Disco Biscuits
Encyclopedia
The Disco Biscuits are a band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
known for their live performances and light shows. The band consists of Allen Aucoin (drums), Marc Brownstein
(bass), Jon Gutwillig
(guitar), and Aron Magner
(keyboards, synths).
The band incorporates elements from a variety of musical genres into a consistent base of electronic
and rock
. Their style has been referred to as trance fusion or livetronica
.
in Philadelphia in 1995, they incorporated a distinctive blend of music, quickly attracting attention on a national level by not only supporting established musicians in the jam scene, but headlining their own performances in the country's best-known clubs.
Today the band is selling over a quarter of a million tickets annually and has founded the successful summer music festival, Camp Bisco. Notable performances have included Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre
and New York City's Best Buy Theatre, where they have held five night residencies leading up and into New Year's Eve in both 2008 and 2009.
In 2005, following Camp Bisco IV at the Skyetop Festival Grounds in Van Etten, NY, Sam Altman left the band to attend medical school. In the following fall, Allen Aucoin, former drummer for bands Skydog Gypsy, Juiceman, and 922, was announced as Altman's replacement. The first Bisco took place in Cherry Tree, PA in 1999, when the live electronic super group The Disco Biscuits decided to throw a little party, drawing but a few hundred people. In 2011 on the festival’s 10th anniversary, the 7 hour entry lines in 90 degree heat yielded in the first sellout of Camp Bisco. For the 25,000 people in attendance, this would be an excruciating experience both in and out of the gates, not to mention the 4 hours of torrential rain and ensuing mud bath that was pretty much everything (really though). However, aside from losing shoes to quicksand-like material and a contamination of the water supply, the hardships were all but microdots compared to the wealth and variety of musical talent which graced the 5 stages throughout the event’s 72 hour period.
The Disco Biscuits have always attracted a diverse audience, and their broad taste is reflected by the lineup of the Camp Bisco music festival. Since its launch in 1999, it has included performances by Snoop Dogg
, LCD Soundsystem
, Girl Talk
, Ween
, Dr. Dog
, Kid Cudi
, Infected Mushroom
, Nas
and Damien Marley, Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9), Umphrey's McGee
, various projects from Simon Posford’s Twisted Records including Shpongle
and Younger Brother
, MSTRKRFT
, and Chromeo
. 2011 headliners include Cut Copy
, Wiz Khalifa
, Martyparty, and Bassnectar
. Of all acts which occurred over the weekend, the most impressive was by Shpongle
who, during their performance, controlled the weather and made it rain 4 times.
The band has toured both nationally and globally, headlining their own performances and anchoring major music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Ultra
, Japan's Fuji Rock, Lollapalooza
, Rothbury
, High Sierra Music Festival, Gathering of the Vibes, All Good Music Festival
, Jam Cruise
, and Wakarusa
among others. The Disco Biscuits also founded Caribbean Holidaze, along with Umphrey's McGee, in 2007 and the festival was held in Runaway Bay, Jamaica for three years before moving to Puerto Morelos, Mexico in 2011 when the festival name changed to "Mayan Holidaze."
For the forthcoming album Planet Anthem The Disco Biscuits absorbed everything from hip hop to pop to indie rock into their sound. The band collaborated for the first time with multiple producers, songwriters, and outside musicians, including Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry (Ludacris
, Chris Brown, Beanie Sigel
) and Damon Dash
, (co-founder, Roc-a-fella Records
).
In a live setting, The Disco Biscuits explore their songs by performing them in different ways. They’ve even been known to “invert” various composed sections, a tactic that allows them to not only combine and run together different songs from their catalog, but one that also creates long jams.
As a result of that policy, not only are these tracks their most collaborative yet, the band members all maintain that they are some of the best songs in their entire canon. In the past, the Disco Biscuits would try to convert their most recent live songs into studio versions, but with Planet Anthem the band is eagerly attempting to do the opposite — taking these studio compositions and making them a seamless part of their live repertoire.
in 2006, the band found themselves with an abundance of resources, and came to find out that there are a lot of local musicians that needed a place to congregate and work. In part, this helped launch the unique collaborations that made up the Planet Anthem sessions.
