Copy – Mobius Beard on Sale

Copy – Mobius Beard
Portland, Oregon’s Marius Libman, otherwise known as Copy, busts through the gates with a fully developed and essential sound on his debut LP, Mobius Beard. Combining dense harmonies, delivered in an 8-bit baroque electro style somewhere between Yellow Magic Orchestra and Ratatat, with snap-tight digital beats reminiscent of Dabrye, Copy has created an emotionally affecting sound that doesn’t neglect the dance floor. On Mobius Beard, fuzzy bass synths ride syncopated drum patterns, jump-cutting into ambient spaces and cresting in victorious melodic themes. The result is a crossover work of electronic pop that will appeal to both hardcore sound boys / IDM nerds and the casual listening masses. A product of the 80’s, video game music featured heavily in Libman’s musical development, as did his father’s favorite albums, Pet Sounds and Kind of Blue. At age 13 he started playing in punk bands, moving through math rock and improv metal before discovering electronic music, which in turn led to the jazz fusion of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. In the midst of this musical amalgamation, Libman developed a parallel obsession with the deceptively simple sounds of studio pop, Italo disco, hip-hop, and electro, which soon found him dropping excellent party sets under the alias DJ Copy. Meanwhile countless hours were spent honing his production craft, mingling the lush pop of Tears for Fears, OMD, Dr. Dre, Yaz, Pinback and Giorgio Moroder with the musical intricacy of Aphex Twin and Coltrane. It’s this balance that informs Copy’s debut: get lost in melodic contemplation or bounce, pump a fist, and strain your neck to the beat.