From the Feb 19 – Feb 25, 2004 issue

Music

Beatseeking Missives

Jerry Abstract

by Dave Segal

Jerry Abstract (AKA Former Selv) moved from techno's birthplace--Detroit--to make his name in Seattle. Sure, he'd turned some Motor City heads with stints at Zoot's Coffeehouse and Velvet Lounge in the mid/late '90s, but it wasn't until he jetted to Seattle in November 1999 that Abstract really blossomed as a DJ. Soon after settling here, he got involved with Carey Stone's popular ROBO.trash night at the Baltic Room along with Randy Jones and others, guiding the fun-yet-brainy event through residencies at Chop Suey and Alibi Room (ROBO.trash is currently on hiatus).

"People started to get interested in my DJing because I was always mixing genres," Abstract says about his early days in Detroit. "And the way I mixed was a lot different from the typical stuff that was going on. I would actually play more experimental stuff with my techno and electro sets for a dance audience, so I got people to think and dance."

A music fanatic since age 14, Abstract developed eclectic tastes early on, digging Steve Miller, Dead Can Dance, punk, industrial, hiphop, electro, and shoegazer rock with equal fervor. But Detroit's early-'90s underground techno parties really fired Abstract's imagination.

"It was like walking into an alien world; it was dark and dirty like Detroit was. This was before all the mega-buck raves were happening. I totally fell in love with it, especially with how loud and strange everything was--and at the same time how simple the music was. It was a really good vibe."

Abstract's manufactured plenty of good vibes through his own deck skills. "I've had the opportunity of actually influencing and changing people's lives through DJing. I still have people come up to me in Seattle and say, 'I hate DJs and going to clubs, but when I hear you play at house parties, I dance all night. You mix old-school stuff with stuff I've never heard of. It's like a history lesson.' [Local producer/promoter] Ephraim Alexander said, 'I like when you DJ because we never know what we're gonna get. Sometimes you're in a bad mood and you play weird, glitchy ambient, and in a club setting. You shouldn't be doing that, but it actually works out pretty well.'"

Not content merely to spin others' records, Abstract has begun producing his own music. His recently self-released CD as Former Selv, Wandering in a World Without Gravity, reveals both his isolationist-ambient soundscaping (think Thomas Köner, Lustmord, and even Flying Saucer Attack) and his love of mid-'90s IDM as epitomized by the Skam and Warp labels. The disc's emotional depth and somberly beautiful melodies resonate more for not being merely a flashy display of the latest software plug-ins (it was created on the much-scorned Reason [software] and features Abstract's own guitar work).

Steven Ford (AKA Bobby Karate), who mastered Wandering, says, "Jerry just sort of came out of nowhere with this amazing IDM-style release. Most people carry on about their work ad nauseam (myself included). Jerry just kind of sits back and waits for the right moment to put his stuff out there."

Speaking of which, T.Raumschmiere of hot German label Shitkatapult has requested one of Abstract's dirty, grinding techno bangers for a 12-inch comp. When Abstract spends this summer in Berlin, he could make his mark in yet another techno mecca. DAVE SEGAL

segal@thestranger.com

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