The Tuss
Encyclopedia
The Tuss is an electronic
music group supposedly consisting of British
musicians Brian Tregaskin and Karen Tregaskin. So far there has been an EP
and an album released by The Tuss on Rephlex Records
.
newspaper printed rumours that The Tuss is a possible pseudonym of Aphex Twin (see Aphex Twin's discography), or a collaboration featuring him. A newsletter from Warp
comparing Confederation Trough
s sound to that of an Analord
release along with an article in The Guardian supports the theory that The Tuss is Richard D. James.
The use of a Yamaha GX1
, an exceptionally rare and expensive (even at the time of release) analog synthesizer
also seems to suggest that Brian or Karen Tregaskin is Aphex Twin, as he is one of the few owners of such a synthesizer in the United Kingdom. James also played a track from Rushup Edge
during live sets in Mayrhofen
, Austria
, and Turin
, Italy
, in 2005 and in Manchester (two years before the release of Rushup Edge), although he played tracks by Squarepusher
, Cylob
, and Luke Vibert
live as well.
Further evidence that Richard D. James is at least a member of The Tuss is provided by the fact that all Tuss tracks are published in the BMI Repertoire under the name JAMES RICHARD DAVID (BMI
). For example, the track "Alspacka" from the Confederation Trough EP has JAMES RICHARD DAVID listed as the Songwriter/Composer.
Additionally, the digital releases sold on the Rephlex website are tagged with Richard D. James as the composer. Richard D. James has commented on the ambiguous nature of his own releases and the speculation that surrounds many anonymous artists working in electronica: "a lot of people think everything electronic is mine. I get credited for so many things, it's incredible. I'm practically everyone, I reckon—everyone and nobody".
In the same interview he also stated that:
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...
music group supposedly consisting of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musicians Brian Tregaskin and Karen Tregaskin. So far there has been an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and an album released by The Tuss on Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...
.
Aphex Twin speculation
The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper printed rumours that The Tuss is a possible pseudonym of Aphex Twin (see Aphex Twin's discography), or a collaboration featuring him. A newsletter from Warp
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
comparing Confederation Trough
Confederation Trough EP
Confederation Trough EP is the first electronic music EP allegedly released by Richard David James under his pseudonym The Tuss.The CD and 12" vinyl releases both have three tracks, but both formats have one exclusive track.-References:***...
s sound to that of an Analord
Analord
Analord is a 3½ hour, 42-track series of recordings on 12" vinyl by UK-based electronic music artist Richard D. James. The first instalment, Analord 10, went on sale through the Rephlex Records website on 15 December 2004, and was packaged in a faux-leather binder with sleeves for housing the rest...
release along with an article in The Guardian supports the theory that The Tuss is Richard D. James.
The use of a Yamaha GX1
Yamaha GX1
The Yamaha GX-1, first released as Electone GX-707 It's rumored that when Yamaha realized the model number shared the designation of Boeing 707 aircraft, they changed it to GX-1. Note the basic design of GX-1 followed the released in 1970., is an analog polyphonic synthesizer developed by Yamaha...
, an exceptionally rare and expensive (even at the time of release) analog synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
also seems to suggest that Brian or Karen Tregaskin is Aphex Twin, as he is one of the few owners of such a synthesizer in the United Kingdom. James also played a track from Rushup Edge
Rushup Edge (album)
Rushup Edge is the first electronic music album released by The Tuss.-Track listing:# "Synthacon 9" - 6:22# "Last Rushup 10" - 6:36# "Shiz Ko E" - 3:08# "Rushup | Bank 12" - 4:41# "Death Fuck" - 6:39# "Goodbye Rute" - 5:22- Media references :...
during live sets in Mayrhofen
Mayrhofen
- Twin towns : Chur, Switzerland Bad Tölz, Germany Bad Homburg, Germany Terracina, Italy Cabourg, France Bad Mondorf, Luxembourg- Transport :Mayrhofen has one railway station, which is located next to the Zillertaler Bundestrasse. The station is a terminus for all Train services operated by the...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in 2005 and in Manchester (two years before the release of Rushup Edge), although he played tracks by Squarepusher
Squarepusher
Squarepusher is the performing pseudonym of Tom Jenkinson, an English electronic music artist signed to Warp Records. He specialises in the electronic music genres of drum and bass and acid, with a significant jazz and musique concrète influence....
, Cylob
Cylob
Cylob is the alias of UK electronic music maker Chris Jeffs. A trombone player in his youth, he progressed to experimenting with electronic music and recording in his late teens.-Career:...
, and 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...
live as well.
Further evidence that Richard D. James is at least a member of The Tuss is provided by the fact that all Tuss tracks are published in the BMI Repertoire under the name JAMES RICHARD DAVID (BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
). For example, the track "Alspacka" from the Confederation Trough EP has JAMES RICHARD DAVID listed as the Songwriter/Composer.
Additionally, the digital releases sold on the Rephlex website are tagged with Richard D. James as the composer. Richard D. James has commented on the ambiguous nature of his own releases and the speculation that surrounds many anonymous artists working in electronica: "a lot of people think everything electronic is mine. I get credited for so many things, it's incredible. I'm practically everyone, I reckon—everyone and nobody".
Rephlex's denial
Rephlex's co-founder, Grant Wilson-Claridge, stated in an e-mail interview that The Tuss is not Richard D. James. He said:In the same interview he also stated that:
Discography
- Confederation Trough EPConfederation Trough EPConfederation Trough EP is the first electronic music EP allegedly released by Richard David James under his pseudonym The Tuss.The CD and 12" vinyl releases both have three tracks, but both formats have one exclusive track.-References:***...
(CD, 12") (2007) - Rushup EdgeRushup Edge (album)Rushup Edge is the first electronic music album released by The Tuss.-Track listing:# "Synthacon 9" - 6:22# "Last Rushup 10" - 6:36# "Shiz Ko E" - 3:08# "Rushup | Bank 12" - 4:41# "Death Fuck" - 6:39# "Goodbye Rute" - 5:22- Media references :...
(CD, 3x12" vinyl) (2007)
External links
- The Tuss discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
. - IMDb credit