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April 15, 2009 |
delta of venus nyc debut
In the summer of 1995, Delta of Venus spent a sweltering weekend in NYC recording their debut single for nascent Connecticut indie label Strumalicious. They would spend a two-night stay in cozy Carlton Arms, and two day-long sessions recording "Cold Spring" and "All Star" with Greg Talenfeld at Waterworks Studios in the meatpacking district.
Waterworks was chosen for the brilliant guitar recording found on Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's extra wide LP, which was necessary to get every bit out of guitarist Rich Freitas' unique stylings. It was a complete success, defined most effectively on the guitar break from "All Star", where Talenfeld fed the live guitar into a secondary recorder that he manipulated in real time. Other bits of fine engineering came about when Talenfeld talked them out of using the bulk of their own larger stage amps for tiny vintage amps from the studio's arsenal. By reconstructing their "live" sound, he brought out the essence that was at the core of their music: the voices and rhythm.
Dawn Estabrooks brought out the tangled emotions of "Cold Spring", a rumination on how far the Mystic music had come. Rich Freitas sang in a strangled voice that mirrored the subject of his "All Star", which was brought to life after seeing the dead Cobain, lying on his back, face out of frame, with only the Converse All Star shoes serving as a defining detail. The propulsion of Shawn Fake's live drums over the programmed beats of "Cold Spring" mesh perfectly, and his massive beat drives the minimalist groove of "All Star". Combine that with Mat Tarbox' spartan bass and Dawn's live keyboard- you have some of the best of what Delta of Venus recorded.
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Last Updated ( April 15, 2009 )
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