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 – Mobius Beard does both.