sci-fi element. The band was described as one "in the proud tradition... of musicians pretending to be robots," but "taking the android artifice to intentionally over-the-top extremes, then undercutting all the sci-fi hokum with flashes of genuine humanity." Sol!d Pop also displayed their persistent use of sampling; the band's most popular downloaded song, "Leon", even featured sounds from their cat. With their penchant for mixing, a remix version of the album soon followed. This tradition continued for future albums as well.
Hyperbubble realized regional success with a showcase band slot at the South by Southwest Music Festival and their 2007 album, Airbrushed Alibis, named a best local album. The band was later voted Best Electronica Band in 2008 and runner-up Best Electronic Band in 2009 and Best Electronic Act in 2010 in the San Antonio Current. They gained international recognition with recordings released by UK label Filthy Little Angels, which included Airbrushed Alibis. The "retro-techno-bubblegum pop" album continued their "cartoonish, Hanna-Barbera view of the future, informed by 1960s visions of the 21st century as an era of flying cars and robotic romance." A 2008 dub version of the album heavily remixed and slowed down the pace of the original tracks.
Huw Stephens featured the Hyperbubble song "Supermarket Casanova" on his nationally syndicated BBC Radio 1 program in 2007. Their tour of the UK the next year led to them being signed by Glasgow-based Bubblegum Records. Their first EP with the label featured a collaboration with Welsh bubblegum pop punk rocker Helen Love in which they covered her song, "Better Set Your Phasers to Stun", with an added vocal track provided by her from her 1995 tune, "We Love You". The release completed their transition to a truly international group.
Their next full-length CD, Candy Apple Daydreams, was described as a "cartoon automaton symphony" and a "pop opera... utilizing an amazing overture theme that weaves in and out of the entire album." The music "sounds something like Madonna would sound...if her music were geared more towards school kids." The effort hit several best-of lists, including popular Scot Spotify blogger the Pansentient League's top five synthpop albums, Electro and Pop's Top Albums of 2010 (France) and Favorite Albums Of 2010 by the Houston Press, which also dubbed it "the best electronic album to come out of Texas since Asmodeus X's Morningstar. The title track further made the English Electricity Club's top 30 songs of the year.
Releases in 2011 included their LP, Drastic Cinematic with the German label, Pure Pop For Now People. Characterized as a soundtrack to an imaginary Jean-Luc Godard film, the album possesses a darker and more atmospheric mood than their previous efforts. Manda Rin of the Scottish band Bis contributed guest vocals along with sampled sounds from her cat, Akiko. An extended CD/MP3 version from Bubblegum notably adds a remix of their song "Welcome to Infinity" by Mark Towns, who previously worked on Hits! The Very Best of Erasure. The collaboration with Manda Rin continued in their 2013 release, Hyperbubble + Manda Rin.
In 2015, the band released its first live album, Live in London, drawn from a performance a year earlier at The Lexington in London, England. The concert was part of a larger bill featuring Helen Love. The release primarily featured live versions of songs from their first three albums.
On their 2017 album Western Ware, they teamed with Scott Simon of Our Daughter's Wedding to record the missing title track of their 1981 Digital Cowboy EP. They also collaborated with Rikki & Daz on their cover of the duo's "Rhinestone Cowboy".
Hyperbubble as visual art
An intrinsic component of Hyperbubble is the integration of pop culture and the performing and visual arts into its performances, music videos and packaging. This is informed by the duo's art background. Jess received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is art department faculty at San Antonio College and at the Southwest School of Art. Jeff who has a B.F.A. also from the University of Texas San Antonio serves as an instructor at the International Academy of Design and Technology San Antonio and designs show flyer and CD and album cover art. In keeping with their art background, the band debuted at the Cactus Bra Space in San Antonio's Blue Star Arts Complex on November 6, 2003 and continues to perform in art spaces. In 2007, the band played in support of an exhibit opening by new wave musician/artist of Devo, Mark Mothersbaugh, entitled "Postcard Diaries."
The duo views the band as "a complete audio-visual package." The San Antonio Luminaria Festival invited Hyperbubble to perform as a multidisciplinary and visual artist. One year, they played at the festival inside a giant pink TV set dressed as superheroes. The San Antonio Current observed that the Hyperbubble aesthetic on stage and through their website "is defined by clean lines, lots of open space, primary colors, and a judicious under-use of words." A local online magazine summed up the group as "more than just a band, Hyperbubble is a collection of symbols, including text, graphic art, audio, video, live performance, and photography."
