D. Gookin
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D. Gookin

Brooklyn, New York, United States | INDIE

Brooklyn, New York, United States | INDIE
Solo EDM Singer/Songwriter

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"Two Faces of Gookin"

Two Faces Of Gookin feat. D. Gookin and 2 Ton Bug

I stormed into the claustrophobic room and slammed my hands palm down onto the table situated in front of the suspect.

“Listen up Gookin! I’ve had enough of your games. Do you realize how much trouble you’re in? Wipe that smile off your face!”
“Detective Penfold, I don’t understand you. Only a moment ago we were having a nice, pleasant conversation. You left the room in a jovial mood, but now you’re back and clearly upset. Why is that?”
“Hey! I’ll ask the questions here Gookin. Got that?”
“Of course Detective. Of course. You mentioned that I was in trouble?”
“Ohhhh yeah. Big trouble.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong Detective.”
“Hahaha. Play dumb all you want Gookin. We’ve got enough evidence to put you away for a long time.”
“You can’t be serious. What’s the charge?”
“Inciting excessive happiness and good cheer among the depressed, dejected masses.”
“That’s a crime?”
“You’d better believe it mister!”
“But I’m an artist. Cheering people up is my job.”
“Can it Gookin. I don’t want to hear any more of your socio-emotional ranting. It’s bad enough that I had to listen to your so-called music.”
“You listened to my music Detective Penfold? Which album did you listen to?”
“First I listened to your own Spiral Style EP, and then I listened to Wedding Of The Century where you play drums.”
“Did you like the music?”
“Did I like the music? You bet I did. It was great! I loved it! Say, is there a way I might be able to get a hold of some of your other relea…”
(I was interrupted by angry pounding on the one-way glass window. It took a moment for me to regain my composure.)
“Oh you’re good Gookin. Too good. In fact you’re so good, you’re dangerous! You nearly had me there for a second. All right. Enough talk. I’m leaving now. When I come back I’ll have a formal confession that you will sign whether you like it or not. And didn’t I tell you to get that smile off your face?”

D. Gookin Spiral Style

I admit it. I did not think it was possible. If I had not heard it with my own ears, I would swear on anything you had handy that it was physically and theoretically impossible to capture the properties of sunshine inside a piece of electronic music. Preposterous! Can’t be done! Well waveriders, I was wrong. Dead wrong in fact. Allow me to introduce you to an artist by the name of D. Gookin, and his newest EP entitled Spiral Style.

The music on this EP is electronic sunshine, plain and simple. Joyous, effervescent, celebratory electronic music. I’m telling you the truth. Spiral Style effuses such good cheer and glee that it feels like your birthday and Christmas morning rolled into one package. You’ll have to excuse me folks. I listen to so much anger-fueled music that when I hear something great that is engineered to produce happiness instead of rage or gloom it is pretty shocking. And I’ll be completely honest. While I am not at all adverse to purely electronic music, it’s simply not my normal go-to genre. Thus, when I stumble across someone like D. Gookin it helps to expand my horizons and make me a better listener.

There are six songs on the Spiral Style EP. All six are appropriately upbeat and bubbly, but I don’t want to imply that they are simple copies of one another. Not at all. Each song has a strong, unique melody line that makes them easily identifiable. Another element that changes from song to song is the vocals. While there is a limited amount of clean vocals scattered throughout the EP it often sounds as if the vocals are being pumped through a vocorder, and at other times it sounds as if they were recorded underwater. I can’t be sure, but I would guess Mr. Gookin sometimes uses a wah pedal to manipulate the vocals as well. Regardless, I am very impressed with how immensely the vocals add to the overall sound and musical vibe. I suppose if I were forced to pick one I would say that “Freak On A Cloud” is - ripplemusic.blogspot.co


"For New Music We Lust"

