JAMES FERRARO

Progressive Electronic • United States

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James Ferraro biography
Born November 7, 1986 (Rochester, New York, USA)

James Ferraro is a North American electronic musician and producer currently based in New York City. Ferraro has been frequently hailed by the music press as an innovator shaping the sound of early 21st century electronic music with his exceedingly weird and idiosyncratic aesthetic, amassing a huge discography of LPs and limited edition CDRs and cassettes, released across labels like Hippos in Tanks, Olde English Spelling Bee and especially his very own New Age Tapes (and its sublabel Muscleworks Inc.).

With his peculiar sense of humour, Ferraro's recordings are mostly dystopic concept albums critiquing late-stage capitalism, also addressing the ever-intrusive ubiquity of technology and the end of human civilisation. Ferraro's career began late 2003 in San Diego, California, forming the Skaters alongside kindred spirit Spencer Clark, with whom Ferraro found common cause in Russian esotericist philosopher P.D. Ouspensky and the Theatre of Eternal Music, especially their members Angus Maclise & Jon Hassell. The duo made a name for themselves for a few years in the psychedelic underground with their intense otherworldly drone which married Maclise with an updated attempt at Takehisa Kosugi's Taj Mahal Travellers.

While a progressive electronic approach is the dominant unifying factor in Ferraro's discography, he has dabbled in all sorts of whims in and outside the realm of prog, playing free folk/krautrock like Kemialliset Yst�v�t and Avarus, woozy pseudo-new age a la Cluster/Mother Mallard/Harmonia, Cheval Fou-esque takes on 1980s soundtrack music and funk/new wave, Fourth World exotica muzak, post-industrial noise, frigid MIDI-orchestrated modern classical and parodic yet reverent takes on 2010s neo-soul, techno and dubstep. Of course, Ferraro is best known for pioneering the journalist-coined electronic subgenres vaporwave and hypnogogic pop alongside the likes of Ariel Pink and Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), retro-futurist labels which he regarded with amusement and detachment in true vanguard fashion.

From 2004 to 2011, Ferraro's work in and outside the Skaters was defined by its hypnotic low-fidelity sound, using vocals, keyboards, guitars, samplers and effects pedals in conjunction with beat-up boomboxes, used cassettes and low bitrates to achieve a unique and murky sonic fingerprint. Similar to his spiritual predecessors Maurizio Bianchi and Pekka Airaksinen, Fer...Born November 7, 1986 (Rochester, New York, USA)

James Ferraro is a North American electronic musician and producer currently based in New York City. Ferraro has been frequently hailed by the music press as an innovator shaping the sound of early 21st century electronic music with his exceedingly weird and idiosyncratic aesthetic, amassing a huge discography of LPs and limited edition CDRs and cassettes, released across labels like Hippos in Tanks, Olde English Spelling Bee and especially his very own New Age Tapes (and its sublabel Muscleworks Inc.).

With his peculiar sense of humour, Ferraro's recordings are mostly dystopic concept albums critiquing late-stage capitalism, also addressing the ever-intrusive ubiquity of technology and the end of human civilisation. Ferraro's career began late 2003 in San Diego, California, forming the Skaters alongside kindred spirit Spencer Clark, with whom Ferraro found common cause in Russian esotericist philosopher P.D. Ouspensky and the Theatre of Eternal Music, especially their members Angus Maclise & Jon Hassell. The duo made a name for themselves for a few years in the psychedelic underground with their intense otherworldly drone which married Maclise with an updated attempt at Takehisa Kosugi's Taj Mahal Travellers.

While a progressive electronic approach is the dominant unifying factor in Ferraro's discography, he has dabbled in all sorts of whims in and outside the realm of prog, playing free folk/krautrock like Kemialliset Yst�v�t and Avarus, woozy pseudo-new age a la Cluster/Mother Mallard/Harmonia, Cheval Fou-esque takes on 1980s soundtrack music and funk/new wave, Fourth World exotica muzak, post-industrial noise, frigid MIDI-orchestrated modern classical and parodic yet reverent takes on 2010s neo-soul, techno and dubstep. Of course, Ferraro is best known for pioneering the journalist-coined electronic subgenres vaporwave and hypnogogic pop alongside the likes of Ariel Pink and Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), retro-futurist labels which he regarded with amusement and detachment in true vanguard fashion.

