Hyper Crush
Encyclopedia
Hyper Crush is a band from Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

. It consists of a rapper, Donny Fontaine, a vocalist, Holly Valentine, and a DJ/keytar
Keytar
A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...

ist, Preston Moronie.

Early career (2006–2007)

Hyper Crush began with Fontaine and Moronie. Originally, the duo started out as a Doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...

 group named the Bel-Airs, but their name, musical style, and appearance changed later to reflect their interest in electronic and synth-based music from the 1980s. When they sought a female vocalist to go along with Fontaine, their long-time friend Valentine took the job.

The group first gained widespread exposure through their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 page. They began playing shows in Los Angeles and other places in and around California. In late 2007, they released their debut, Mixtape Volume 1, which contained 31 original Hyper Crush songs. Along with the mixtape, they also released independently-made music videos for "The Delorean" and "Slow Motion".

Both musically and in their appearance, Hyper Crush makes copious references to the decades of the 1950s and the 1980s. Common examples of these references include the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

, popular arcade games from the 1980s, Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...

, Hypercolor
Hypercolor
Hypercolor was a line of clothing, mainly T-shirts and shorts, that changed color with heat.They were manufactured by Generra Sportswear Company of Seattle and marketed in the United States as Generra Hypercolor or Generra Hypergrafix and outside the US as Global Hypercolor...

 clothing, the DeLorean, and Sega Genesis. Sounds from Nintendo's Duck Hunt
Duck Hunt
is a video game for the Nintendo Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan...

game begin the song "The Arcade" and music from The Legend of Zelda end it. In addition, their fans are called "The Zapper Gun Gang," which is derived from an NES Zapper
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...

 reference made in the lyrics of "The Arcade." During live performances, Fontaine often wields a modified laser shooting version of the 1989 Nintendo Power Glove
Power Glove
The Power Glove is a controller accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the first peripheral interface controller to recreate human hand movements on a television or computer screen in real time. The Power Glove was not popular and was criticized for its imprecise and difficult-to-use...

.

The Arcade (2008)

The Arcade
The Arcade
The Arcade is the debut album of Hyper Crush, which was self-released on May 1, 2008. It is the follow up to Mixtape Volume 1, and features two songs, "Disco Tech" and "Slow Motion," from the mixtape.-Track listing:...

, released on May 1, 2008, was the debut album of Hyper Crush, and the follow-up to Mixtape Volume 1. The album featured 13 songs, 2 of which had been previously released on the mixtape.

At the CD release party hosted by Hyper Crush, they also premiered the video for "The Arcade", the title track of the album, although it was not put online and made viewable to the public until June 30. The video was a joint project of Six29 Entertainment and A hill Productions and was directed by Mickey Finnegan. It was Hyper Crush's third video, but the first one to be professionally done.

Signing with Universal Motown

In early November 2008, Hyper Crush signed with Universal Motown. They said in a 2008 interview for BVTV (Bella Vista High School in California) that they had a new album coming out and it was "almost done." It was mentioned that since their first album was independently released, they would re-use about 8 of the songs from The Arcade
The Arcade
The Arcade is the debut album of Hyper Crush, which was self-released on May 1, 2008. It is the follow up to Mixtape Volume 1, and features two songs, "Disco Tech" and "Slow Motion," from the mixtape.-Track listing:...

and the rest of the new album would be new songs. They also stated that they don't have a final name for the new album, then added, perhaps facetiously, that Bella Vista Rocks The Arcade was the working title. In another BVTV interview, in 2009, the band said they were still "mixing down" the album and hoping for a release that summer.

Hyper Crush released the video for "Robo Tech" in late February 2009. This was their fourth video and second video to be professionally done. It was directed by Mickey Finnegan, as was "The Arcade".

The delays in releasing their second album incited the band to release some material through a different channel, and they released their second mixtape on the Internet on June 26, 2009. Valentine spoke about the mixtape: "We wanted to make something cool to put out, especially because our album seems like it's taking long to people... We were like, 'Okay, it's hard to put the album out so we're gonna put out a 21-song mixtape.' Making new music is important to us and we want to give that to our fans."

