Benn Jordan

Benn Jordan
Benn Jordan
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 (1978-10-28) (age 33) 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, Merck, Accel Japan, Nophi
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.

Biography

Jordan was born in Georgia in 1978 and moved to South 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. Benn is still an active jazz guitar player and drummer at Chicago venues. The Flashbulb has toured and worked with The Dillinger Escape Plan which helped diversify his listeners. Jordan has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which he admits is one of the reasons why extended and international touring has been increasingly difficult in recent years.^[2]

Composing for television and film

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 represented by Vapor Music Group, a large international creative firm operating out of Toronto, and currently owns and operates their production and recording facilities in Chicago.

Musical style

As The Flashbulb, Jordan typically releases drill 'n' bass or breakcore styled music. His style differs strongly between albums, but they all have a cohesive bond tied around fast drum programming, acid-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. The last two 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 recent 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,^[4] 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.

Alphabasic and Music Piracy

After the collapse of Sublight Records, instead of taking on another contract, Jordan 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.^[5]

Discography

As The Flashbulb

LPs

• M³ (2000, Metatone)
• These Open Fields (2001, Alphabasic) (re-released in 2002 with different cover art and a bonus track)
• Girls.Suck.But.YOU.Don't (2003, Accel Muzhik)
• Resent and the April Sunshine Shed (2003, Alphabasic)
• Red Extensions of Me (2004, Sublight)
• Kirlian Selections (2005, Sublight)
• Réunion (2005, Sublight)
• Flexing Habitual (2006, Sublight)
• Soundtrack to a Vacant Life (2008, Alphabasic)
• Arboreal (2010, Alphabasic)
• Love as a Dark Hallway (2011, Alphabasic)

EPs/etc.

• 2 Remixes for Bogdan Raczynski (w/Nautilis 2001, Rephlex)
• Fly! (2001, Metatone Records)
• Drain Mode = ON (2001, Suburban Trash)
• Lawn Funeral EP (2004, Alphabasic)
• Binedump EP (2005, Suburban Trash/Bonnerwachs)
• That Missing Week EP (December 8, 2007, Alphabasic)
• A Raw Understanding (single) (February 26, 2010, Alphabasic)

As FlexE

• Programmable Love Songs Vol. 1 (2004, Nophi) (LP)

As Acidwolf

• Acidwolf Legacy 1995-2005 (2005, Bohnerwachs, Alphabasic) (LP)

As Human Action Network

• Welcome to Chicago: The Acid Anthology (2007, Alphabasic) (LP)

As Benn Jordan

• Pale Blue Dot (2008, Alphabasic) (LP)
• Louisiana Mourning (September 1, 2009, Alphabasic) (EP)

Citations and references

1. ^ Interview with Lofidelity http://www.lofidelity.info/
2. ^ Untitled Document, Cuemix Magazine interview
3. ^ London International Awards
4. ^ http://www.headphonecommute.com/exclusive/conversations_with_benn_jordan.htm
5. ^ http://www.bennjordan.com/blog/?page_id=51

External links

• Benn Jordan's official site
• Suburban Trash
• Campaign For Real Beauty A Dove Soap campaign that showcases some of Jordan's original compositional and sound design work.
• Vapor Music Company Benn Jordan is an in-house composer for the Vapor Music Group, a company that does music consulting for commercials and the CBC (Canadian News).
• Two and a Half Questions with Benn Jordan on Headphone Commute (2008)
• Interview with the artist on TorrentFreak (2008)

Persondata
Name	Jordan, Benn
Alternative names
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Date of birth	October 28, 1978
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