Darren Cross (musician)

Darren Cross (born 3 November 1974) is an Australian songwriter, musician, record producer, video maker. Cross is best known for his previous band Gerling he formed and founded in 1992, more recently his Folk-Noir duo Jep and Dep, solo under Darren Cross, releasing his debut solo album _Xantastic,[1] in 2016 and his sophomore album PEACER in 2018.[2] As of 2019 Cross's new instrumental folk guitar project is under the guise D.C Cross. He has released two albums.[3][4]

For the Marvel Comics character, see Darren Cross.

Darren Cross
Cross in October, 2020
Background information
Born (1974-11-03) 3 November 1974
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, producer, filmclip maker
Years active1992 –present
LabelsNo Drums Records, Flying Nun Records, Festival Records, Trifekta Records, Sony Records, Fellaheen Records
Associated actsD.C Cross Gerling Jep and Dep The E.L.F
Websitedarrencross.bandcamp.com

Cross runs his own music and video production studio called Bernstein studios[5] and currently performs live with Jep and Dep, Darren Cross and D.C Cross.[6]

Cross has collaborated with many different and diverse artists over his career, including The Apartments, Cornelius, Kylie Minogue, The Avalanches, Jagwar Ma and Kool Keith.[7][8][9][10] Over his 20 years as a professional musician, Cross has released a diverse output of music – writing and producing many different song styles and genres- from commercial house music, indie rock style detuned guitar pop, abstract electronica with Gerling to Americana style traditional Folk music with Jep and Dep and solo. Cross also Co-wrote a song on the Jagwar Ma debut album Howlin[11][12] [13] .[14][15][3]

Career

Gerling (1991–2007)

Cross founded Gerling when he was attending highschool in the Western Suburbs of Sydney at the height of Grunge. In the early days Gerling were influenced by Pavement, Sonic Youth, Boredoms, Beck and Mercury Rev writing with only two guitars and drums. The group initially focussed on creating experimental guitar pop, with its debut release, Sedatives For Dead Radars, being released in 1995 on Steve Pavlovic's Fellaheen label. This was followed by the mini-album, A Day of Research, in 1996. They moved to dance music and sampling. Gerling released four albums over their 16-year career.

Cross contributed most of the vocals in the group and contributed most of the lyrics and conceptual ideas as well. From Gerling's 57 songs – Cross wrote the lyrics to 26 of them.[16] Both he and drummer Presser (Paul Towner) created the group's album artwork and collages, calling themselves The Deli Bros.[17]

A Day of Research (1996)

Gerling's first mini album A Day of Research was released in 1996 on Steve Pavlovic's Fellaheen label. The band at that stage incorporating two 5 stringed guitars and drums- heavily influenced by 90's guitar bands. Cross shared vocals and songwriting dutes with Brad Herdson who departed the band in 1997.

Children of Telepathic Experiences (1998)

Their debut album Children of Telepathic Experiences was released in February 1998. It was recorded and co-produced by Gerling and Steve Foster in three days. The 7" single "Bachelor Pad" was first released on the Trifekta label. In November 1998, they released Children of Telepathic Experiences, on Festival's in-house indie label Reliant. This was the first time they played electronica.

The band toured Australia extensively and also toured the UK gaining positive reviews in NME[18] and Mixmag – they were considered an indie dance crossover band in the UK.

When Young Terrorists Chase The Sun (2001)
Gerling on Tour in America 2002 at Devils Tower Wyoming.

When Young Terrorists Chase the Sun was released in 2001 after delays due to the September 11 attacks. It marked an increase in their electronic music, as well as their first success in the dance scene "Dust Me Selecta".

The album was released on Sony Japan, PIAS in Europe, Flying Nun in New Zealand, Infectious Records in the UK and Festival Records in Australia. The album was Co-produced by Gerling and also with a few different producers – Magoo and Josh Abrahams – but the main songs were constructed at Gerling's own GERLOG studios in Redfern. Guest vocalists on the album included Kylie Minogue, Kool Keith, Solex and Inga Liljeström. The band toured in Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the U.K.

Bad Blood (2003)

Gerling's third album Bad Blood!!! was released in 2003. The album written at Gerling's GERLOG studios. The album is considered to be more in the Dance/Electronica genre due to the heavy use of sampled programmed drums, vocoders and computer plugins and distortion.[19][20] It was produced again by Magoo and Gerling. The band toured extensively Australia, Japan, New Zealand.

