Brian Castillo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brian Castillo | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | pFrenz-C |
| Born | November 22, 1968 Tacoma, Washington, United States |
| Genre(s) | Psych folk, experimental, film score |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Label(s) | Tragick, Bluesanct |
Brian Castillo (born November 22, 1968) is an American musician/producer, and photographer born in Tacoma, Washington. Best known for his work with The Living Jarboe and In Gowan Ring, sometimes in a musician role and sometimes as a producer/engineer. He no longer uses the pseudonym but in the 90s he sometimes recorded under the name pFrenz-C .
After moving to Seattle in the early 1990s he was involved in a variety of different groups with no particular style in common: Prayers for the Raven (Seattle’s seminal goth band), Hooo (texture noise), Rosa Luna (i.e. Mazzy Star, Low), Salon Betty (punk-polka-death lounge spearheaded by Betty X), Absinthee (with Gordon Raphael of The Strokes fame & Sky Cries Mary), Faith and Disease (ethereal pop), Euclid (Americana), Purr Bats (disco fluff), Shadow Light (synthy-goth) and several psychedelic performance art groups.
The risqué performances of Salon Betty were often referred to as “The Big Hair Sex Circus” and offered a sharp contrast to Seattle’s “grunge” scene at the time. While working with iMusic they created the internet’s first “interactive paper-doll” and started an early internet reality show in 1996 called “The Surreal World” winning awards for their work.
In the late 1990s Brian began recording and co-producing with Jarboe. Their first collaborative project together was for the compilation on Vhuz music called “Vomit Veritas” and later on Jarboe’s first post-SWANS recording “Anhedoniac”. He has also recorded and appeared on many of Jarboe's compilation contributions and a few of her other albums.
Some of Brian’s soundtrack work can be heard on the films “Debbie Does Damnation” by Eric Brummer, “Children of Chernobyl” on PBS, “Scratch Merchants” by Patrick Phillips, and “In Your Blood” by Jeffro Brunk.
Brian continues to compose and record in Olympia, Washington. His most recent recordings with Elizabeth Hummel were released on her latest CD called “The Turning Point” January 2006. Both Elizabeth and Brian will be recording with Jarboe for her new project.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums and EPs
| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | pFrenz-C – Partially Here | cassette featuring Donald Glaude |
| 1994 | pFrenz-C – Euphoria Toilet | cassette |
| 1995 | Shadow Light – With the Shadow Light | CD |
| 1996 | Salon Betty and the Big Hair Sex Circus | cassette featuring Betty X, iMusic |
| 1997 | Hooo – Veil Static | CD Bluesanct Records |
| 1998 | Jarboe – Anhedoniac | CD |
| 1999 | pFrenz-C – Dopamine Quest | CD featuring Jarboe |
| 2001 | Jarboe – Disburden Desciple | CD |
| 2003 | Euclid – Carthage | CD |
