I have been recording music at home since I was fourteen, or maybe fifteen, and over the years I've built up a small arsenal of instruments and recording equipment with which I've created hundreds of songs, most of them never to see the light of day but several comprising a handful of self-released albums and EPs under various pseudonyms — Prkr, Rumiko Future, Arcologies, Palmer — none of which have outlived the others, though most people who know my music believe I only use the name Prkr since the three most solid albums I've made were penned under this name and every live show has been performed as Prkr, but in reality I have an identity issue and as the only member of the band I have the power to change my name whenever I want, a fact I regret sometimes but also embrace because it allows me to bury the past and make whatever kind of music I want without pigeonholing myself within a set genre, but anyway, the important fact is that I write and record music on my own and will continue to do so, though I've played in bands before too, such as Odessa/Sun Vow, The Maldives, Jackson and Palmer, Satellite Diversion, Smart, and possibly others I can't remember, however I am no longer in a band but out here on my lonesome, in a new city now, creating songs and soundscapes whenever the inspiration comes and because the internet exists and makes it so easy, I thought maybe you'd like to give them a listen.
Thank you.
PRESS SHEET FOR THE FELT CITY (2007):
Prkr ('pärk-er) is a one-man band from Seattle, Washington. Working at home with an ever-evolving yet still minimal recording studio, Prkr has written and produced a wealth of songs over the past decade, covering a wide range of musical style. Prkr’s sonic palette has featured field recordings and Eno-inspired drones, psychedelic folk and indie rock, Kraftwerkian and Warp Records influenced electronica, and Mogwai-sized guitar noise buildups, but always panning out in his work is an unavoidable fondness for pop. Prkr has refined his writing and production skills over the years to thread his musical styles together and finally feels ready to venture further out into the world.
Prkr has been involved in the Seattle music scene for several years, playing in bands such as The Maldives and Sun Vow, and working with producers Steve Fisk and Bobby Nath. He has also previously released two solo records: 2003’s The Window and 2005’s The Ghost Year. In February of 2007 Prkr decided to participate in the RPM Challenge to see if he could write and record an entirely new album in 28 days and his new album, The Felt City, is the result. Prkr was not expecting to create his best album to date under such rigid time restraints but the month proved to be an exceptionally productive and inspired one. After turning in a rough mix to the RPM headquarters (which is available for listening on the rpmchallenge.com jukebox) Prkr returned to his studio to more carefully sculpt his mixes and design a CD package, a process which took another five months. The Felt City was self-released on November 13, 2007, limited to 1,000 copies.
Prkr has always exhibited a stream-of-consciousness style in his work and The Felt City is no exception. Constantly shifting between personal and universal subject matter, Prkr’s stream-of-consciousness becomes both narration and subjective rumination as his songs unfold. But whereas in the past the meaning in Prkr’s albums has been more fleeting and vague, The Felt City embodies a clearer central theme: our contemporary global society and the felt-like fragileness of its infrastructure. Anchored by energetic and lush music, the album becomes a kinetic panorama of the world, evoking technology, globalization, climate change, human relationships, ideology, conflict, uncertainty and the future.
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