4 (album) (2006)

4 is an album by Gerling, produced by Ethan Johns in Hollywood, released in March 2006. It is quite possibly Gerling's final studio album, as they have gone on an indefinite hiatus.

The E.L.F. (2007–2012)

With Gerling announcing in 2007 that they were going on an indefinite hiatus, Cross began recording his debut self-produced solo ELF E.P. Stevie Nicks Hearts at his home studio in Sydney.

As the E.L.F, Cross released two Extended Plays 'Stevie Nick's Hearts' and 'Sunray in the Rave Cave' and one album 'Plankton Icke and Tina Turner David City Limits' all in the dance/electronica genres, receiving 9.2 out 10 reviews online.[21] Cross performed, produced and wrote them all himself. He also toured and djed throughout Australia. His track Cockroaches was played on JJJ radio and his filmclip for Cockroaches had nearly 250000 hits.[22] [23]

Late December 2010 the E.L.F released his new album "Plankton Icke and Tina Turner David City Limits" as a free online downloadable album, available from The E.L.F.'s official Bandcamp.[24] Cross removed the album once it reached 3000 free downloads. The album never got an official release.

Jep and Dep 2012 to present

In 2012 Cross started the Folk-Noir Duo with newcomer Jessica Cassar called Jep and Dep. They are often compared to Lee Hazlewood / Nancy Sinatra and Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue on Murder Ballads, the Sydney Morning Herald stating 'ballads with the right balance of creeping menace and painful regret'.[25] In late 2014 the duo independently released their debut album 'WORD GOT OUT' to critical acclaim – receiving 4 out of 5 reviews in both Rolling Stone[12] and The Sydney Morning Herald.[25] The duo adopt a Film Noir aesthetic for all their filmclips, photographs and artwork and live perform with only an acoustic guitar and two vocals.[26] They have been invited to support Johnny Marr (the Smiths),[27] Jessica Pratt, Mirel Wagner,[28] Courtney Barnett,[29] Kristin Hersh from Throwing Muses, Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals[30] and Blackeyed Susans.[31] Cross produced 'WORD GOT OUT' at his Bernstein Studios, taking 5 months to produce it.[32]

Darren Cross (solo) 2012 to present

Cross has also released two independent extended plays, Freak Out Inn III in 2013 and NO DAMAGE in 2014. He wrote, recorded, produced and made the artwork and most of the film clips himself.[33][34] [35] As of December 2015 Cross states that his debut album which he is self-producing and writing himself is almost complete and is "probably the closest thing i have done that would be a come close to a Gerling album… " It is scheduled for a 2016 release. [36]

Debut (solo) album_Xantastic

Cross released his debut solo album _Xantastic (pronounced ZAN-TAS-TIC) on 9 September 2016. Cross wrote, recorded, produced all of the music at his Bernstein Studios in Sydney.[37] The Sydney Morning Herald said "eccentric, intriguing album, rewarding listening"[1] and Rolling Stone Australia said "a nostalgic synth-folk tilt, with his lonesome vocals, unmistakably his own",[38] Rhythmns[39] magazine said "melancholy, plaintiff and downbeat in the vein of Nick Drake, Beck, Neil Young and Bill Callahan – yet he has found clever and unobtrusive ways to incorporate samples, synths, drum machines and effects that add a dystopian, sci-fi quality to the music". The album was released by Independent record labels No Drums Records in Australia, September 2016 and Rockers Die Younger on vinyl in France, January 2017.[1][40]

Second (solo) album 'PEACER'

Cross officially released his second solo album 'PEACER'[41] to critical acclaim on his own No Drum Records early August 2018. Described as the bastian of a modern polymathic D.I.Y artist: writing, recording, performing and producing the album himself at his Bernstein Studios. Special guests on the album include R. Stevie Moore and Jessica Cassar from Jep and Dep. 4ZZZ radio said "PEACER is a crazy mix of dream pop, retro pop, indie-folk and avant pop, but somehow it cohesively comes together to deliver a cracker of an album".[42] The album jumps between anarchic gospel-krautrock-indie guitar pop tunes to neo-folk fingerpicking spaced out meltdowns.[43]

