Karsten Pflum

Karsten Pflum is a restlessly creative Danish musician who has built a wide-ranging discography of rhythmically complex, melodic electronic music which rivals that of the best artists on Skam or <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rephlex%22">Rephlex</a>, although he has never received quite as much recognition. Born Jacob Helverskov Madsen, he began creating music under the name Slaphead Faun, but switched to the moniker Karsten Pflum for his first release, 2002's "Lire Skuffe" 7" on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Snake+Eyes%22">Snake Eyes</a> (a sublabel of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Worm+Interface%22">Worm Interface</a>). Debut album Tracks, a remarkable set of playful IDM/drill'n'bass, arrived on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Worm+Interface%22">Worm Interface</a> in 2003. This was followed in 2004 by the Dogcatcher EP on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tender+Productions%22">Tender Productions</a>. 2005 saw the release of Karsten Pflum's second full-length, Flugten Fra År 2000, as well as a split 12" with breakcore artist Puzzleweasel, both on Danish label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Jenka+Music%22">Jenka Music</a>. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rump+Recordings%22">Rump Recordings</a>, another Danish label, released Karsten Pflum's third album, Idhax, in 2006, as well as limited 7" single "God." The slightly jazzy Fuck Music, Easy EP was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Bohnerwachs+Tontraeger%22">Bohnerwachs Tontraeger</a> in 2007.

After a few years of relative inactivity (other than a few remixes and compilation tracks) and his relocation to Berlin, Karsten Pflum returned in 2010 with Slaphead Faun (on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mindwaves+Music%22">Mindwaves Music</a>), a collection of previously unreleased tracks from 2002-2007 named after his former alias. He also released Nemo Loon, a 12" EP featuring the Danish artist's outsider take on the British dubstep sound, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ad+Noiseam%22">Ad Noiseam</a> that year. He signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ant-Zen%22">Ant-Zen</a> sublabel <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hymen+Records%22">Hymen Records</a>, who issued 2011's No Noia My Love, which married Pflum's previous drum'n'bass-influenced style with hints of heavy dubstep bass. Austrian label HalloWien Creativity released "Boxer," a 7" single in collaboration with DJ Scotch Bonnet (aka chiptune artist <a href="spotify:artist:635iXMXTO6yzxEPdqzbwof">DJ Scotch Egg</a>), in 2012. Pflum's next album for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hymen%22">Hymen</a>, Sleepwald, was a largely beatless excursion into ambient music. 2014 digital EP Toffyland Tracks on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Merry+Ex-Mas+Records%22">Merry Ex-Mas Records</a> was closer to acid techno/electro, and 2015's Dode (his third album for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hymen%22">Hymen</a>) was a collection of clear-cut ambient electro inspired by role-playing games. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi