RISING – Dylan Ettinger

Blade Runner-blues Korg-king Dylan Ettinger just busted out his Moog for the Lion Of Judah 7″ on Not Not Fun, which follows his excellent loose 2010 trilogy with Botany Bay, Smokin’ and New Age Outlaws. As the title suggests, things are still in ultra-stoned sounding mode: futurist vibes over slow detached vocals.

Dylan Ettinger started this current music project out of his bedroom in Illinois when he was 17 years old. Influenced by bands like Double Leopards, Mouthus and early Skaters tapes, his early recordings had a similar, heavy psychedelic-noise sound. But over the years, his music has become more song-oriented and less harsh and noisy. Today it’s flavored with retro-futuristic melancholy, occasionally dipping into that classic crisp synth-pop sound derived from Kraftwerk or The Human League.

He’s still living in his basement in Bloomington, Indiana – and it is perhaps this very diametric opposition that gives his mental conjurings such passion. Without a doubt he is one of today’s finest crafters of patient, layered sounds. His dark synth pieces have that faint hint of anamorphic blues that lingered in the backdrop of the LA Vampires and Zola Jesus collaboration.

Watch his clear-focused video for the title track Lion Of Judah and listen to his smoked-out psyche-dub below:

Published May 09, 2011.