BAND CRUSH: HEATHERED PEARLS
A song premiere that will really take the edge off.
After being a DJ for 15 years and now working as an A&R rep signing and managing bands, the Polish-born artist Jakub Alexander makes music as Heathered Pearls in his spare time. For someone who makes music as soothing as he does (Alexander himself claims his music to be lacking the element of surprise) his dynamic personality is far from moody. And all of his other ideas are great too—his bucket list includes putting out a vinyl album, designing a mid-century style chair that's actually comfortable to sit in, and a line of swimsuits for men that doesn't suck. We'll get back to him about those chairs, but his music career is already something to talk about.
After fleeing communist Poland with his mother (who is pictured with his aunt on his album cover) at a young age Alexander grew up listening to the music that she and her friends would stay up all night listening to music, like early U2 and The Police. "I never got to listen to The Beatles, Elvis, or Fleetwood Mac or the US version of music growing up. It was more of this punk meets pop—but on the softer end," he explains. When the musician was old enough to catch a ride to Detroit, when the rave scene was in it's prime, his DJ'ing career started. Both of those influences exist in the layered melodies that make up Heathered Pearls—the coolest version of ambient music we've heard. As Alexander puts it, "I started to feel pretty anxious around the age of 28. That's when I started writing this music. It's not that it's calming—it's melodic music, so it's distracting. There's nothing too aggressive about it. It just grows smoothly."
Alexander is debuting his project at the Brooklyn music venue, Glasslands, tonight with Scott Mou, who is one half of the electronic duo,Jane, and Ben Curtis of School of Seven Bells (he had been begging Curtis for a guitar solo for five years). But knight's show won't be a bunch of dudes on stage with laptops and instruments; there are visuals and a performance art element to what he does because Alexander isn't down with the way most artists roll up to a show venue and park themselves on stage wearing the coat they came in with—he cares too much about aesthetics."I would feel like I was wasting everyone's time. There's so many things you can do on stage. A lot of people that make the same kind of music as me are still wearing the same coat they walked in with and they park themselves on stage with a laptop. It doesn't take thousands of dollars to do. I wanted to have fun with it by doing what I love doing." says Alexander, adding, "I also like shopping, so the two performance artists that will be on stage with me tomorrow are wearing dresses that we found on sale at Opening Ceremony and jewelry from Verameat. And they have simple props. I found a shirt for myself from Obey."
If you're feeling on edge, put away your anti-anxiety meds because we have an exclusive to the new Sun Glitters remix of his song, "Beach Shelter." Complete with crashing waves that Alexander manages to make sound a whole lot cooler than Pure Moods Volume 2, Alexander's trip to the sea is like the most relaxing beach party ever. If there is such a thing. Listen to it here.
RAY SIEGEL
After fleeing communist Poland with his mother (who is pictured with his aunt on his album cover) at a young age Alexander grew up listening to the music that she and her friends would stay up all night listening to music, like early U2 and The Police. "I never got to listen to The Beatles, Elvis, or Fleetwood Mac or the US version of music growing up. It was more of this punk meets pop—but on the softer end," he explains. When the musician was old enough to catch a ride to Detroit, when the rave scene was in it's prime, his DJ'ing career started. Both of those influences exist in the layered melodies that make up Heathered Pearls—the coolest version of ambient music we've heard. As Alexander puts it, "I started to feel pretty anxious around the age of 28. That's when I started writing this music. It's not that it's calming—it's melodic music, so it's distracting. There's nothing too aggressive about it. It just grows smoothly."
Alexander is debuting his project at the Brooklyn music venue, Glasslands, tonight with Scott Mou, who is one half of the electronic duo,Jane, and Ben Curtis of School of Seven Bells (he had been begging Curtis for a guitar solo for five years). But knight's show won't be a bunch of dudes on stage with laptops and instruments; there are visuals and a performance art element to what he does because Alexander isn't down with the way most artists roll up to a show venue and park themselves on stage wearing the coat they came in with—he cares too much about aesthetics."I would feel like I was wasting everyone's time. There's so many things you can do on stage. A lot of people that make the same kind of music as me are still wearing the same coat they walked in with and they park themselves on stage with a laptop. It doesn't take thousands of dollars to do. I wanted to have fun with it by doing what I love doing." says Alexander, adding, "I also like shopping, so the two performance artists that will be on stage with me tomorrow are wearing dresses that we found on sale at Opening Ceremony and jewelry from Verameat. And they have simple props. I found a shirt for myself from Obey."
If you're feeling on edge, put away your anti-anxiety meds because we have an exclusive to the new Sun Glitters remix of his song, "Beach Shelter." Complete with crashing waves that Alexander manages to make sound a whole lot cooler than Pure Moods Volume 2, Alexander's trip to the sea is like the most relaxing beach party ever. If there is such a thing. Listen to it here.
RAY SIEGEL
This story was published on December 10, 2012.
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