Current and past Disco Biscuits side projects include:
and continues to serve as co-chair of the organization. The band has also actively participated with groups such as The Conscious Alliance, Rock the Earth, and The Fund for Wild Nature.
In 2010, the band partnered with HeadCount and Philadelphia's Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School on the volunteer initiative Bisco Power Mission. Culminating in a benefit show at New York City's LEED Certified Brooklyn Bowl, the project plans to raise $15,000 to install a solar power system at the Greenfield School. The collaboration also hopes to engage and inspire fans of the band and others to their own acts of community involvement and includes a planned community day at the Greenfield School to commemorate the installation of the solar power system.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
known for their live performances and light shows. The band consists of Allen Aucoin (drums), Marc Brownstein
Marc Brownstein
Marc "Brownie" Brownstein is the founder and bassist of Philadelphia-based jamtronica band, The Disco Biscuits. He is also a co-founder and co-chair of voter registration group, HeadCount, as well as the host of weekly radio show, "Jamtronica," on Sirius Satellite Radio's jamband channel, Jam...
(bass), Jon Gutwillig
Jon Gutwillig
Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig, Born April 1, 1974 in Basking Ridge, NJ, is the founder and guitarist for the trance fusion jam band The Disco Biscuits. Since his part in founding the biscuits in 1995, Jon and bassist Marc Brownstein mostly share songwriting duties. Jon penned the rock opera Hot Air...
(guitar), and Aron Magner
Aron Magner
Aron Magner is a Philadelphia-based musician best known as the keyboardist and founding member of The Disco Biscuits. Magner and The Disco Biscuits have been instrumental in bringing live and studio improvisational, electronic-based music to the forefront of the live music scene and, increasingly,...
(keyboards, synths).
The band incorporates elements from a variety of musical genres into a consistent base of electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Their style has been referred to as trance fusion or livetronica
Livetronica
Livetronica, a portmanteau of the words live and electronica, is a sub-genre of the jam band movement that blends such musical styles as rock, jazz, funk, and electronica. It consists primarily of instrumental music. The terms "Jamtronica" and "Trance fusion" are also used to refer to this style of...
.
History
When the Disco Biscuits formed at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in Philadelphia in 1995, they incorporated a distinctive blend of music, quickly attracting attention on a national level by not only supporting established musicians in the jam scene, but headlining their own performances in the country's best-known clubs.
Today the band is selling over a quarter of a million tickets annually and has founded the successful summer music festival, Camp Bisco. Notable performances have included Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure near Morrison, Colorado, where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a...
and New York City's Best Buy Theatre, where they have held five night residencies leading up and into New Year's Eve in both 2008 and 2009.
In 2005, following Camp Bisco IV at the Skyetop Festival Grounds in Van Etten, NY, Sam Altman left the band to attend medical school. In the following fall, Allen Aucoin, former drummer for bands Skydog Gypsy, Juiceman, and 922, was announced as Altman's replacement. The first Bisco took place in Cherry Tree, PA in 1999, when the live electronic super group The Disco Biscuits decided to throw a little party, drawing but a few hundred people. In 2011 on the festival’s 10th anniversary, the 7 hour entry lines in 90 degree heat yielded in the first sellout of Camp Bisco. For the 25,000 people in attendance, this would be an excruciating experience both in and out of the gates, not to mention the 4 hours of torrential rain and ensuing mud bath that was pretty much everything (really though). However, aside from losing shoes to quicksand-like material and a contamination of the water supply, the hardships were all but microdots compared to the wealth and variety of musical talent which graced the 5 stages throughout the event’s 72 hour period.
The Disco Biscuits have always attracted a diverse audience, and their broad taste is reflected by the lineup of the Camp Bisco music festival. Since its launch in 1999, it has included performances by Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
, Girl Talk
Girl Talk
Girl Talk may refer to:* Girl Talk , American music producer and mashup artist Gregg Gillis* Girl Talk , a British female duo of the 1980s* Girl Talk * Girl Talk...
, Ween
Ween
Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
, Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog is a psychedelic rock band from West Grove, Pennsylvania. Its lineup currently consists of Toby Leaman , Scott McMicken , Frank McElroy , Zach Miller , and Eric Slick . Lead vocal duties are shared between Leaman and McMicken, with all members contributing harmonies...
, Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
, Infected Mushroom
Infected Mushroom
Infected Mushroom is an Israeli psychedelic trance DJ act and electronic group originally formed in late 1997 as a duo by producers Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani in Haifa...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
and Damien Marley, Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9), Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee
Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock jam band based in Chicago whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation", or "improg" ....
, various projects from Simon Posford’s Twisted Records including Shpongle
Shpongle
Shpongle is an English psychedelic downtempo/psybient music project formed in 1996. The group includes Simon Posford and Raja Ram . Their musical style combines eastern ethnic instruments and vocals with contemporary western synthesizer-based psychedelic music...
and Younger Brother
Younger Brother
Younger Brother is an electronic duo formed in 2003 by Simon Posford and Benji Vaughan. Their debut album A Flock of Bleeps was released in 2003, followed by The Last Days of Gravity in 2007 and Vaccine in 2011....
, MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto, Ontario. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P formerly of the Mississauga, Ontario electropop group Girlsareshort...
, and Chromeo
Chromeo
Chromeo is an electrofunk duo formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2004.-History:Chromeo is composed of P-Thugg on keyboards, synthesizers, and talk box, and Dave 1 on guitar and lead vocals...
. 2011 headliners include Cut Copy
Cut Copy
Cut Copy are an Australian electronic band formed in 2001 by Dan Whitford on vocals, keyboard and guitar. Other members are Tim Hoey on guitar and sampler, Ben Browning on bass guitar and Mitchell Scott on drums. Their second album, In Ghost Colours peaked at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart in...
, Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
, Martyparty, and Bassnectar
Bassnectar
Bassnectar is a freeform electronic music and dubstep artist, DJ, and producer based in Santa Cruz, California. He is known for his live performances and light shows, and actively supports the non-profit group Conscious Alliance....
. Of all acts which occurred over the weekend, the most impressive was by Shpongle
Shpongle
Shpongle is an English psychedelic downtempo/psybient music project formed in 1996. The group includes Simon Posford and Raja Ram . Their musical style combines eastern ethnic instruments and vocals with contemporary western synthesizer-based psychedelic music...
who, during their performance, controlled the weather and made it rain 4 times.
The band has toured both nationally and globally, headlining their own performances and anchoring major music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Ultra
Ultra Music Festival
Ultra Music Festival is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that occurs in March in the city of Miami usually during the annual Winter Music Conference. It is held in Downtown Miami in Bicentennial Park. It was a 1-day festival from 1999-2006, a 2-day festival from 2007-2010, and was a...
, Japan's Fuji Rock, Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
, Rothbury
Rothbury
Rothbury is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is located on the River Coquet, northwest of Morpeth and north-northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne...
, High Sierra Music Festival, Gathering of the Vibes, All Good Music Festival
All Good Music Festival
The All Good Music Festival and Camp Out is a weekend-long event held annually in July. Since its inception in 1997, it has been held at venues along the Mid-Atlantic, including Masontown, West Virginia and locations in Maryland and Virginia...
, Jam Cruise
Jam Cruise
Held annually in January, Jam Cruise is a music festival on a cruise ship. It features artists of the jam band genre playing at multiple venues aboard the vessel...
, and Wakarusa
Wakarusa
Wakarusa can refer to several things in the United States:* Wakarusa, Indiana* Wakarusa, Kansas* The Wakarusa River, a tributary of the Kansas River* The Wakarusa War, part of the Bleeding Kansas violence before the American Civil War...
among others. The Disco Biscuits also founded Caribbean Holidaze, along with Umphrey's McGee, in 2007 and the festival was held in Runaway Bay, Jamaica for three years before moving to Puerto Morelos, Mexico in 2011 when the festival name changed to "Mayan Holidaze."
Style
With influences ranging from the classical masters to modern day hip hop, The Disco Biscuits created a style of music best described as a blend of electronic music combined with just about every other genre on the planet. Music with similar qualities has slowly entered the mainstream, as today's artists are finding the beauty and effectiveness of electronic music and modern technology that The Biscuits have always harnessed.For the forthcoming album Planet Anthem The Disco Biscuits absorbed everything from hip hop to pop to indie rock into their sound. The band collaborated for the first time with multiple producers, songwriters, and outside musicians, including Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry (Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, Chris Brown, Beanie Sigel
Beanie Sigel
Dwight Grant , also known as Beanie Sigel, is a American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,most recently he was in talks with 50 Cent to sign with G-Unit Records and is a former member/artist of Dame Dash Music Group and Roc-A-Fella Records where he had formed a close association with rappers...
) and Damon Dash
Damon Dash
__NOINDEX__...
, (co-founder, Roc-a-fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records is a record label founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Island Def Jam Motown Music Group.-Formation and Early Years:...
).
In a live setting, The Disco Biscuits explore their songs by performing them in different ways. They’ve even been known to “invert” various composed sections, a tactic that allows them to not only combine and run together different songs from their catalog, but one that also creates long jams.
Planet Anthem
Planet Anthem is the product of three years of labor, during which the Disco Biscuits absorbed everything from hip hop to pop to indie rock into their sound.Previously, each member would bring his own songs to the table; this time everything was collaborative. The band invited multiple producers, songwriters and musicians to join the “committee” by working on isolated ideas (a beat, a break, a bridge, a chorus or even just a sound) and assembling them into focused songs. In contrast to some of the band’s beloved patchwork compositions, this time, every part had to be a perfect fit and every song had to sound like a singularity despite the many hands who got it there.As a result of that policy, not only are these tracks their most collaborative yet, the band members all maintain that they are some of the best songs in their entire canon. In the past, the Disco Biscuits would try to convert their most recent live songs into studio versions, but with Planet Anthem the band is eagerly attempting to do the opposite — taking these studio compositions and making them a seamless part of their live repertoire.
Diamond Riggs Studios
After purchasing the former Old City Philadelphia studio space of DJ Jazzy JeffDJ Jazzy Jeff
Jeffrey Allen Townes , also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff or simply Jazz, is an American hip hop, R&B record producer, turntablist and actor. He is best known for his early career with Will Smith as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince...
in 2006, the band found themselves with an abundance of resources, and came to find out that there are a lot of local musicians that needed a place to congregate and work. In part, this helped launch the unique collaborations that made up the Planet Anthem sessions.
Side Projects
To honor their own diverse musical influences, the members of The Disco Biscuits have kept active with a multitude of side-projects, many of which have come to contribute staple songs to The Disco Biscuits' setlist.Current and past Disco Biscuits side projects include:
- Tractorbear - a live, instrumental only version of The Disco Biscuits featuring all four members of TDB.
- Conspirator - a drum n bass and electronically influenced duo featuring Marc Brownstein, Aron Magner. Conspirator has typically featured a variety of guests over the years.
- Barber - a dubstepDubstepDubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
project featuring Jon Gutwillig. Previously Titled M80 Dubstation.
- Dr. Fameus - an electronically influenced drum and percussion project featuring Allen Aucoin.
- Electron - a band featuring Marc Brownstein, Tom Hamilton, Aron Magner and Joe RussoJoe RussoJoe Russo may refer to:*Joe Russo , American film and television director*Joe Russo , American jazz/rock drummer*Joe Russo , American racecar driver active in the 1930s...
.
- Brain Damaged Eggmen - a Beatles and Pink Floyd cover band consisting of members of The Disco Biscuits and Umphrey's McGee.
