Biography

Drumcorps is a metal/hardcore-inspired solo project of Aaron Spectre, an electronic musician and DJ well known within the breakcore scene. His recordings and performances as Drumcorps mix explosive breakbeats and samples with Spectre's own guitar shredding, resulting in an aggressive, powerful hybrid of several styles of heavy music. Originally from suburban Massachusetts, Spectre grew up immersed in the hardcore scene, playing drums in bands inspired by the likes of Converge and Cave In. After moving to New York City, he became interested in electronic music, and started making jungle, ambient, and IDM tracks, as well as collaborating with shoegaze band Aarktica. After moving to Berlin, Germany in 2003, Spectre remixed jungle producer DJ C and released breakcore 12"s on Death$ucker Records and Omeko that blended his jungle, dancehall reggae, and punk influences, and extended a middle finger toward Tony Blair and George W. Bush with the volatile track "Look Out Fi Liar." Now a full-time musician, Spectre toured around the world constantly, bringing his high-energy DJ sets and performances everywhere from illegal squat parties and basement shows to large festivals. In 2005, Spectre started Drumcorps to showcase his metal and hardcore influences. The 10" EP Rmx or Die appeared on Kriss Records, containing intense electronic tracks built around samples of bands like Converge and On Broken Wings. A second Drumcorps 12", Live and Regret, appeared on Jason Forrest's Cock Rock Disco label in 2006, this time containing tracks sampling Botch and Cave In. A full-length CD titled Grist, a split release by Ad Noiseam and Cock Rock Disco, collected tracks from both releases as well as additional tracks, some of which incorporated a dubstep influence. The album was a huge success, winning an Award of Distinction from Prix Ars Electronica in 2007, and it helped expand Spectre's following, leading to numerous performances as well as remixes and collaborations with artists outside of the electronic music genre. Drumcorps collaborated with grindcore band Animosity for a one-sided 10" EP titled Altered Beast, released by Man Alive in 2008. By 2009, Spectre had logged over 50,000 miles of travel across four continents and had sold his turntables, focusing solely on Drumcorps rather than his DJ sets or his downtempo or jungle material as Aaron Spectre. Having relocated to Boston, returning to his home state, he continued to tour and remix artists such as Genghis Tron and Rob Zombie, and occasionally released new original songs online. He eventually moved to Geneva, Switzerland and continued working on new material. Showcasing Spectre's own vocals and guitar riffs rather than samples, Drumcorps' second album, Falling Forward, finally arrived on Ad Noiseam in late 2015. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi