Jaime Brooks (born May 5, 1984) is a Canadian-American songwriter and musician.

Career

2009–2013: Elite Gymnastics

Elite Gymnastics, self-described as a "multimedia art project", was an electronic music duo from

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and later a solo project from

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Formed by Brooks in Minneapolis around 2009, original lineups consisted of various local musicians in the Minneapolis metro area and eventually settled as a duo of Jaime Brooks and Josh Clancy. They self-released several

EPs An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

and

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

s before Clancy's departure in 2012. As a duo they released seven EPs, which credited Brooks with most of the songwriting and musical production, and Clancy with most of the album artwork: ''Real Friends'', ''Neu! '92'', ''Gizzard Greens V.1'', ''Gizzard Greens V.2'', ''Ruin'' (and its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, ''Ruin 2''), ''Ruin 3'', and ''Ruin 4''. ''Gizzard Greens'' is a digital double EP (though the two volumes were released individually in 2010 and 2011) in the style of remix albums, featuring a cover of

Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a Pop music, pop girl group created through ITV (TV network), ITV's reality competition show ''Popstars: The R ...

's "

Parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...

" and a mashup combining

Sub Focus Nicolaas Douwma (born 13 April 1982), better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English DJ, music producer, songwriter and sound engineer. He has been releasing records since 2003. On 12 October 2009, he released his self-titled debut ...

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

of Rusko's "Hold On" (featuring

Amber Coffman Amber Dawn Coffman (born June 15, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, formerly based in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. She was formerly a guitarist for Sleeping People, and was later a guitarist and voca ...

) with Blame's "Piano Takes You" on the first volume, and bootleg remixes of

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

's " Poker Face" and

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2009 single "O Let's Do It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and led him to ...

's "Fuck the Club Up" (featuring

Pastor Troy Micah LeVar "Pastor" Troy (born November 18, 1977) is an American rapper from Augusta, Georgia. He is best known for his 2002 single "Are We Cuttin'" (featuring Ms. Jade), which entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The year prior, he signed wi ...

and Slim Dunkin) on the second. The ''Ruin'' EP was reviewed favorably by

Pitchfork magazine ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres including pop, hip-hop, ...

, earning a 7.8 album review rating and critical acclaim among a number of smaller publications, and quickly attracted an online

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

. ''Ruin'' saw a physical release in vinyl format under the electronic label

Acéphale ''Acéphale'' () is the name of a public review created by Georges Bataille (which numbered five issues, from 1936 to 1939) and a secret society formed by Bataille and others who had sworn to keep silent. Its name is derived from the Greek wikt:� ...

, with the B-side (''Ruin 2'') being five remixed versions of its A-side tracks. Previous albums were self-released online in digital format for free through their

Tumblr Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...

-based imprint Psychedelic Surf Club. ''Ruin'' and ''Ruin 2'' were later self-released for free download as a digital double EP. ''Ruin 4'' includes "Life/Trap" and "We Got Lost", two previously unreleased tracks which didn't make it onto the ''Ruin'' EP, and a rerecorded version of ''Ruins "Little Things" as a hidden track. The name Elite Gymnastics was taken from the lyrics of "Ruthless Babysitting" by

power electronics Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power. The first high-power electronic devices were made using mercury-arc valves. In modern systems, the conversion is performed with semiconduct ...

group

Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to: People * Charles S. Whitehouse (1921–2001), American diplomat * Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor * E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883–1965), American diplomat * Elliott Whitehouse (born ...

Josh Clancy's departure

Following a 2012 tour as a supporting act for Sleigh Bells, Elite Gymnastics became Brooks' solo project with Clancy parting ways after a reportedly tumultuous experience on the road. "Our personal relationship is kinda kaput for the time being," Brooks describes in a Tumblr post detailing some of the reasons for continuing the project solo. Brooks continued the project solo, relocating to Vancouver following a stint in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, releasing the single "Andreja 4-Ever" as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program the same year. The solo form of Elite Gymnastics only saw the release of single "Andreja 4-Ever" and a couple of remixes (for

Sky Ferreira Sky Tonia Ferreira (; born July 8, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, model, and actress. As a teenager, Ferreira began uploading videos on Myspace of herself singing songs she had written, which led to her discovery by producers Bloodsh ...

and How to Dress Well) before Brooks decided to rename the project; first to Dead Girlfriends, then to Default Genders.

2013–2014: Default Genders

Dead Girlfriends and "On Fraternity" controversy

The release of single "On Fraternity" from the debut EP ''Stop Pretending'', in association with the name change to Dead Girlfriends, caused a substantial amount of controversy and prompted a series of articles by various publications and an online round table discussion by

Spin magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps as ''SPIN'') is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. ...

. Though the name was inspired by a quote from

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

writer

Andrea Dworkin Andrea Rita Dworkin (September 26, 1946 – April 9, 2005) was an American radical feminist writer and activist best known for her analysis of pornography. Her feminist writings, beginning in 1974, span 30 years. They are found in a dozen sol ...