From 2004 to 2011, Ferraro's work in and outside the Skaters was defined by its hypnotic low-fidelity sound, using vocals, keyboards, guitars, samplers and effects pedals in conjunction with beat-up boomboxes, used cassettes and low bitrates to achieve a unique and murky sonic fingerprint. Similar to his spiritual predecessors Maurizio Bianchi and Pekka Airaksinen, Ferraro also used almost-superfluous pseudonyms to express the various facets of his instantly-identifiable sound, but outdid them in prolificacy, operating under dozens of names like K2, Acid Eagle (an explicit reference to krautrock band Siloah), Lamborghini Crystal, the Wooden Cupboard and Keyhole Voyeur (which he used for a remix/tribute on the 2011 reissue of Harald Grosskopf's Synthesist). Some monikers continued as ongoing side-projects for a time while others existed for only a single album or even a mere compilation track (but with Ferraro the prankster in charge, some aliases - like Dreams, Peyote Way and Teotihuac�n - only served to repackage the same release multiple times). 2011 saw Ferraro consciously and permanently replace his trademark hazy production with the slick plastic sheen of Far Side Virtual, a pivotal album in the development of vaporwave which polarised critics. Ferraro also drastically dialled-back his pseudonyms in his new digital era, using only Bebetune$ and user703918785 to express his interest in experimental hip-hop.

In terms of stylistic comparisons, Ferraro's early work recalls the hallucinogenic post-kosmische soundworlds of Maurizio Bianchi and his US counterpart Min�y, as well as an imaginary collaboration between Zoviet France and Jon Hassell, while his discography 2011 and onwards more resembles Software, Oneohtrix Point Never, R�diger Lorenz, Giant Claw, Bear Bones, Lay Low, early Alman Mulo Band and later Frank Zappa.

- Gordy, November 2024read more

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JAMES FERRARO discography

Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

JAMES FERRARO top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 \| 1 ratings Cruisin' the Nightbiker Strip 1977: Cruisin' the Nightbiker Strip 1977 2004	0.00 \| 0 ratings Heavens Burst Creation Horizonz: Untitled (A.K.A. Ultimate Reality Has Been Seen And Has Been Placed) 2005	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Wooden Cupboard: Animals Speak the Spirit Tongue 2005	4.00 \| 1 ratings Composition of the Sensibilities of Melted Knowledge: Composition of the Sensibilities of Melted Knowledge 2006	5.00 \| 1 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: 1992 Cool Runnings 2006
3.00 \| 1 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Lamborghini Crystal 2006	0.00 \| 0 ratings Pan als Allgott Saturnia, 1977: Pan als Allgott Saturnia, 1977 2006	0.00 \| 0 ratings Alternative Soundtrack To: Scream in Blue Surf Video 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Dial: 747-Creepozoid 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Little Deuce Coupe T.V. Dinners 2007
0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Demon Channels (Radio Demons) 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings VHS Radio 1988 / Lamborghini Crystal: Sky Divers Request / Cyborg Chillers 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Nirvana: Body of Consciousness / Uguiya to Jeep by Iguana Greenwave 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Nirvana: Malanyang Nirvana Safari 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Clock Tower Acid 2007
0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Draco-Shop Bop Vol 1 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Roach Motel 2007	4.00 \| 1 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Smoking Out His Majesties U.F.O 2007	4.00 \| 1 ratings Borden, Ferraro, Godin, Halo & Lopatin: FRKWYS Vol. 7 2011	1.00 \| 1 ratings Far Side Virtual 2011
1.00 \| 1 ratings Genware I: DIHCRO 2024	2.00 \| 1 ratings Genware II : Eigen Embryo 2024	1.00 \| 1 ratings Genware III : Neuralpaint 2024