Hyperbubble has integrated their music into art and multimedia installations by Jess and collaborated on a 2009 sound art project by regional artists Jen Khoshbin and Paul Lewis. The band itself has produced stand-alone visual art to accompany their music such as for the Sleeveface photo exhibit and Covers and Sleevefaces release at Lieu Commun in Toulouse, France. In 2016, they performed at the San Antonio Museum of Art in conjunction with their release of Music to Color By and a companion coloring book, Coloring Book Concert, illustrated by the duo.
Side projects
Hyperbubble has provided music for Gracie DuVin on the Fellowshipwreck Music and Filthy Little Angels labels, contributed drum programming for The Gilliam Section's song "Solus" on their 2009 eponymous album (WMT/Habitual Grace Recordings) and backing vocals for "Come On, Come Out" on Femme Fatality's 2008 One's Not Enough on Stickfigure Records. They also provided vocals for "The Very Nerve Centre Of Art/Video Cliche" on Spray's 2016 Enforced Fun.
Hyperbubble also produced music for commercials, a podcast and films, including a stop-motion film. In 2006, they supplied theme and incidental music for San Antonio-based Modsnap, a public-access television cable TV show on fashion. They also won Best Musical Score for Dee Dee Rocks the Galaxy at the 2014 San Antonio 48 Hour Film Project.
Both members occasionally record for the electronic group Moonrox. Jeff also supplied the theme song for the webseries Nightlife the Series under the name "Macchio Man."
Members
- Jess DeCuir - Lead vocals, Keyboards, Electronic Drum Pads, Theremin (2003-)
- Jeff DeCuir - Backing vocals, Sequencer, Synthesizers, Vocoder (1997-)
Discography
Studio and live albums
- Sol!d Pop, 2004 - Uncle Buzz Records (Socket Sounds)
- Airbrushed Alibis, 2007 - Filthy Little Angels (UK)
- Candy Apple Daydreams, 2010 - Bubblegum Records (UK)
- Drastic Cinematic, 2011 - Pure Pop For Now People (Germany)
- Live in London, 2015 - Pure Pop For Now People
- Music to Color By, 2016 - Pure Pop For Now People
- Western Ware, 2017 - Fellowshipwreck
Soundtracks
- Attack of the Titans, 2014 - Pure Pop For Now People
- Dee Dee Rocks the Galaxy, 2015 - Pure Pop For Now People
Compilation albums
- Sol!d Pop: The Rem!x Ed!t!on, 2004 - Fellowshipwreck Music, reissued under Uncle Buzz Records (Socket Sounds)
- Textronix Mix Tape, 2007 - Filthy Little Angels
- Airbrushed Alibis in Dub, 2008 - Filthy Little Angels
- Candy Apple Nightmares, 2010 - Fellowshipwreck Music
- Drastic Cinematic - The Director's Cut, 2011 - Bubblegum Records
EPs
- Supermarket Casanova, 2006 - Filthy Little Angels
- ShiSho/Hyperbubble (Compilation), 2007 - Filthy Little Angels
- Christmas with The Bee Gees, 2008 - Fellowshipwreck Music
- Synesthesia (Compilation), 2008 - Filthy Little Angels
- Better Set Your Phasers to Stun, 2009 - Bubblegum Records
- Rollerboogie Babydoll (Compilation), 2009 - Filthy Little Angels
- Hyperbubble + Manda Rin, 2013 - Pure Pop For Now People
- Aidan Casserly Vs Hyperbubble, 2013 - Fellowshipwreck Music
- Queen of the Universe, 2015 - Fellowshipwreck Music
Singles
- "Duct Tape My Heart (Remix)", Freezepop, 2005
- "Midnight's Calling (Way Past Your Bedtime Mix)", Wytebred, 2005
- "Aliona (Super Stellar Remix)", The Metrosexuals, 2006
- "Dance or Die (Disco de Los Muertos Remix)", Femme Fatality, 2006
- "Goof (Freeway Mix)", Binaerpilot, 2006