, they admitted it was a "terrible name" that gave the wrong impression: "The idea of a white indie guy using feminism as a way to get over in the industry I think horrified a lot of people. And that idea horrifies me." Brooks rechristened the project Default Genders shortly thereafter.

2015–2018: Eponymity

During a four-year period following relocation to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, Brooks released a series of demos and bootleg remixes on SoundCloud eponymously, though they were not made available for purchase or download.

2019-2020: Default Genders

''Main Pop Girl 2019''

On February 4, 2019, Brooks released a second full-length Default Genders album titled ''Main Pop Girl 2019'', which includes a track featuring pop artist

No Rome Guendoline Rome Viray Gomez (born 30 August 1999), better known by his stage name No Rome, is a London-based Filipino musician from San Francisco del Monte. He is best known for his 2021 single " Spinning", which featured Charli XCX and the 197 ...

, updated versions of demos previously released eponymously, and an updated version of "Sophie" from ''Magical Pessimism 2014'' featuring artist Beth Sawlts. The album was reviewed favorably by Pitchfork magazine, receiving an 8.0 rating.

''Pain Mop Girl 2020''

On April 20, 2020, Brooks released a new full-length Default Genders album titled ''Pain Mop Girl 2020'', which consists mostly of guest-remixed and reworked versions of ''Main Pop Girl 2019'' songs, and features two original songs as the opening tracks.

''Main Pop Girls 2015–2018''

On December 4, 2020, Brooks released a collection of demos as an album titled ''Main Pop Girls 2015–2018'' which consists of an unreleased song as the opening track and songs previously showcased eponymously as SoundCloud demos during 2015–2018, many of which laid the groundwork for material on subsequent Default Genders albums.

2022: Elite Gymnastics revival

In 2021, Brooks announced a reconciliation with Clancy and revealed intentions to revive the Elite Gymnastics name with his blessing (though ultimately not his involvement). A debut album, ''snow flakes 2022'', was released on October 18, 2022 (the only prior commercial release under the name, ''RUIN'', being considered a double EP). The album consists of re-workings of previously recorded songs as well as new material, with the new lineup of Jaime Brooks and Viri Char.

Private life

Brooks is

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

and uses she and

they In Modern English, ''they'' is a third-person pronoun relating to a grammatical subject. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word forms: * ''they'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''them'': the accus ...

personal pronouns. They were in a relationship with Canadian musician

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elabora ...

from 2013 to 2018.

Discography

Elite Gymnastics

Extended plays

* ''Real Friends'' (2010) * ''Gizzard Greens V.1'' (2010) * ''Gizzard Greens V.2'' (2011) * ''Neu! '92'' (2011) * ''Ruin'' (2011) * ''Ruin 2'' (2011) * ''Ruin 3'' (2012) * ''Ruin 4'' (2012)

Singles

* "We Fly High (Original Version)" (2009) * "Life/Trap" (2012) * "Andreja 4-Ever" (2012)

Unreleased songs

* "Real Love (The Hedgehog's Dilemma)" (2010) * "I Just Wasn't Paying Attention" (2011) * "Walls" (2011) Note: "I Just Wasn't Paying Attention" is an early version of "We Got Lost" from ''Ruin 4''.

Remixes

* Florrie – "Come Back to Mine (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2010) * How to Dress Well – "Suicide Dream 2 (Elite Gymnastics Baptism)" (2011) * Mozart Parties – "Where Has Everybody Gone? (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2011) * Korallreven feat. Julianna Barwick – "Sa Sa Samoa (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2012) * Sky Ferreira – "Red Lips (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2013) * How to Dress Well – "& It Was U (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2013)

Mixtapes

* ''Mix for VnFold Magazine'' (2010) * ''Mix for Opening Ceremony'' (2011) * ''All We Fucking Care About is Kpop Whitehouse and Our Cats'' (Mix for Forty Ounce Clothing, 2011) * ''I Want a 38-Minute Truce in Which There is No Rape'' (Mix for DIS Magazine, 2011)

Default Genders

Studio albums

* ''Magical Pessimism 2014'' (2014) * ''Main Pop Girl 2019'' (2019) * ''Pain Mop Girl 2020'' (2020)

Extended plays

* ''Stop Pretending'' (2013)

Singles

* "On Fraternity" (2013)

Mixtapes

* ''Magical Pessimix #1'' (2014)

Jaime Brooks

Studio albums

* ''Main Pop Girls 2015–2018 (The Demos)'' (2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Jaime Canadian electronic musicians Living people 1984 births Transgender songwriters Canadian transgender musicians American transgender musicians American experimental musicians American record producers Canadian record producers American ambient musicians Canadian ambient musicians American pop musicians American electronic musicians Canadian pop musicians 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian songwriters 21st-century American songwriters Breakbeat musicians Canadian DJs