Telefon Tel Aviv

Telefon Tel Aviv creates experimental electronic music which filters a wide variety of intense emotions through highly advanced sound design. Formed in New Orleans by Joshua Eustis and <a href="spotify:artist:1oIxvpBoge9s8pAxJlxkfD">Charles Cooper</a>, the project made its debut in 2001 with Fahrenheit Fair Enough, a collection of glitchy, melodic IDM instrumentals. Earning critical acclaim as well as devoted fans, the duo released more accessible efforts such as the synth pop-influenced 2009 full-length Immolate Yourself. Following <a href="spotify:artist:1oIxvpBoge9s8pAxJlxkfD">Cooper</a>'s unexpected death, Eustis continued TTA as a solo venture while additionally working with <a href="spotify:artist:0X380XXQSNBYuleKzav5UO">Nine Inch Nails</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2pAajGWerK3ghwToNWFENS">Puscifer</a>, as well as other projects such as <a href="spotify:artist:3j2DZTwQle72CWyB19B5Mq">the Black Queen</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:56limjBRDYQGaBEWLRR72e">Second Woman</a>. Dreams Are Not Enough, the first TTA full-length in a decade, arrived in 2019.

High school friends Joshua Eustis and <a href="spotify:artist:1oIxvpBoge9s8pAxJlxkfD">Charles Cooper</a> formed Telefon Tel Aviv in 1999. After a four-song demo made its way to John Hughes III's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hefty%22">Hefty</a> label, the duo issued a set of fractured yet melodic instrumentals, Fahrenheit Fair Enough, in September 2001. This was just less than two weeks after the limited Midwest opening of New Port South, a film written by Hughes' brother James that featured material from the album, in addition to recordings by John Hughes III's TTA-assisted Slicker project, Eustis' side project Benelli, and a TTA remix of <a href="spotify:artist:0X380XXQSNBYuleKzav5UO">Nine Inch Nails</a>' "Even Deeper." Immediate Action #8, an EP featuring remixes by <a href="spotify:artist:0ZsnKPvBsvvycnET2GZMrG">Prefuse 73</a> and Slicker, appeared in 2002. Map of What Is Effortless, released in January 2004, brought in productions that were both tougher and more dramatic, as well as inspired modern R&B elements. Several vocal contributions came from Lindsay Anderson and <a href="spotify:artist:5UM0rGACsE5XYDe17ClIxk">Damon Aaron</a>.

After surviving Hurricane Katrina, TTA reappeared in early 2009 with their third album, Immolate Yourself, a precisely layered set of dark, synth-driven pop released on <a href="spotify:artist:5lsC3H1vh9YSRQckyGv0Up">Ellen Allien</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22BPitch+Control%22">BPitch Control</a> label. The album's reception was colored by <a href="spotify:artist:1oIxvpBoge9s8pAxJlxkfD">Cooper</a>'s accidental death, which occurred between the German and U.S. release dates. During the next several years, Eustis continued work with other artists, including <a href="spotify:artist:2pAajGWerK3ghwToNWFENS">Puscifer</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0X380XXQSNBYuleKzav5UO">Nine Inch Nails</a>. He recorded alone as Sons of Magdalene, produced material by <a href="spotify:artist:3qFOpjNiYRuQNVl564TGgO">Tropic of Cancer</a>, collaborated with Turk Dietrich as <a href="spotify:artist:56limjBRDYQGaBEWLRR72e">Second Woman</a>, and formed the band <a href="spotify:artist:3j2DZTwQle72CWyB19B5Mq">the Black Queen</a>. Eustis also continued with Telefon Tel Aviv, as heard in a remix of <a href="spotify:artist:2fMe9lZs5HGGOwh8cMSIub">Lusine</a>'s "Arterial" and a co-production with <a href="spotify:artist:1b6p8KZ14dw35fuIuDWQNV">Vatican Shadow</a> titled "Rejoice," the latter a contribution to the #savefabric compilation. An expanded 15th anniversary edition of Fahrenheit Fair Enough was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ghostly+International%22">Ghostly International</a> in 2016; the label also digitally reissued Map of What Is Effortless. TTA made its full-length return in 2019 with the richly detailed, evocative Dreams Are Not Enough. ~ Kenyon Hopkin & Andy Kellman, Rovi