Hyper Crush released the first single off their upcoming album on September 17, 2009, titled "Keep Up" with Tommy Henriksen
Tommy Henriksen
Tommy Henriksen is an American singer-songwriter from Port Jefferson, New York.Henriksen first moved to Los Angeles to start his music career in 1991. He did tech work for Alice Cooper before beginning performance work with Keith Forsey on a full-length solo album...

 co-producing and co-writing the track with Hyper Crush. On May 21, 2011, the group held a video premiere party at The Roxy for "Keep Up," openly inviting fans to join them via Twitter. They released the second single "Ayo" featuring Diplo along with a music video featuring tour footage. The third single "Kick Us Out" was released on November 3, 2010 and peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart. The music video premiered on Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...

 on March 16, 2011. The cover art for their fourth single, "Fingers Up," was released on their website on June 6, 2011 and the actual single was released around midnight on June 8, 2011 and samples "Derb" by DJ Derb.

Starting on July 1, 2011, the group began a summer-long series titled "Free Song Friday." Similar to Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

's G.O.O.D. Fridays
G.O.O.D. Fridays
G.O.O.D. Fridays was a weekly free music giveaway started by rapper Kanye West. The name originates from the name of his label, G.O.O.D. Music, and is also a reference to the Friday before Easter, which is known as Good Friday. Every Friday, beginning on August 20, 2010, Kanye planned on releasing...

, Hyper Crush released a new free song, sometimes accompanied by a new music video, every Friday. A list of giveaways in chronological order include: "MBCCD," a remix of She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge is an American musical duo, based in San Fernando Valley, California. The group's debut album She Wants Revenge was released in early 2006, with three singles to follow...

's "Must Be the One," "Rockstar," "Flip The Switch" and its music video, a "Flip The Switch" remix, and "Maniac" along with its music video.

Tours

Hyper Crush has toured with bands such as The Medic Droid
The Medic Droid
-History:The Medic Droid was started in 2005 with Chris Donathon, Hector Bagnod and Johnny Chavez . Bagnod and Donathon first met in 2003, but Donathon moved away from the city after they met, only to return a few years later...

, Millionaires
Millionaires (band)
Millionaires is a group consisting of two sisters, Melissa Marie and Allison Green, from Orange County, California. The group, formed in August 2007, was widely known for mixing heavily explicit lyrics with a bubbly electropop sound. Their image and lyrics have generated considerable controversy,...

, Brokencyde
Brokencyde
Brokencyde is an American crunkcore musical group from Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 2006.-History:Brokencyde was founded by singers Se7en and Mikl. The name of the band supposedly originated from the idea that their music was "broken inside" due to personal problems. After the band began...

, J0HNNY, Karate High School
Karate High School
Karate High School was an American pop-punk/post-hardcore band from San Francisco, California, fronted by multi-instrumentalist and producer Paul McGuire. On March 21, 2006 the band released their debut album, Arcade Rock...

, Chronic Future
Chronic Future
Chronic Future was a band from Scottsdale, Arizona. The band was formed in 1995 when their average age was 14. They achieved a short period of mainstream success with the album Lines in My Face, as well as the album's hit single, "Time and Time Again"...

, And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None (band)
And Then There Were None is an American band from New Hampshire, currently signed to Tooth & Nail Records.-History:And Then There Were None formed in 2003 as a metalcore band, and toured across the United States in support of their highly acclaimed self-released EP "6,000 tries"...

, The Arrival, and Lisa D'Amato
Lisa D'Amato
Lisa Marie D'Amato is an American recording artist, fashion model and television personality from Los Angeles, California...

.

Hyper Crush toured with Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. Rudolf is mostly known for singing and producing rock/pop music...

 in spring 2009. The second half of the tour was cancelled for unknown reasons.

They also toured the US at the end of 2008 with The Medic Droid as headliners and Chronic Future supporting. They toured in spring 2009 supporting Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. Rudolf is mostly known for singing and producing rock/pop music...

, alongside Cash Cash
Cash Cash
Cash Cash is an American band from Roseland, New Jersey.Cash Cash consists of Jean Paul Makhlouf, Alexander Luke Makhlouf, Sam Frisch, and Anthony Villacari.-History:...

, The Audition
The Audition (band)
The Audition is a pop/rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is composed of singer Danny Stevens, drummer Ryan O'Connor, guitarists Jimmy Lopez and Timmy Klepek and bassist Joe Lussa and are based in Detroit, Michigan. The band's first release was a six track EP entitled All In Your Head...

