mossyrock

"mixing hi-tech beats with live instruments, samples and distorted vocals - a "jam band" synthesizing the electronic with the organic so cleanly that the divisions disappear." - mixer magazine

"it's an irresistible sound that remains dreamy, yet spooky." - philadelphia city paper

"they craft a unique brand of slightly spooky music that really stands apart from everything else."
- now magazine

By Matthew Hiscock
August 04, 2005

If Wendy/Walter Carlos had risen to fame for scoring ’70s pornography, this album’s opening track is what it would have sounded like. Based in Brooklyn but brought to us courtesy of Canadian label Nice + Smooth, Mossyrock make up-tempo, instrumental break beats heavy on synths and unusual effects ­ though that doesn’t really come close to describing the spread of sounds here. In some parts (“Whiskey Is The Devil”) there is a funky Latin flavour, while in others (“Vino Collapso”) it sounds like a Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production circa Rhythm Nation ­ until the acoustic guitars come out, that is. So it’s hard to know where they’re going with all this, but yet they pull it off. Kind of like if Tortoise decided to make a “dance” album. How could that not be good? - exclaim magazine

by denise benson
august 11th 2005

The boys at Nice + Smooth Ultramedia have bumped up the volume of late -- not only are they treating us to the sounds of Sol Azul and the Breezy Beats collection, they've also gotten behind the hooky, house-y, indie-electronic instrumentals of Mossyrock.

A project of global wanderer Marc Hug -- also the founder of ever-evolving project Intergalactic Faerie Funk and no stranger to fans of festivals such as Om -- Mossyrock ups the artist's fun(k) quotient on the new Zero to One Sessions - eye weekly

the oddly named mossyrock make fun cruising guitar and silly electronix based compositions, whose track titles are only marginally more bizarre than the music itself.  from the shape of their grooves, one might expect them to hail from the west coast, but the group actually formed in philly and currently reside in brooklyn. "according to the language fossils" suggests they were frozen in time at an age when stringy guitars and visionary synths ruled the world. the charmingly titled "pissjug" throws electrified keys and synth gurgles against sticky beats and bass nastiness.  "stress kid" takes its energy from almost d&b styled percussion, which rattles along under wobbly synths and feeling blue keys.  strangely endearing.
-jon freer - jon freer

mossyrock 's 'the zero to one sessions' mix loungey, often herb alpert-ish folk-pop with electronic touches.
-disquiet.com - disquiet.com

currently one of the hardest working bands in america’s burgeoning indie-rock / electronic crossover scene, mossyrock’s debut CD for toronto’s nice+smooth label entitled, the zero to one sessions, is a floating, textural romp fusing elements of their past electronic bent with their current indie rock leanings. recent comparisons to current american peers such as the books, octopus project and toof are appropriate, as are the references and nods to the otherworldly yet highly nod-worthy sounds of the orb, a twist of lemon jelly and even the slyer moods of matthew herbert.
-studio distribution - studio distribution

squeezing sequenced house beats into territories normally reserved for jazz, zero to one starts with gurgling beats that slowly gain momentum with electric rhythm guitar and keyboard noises that hint at melody. but whenever mossyrock reaches full-on danceable mode, an acoustic guitar loop is likely to cut a dry swath through the funk. even the distant trumpet call in 'i want to eat your eyes' seems to come from the song next door - sounds from the real world invading a daydream.
- resonance magazine