Biography

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 Charles Cooper, 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 Cooper's unexpected death, Eustis continued TTA as a solo venture while additionally working with Nine Inch Nails and Puscifer, as well as other projects such as the Black Queen and Second Woman. Dreams Are Not Enough, the first TTA full-length in a decade, arrived in 2019. High school friends Joshua Eustis and Charles Cooper formed Telefon Tel Aviv in 1999. After a four-song demo made its way to John Hughes III's Hefty 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 Nine Inch Nails' "Even Deeper." Immediate Action #8, an EP featuring remixes by Prefuse 73 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 Damon Aaron. 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 Ellen Allien's BPitch Control label. The album's reception was colored by Cooper'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 Puscifer and Nine Inch Nails. He recorded alone as Sons of Magdalene, produced material by Tropic of Cancer, collaborated with Turk Dietrich as Second Woman, and formed the band the Black Queen. Eustis also continued with Telefon Tel Aviv, as heard in a remix of Lusine's "Arterial" and a co-production with Vatican Shadow titled "Rejoice," the latter a contribution to the #savefabric compilation. An expanded 15th anniversary edition of Fahrenheit Fair Enough was released by Ghostly International 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