Copy - Hard Dream

Audio Dregs Recordings
(ADR077-1: 708527507711/ADR077: 708527507728)
Release date: 9/21/2010

$12.00

Copy (aka Marius Libman) is the one man, keytar wielding, melodic beat master of Portland Oregon's underground dance music scene. Innovative and catchy, he was first known for eruptive dance parties, until his debut album proved how headphone friendly his music was and fans kept Copy spinning the morning after the sweat had dried and long into the work week. Earning praise from music nerds, DJs, and party kids, before he managed to catch the ears of even the electro haters and indie rockers, and was the first solo/electronic artist to ever get voted "Best New Band" by Portland alt weekly The Willamette Week. He caught the many a jaded and unsuspecting listeners off guard with his unofficial R&B reworks on The Diva mixtape and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony-N-Copy, where he showed his knack as a remixer by turning Whitney into an electro banger and putting the bleep into hip-hop years before it became acceptable by mainstream producers.

Named after a horror movie concept created by friend and Portland DJ/performance artist Joe Von Appen, Hard Dream is loosely intended as a score to the un-filmed movie; part synth pop, part electro, part Italo disco, with a twist of Ratatat, and a dash of John Carpenter. Copy's third album for Audio Dregs sheds a slightly darker thriller vibe than the previous two, kicking off with a long arpeggiated intro that creeps in for a full two minutes before the beat breaks through the dark clouds; taking us from the twinkly bliss of "Shoots" into "Breakfast"'s frenetic maze of driving beats and closing with the triumphant 8-bit punk of "Stay Away From It".

Raised on the likes of Minor Threat, De La Soul, Tortoise and Mahavishnu Orchestra, later playing in prog and punk bands, and eventually going DJ and record store clerk, Marius has always been musically obsessed with a variety of genres. Citing OMD, Fugazi and Dr. Dre as some of his biggest influences he somehow manages to incorporate such disparate elements into an extremely focused and appealing sound - both nostalgic and forward thinking at the same time. Whether carrying ecstatic dancers with the bass and beats or tickling the ears of the more finely tuned listener who wants to get lost in the journey that the melody has to offer, Copy brings the noise in his own distinctive style.

1. One Less Time
2. Shoots
3. Breakfast
4. Something
5. I Can Smell It
6. Real Scared
7. It Could Have Been More
8. I Didn't Know
9. On One Condition
10. Stay Away From It