JAMES FERRARO Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings

Live at Primavera Sound 2012
2012

JAMES FERRARO Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

JAMES FERRARO Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings

Lamborghini Crystal: Alien Microwave
2007

JAMES FERRARO Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

0.00 \| 0 ratings Heavens Burst Creation Horizonz: Untitled 2004	4.00 \| 1 ratings The Wooden Cupboard: Boiling the Animal in the Sky 2004	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Wooden Cupboard: Palm Reading in the Sacred Universe Wilderness 2005	4.00 \| 1 ratings Menstrual Chinese Dream: Menstrual Chinese Dream 2005	3.00 \| 1 ratings Pan Dolphinic Dawn: Pan Dolphinic Dawn 2006
4.00 \| 1 ratings Arecaceae: Observatory cg II & III (Coconut of Teotihuacan) 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: INHALE C-4 $$$$$ MIX TAPE DEC 13TH 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: Pepsi Baby 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: Siri Pop 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: M A D N E $ $ 2011
0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: Inhale C-4 $$$$$ 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Blood Flow 2013	3.00 \| 1 ratings Cold 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings Eternal Condition / Stuck 2 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings James Ferraro & Triad God: Swarovski 2013
0.00 \| 0 ratings God of London 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings Domestic Violence 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings Eco - Savage Suite 2014	0.00 \| 0 ratings user703918785: Suki Girlz 2014	0.00 \| 0 ratings LAPD (Extended Motifs) 2014
0.00 \| 0 ratings 1 WTC 2014	0.00 \| 0 ratings . 2014

JAMES FERRARO Reviews

Showing last 10 reviews only

Thanks to gordy for the artist addition.

4.00 \| 1 ratings Cruisin' the Nightbiker Strip 1977: Cruisin' the Nightbiker Strip 1977 2004	0.00 \| 0 ratings Heavens Burst Creation Horizonz: Untitled (A.K.A. Ultimate Reality Has Been Seen And Has Been Placed) 2005	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Wooden Cupboard: Animals Speak the Spirit Tongue 2005	4.00 \| 1 ratings Composition of the Sensibilities of Melted Knowledge: Composition of the Sensibilities of Melted Knowledge 2006	5.00 \| 1 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: 1992 Cool Runnings 2006
3.00 \| 1 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Lamborghini Crystal 2006	0.00 \| 0 ratings Pan als Allgott Saturnia, 1977: Pan als Allgott Saturnia, 1977 2006	0.00 \| 0 ratings Alternative Soundtrack To: Scream in Blue Surf Video 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Dial: 747-Creepozoid 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Little Deuce Coupe T.V. Dinners 2007
0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Demon Channels (Radio Demons) 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings VHS Radio 1988 / Lamborghini Crystal: Sky Divers Request / Cyborg Chillers 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Nirvana: Body of Consciousness / Uguiya to Jeep by Iguana Greenwave 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Nirvana: Malanyang Nirvana Safari 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Clock Tower Acid 2007
0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Draco-Shop Bop Vol 1 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Roach Motel 2007	4.00 \| 1 ratings Lamborghini Crystal: Smoking Out His Majesties U.F.O 2007	4.00 \| 1 ratings Borden, Ferraro, Godin, Halo & Lopatin: FRKWYS Vol. 7 2011	1.00 \| 1 ratings Far Side Virtual 2011
1.00 \| 1 ratings Genware I: DIHCRO 2024	2.00 \| 1 ratings Genware II : Eigen Embryo 2024	1.00 \| 1 ratings Genware III : Neuralpaint 2024

0.00 \| 0 ratings Heavens Burst Creation Horizonz: Untitled 2004	4.00 \| 1 ratings The Wooden Cupboard: Boiling the Animal in the Sky 2004	0.00 \| 0 ratings The Wooden Cupboard: Palm Reading in the Sacred Universe Wilderness 2005	4.00 \| 1 ratings Menstrual Chinese Dream: Menstrual Chinese Dream 2005	3.00 \| 1 ratings Pan Dolphinic Dawn: Pan Dolphinic Dawn 2006
4.00 \| 1 ratings Arecaceae: Observatory cg II & III (Coconut of Teotihuacan) 2007	0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: INHALE C-4 $$$$$ MIX TAPE DEC 13TH 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: Pepsi Baby 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: Siri Pop 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: M A D N E $ $ 2011
0.00 \| 0 ratings Bebetune$: Inhale C-4 $$$$$ 2011	0.00 \| 0 ratings Blood Flow 2013	3.00 \| 1 ratings Cold 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings Eternal Condition / Stuck 2 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings James Ferraro & Triad God: Swarovski 2013
0.00 \| 0 ratings God of London 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings Domestic Violence 2013	0.00 \| 0 ratings Eco - Savage Suite 2014	0.00 \| 0 ratings user703918785: Suki Girlz 2014	0.00 \| 0 ratings LAPD (Extended Motifs) 2014
0.00 \| 0 ratings 1 WTC 2014	0.00 \| 0 ratings . 2014