Music
Press
4 Stars
Sit back. Relax. Sip the brandy from the sifter. Take a puff from the pipe. Power on the CD player. Slip on the headphones. Put aside the worries and responsibilities. Enjoy.
After a chance meeting on a film set, producers Kyle Schember and Ryan Stuit decided to combine their musical minds, and immediately, the creative juices began to flow. This thing was meant to be. Test Shot Starfish proves to be a prize-winning house blend. An ambient palate boasting an impressively wide soundscape provides the backbone for a well-designed tracklist of refreshingly intelligent downtempo atmospheric tunes.
This music is beautifully crafted and very carefully arranged. It provides a perfect soundtrack for the vivid imagery it undoubtedly conjures up in each listeners mind. A VJ’s wet dream. You don’t have to listen too closely to recognize the various stylistic elements they draw upon, which range from drum and bass to melodic trance to bouncy house, but the much slower tempo and the sonic tweaks and sci-fi sounds that surprise you through the various frequencies manages to set it apart from anything else you’ve grown accustomed to hear. But this is a good thing. Test Shot Starfish have managed to find a new and refreshing creative method of expression through electronic music, and now they’re ready to share it with the world. - GetUnderground
TEST SHOT STARFISH
SELF-TITLED
KANPAI RECORDS
This self-titled album, the first from Test Shot Starfish,
pushes the boundaries of electronic music. IDM (Intelligent
Dance Music) is not about humming a catchy tune or making a
crowd dance. It’s about exploring the frontier of technology
through music, and that’s what Test Shot Starfish do.
SOUVENIRS takes the listener on an ambient, but surprisingly
upbeat, journey. Samples of a voice saying "science fiction"
sets the mood for the entire album. The dreamy and distorted
DIVER, with a futuristic, score-like vibe, could be on a new
soundtrack for the film BLADE RUNNER. EXTRA POINTS is by far
the catchiest track on the album, with bleeps, clicks and
distorted sounds that distinguish it from many other currently
taking space in the world of electronic dance music. TEST SHOT
STARFISH is an album for listening and learning. – Jean-Paul
Jumonville
- Atomica Magazine June 2005
Discography
Test Shot Starfish EP - Subtractive Records 2001
Test Shot Starfish Album - KanPai 2005
Photos
Bio
Sound Designer/Producers Kyle Schember & Ryan Stuit met on a film set in Los Angeles in 1999. They quickly identified their common passion for electronic music & the spark was lit that fueled the creation of Test Shot Starifsh.
With the release of their first CD EP in the summer of 2003, the two gained notoriety on the Dallas and LA music scenes for their elaborate multimedia live performances that included original compositions, video projection, lighting, and lasers. The hypnotic show has been showcased at venues such as the Hollywood Knitting Factory, Hangar 1018, Arcadia Theater, Barnsdall Art Park, and the Sunset Room.
Late 2003 inspired the two to fully channel their energies into a multimedia concept rather than a traditional band. They launched www.testshotstarfish.com to showcase digital artwork, videos, and tracks available for streaming and download. This outlet allowed them the freedom to test the waters with various tracks & works of art receiving feedback from global downloaders who are fans of the experimental electronic genre.
Test Shot Starfish fuses myriad styles and influences, including the Orb, Orbital, Plaid, Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada resulting in an eclectic blend of electronica, techno and ambient music that inspires a sensory experience. The latest release is the self-titled debut album that is being released on Kanpai Records, a sub-label of the Domo Music Group. In addition to this debut release Kyle & Ryan work on projects for other artists (Remixes, EPKs and DVDs) and their talent has gained them access to remix tracks for such artists as Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay, Gus Gus and Snoop Dogg.
Their LA based sound design and composing studio has brought them such projects as scoring & sound design for the concert documentary ñCoachellaî which is being produced by Goldenvoice Entertainment. The movie will premiere in the Spring of 2005 & features 2 tracks from Test Shot Starfish. Their film & television work has included the BMW Film ñWho Killed the Ideaî which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. They have been very fortunate to work on several productions with clients such as Showtime, ESPN, Toyota, The United States Army, Capitol Records, Doggy Style Entertainment, Subaru, Activision, & even the NFL.
The future of Test Shot Starfish promises to bring multimedia releases on DVD, CD, and mp3, as well as the continuation of the popular live performances. While the release of this album has been a long time in the making, the duo have already begun work on future videos and tracks.
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