Venturing miles to find you new music, PULP recently found itself interacting with those 'over the pond' - New Haven, Connecticut, USA, to be precise. Without wanting to sound too much like BBC Introducing, the underground music scene is home to hundreds (maybe thousands) of talented musicians, we aim to uncover these hidden gems, bringing to light superb artists which you can add to your musical libraries. In short, we are too kind.
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Whilst the British underground grows from strength to strength , with the likes of The XX, Metronomy, Adele, Ghostpoet and James Blake rocketing skywards as recent examples of this, little is known of the American Underground and up-and-coming acts which are emerging from our Atlantic brothers. We opted to change this and inquire as to what life is like on the 'not so busy side of the street' in the United States. We caught up with D.Gookin (I can hear you asking 'who?' already). Taking his name from the publication 'Young Goodman Brown' by Nathaniel Hawthorne, D.Gookin is one of the politest individuals this magazine has had the pleasure of interviewing (read the interview with Yeasayer's Ira Wolf Tuton to see a vast contrast). In his own words, the American arstist was "back in Maryland rehearsing all of a sudden" but still found A) a computer and B) the time to talk to Manchester's underground and alternative, low-key publication, Pulpmagazinemusic. Like him already?
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'PULP'
For New Music We Lust
D.Gookin
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On life on the underground/alternative American scene Vs Mainstream

I am very much involved with underground/alt music. But by this point I cant tell whether its by choice or not or what that really means haha. The real issue is its tough to pin down now what underground music is. Phish, for a big broad example, has never been on mtv really but they can take over a whole town with one show. Not trying to compare myself to phish but I think its always about accessibility for me. Though in the music and scenes I'm involved in may seem weird or fringy, I truly believe its all accessible. I have always tried to persue things that have a good balance between resonating with people on a personal and universal level. . But yes I do feel a bit disaligned though cause most of what I listen to and what excites me is extremely accessible music! And I can acknowledge that yes a lot of the music Im into is more accessible than mine. Ultimately I just want to be heard and understood like everyone else. So sorry real answer - I am definitely making steps towards making my thing catchier and bolder for more peeps. But still I think even I tried to make something as 'mainstream' as possible it would still come out having that strange lilt that would still make me associated with left field things. Just gotta do things naturally.
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On 'Glad I Met You' - from the 2008 EP and D.Gookin's biggest success
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The song was made looping stuff in ableton then drawn out into a song in logic.Its all one steinberg vst synth and battery samples. I also recorded a flute player friend for those little flute/glock runs. Dudes from Body Language helped smash it out a bit with some of their nice plugins and Matt playing organ at the end. It was the first song I made with a computer so I think there's a real innocent/pure thing that comes through that people are drawn to. It comes from a real place also - pretty much a song about just meeting someone you have a strong connection with and knowing that its not going to last. Kind of a heavy song for me really haha. I perform it, like the other tunes, taking the drums and vocals out the track singing and playing the samples of a Rowland drum pad and singling along.
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On performing live
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The performance aspect definitely isnt a marketing campaign.When a show goes perfect its by far the best part of being an act.Solo or not. I slightly try to account when making stuff for what would be fun live. Still got a few songs though that are next to impossible to do with my solo drum pad thing and ones that really don't work with me and a full kit. Guess I'd like to throw in subversively right now that along with this movement towards 'being even more accessible' a band version of my stuff is in the works. Then you will have no choice but to experience this live. yes.
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On the American underground
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Bluejay (from brooklyn, album just dropped, 2 Ton Bug (band I produced and play drums in - (http://2tonbug.bandcamp.com/) going on tour in August!), Body Language, Mux Mool, Charles Trees, Dj Dog Dick, Sewn Leather, Juiceboxxx, Narwhalz of Sound, Shams, Lady Sasquatch, (laughs) just doing some myspace top friends right now!
- UK's Pulp Magazine


"Chuck Campbell/'Tuned In': D. Gookin's 'Spiral Style' gets freaky, uplifting"

File D. Gookin’s “Spiral Style” under “not for everyone,” though a select few will thoroughly enjoy it.
D. Gookin, a.k.a. Mike Birnbaum, is a mad architect of music who builds heavily layered, complex — and insanely upbeat — electronic songs.
Although beats bang around in the kitshy aural brew, this is more like parade music than dance music. Perhaps a parade of illuminated ice cream trucks moving down a surreal retro-futuristic beachside landscape at 3 in the morning.
“Spiral Style” is also cinematic — in a way that might mirror the fusion of the original movie version of “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,” ”Xanadu” and Ken Russell’s film adaptation of The Who’s ”Tommy.”
So, yeah, it’s weird.
The Maryland native’s carousel of hallucinations is decorated with quirks, like a field of brilliantly colored plastic flowers sprouting from gurgling rhythm loops and set against a bright blue sky of sweeping long notes and drones.
Phantasmagoria rules throughout “Spiral Style,” and variances include the charmingly dated, glitchy bliss of “Way 2 Grow,” the vague voices and whiff of psychedelia in “Doesn’t Matter” and the see-saw wonderment and swarms of electro bugs and birds on “Spirit Link.” And while “Freak on a Cloud” sounds like a slow-motion delivery of overly sweet, empty calories, “Unbraid the Knot” feels more like a journey than a march in place, with robotic vocals, pounding beat and whimsical flourishes working together to create something akin to defiant joy.
And that appears to be D. Gookin’s mission, to create happiness for adults with an improbable pastiche of cartoonish musical associations. His childlike zest might be offputting, or even creepy, to many, but some are sure to find “Spiral Style” refreshing.
- Knoxville.com