- "Leon (Catnip Remix)", 2006
- "Lord of the Ramps (Dirty Luck Remix)", Cherry 2000, 2007
- "Sometimes (Hyperbubble Mix)", Track No. 2, Kilna, 2007
- "Nervous System (Ozzytronic Moog Meltdown Mix)", 2008
- "Rollerboogie Babydoll (All-Skate Dub)", 2008
- "Gentil Meussieu (Remix)", Rocky Controlo, 2008
- "Rollergirl Megamix featuring Hyperbubble + Occupant + Octavia Leito + Femme Fatality", 2008
- "Welcome to Infinity"/"Welcome to Infinity (Remix by I European)", 2011 - Bubblegum Records
- "Honey On (Hyperbubble Remix)", Orangey, 2011
- "It's a Lovely Day (Bionic Bubblepunk Version)", 2013
- "A Synthesizer for Christmas", 2013 - Socket Sounds
- "Sky Smasher"/"Son of Sky Smasher", 2014 - Fellowshipwreck Music
Compilation appearances
- "Starjacker", Track No. 10, Acid Ranch 2000, (various artists), 1997 - Uncle Buzz Records
- "Dinner Tempo (Remix)", Disc 1, Track No. 2, Mission Giant, >= (Greater Than or Equal to), 2002 - Fellowshipwreck Music
- "Vegetable Man", Track No. 2, The Vegetable Man Project Vol. 3, (various artists), 2004 - Oggetti Volanti Non Identificati (Italy)
- "Kinky", Track No. 2 and "Disco Invasion", Track No. 4, Hyperbubble meets S/T, Hyperbubble and S/T, 2004 - Save Our Sperms Records (Germany)
- "Shopping Cart Factory (Well Thirled Mix)", Track No. 7, Rotten Piece, Rotten Remixes Vol. 2, (various artists), 2005 - Lazy Squid Records
- "Teen Dream", Track No. 1, A Shoehorn Demo 2, (various artists), 2006 - Greenhorn Records
- "Housewife's Lament", Side B, Track No. 8, Patty Duke Fanzine No. 6: Love To Patty, (various artists), 2006 - Top Quality Rock and Roll Records
- "Don't Let Me Down (Anti-Gravity Remix)", Track No. 2, Don't Let Me Down - Remixed, Isaac Junkie, 2006 - Isaac Junkie Records (Mexico)
- "Stop! (Hyperbubble Remix)", Track No. 5, Nun - Stop!, (various artists), 2006 - Substream (Sweden)
- "You're the One That I Want", Track No. 4, Down To GREASE On Holiday, (various artists), 2006 - Filthy Little Angels
- "Pop Goes The World", Track No. 3, NineteenEightySeven, (various artists), 2007 - Filthy Little Angels
- "Sugar, Sugar", Track No. 4, Wreckollection - Fellowshipwreck Music's 10th Anniversary, (various artists), 2007 - Fellowshipwreck Music
- "Christmas Riff", Track No. 3, Tis The Season To Be Filthy, (various artists), 2007 - Filthy Little Angels
- "Another Ride", Track No. 2, Elektrowelt, (various artists), 2007 - Family Records (Italy)
- "Pop Goes The World", Track No. 1, Brave New World Sampler CD (Vol. 3), (various artists), 2008 - Filthy Little Angels
- "Jamie's Cryin'", Track No. 6, Nineteen78, (various artists), 2008 - Filthy Little Angels
- "Party On Jupiter", Track #A7, Just A Minute, (various artists), 2008 - Filthy Little Angels
- "Sushi Lover (Remix)", Track 6, Sushi Lover, Keyboard Cathy, 2008 - Keyboard Cathy Music
- "Christmas With The Bee Gees (Maurice Mistletoe Mix)", Track No. 4, Hidden Treasures, (various artists), 2008 - Ninthwave Records
- "Christmas With The Bee Gees (Robin Reindeer Mix)", Track No. 2, Electric Fantastic Christmas 2008, (various artists), 2008 - Electric Fantastic Sound (Sweden)
- "Christmas With The Bee Gees (Barry Gentlemen Mix)", Track No. 9, It'll Be Filthy This Christmas, (various artists), 2008 - Filthy Little Angels
- "U.F.O. Party Beach", Track No. 19, Tribute to John Williams, (various artists), 2009 - Winter Records
