Particle (band)
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Particle is an American
jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...
formed in
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, ...
in 2000.


History

The band formed in 2000 and the original members were Dave Simmons (guitar), Steve Molitz (keyboard), Eric Gould (bass), and Darren Pujalet (drums).Haymaker: Particle
, '' Free Lance-Star'', May 19, 2005, p. 17 (Weekender section). Retrieved October 6, 2013
Simmons died shortly after the formation of the band due to a sudden illness.Brown, Marisa
Particle Biography
,
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Retrieved October 6, 2013
Guitarist Charlie Hitchcock joined shortly thereafter. Along with The Disco Biscuits,
Sound Tribe Sector 9 Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) is an instrumental band whose sound is based heavily on instrumental rock and electronic music, funk, jazz, drum and bass, psychedelia, and hip hop, originating in Georgia, United States. Self-described as "post-roc ...
, and Lotus, the group was among the first to blend rock,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
, and
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
into the milieu of what has been dubbed livetronica (a subgenre of the jam-band movement where live bands blend the structures of DJ-produced sequenced electronic music into a more traditional live band setting). Prior to 2006, the band's repertoire consisted entirely of instrumental material. The group made a name for itself and built an enthusiastic fan base, known as Particle People, by performing energetic late-night sets at festivals such as Bonnaroo, where they played a set of over five hours to 20,000 people.Nelson, Chris (2004)
MediaTalk; The Unorthodox System: First Build a Fan Base, Then Record an Album
, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', March 8, 2004. Retrieved October 6, 2013
Gilmore, Emily (2006)
Particle Brings Its Music to the People
, ''
The Free Lance-Star ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'', October 5, 2006, p. 11. Retrieved October 6, 2013
They played up to 140 shows a year, often to large audiences. Reliance on word of mouth from fans, rather than advertising, allowed this group to sell out venues such as the
Bowery Ballroom The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in Manhattan's Bowery neighborhood. The venue has enjoyed a fabled reputation among musicians as well as audiences. In 2013, industry insiders polled by ''Roll ...
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 ...
before they finally released their much-anticipated first album, ''Launchpad'', in early 2004, on which they worked with producer Tom Rothrock.Booth, Philip (2004)
Particle ''Launchpad''
, ''
CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
'', Issue No. 122. Retrieved October 6, 2013
Horowitz, Hal
Particle ''Launchpad'' Review
,
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Retrieved October 6, 2013
In April and May 2005 the group toured with former
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
drummer
Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...
as Hydra;Pantsari, Mark R. (2006)
Particle Finds New Chemistry
, ''
The Post and Courier ''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...
'', April 27, 2006, p. 5E. Retrieved October 6, 2013
Hochman, Steve (2005) "Just a slight hint of Dead in Hydra", ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', April 13, 2005, p. E4
the tour received mixed reviews from many Deadheads who were unaccustomed to Particle's electronic-based approach. Bassist Phil Lesh, also of the Grateful Dead, sat in with the band that summer. They followed ''Launchpad'' with the EP ''Launchpad Remixes'', featuring tracks from the album remixed by members of
Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles " At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of ...
and Sugar Daddy.Pantsari, Mark R. (2004)
This Particle's Getting Remixed
, ''
The Post and Courier ''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...
'', October 21, 2004, p. 6F. Retrieved October 6, 2013
In 2005 the band toured Europe for the first time. Following their performance on the Xingolati Cruise in late 2005 the band dismissed Hitchcock from the group. This was a source of controversy in the months that followed, because the band's website stated that the departure was a mutual decision. Hitchcock, however, vehemently disagreed and went public by stating that he was summarily fired and was never able to overcome a "hired hand" stigma from the other bandmembers despite joining a mere six performances after the group's formation. Replacing Hitchcock were Ben Combe and Scott Metzger on guitars and vocals. Their first two performance with the group in February 2006 was recorded, filmed, and released as ''Transformations: Live for the People'' that July.Greene, Jo-Ann
''Transformations Live For the People'' Review
,
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. Retrieved October 6, 2013
Featuring guest appearances by experimental rap duo
Blackalicious Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful pr ...
, Robby Krieger of
The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...
, guitarist
Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...
, and DJ Logic, the album showcased the band exploring vocal-based music as well as incorporating more overt rock and
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
influences. In late July 2006 Scott Metzger had to leave Particle due to a family emergency that required his long-term attention. In October 2007 Ben Combe announced his departure from Particle and pursued a Biotech degree until April 2012. A July 2008 side project, PUJA, brought together Combe and Darren Pujalet of Particle, as well as
Melvin Seals Melvin Seals (born 1953 in San Francisco, California) is an American musician, best known as a longtime member of the Jerry Garcia Band. Early life and career Melvin Seals began playing piano at age eight and began his musical adventure playin ...
of the Jerry Garcia Band and Cristian Basso of
Leo Nocentelli Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band the Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as " Cissy Strut" and "Hey ...
and Little Hercules. In 2008 Molitz also played in the supergroup Agents of Mayhem. Particle shows since 2008 have featured Josh Clark of Tea Leaf Green, Michael Kang of The String Cheese Incident, Dan Lebowitz of Animal Liberation Orchestra, Lucas Bingham of Free Band Radio, Pete Wall (sax) of The Motet, and former Particle members Ben Combe and Charlie Hitchcock.


Musical style

The band is regarded as a
jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...
with
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
roots. They have described their music as "space porn funk", a term coined by one of their early fans, and " funktronic".Harley, Andrew (2006)
Particles in Motion: The Power to Move You
, '' Summit Daily'', June 29, 2006. Retrieved October 6, 2013
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
writer Hal Horowitz, reviewing ''Launchpad'', described their music as having "a loose '70s feel that mixes elements of
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
's prog rock and
Return to Forever Return to Forever was an American jazz fusion band that was founded by pianist Chick Corea in 1972. The band has had many members, with the only consistent bandmate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke. Along with Weather Report, The Headhun ...
-styled jazz fusion with insistent dance beats that shift from funk to near
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
". Philip Booth, reviewing ''Launchpad'' for ''
CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
'', described their music as "fusion in the non-jazz sense", commenting on the "
trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
, house, and drum 'n' bass rhythms heard throughout", and calling the album an "unstoppable blast of gritty electronic jam". A review by Nicole Keiper in ''
The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...
'' described the band's sound as "jam-rock standards that make smart use of dance music's lush textures and well-placed, good-and-solid dancefloor thumps".Keiper, Nicole (2007) "Particle Blends Jam-Rock and Electronic for Funky Compositions", ''
The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...
'', April 24, 2007, p. D2
Chris Nelson of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' described them as "disco-flavored, instrumental jam music".


Discography


Albums

*'' Launchpad'' (2004), Or Music *'' Transformations Live For The People'' (2006), Shout! Factory *''Live at Wanee Festival 2012'' (2012), MunckMix *''Accelerator'' (2018), Particle Records


Videos

* Transformations Live For The People (2006) (DVD-V), Shout! Factory


Singles

*"The Track Inside" (February 3, 2004 United States) *''Launchpad Remixes'' (November 9, 2004 United States)


References


External links

*
Particle collection
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
's live music archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Particle Rock music groups from California Electronic music groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Livetronica music groups Musical groups established in 2000 2000 establishments in California