"Mike Birnbaum Finds Success Writing, Producing Electronic Pop Music"

The Velvet Lounge in Washington, D.C. was rockin' on July 11 to the newly-released electronic sounds of "D. Gookin"—known to Potomac residents as Mike Birnbaum—as he debuted his latest CD.
Birnbaum said that he writes all his own music and lyrics, as well as recording and producing it all himself under the independent electronic music label, Moongadget. He calls his style “upbeat electronic pop,” although he says the flavor of each piece may be experimental, pop, hip hop, rock, or reggae. His latest CD, Spiral Style, exemplifies this mix of sounds.
Birnbaum, a music graduate of The Hartt School, currently lives in New Haven, Connecticut, but said growing up in Potomac definitely left an impression on his musical awareness.
“My mother was always practicing the piano, so I developed an early appreciation for music. I wanted to play myself, so I learned to play the drums. In fact, I looked for any opportunity to play," Birnbaum said.
“I was a drummer in the jazz band at Churchill and played in the talent show. In an odd way, growing up in the suburbs of D.C. was somewhat isolating. There was a certain kind of pressure to have a band, to keep life exciting. In addition, the area is affluent and there was no lack of incredibly trained musicians and resources to inspire me.”
Deborah Birnbaum, his mother, noticed his talent early on.
"Mike was a natural on the drums from a very early age. But to our surprise, he has also become a wonderful and prolific songwriter," she said. "His dedication and his work ethic have made him into the great and creative percussionist, composer, performer and producer that he is today.”
Birnbaum said that he enjoys creating music electronically and does not find the sound cold and lifeless, as often described.
“I like the sound. It's like someone has control over the sounds they want to put across and makes everything sound like a fun little project on a much more understandable, digestible level.”
According to a press release, Birnbaum's original song, "Remember," was used as background in a 2009 Oil of Olay TV commercial, and he has performed as a percussionist on tracks for Passion Pit and in commercials for Symantec, Verizon/Amcomm and Kids Terrain. He is also the drummer for 2 Ton Bug.
Birnbaum has played on college campuses and at the Movement Electronic Festival in Michigan and at venues throughout New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. His music can be found on iTunes.
The next leg of his tour takes him to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Ann Arbor and Milwaukee. You can find Birnbaum on Twitter at @dgookin.
To hear Birnbaum's entire new CD, click here.
Related Topics: D. Gookin, Electronic music, Hartt School of Music, Mike Birnbaum, Spiral Styles, and Velvet Lounge
- PotomacPatch


"Spiral Style"

I'm a sucker for any kind of energetic positivity and D. Gookin's latest album, Spiral Style, is an anthemic masterpiece of over the top electro-pop. Its lush soundscapes of loops and samples are bright and engrossing, and packed so tightly with familiar effects that the whole album seems captivatingly crass. As much as the music is entirely positive, D. Gookin must be completely shameless and as a consequence I presume that he is some kind of Bodhisattva. Address your thank you letters to Moodgadget and cop the album here. - Get Off the Coast Blog


"D. Gookin: In His Own Way"

In numerous of my articles I talk about people in the business and their goals and what they did to get where they are today. It is a good rule of thumb to study others who are already making a living doing what you want to be doing. Their journey can help you find your place in the business and eventually find your own niche. D. Gookin is no stranger to hard work but has his own ideas, and well, it’s been working pretty good for him so far.
Mike Birnbaum, aka, D. Gookin is a songwriter, producer and percussionist based in Brooklyn. He writes his own style of uplifting tunes. There is no brooding in Gookin’s corner, he takes a plethora of all types of emotions and compacts them in a nice package that affords you to get lost in the moment and forget all your worries.
Music seems to be a lifestyle for Gookin. He started his journey at a very young age. He was playing piano at 5 and later guitar and then assembled his own beat-banging out fit designed out of old tin cans. His parents finally sprang for a brand new drum kit and well, I guess you can say the rest is history.
He went on to create his first EP, “When You’re Lonely, Everybody’s a Celebrity”, a very cool title by the way, and that was the first of many to follow. He now has quite a catalog of music under his belt and returns with his latest release, “Spiral Style”. Many people ask about the origins of his stage name. D. Gookin is a character (Deacon Gookin) from a Nathanial Hawthorne short story, “Young Goodman Brown”.Gookin said, “It’s like a weird graffiti tag name.”

