J Lesser
Encyclopedia
J Lesser is the stage name for Jason Doerck (born December 19, 1970), a musician known for his unrepentant approach to sound creation. Doerck was a member of the defunct laptop group Sagan, alongside Blevin Blectum
, Wobbly, and video artist Ryan Junell.
, including Willits
and San Diego
, Doerck began his music career listening to and playing black metal
and punk
. In San Diego, he had a job coloring New Kids on the Block
comic books using computers. In 1997, he helped form the group Disc
with Kid606, M.C. Schmidt and Drew Danial (of Matmos
).
An interest in electronic music
drove Doerck to begin work with record label Vinyl Communications, adding more electronic flavor to what was otherwise a punk record label. Doerck settled in the San Francisco Bay Area
in 1994, where he participated in the drum & bass scene. There he toured with A Minor Forest
, and later collaborated with Kid606
, publishing a number of records on the label Tigerbeat6
. Doerck also played with members of Crash Worship
. Doerck's early electronic music influences included Luke Vibert
's work released under the alias Plug, which Doerck admits he tried to imitate (with little success).
as an opening act, in addition to playing as supporting musicians in her band on the Vespertine
tour. During the same year, his album Gearhound won an Honorable Mention for Digital Musics in the Prix Ars Electronica
.
In 2002, Doerck released a entirely in MP3
format, entitled LS-MP3CD-R. This project included hundreds of MP3s produced throughout his musical history, dating back to his first band, The Robotic.
In 2004, Doerck remixed "Who Is It" from Björk's Medúlla
album.
Blevin Blectum
Blevin Blectum is an electronic musician.Blectum comes from a musical family, and she studied the violin during her youth. At Mills College, she partnered with Kevin Blechdom to form Blectum From Blechdom, a performance art electronica duo. In 2001, Blectum From Blechdom won an Award of...
, Wobbly, and video artist Ryan Junell.
Early years
Born and raised around CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, including Willits
Willits, California
Willits is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Willits is located north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1391 feet . The population was 4,888 at the 2010 census, down from 5,073 at the 2000 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and its redwood forests...
and San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, Doerck began his music career listening to and playing black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. In San Diego, he had a job coloring New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
comic books using computers. In 1997, he helped form the group Disc
Disc (band)
Disc is an experimental group formed by Miguel Depedro , Jason Doerck , M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel . The group was most active between 1997 and 1999....
with Kid606, M.C. Schmidt and Drew Danial (of Matmos
Matmos
Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore signed to the Matador Records label. M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their performances, including...
).
An interest in electronic music
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...
drove Doerck to begin work with record label Vinyl Communications, adding more electronic flavor to what was otherwise a punk record label. Doerck settled in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
in 1994, where he participated in the drum & bass scene. There he toured with A Minor Forest
A Minor Forest
A Minor Forest was a San Francisco-based math rock band in the 1990s. They were musically related to the Louisville scene of post rock groups like Slint and had personal connections to the San Diego scene of Three Mile Pilot and related bands...
, and later collaborated with Kid606
Kid606
Kid606 is the stage name of Miguel Trost De Pedro, an electronic musician who was born 1979 July in Caracas, Venezuela, raised in San Diego and later moved to San Francisco...
, publishing a number of records on the label Tigerbeat6
Tigerbeat6
Tigerbeat6 is a San Francisco and Berlin based independent and electronic record label run by Kid606. The name reflects Kid606's obsession with cats, which also comes to light in the catalogue numbers, all of which start with MEOW, and is also a loose reference to the top-selling teen magazine,...
. Doerck also played with members of Crash Worship
Crash Worship
Crash Worship or ADRV was a San Diego based experimental-aktionist-industrial-noise performance group formed in 1986. Most renowned for its live shows in which three stand-up percussionists hammered out concussive poly-rhythms to abstract mutated guitar, synthesizers, effects and dualling vocalists...
. Doerck's early electronic music influences included Luke Vibert
Luke Vibert
Luke Vibert is a British recording artist and producer known for his work in many subgenres of electronic music. Vibert began his musical career as a member of the Hate Brothers, only later branching out into his own compositions...
's work released under the alias Plug, which Doerck admits he tried to imitate (with little success).
2000s
In 2001, Doerck became a live/touring member of Matmos when they toured with BjörkBjörk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
as an opening act, in addition to playing as supporting musicians in her band on the Vespertine
Vespertine
Vespertine, is the fifth studio album by the Icelandic recording artist Björk, released on 27 August 2001. On this album, Björk creates a quiet, introverted world of microbeats and personal lyrics...
tour. During the same year, his album Gearhound won an Honorable Mention for Digital Musics in the Prix Ars Electronica
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music...
.
In 2002, Doerck released a entirely in MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format, entitled LS-MP3CD-R. This project included hundreds of MP3s produced throughout his musical history, dating back to his first band, The Robotic.
In 2004, Doerck remixed "Who Is It" from Björk's Medúlla
Medúlla
Medúlla is the sixth studio album by Icelandic singer, songwriter, and musician Björk, released on August 30, 2004 by Warner Bros. Records and One Little Indian. The title derives from the Latin word for "marrow". The album is almost entirely a cappella and constructed with human vocals...
album.
Discography
- I Hate Me (Cassette, 1990)
- Split 7" with bigblackMariah (Hate Posse Records, 1991)
- VC-39 (Vinyl Communications, 1992)
- I Hate Me (Endless Records, 1993)
- The 1995 Lesser / Rob Crow Split CD (Vinyl Communications, 1995)
- Excommunicate The Cult Of The Live Band (Vinyl Communications, 1996)
- Welcome To The American Experience (Vinyl Communications, 1997)
- Gigolo Cop (Vinyl Communications, 1997)
- Elements of Pessimism, vol.1 (Box Theory Records, 1998)
- Lesser / Kid606 Split CD (Vinyl Communications, 1998)
- Gearhound (Matador Europe, 2001)
- MENSA Dance Squad (Tigerbeat6, 2001)
- LS-MP3CD-R (Tigerbeat6, 2002)
- Suppressive Acts: I-X (Matador Europe, 2003)
External links
- Jay Lesser on Matador Records
- Golden, Barbara. “Conversation with J Lesser).” eContact! 12.2 — Interviews (2) (April 2010). Montréal: CECCanadian Electroacoustic CommunityFounded in 1986, La Communauté électroacoustique canadienne / The Canadian Electroacoustic Community is Canada’s national electroacoustic / computer music / sonic arts organization and as such is dedicated to promoting this progressive art form in its broadest definition: from “pure” acousmatic...
. - Hood, Stu. Interview with J Lesser. SHZine (1 October 2002).