D.C Cross - Ecstatic Racquet

In 2019 Cross announced his debut project under the D.C Cross moniker, an Australian fingerstyle guitarist and composer who plays the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His new direction has been influenced by American Primitive Guitar and the British folk revival. There are obvious influences at play – Bert Jansch, John Fahey, Leo Kottke – the titans of the American Primitive scene who progressed acoustic guitar playing from classical, folk and psych into new areas, as well as newer progenitors such as Ryley Walker and Steve Gunn, this instrumental folk acoustic guitar album is called Ecstatic Racquet .[44] Rhythmns magazine said "Finding beauty in small details, despair in others. It’s a special thing to be able to create these wordless stories with such lyrical qualities, and in the context of contemporary Australian music this stands as a rare and quite unique album".[44][45]

D.C Cross - Terabithian

During the COVID-19 pandemic, April 20, 2020, Cross released his sophomore solo album under the guise D.C Cross.[46][4] Equally parts ambient and Instrumental folk guitar influenced by American Primitive Guitarists, British folk revivalists and 90's new-age ambient music.[46][4] Tone Deaf said "To put it simply though, if you’re a fan of instrumental music, Terabithian is not only an album you should experience, it’s a record you must experience...with the record serving as one of the most mesmerising instrumental releases you’ll hear for some time. D.C Cross’ ‘Terabithian’ is a high watermark of instrumental music".[4]

Darren Cross - Keeping Up?

The first purely electronic album for Cross since 2008. Using an obsolete drum machine, computer and operating system, Cross created a world of nostalgia inducing woozy electronic music. Rolling Stone magazine gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5 and said "blissful ocean of nostalgia, with hazy instrumentation, vocoded vocals, and echoed drumbeats and electronic blips immersing the listener in a devastatingly unique, yet warmly familiar world of musical euphoria". Doubtful Sounds wrote "There's an overwhelmingly immersive quality to the music. Drug-like, womb-like - that intrinsic memory of holding your breath underwater as a child and feeling at peace in the aquatic cocoon".[47] [48][49] [50]

Discography

Gerling

The E.L.F.
  • 2008 : Stevie Nicks Hearts
  • 2008 : Sunray In The Rave Cave
  • 2010 : Plankton Icke and Tina Turner David City Limits

Jep and Dep
  • 2012 : Through The Night
  • 2014 : Word Got Out
  • 2017 : THEY'VEBEENCALLED.

Darren Cross
  • 2013 : Freak Out Inn III
  • 2014 : NO DAMAGE
  • 2016 : _Xantastic
  • 2018 : PEACER
  • 2020 : Keeping Up?

D.C Cross
  • 2019 : Ecstatic Racquet
  • 2020 : Terabithian

References
  1. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/new-albums-kasey-chambers-kevin-brady-cats-eyes-wild-beasts-darren-cross-20160823-gqyy6v.html
  2. https://www.discogs.com/Darren-Cross-Peacer/release/12276200
  3. https://posttowire.com/tag/ecstatic-racquet/
  4. https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/d-c-cross-terabithian-review/
  5. "PREMIERE: Darren Cross – And The New York Rain Came Down". theMusic.
  6. "Greta Mob Factory Floor Francesca Palazzolo ♫ theMusic.com.au – Australia's Premier Music News & Reviews Website". theMusic.
  7. "Matador". Matadorrecords.com. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
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  10. "Jagwar Ma - Howlin (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  11. "Darren Cross - Australian folk artist". Louder Than War. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  12. "Rolling Stone Australia". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  13. "Gerling tease fans by launching nostalgic new website". FasterLouder.
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  16. "ALT-COUNTRY MUSIC BLOG DASHVILLED". Dashvilled.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
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  22. cockroaches E.L.F. DARREN CROSS. Youtube.com. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
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  28. "the AU interview: Jep and Dep (Sydney) talk folk noir, single launch and the big trip to Europe! – the AU review". the AU review.
  29. "Courtney Barnett Birds of Tokyo Lead Twilight at Taronga 2016 Program ♫ theMusic.com.au – Australia's Premier Music News & Reviews Website". theMusic.
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  33. "Mavis Staples & Sean Foran from Trichotomy". Radio National.
  34. Ross Clelland. "Darren Cross No Damage". theMusic.
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  37. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  45. https://airit.org.au/D.C-Cross-Presslufthammer-Catfight.html
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  47. https://www.facebook.com/DoubtfulSoundsMusic/posts/10159692286431323
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