James Ferraro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Ferraro
Ferraro performing in 2012
Background information
Also known as	Bebetune$, Bodyguard, Edward Flex, K2, Lamborghini Crystal
Born	(1986-11-07) November 7, 1986 (age 38) Rochester, New York, U.S.
Genres	Experimental electronic hypnagogic pop vaporwave
Instruments	Synthesizer, computer, sampler, piano, vocals
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Hippos in Tanks, Olde English Spelling Bee, New Age Tapes, Holy Mountain
Associated acts	The Skaters

James Ferraro (born November 7, 1986) is an American musician, producer, and artist. He is known for his unique and experimental music. Many people see him as a pioneer of music styles from the 21st century called hypnagogic pop and vaporwave. His music often explores ideas about hyperreality (when copies seem more real than the original) and consumer culture (how society focuses on buying things).

Ferraro's music uses many different styles. These include 1980s electronic music, easy listening, drone, lo-fi (music with a raw, unpolished sound), sound collage (music made by combining different sounds), and modern R&B.

He started his career in the early 2000s. He was part of a duo called The Skaters. After that, he began making solo music under his own name and many different nicknames. He released music with labels like Hippos in Tanks. Ferraro became more widely known when his 2011 album, Far Side Virtual, was chosen as Album of the Year by The Wire magazine. This album was quite different and caused a lot of discussion.

Biography

Early Life and The Skaters

James Ferraro was born in Rochester, New York. His parents were from Italian and African-American backgrounds. Music was a big part of his family. His father was a musician, DJ, and loved collecting records. His mother was a singer.

James started making music in high school. He used a program called MTV Music Generator in 1999. When he was 18, he moved from New York to San Diego, California. There, he met Spencer Clark. They started working together on art and paintings.

When Ferraro was 20, he and Spencer Clark formed a music project called The Skaters. They made drone and noise music. They recorded music for a year and then started touring. Their last album as The Skaters was Physicalities Of The Sensibilities Of Ingrediential Stairways (2008).

Solo Career and New Sounds

Ferraro started his own music label called New Age Tapes. He used it to release his solo music. His early solo songs often came out under different names like Lamborghini Crystal. These were often released on limited cassettes or CD-Rs. Some larger albums, like Clear (2008) and Last American Hero (2008), were released by other labels.

These early recordings explored many styles, from gamelan (traditional Indonesian music) to drone and lo-fi pop. They were linked to a music trend from the 2000s called "hypnagogic pop". Around 2010, Ferraro's music started to have a more unique pop sound. An example is his high-school themed album Night Dolls with Hairspray (2010).

In 2011, Ferraro released his album Far Side Virtual. This album used MIDI music technology and sounds like corporate Muzak (background music). It started as a series of ringtones. The album received both praise and criticism. However, The Wire magazine named it Album of the Year. It was described as looking at consumer culture, retro-futurism (a style that looks back at how people imagined the future), and hyperreality. This album, along with another called Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1, helped inspire the music style known as vaporwave in the 2010s. Vaporwave also explores similar themes.

After Far Side Virtual, Ferraro's music started to be influenced by modern hip hop and R&B. You can hear this on albums like Sushi (2012) and Skid Row (2015). He also released digital music under names like Bebetune$ and Bodyguard. His 2016 album Human Story 3 went back to some of the ideas from Far Side Virtual.

In 2017, Ferraro's art show Extinction Renaissance opened in Sweden. He also released music for the show on special USB cards. In February 2018, Ferraro presented Plague, an opera. It featured an actor playing an "undead" Steve Jobs, who was like a computer program made from all our online activities. In May 2018, he released Four Pieces for Mirai, an EP (Extended Play) that was the start of a bigger project.

Artistry

James Ferraro has been creating music since the mid-2000s. His style has changed a lot. It ranges from drone music and noise music with a lo-fi feel, to sound collages. His works are known for having deep concepts and for talking about modern topics in a unique way.

His albums have explored themes like consumerism (buying and selling things), technology, social experiences, and the idea of a world where everything is a copy. His 2011 album Far Side Virtual is often seen as a key work that helped start the internet music style called vaporwave. However, Ferraro himself doesn't consider himself part of vaporwave's history.

In 2009, a magazine called The Wire described Ferraro as a creator of "hypnagogic pop". This style uses memory and a feeling of nostalgia for older music formats, especially from the 1980s.

Red Bull Music Academy said that Ferraro's albums often look at the "dark side" of modern culture in the digital age. Many of his records are set in dystopian (unpleasant or bad) places. They focus on what happens because of too much consumerism. Ferraro says his ideas about consumerism come from his interest in "signs" and "symbols." He believes these things lose their meaning when they are repeated too much.

Ferraro uses sounds that people hear every day but might not notice. These include TV jingles, cell phone ringtones, and ATM noises. These sounds are like tools that help humans and electronics communicate. They can inform, warn, or please people. These sounds also create a feeling of nostalgia for the recent past. Ferraro connects this nostalgia to the idea of "the decline of American prosperity."

When making an album, Ferraro first comes up with a "vision." This is like an imaginary picture of what the music will be. He tries not to make his ideas too complicated. He also uses his own sound sources, like computer-generated voices, instead of sampling other people's music.

Discography

As James Ferraro

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Compilations

Extended plays

As Lamborghini Crystal

Studio albums

Compilations

Releases under other aliases

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

See also

In Spanish: James Ferraro para niños