- Past and less active side projects include: The Perfume; The Maui Project; Sucker Punch; Jon and the Cookie Dusters; Moshi Moshi; Moshi Moshi Baby; Kitty Splitter; and Acoustic Again (a Disco Biscuits, Brothers PastBrothers PastBrothers Past are an indie-electronic band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that has been called "one of the most talked about independent acts in the nation." Since forming in 2000, the band has released three records and one EP, including the critically acclaimed This Feeling's Called Goodbye in...
, and classic rock cover band performing in Philadelphia during the holiday season featuring Aron Magner and Tom Hamilton).
Community Involvement
The Disco Biscuits have long given back to the communities they are a part of. Bassist Marc Brownstein was instrumental in the founding of the non-profit, civic engagement organization HeadCountHeadCount
HeadCount is a nonpartisan organization that works with musicians to promote participation in democracy in the US. It is best known for registering voters at concerts – having signed up 175,000 voters since its launch in 2004. It also encourages voter turnout and general civic participation...
and continues to serve as co-chair of the organization. The band has also actively participated with groups such as The Conscious Alliance, Rock the Earth, and The Fund for Wild Nature.
In 2010, the band partnered with HeadCount and Philadelphia's Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School on the volunteer initiative Bisco Power Mission. Culminating in a benefit show at New York City's LEED Certified Brooklyn Bowl, the project plans to raise $15,000 to install a solar power system at the Greenfield School. The collaboration also hopes to engage and inspire fans of the band and others to their own acts of community involvement and includes a planned community day at the Greenfield School to commemorate the installation of the solar power system.
Discography
- Encephalous CrimeEncephalous CrimeEncephalous Crime is the first album by trance fusion band The Disco Biscuits. It was self-released in 1996.-Track listing:#"Mr. Don" - 6:17 #"Rainbow Song" - 3:35 #"Stone" - 3:32...
(self-released, 1996) - Uncivilized AreaUncivilized AreaUncivilized Area is the 1998 release by the trance fusion band the Disco Biscuits. It was released on Megaforce Records in 1998.-Track listing:#"Vassillios" – 6:18#"Aceetobee" – 10:55#"Jamillia" – 7:39#"Little Betty Boop" – 15:11...
(1998) - Bisco Lives (2000)
- They Missed the PerfumeThey Missed the Perfume-Track listing:#"Highwire" – 3:57#"Spacebirdmatingcall" – 8:24#"Haleakala Crater" – 11:20#"Home Again" – 5:44#"Mindless Dribble" – 13:41#"I Remember When" – 8:14-Album name:...
(2001) - Bisco Lives 2: Freedom Boulevard (2002)
- Señor BoomboxSeñor BoomboxSeñor Boombox is an album by Disco Biscuits.The album charted on two Billboard Magazine entries; Top Electronic Albums at #13 and Top Independent Albums at #46.-Track listing:# "Hope" – 4:35# "Float Like a Butterfly" – 4:27# "In the Sky" – 0:46...
(2002) - Trance Fusion Radio Broadcast Vol. 1-4 (2003)
- Under the Influence: A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd (2004)
- The Wind at Four to FlyThe Wind at Four to FlyThe Wind at Four to Fly is a 2006 live release by the trance fusion band Disco Biscuits. It was released on SCI Fidelity on April 18, 2006. It is the second to last album with the original line-up and contains songs from shows recorded between December 27-31, 2004...
(2006) - Rocket 3 (2006)
- On Time EP (2009)
- Widgets EP (2009)
- Planet Anthem (2010) US #157 Heatseekers #5
- Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens (2011)
Filmography
- Live at the Palladium (2004)
- Camp Bisco IV (2005)
- Jam in the Dam (2006)
- Progressions (2007)
- Bisco Inferno 09/10 (2011)
External links
- www.discobiscuits.com The Disco Biscuits home page — tour dates, live downloads
- Official Disco Biscuits Twitter
- Biscuits Internet Project Unofficial Disco Biscuits fan page — setlists, songs, photos, guitar tabs
- Disco Biscuits Live Show Archive at Archive.org
- Phantasy Tour Bisco Unofficial Disco Biscuits Message Forum