- "Hyperbubble mix", Track No. 6, Stolearm - Jesus Missile Remixes, (various artists), 2009 - Vault Records
- "No Anchovies Please", Track No. 18, Covers & Sleevefaces, (various artists), 2009 - Winter Records
- "Non Biodegradable Hazardous Waste Disposal (Valentino Mix)", Track No. 17, My Filthy Valentine, (various artists), 2009 - Filthy Little Angels
- "Femme Fatality Vs Hyperbubble - Come On, Come Out (Remix)", Track No. 2 and "Femme Fatality Vs Hyperbubble - Lucky Lover (Remix)", Track No. 3, One's Not Enough (Remixed), Femme Fatality, 2009 - Stickfigure Records
- "Non Biodegradable Hazardous Waste Disposal", Track No. 11, Five Years Of Filth: Music vs Money, (various artists), 2009 - Filthy Little Angels
- "Rudolph The Red Nosed Rocket", Track No. 6, Electric Fantastic Christmas 2009, (various artists), 2009 - Electric Fantastic Sound
- "Candy Apple Daydreams (Extended Remix)", Track No. 7, electropop.5, (various artists), 2010 - conzoom Records (Germany)
- "I Like Birds But I Like Other Animals Too", Track No. 18, Pick 'n' Mix, (various artists), 2010 - Bubblegum Records
- "Jouet Pop", Track No. 5, Jouet Pop, (various artists), 2010 - Winter Records (France)
- "You Lost Me at Hello (Aloha Mix)", Track #aa, Tesco Chainstore Mascara, Tesco Chainstore Mascara, 2011 - Bubblegum Records
- "Don't Break My Heart (Hyperbubble Remix)", Track No. 3, Haberdashery, Don't Break My Heart, 2011 - Haberdashery
- "Starship 909", Track No. 8, 1'05, (various artists), 2011 - Winter Records
- "Kinky", Side A, Track No. 2, Doppelhertz Vol. 2, (various artists), 2011 - Hertzschrittmacher (Germany)
- "Western Ware", Track No. 3, Western, (various artists), 2011 - Winter Records
- "Gentil Meussieu (Hyperbubble Remix)", Track No. 11, Gentil Meussieu, Rocky Controlo, 2011
- "Victoria (Hyperbubble Remix)", Track No. 5, Bad Breaks Remix EP, Bad Breaks, 2012
- "Teenage Timebomb (Hyperbubble's Bonaduce Mix)" appears in the 2010 Ninthwave Records compilations Decade: 1999-2000 - Celebrating 10 Years of Ninthwave Records and Synthetic Dance Music Volume 2.
- "Away in a Manger" appears in the Filthy Little Angels compilations HARK! The Filthy Angels Sing (2006), The Filth Of Christmas Past (2007) and Oh Come, All Ye Filthy (2009) as well as Electric Fantastic Sound's Electric Fantastic Christmas 2007 and Electric Fantastic Christmas 2010.
Remixes of Hyperbubble
- "Nervous System (Because of My Dog Mix)", Stolearm
- "Passing Phase (Remix)", Wytebred, 2005
- "Passing Phase (Crazy DJ Mix)", Skyliber, 2005
- "Passing Phase (Remix)", DJ 486, 2005
- "Psychic Connection (Remix)", Psychomantis, 2005
- "Psychic Connection (Remix)", Love in the Space Age, 2005
- "Hyperactive (Stolearm's Nightmare Mix)", Track No. 3 and "Supermarket Casanova (Stolearm's Nightmare Mix)", Track No. 9, Remixes + collaborations, Stolearm, 2010
Music videos
- Mom Dad Un!t, 2006 - director Hondo Aguilar
- Bionic Girl (featuring the AC Rollergirls), 2007 - director Jeff DeCuir
- Christmas with the BeeGees, 2008 - director Jeff DeCuir
- Candy Apple Daydreams, 2010 - directors Mark and Angela Walley, Walley Films
- Chop Shop Cop, 2010 - director Martin Keeler
- Explosive, 2013 - director Jeff DeCuir
- In the Movies, 2013 - directors Jeff and Jess DeCuir
- A Synthesizer for Christmas, 2013 - director Ambar Navarro
Footnotes and references
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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