| Benn Jordan | |
|---|---|
Benn Jordan |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benn Lee Jordan |
| Also known as | The Flashbulb, Acidwolf, CHR15TPUNCH3R, DJ ASCII, Dr. Lefty, Dysrythmia, FlexE, Human Action Network, Lucid32, MC Flashbulb, rapemachine, rnd16, 66x, Q-Bit |
| Born |
October 28, 1978 Georgia, United States |
| Genres | Trip Hop, Jazz, Breakcore, IDM, Classical, Ambient, Drum and Bass, Classic Acid |
| Instruments | Guitar, Drums, Electric Guitar, Bass, Sitar, Oud, Piano, Synths, DAW, Sampler |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Sublight, Alphabasic, Bohnerwachs, Rephlex, Merck, Accel Japan, Nophi, Psymbolic, Reject, Metatone |
| Associated acts | Greg Hirte |
| Website | TheFlashbulb.net |
Benn Lee Jordan (born October 28, 1978) is an American modern jazz and electronica musician operating under many pseudonyms. Since 1999 his most widely distributed and eclectic music has been released under the name of The Flashbulb. Other popular names Benn has released as are Acidwolf, Human Action Network, and FlexE.
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Jordan was born in Georgia in 1978 and moved to Englewood, Chicago to live with his grandparents at a young age. Influenced by the local jazz scene, Jordan was an accomplished self-taught guitarist as a child. Due to being left-handed and not having lessons, he learned to play a right-handed guitar upside down, which he continues to do.[1] He began his music career releasing instrumental music on small labels in the United States and Europe in 1996 under various aliases, most notably The Flashbulb, and years later he began to work as a freelance composer for various television and film agencies. In 2006, The Flashbulb toured and worked with The Dillinger Escape Plan which helped diversify his listeners. Benn is still an active jazz guitar player and drummer at Chicago venues.
As The Flashbulb, Jordan typically releases electronic or cinematic styled music. His style differs strongly between albums, but they all have a cohesive bond tied around fast drum programming, jazz-influenced melodies, and a wide array of live instrumentation from various instruments Jordan has acquired. He also often records his melodies through MIDI-synced guitars. His guitar style and skill has gained attention because he typically plays it strung backwards, and makes heavy use of fast sweeping and tapping. More recent Flashbulb albums have featured violinist Greg Hirte, who is featured heavily on The Flashbulb's 2008 album, Soundtrack to a Vacant Life, as well. Soundtrack to a Vacant Life is, as Jordan stated in a 2008 interview, a step away from the breakcore genre. He also said that this step is likely to be a permanent trend in the direction of his music,[2] which has been noted in more recent releases under his own name, such as Pale Blue Dot (album) and Louisiana Mourning.
Under other aliases, Benn Jordan's work varies quite a bit. His Acidwolf and Human Action Network aliases feature retro acid music that uses old drum machines such as the TR-808 and relies heavily on the melodies of the TB-303. Tracks made under the FlexE alias tend to be laid-back and classic acid. According to him, he showcases his more fundamental, classical, and personal pieces under his own name, Benn Jordan.
In recent years, Jordan has seen much success for himself in composing for television and film. In 2006, Jordan's music ("Passage D" from his album Kirlian Selections) was featured in Dove's Evolution promotional campaign for its Campaign for Real Beauty website, which has drawn a large amount of attention from the mainstream media. The campaign took the commercial film winner at Cannes as well as many other prestigious awards. In addition, Jordan had been nominated for a 2007 London International Award for the "Best Use Of Music" category.[3] In 2008, Jordan had completed work in branding, having created stings and trademark sounds for companies such as Dove, Knowledge, Verizon, and many others. Jordan is currently a freelance writer for Vapor Music Group, a large international creative firm operating out of Toronto, and currently owns and operates his own production and recording facilities in Chicago.
After the collapse of Sublight Records, instead of taking on another contract, Jordan purchased his previous licenses and released his most anticipated album Soundtrack To A Vacant Life on his own record label called Alphabasic. On the day of release, he personally uploaded copies of the album to music piracy sites including a small HTML file explaining his relaxed views on file sharing and showing listeners where they could give support if they desired. This resulted in attention by mainstream press and the album was soon to be the most downloaded album on many popular file sharing networks.[4]
Jordan currently lives and records music in an old Carriage house in south Chicago. The apartments in a building on the same property are inhabited by his friends and other artists on his record label. Jordan has been diagnosed with depression and depersonalization disorder, which he admits is one of the reasons why extended and international touring has been increasingly difficult in recent years.[5]
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