Jimmy Edgar

from Wikipedia:

Jimmy Edgar is a Detroit-based electronic music artist, signed to K7 Records. Influenced mostly by Jazz, funk, street beat and r&b in these early years, he began his musical pursuit by playing the drums in experimental bands and by making tape recordings. Most of these recordings, consisting mainly of pitch bent tape loops, cut edits, field recordings, and noise tracks, were the beginning of his experimentation with the technical aspects of production. Jimmy Edgar is the self proclaimed poster child of Sound Couture. He mutually left Warp Records in 2008 due to creative differences shortly after his single "I Wanna Be Your STD" appeared on the label's top ten 20th anniversary box set WARP20.

Biography

Early life

Edgar's intense passion for music also propelled him at a young age to learn to play any instrument he could get his hands on, including string instruments, saxophone, and mostly percussion/drum set. By the time he was 15, he started performing at Detroit raves.

In early 1999 Edgar signed his first record deal with NYC based Isophlux Records, following a release of a techno track called "We Like You" on the German label Poker Flat. Then, after only hearing one of his tracks, Miami based Merck Records immediately signed him and released his first full length album My Mines I [merck009] by the "dual alter ego" kristuit salu vs. morris nightingale. After the release of My Mines I in February 2002, Edgar started getting some attention which lead to touring cities in the US, including New York City, performing at the infamous experimental music fest the Miami Infiltrate, Vancouver and selected cities in Japan. Touring he got a good response from his live performances as he carried a distinctive energy on to stage and incorporates visuals such as synchronized projections. He was also asked to perform at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival 2003 which was his debut as a Warp Records artist, and in which Detroit witnessed a legend in formation as even the security got down with the local break dancing squad. His first release on Warp was a 4-track EP, titled Access Rhythm' in 2004. In 2005 he followed up a second 6-track EP Bounce Make Model, and then his full-length album Color Strip in February 2006.

A forthcoming album XXX, formerly called Deeper, is expected June 2010 on K7 Records. The second single, "Turn You Inside Out," was released on rcrdlbl.com in July 2008 and became the #1 most popular download within the first week . Edgar continues to perform internationally, most notably in Tokyo, Zagreb, Istanbul, Athens, Tallinn, Moscow, Turin, London, Berlin and more. According to Divine Cosmos Blog, "Hot, Raw, Sex" will be the first single.

Photography

Edgar is an award winning fashion photographer which has seen his work in such publications as H Magazine, Spot Magazine, Urb Magazine, Blink Magazine and more. He continues to work back and forth from Los Angeles and New York City, while exhibiting his work in Europe and Japan. Edgar shoots in a varying of different styles from new digital HDR technology, to medium format film inspired by early Prada, Fendi and Calvin Klein ads. He often test shoots select agency models.

Edgar's fashion photography was featured on the cover of the 10th anniversary issue of H Magazine (Spain), which also published the entire story 'Adaptable Color'. The story also made the cover with accompanied interview in UK's NOTION magazine and a video interview for ELLE Belgium.

2010 brought an introduction to Jimmy Edgar fashion films for such designers as Japan's BLACKOPERATOR, and his own series with Liz Centolella, they can be found on YouTube.

In addition to shooting fashion, Jimmy has also shot press photos for Hercules Love Affair, Kelley Polar, Morgan Geist, Theophilus London, Black Affair, Beta Band, and new signing from Nina Tune records Emika.

Other projects

Almamy

In July 2009, electropop singer Almamy announced in an interview that he was working with Edgar on a 5-track conceptual EP called The Love, from which his cover of Daft Punk's Digital Love was to be the first single off. The project is set to be the first installment in a series of 5-track conceptual EPs, entirely produced by Edgar, to be released quarterly, starting in the Fall of 2009.

Black Affair

Steve Mason, famed singer of Scotland's The Beta Band, collaborated with Edgar on his album Please Pressure Point released on V2 Records in 2008. Edgar co-produced & engineered the Pleasure Pressure Point album, produced and directed the music video for "It's Real", shot Steve Mason's press photography for the campaign and also designed all of the 12" singles and the album artwork which features a photograph still from the video shoot. Black Affair and its affiliation to Edgar gave both Mason and Edgar a new edge on their own music with their tight connection. According to recent interviews, they are planning a next move.

Her Bad Habit

2008 saw the debut release from Edgar's new electrofunk project, Her Bad Habit, on the Citinite label. The five-track EP contains more live instrumentation than his previous work and combines a variety of influences, from Chicago house to Minneapolis funk.

X District

In 2007, Edgar started several new projects as executive producer. One of which is X District, which started out as an accidental exchange of cryptic and symbolic writings between Edgar and Laura Clarke from Leeds. These conversations and typed words ended up as the "Color Correction" maxi-single on Noir Push Recordings, a label affiliates with friends of Edgar. In December 2008, "Color Correction" was re-released on Playhouse Records (Germany) with remixes by Edgar and LoSoul.

Plus Device

Edgar is rumoured to be half of the anonymous Plus Device. Plus Device is an electro "duo" released as one of the top artists on Hefty Records.

Creepy Autograph

Edgar is also rumoured to be part of the anonymous Creepy Autograph along with several other members including Nels Truesdell, Alice Wakefield, and Dutch Master. Creepy Autograph have seen releases including Erase in Mind EP, Sexy Body EP, and Murder Sex on vinyl. These EPs are published under Valentines Connexion and distributed through Rush Hour (Netherlands).

Michaux

In 1998, Edgar began digitally producing conceptual music under the name Michaux. Edgar's only release as Michaux came in 2003 on the label Audio.NL. The album is named %20, URL code for the space character, and explores the concept of silence as well as sounds outputted by computer viruses. According to Audio.NL, sections of the album are so "extreme in frequency" that an acceptable vinyl release could not be produced, making it the only compact disc release on the label to date. The Michaux project is revered as one of the pioneering releases of the genre called Glitch or Microsound and according to the Boomkat review was "some of the most original treatments you'll hear on any disc, at any time, anywhere."

According to Muzak Soundish blog, the torch of Michaux has been passed to famed Christian Dior fashion model Dana LeGlise.