, and Go Crash Audio. Hyper Crush toured the West Coast of the US on the "We Make It Rain" tour with Brokencyde
Brokencyde
Brokencyde is an American crunkcore musical group from Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 2006.-History:Brokencyde was founded by singers Se7en and Mikl. The name of the band supposedly originated from the idea that their music was "broken inside" due to personal problems. After the band began...

 and Karate High School
Karate High School
Karate High School was an American pop-punk/post-hardcore band from San Francisco, California, fronted by multi-instrumentalist and producer Paul McGuire. On March 21, 2006 the band released their debut album, Arcade Rock...

. They also covered this area on the "Electrik Party Tour across America" with J0HNNY. In May, 2009, Hyper Crush performed at The Bamboozle
The Bamboozle
The Bamboozle is an annual rain-or-shine, three-day music festival held in New Jersey. Every year, new bands compete for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the Skate and Surf Festival.- The Characters:...

.

In July 2009, Hyper Crush toured in Europe as the opening act
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...

 for Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...

.

Hyper Crush supported Breathe Carolina
Breathe Carolina
Breathe Carolina is an American electronic rock musical duo from Denver, Colorado, composed of David Schmitt and Kyle Even. Breathe Carolina have released three albums, one EP, and five music videos to date.-Beginnings :...

 on the No Checkpoints In The Jungle tour in February 2010. The tour also included Let's Get It, Queen's Club, and The Spin Cycle.

In August 2010, Hyper Crush co-headlined the Lazertag Tour with Far East Movement
Far east movement
Far East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...

 with music by DJ EYE and special guests The Cataracs
The Cataracs
The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at...

 and Dev
Dev (singer)
Devin Star Tailes , better known by her stage name Dev, is an American singer. She was discovered by The Cataracs via MySpace after her friend Shane Crislip, posted her singing to some beats...

.

Video games

Near the end of 2010 it was revealed that Michael Wagner, a fan of the group, and Voxel Software were working on an 8-bit iPhone game titled Hyper Crush: The 8-Bit Adventure. Fontaine, Valentine, and Moronie are featured as playable characters with their own personal weapons: Power Glove
Power Glove
The Power Glove is a controller accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the first peripheral interface controller to recreate human hand movements on a television or computer screen in real time. The Power Glove was not popular and was criticized for its imprecise and difficult-to-use...

, Zapper Gun
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...

 and Keytar
Keytar
A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...

, respectively. The game contains eight levels that increase in difficulty and the controls are modeled after the iconic NES controller. Being avid Android fans, the group stated that "If the game does well in the App store we'll bring it over into the Android Market." The game was released on August 19, 2011. Their song "Keep Up" can also be played on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch through the game Tap Tap Revenge 3
Tap Tap Revenge 3
Tap Tap Revenge 3 was the number 1 application in the App Store within the first 24 hours of its release and stayed there for over 2 weeks.Once released as a free application in the App Store, it rose to the 2nd most downloaded application in the App Store within 24 hours with 300,000 new members...

.

Other appearances

The group has had many of their songs featured on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 reality shows, such as Bromance
Bromance (TV series)
Bromance is an American reality series that aired on MTV. It premiered on December 29, 2008. A spin-off of the MTV series The Hills, the show follows Brody Jenner as he searched to find a new best friend after his fall-out with longtime best friend Spencer Pratt...

, The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...

and The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...

. Songs of theirs can also be heard in the prologue episodes of the web-series, LG15: The Resistance
LG15: The Resistance
LG15: The Resistance was a web television series produced by EQAL that took place within the LG15 Universe. The series was first announced on July 4, 2008 via the official behind-the-scenes LG15 blog, Inside...

. In 2009, Valentine modeled the Lowrider Headphones for Skullcandy
Skullcandy
Skullcandy is a Park City, Utah-based company that markets headphones, earphones, hands free devices, audio backpacks, MP3 players and other products. The company was founded in 2003....

 and went on to collaborate with T.I.T.S. (Two In The Shirt) Brand in 2011 to create their "TITS x HOLLY FROM HYPERCRUSH" line of t-shirts.

Albums and mixtapes

List of albums, with release dates and record labels
Title Release date Label
Mixtape Volume 1 August 31, 2007 Self-released
The Arcade
The Arcade
The Arcade is the debut album of Hyper Crush, which was self-released on May 1, 2008. It is the follow up to Mixtape Volume 1, and features two songs, "Disco Tech" and "Slow Motion," from the mixtape.-Track listing:...