Well, I think it is cool and so is his music. He has a carefree attitude and that freedom has allowed him to produce many different styles of music. Gookin continues, “I am excited about how open ended I have established my thing to be; being a solo producer who has made music in a wide range of styles. There are very few genres of music or directions that I wouldn’t pursue.”
The beauty of art is that it is subjective and everyone has their own view in how they see the world and music. Gookin grew up in an environment where classical piano and violin were being played around him all the time. He feels strongly that influence is what shaped his sensibilities but also forced him to pursue music in a radically different way.
It takes a lot of hard work, networking and socializing to get your name out there and to be heard. Gookin says social media is a large part of that and encourages anyone with an unusual style to utilize those tools in order to build your fan base.
He has a business mind with a free spirit that is paving a way for a new kind of artist. He has clearly set goals for himself in order to accomplish what he has this far. When I asked him what his next steps were he responded with a chuckle, “this question makes me realize how few literal ‘goals’ I have with my music. I just try to always make stuff I am excited about and hope the amount of fun and excitement gets reciprocated in the music. One real goal though is to play at outdoor music festivals. If I get to that level I would feel very sated.”
I do not see that very far away in his future. D. Gookin is an interesting soul submerged in the one thing that brings happiness to a gloomy period in American history and that is FUN. Who doesn’t need more fun in their lives?
He seems to have a full schedule coming up, just to name a few,
March 20th – The Cove, Brooklyn
March 31st – Brooklyn loft, details TBA
April 11th - BAR, New Haven, with/ Body Language
April 21st – Middle East Club, Boston, MA
He is also working on a new EP of electronic reggae songs coming out in May. I am extremely interested in hearing how that will turn out.
Everyone has a story and D. Gookin’s is as entertaining as it is interesting. Taking the little steps that are creating the larger ones and he is doing it all, in his own way.
http://dgookin.bandcamp.com
http://dgookin.com
By: Rebecca Hosking @ hoskingrebecca@gmail.com
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Posted by Admin • Filed Under DEEP THOUGHTS
- Skope Magazine


Discography

Prey on the Prize (2012)

Moodgadget Label:
Albums:
When You're Lonely, Everybody's a Celebrity (2008)
Spiral Style (2011)

Single: Black Magic (2009)

Self published:
How 2 Deal (2008)
From Here the Wall of Undoing (2009)

Photos

Bio

New York-based producer, songwriter and percussionist D. Gookin (aka Mike Birnbaum) is on a mission. Think of it as retaliation against a recession both economic and emotional. While his peers delve ever deeper into sonic murk, Gookin flips lifes unsavory bits into maxed out, genuinely uplifting music. Combining the adventurousness of modern electronic innovators like Tobacco and Len, his sound is as propulsive as it is melodic and as freewheeling as it is meticulously orchestrated. His first two records2008s LP How 2 Deal and EP When Youre Lonely Everybodys a Celebrity (Moodgadget)are steeped in 80s electro and Italo Disco and yet oddly melancholic. In 2009, Gookin released From Here the Wall of Undoing EP where he took a different tack. He pushed his drums and vocals to the forefront, adopting a psychedelic, rock-driven approach. Meanwhile, he developed his kinetic live show to match, both locally and on the road. In 2011, he returned with Spiral Style, which covers a broad swath of styles while staying true to Gookins goal. From the anthemic electronica of opener Way 2 Grow, to the beaming optimism of Spirit Link, to the chopped chipmunk soul of closer Stealing Sun Chips, the Spiral Style EP is a candy-coated feel-good affair that effectively wrings good vibes out of the bad stuff that too often slows us down. In October of 2012, Gookin released Prey on the Prize, a collection of hypnotic digital reggae pop dealing with topics of confusion and longing, tragic love, partying and insanity that comes with staying in one place for too long. New Yorks Time Out says the EP's song Tastebuds "might be the most fizzy-fun single we've heard in 2012."

Band Members