May 1, 2008 Self-released
Mixtape Volume 2 June 26, 2009 New Wave
Hyper Crush Presents Crushmas Mix November 29, 2010 Self-released
Night Wave January 2012 Night Wave Records

Singles

List of singles, showing date released and album name
Title Release date Album
"The Arcade" June 29, 2008 The Arcade
The Arcade
The Arcade is the debut album of Hyper Crush, which was self-released on May 1, 2008. It is the follow up to Mixtape Volume 1, and features two songs, "Disco Tech" and "Slow Motion," from the mixtape.-Track listing:...

"Robo Tech" February 19, 2009
"Sex & Drugs" (Benny Benassi Remix) 28 July 2009
"Keep Up" November 17, 2009 Night Wave
"Ayo" August 17, 2010
"Kick Us Out" November 3, 2010
"Fingers Up" June 8, 2011
"MBCCD" July 1, 2011
"Rockstar" July 19, 2011
"Flip the Switch" July 22, 2011
"Maniac" August 5, 2011
"Werk Me" October 17, 2011

As featured artist

Year Single Album
2010 "Too High" (Filip Filipi
Filip Filipi
Filip Filipi , formally known by his stage name Sin is a Serbian rapper, producer, song writer and the creator of The Cartel Argentina clothing line...

 featuring Hyper Crush, Christian Rich
Christian Rich
Christian Rich is an American music production, songwriting, artist and DJ group consisting of twin brothers, Taiwo "Christian" Hassan and Kehinde "Rich" Hassan, Born February 5, 1982. Born and raised in Chicago, the brothers learned their musical acumen in Nigeria, and experienced the business...

 & Slush Puppy Kids)
Design & Origin of Stars
Design and Origin of Stars
Design & Origin of Stars is the debut album from Serbian-Canadian rapper Filip Filipi, popularly known as Sin, released in April 2010...


Remixes

Year Song
2009 "La La La
La La La (LMFAO song)
"La La La" is a song performed by American electro recording duo LMFAO. It was released as the second single from the album Party Rock and first sent to airplay on September 8, 2009....

" by LMFAO
LMFAO (group)
LMFAO is an American electro pop duo consisting of rappers, producers, dancers, and DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu . The group formed in 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Redfoo is SkyBlu's uncle. Redfoo is also the son of music mogul Berry Gordy, SkyBlu a grandson...

2010 "Bulletproof" by La Roux
La Roux
La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...

2010 "Over
Over (Drake song)
"Over" is a song by Canadian recording artist, Drake. The song serves as the lead single from his debut album, Thank Me Later. It was written by Drake with Boi-1da, and produced by the latter and Al Khaaliq. The single was released for digital download on March 8, 2010. The song is midtempo hip-hop...

" by Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....

2010 "I Made It" by Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. Rudolf is mostly known for singing and producing rock/pop music...

2010 "California Gurls
California Gurls
"California Gurls" is an electropop song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry and is the lead single of her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song features rapper Snoop Dogg, and was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. According to Perry, the song is an answer song to...

" by Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...

2010 "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love
DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love
"DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" is a song by recording artist Usher and features guest vocals from American rapper Pitbull. It was written by Savan Kotecha, Pitbull, Shellback and Max Martin, with the latter two producing it. It is the first single from Usher's EP, Versus...

" by Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...

 featuring Pitbull
Pitbull (rapper)
Armando Christian Pérez , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records...

2010 "Kick Us Out" by Hyper Crush
2010 "Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)" by Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...

 featuring SkyBlu of LMFAO
LMFAO (group)
LMFAO is an American electro pop duo consisting of rappers, producers, dancers, and DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu . The group formed in 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Redfoo is SkyBlu's uncle. Redfoo is also the son of music mogul Berry Gordy, SkyBlu a grandson...

2011 "Must Be The One" by She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge is an American musical duo, based in San Fernando Valley, California. The group's debut album She Wants Revenge was released in early 2006, with three singles to follow...


Music videos

Year Title Director
2007 "The Delorean" Hyper Crush
"Slow Motion" Hyper Crush
2008 "The Arcade" Mickey Finnegan
2009 "Robo Tech" Mickey Finnegan
"Keep Up" Justin Krook
2010 "Ayo" Michael Beck
2011 "Kick Us Out" Jonathan Lia
"Flip the Switch" Hyper Crush
"Maniac" Cassidy Sanders, Hyper Crush

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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