Dntel
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| Dntel | ||
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 Dntel performing at The Echo
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | James Scott Tamborello | |
| Also known as | James Figurine | |
| Genre(s) | Electronic music, Downtempo, Glitch, Indie electronic | |
| Years active | 1989 to Present | |
| Label(s) | Plug Research | |
| Associated acts |
Figurine The Postal Service Strictly Ballroom |
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James Scott Tamborello, more commonly known as Dntel, is an electronic music artist. He is sometimes cited as James Figurine, the co-programmer and vocalist for the electropop outfit Figurine. Other projects include Strictly Ballroom and The Postal Service.
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[edit] Name
Dntel is pronounced din-tell. Tamborello admitted that the name was not intended to mean anything. When asked to create a meaning for it, he quoted it as a shortened version of "Don't Tell" although he admits that this meaning is a bit of a stretch.[1]
[edit] History
Tamborello first began creating music in 1989, when he was in Junior High School in Santa Barbara, California. His father — a jazz saxophone player and flautist — bought Tamborello a drum machine, a sequencer, a keyboard and an eight track recorder, primarily for the possibility to create music on his own. He recorded an album under the pseudonym Antihouse in 1993, and released it in 1994. He began work on the first Dntel EP in 1994, which was not released until later.
Around 1994, Jimmy Tamborello was also the bass player for a band known as Strictly Ballroom. The band was often described as "Enocore," for the way it fused hardcore punk rock with soundscapes inspired by Brian Eno. Strictly Ballroom recorded one album, titled Hide Here Forever, which was released in 1997 on the Waxploitation Records label.
A collection of the demos during the period of 1995-1997 titled Early Works For Me If It Works For You (1999) was released on the label Phthalo. The work on the first Dntel EP was released as Something Always Goes Wrong (2000), also on the Phthalo label.
As a pioneer of contemporary glitch and electronica, Dntel gained a cult following. After writing a track for the Voices In My Lunchbox collaboration for the Plug Research label, he was asked to work with them. He first released Anyone Anywhere (2000), a 12-inch EP.
He released his full-length album Life is Full of Possibilities (2001). The album contained a slew of guests, playing vocals, guitar and others, including Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, Mia Doi Todd, fellow Figurine member Meredith Figurine, Chris Gunst of Beachwood Sparks, Brian McMahan of Slint and The For Carnation, and Rachel Haden of That Dog. Probably the most well-received song was the Ben Gibbard collaboration "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan", which led to a single in 2002, and later, the forming of the band The Postal Service with Ben Gibbard. Tamborello is also credited for Programming "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" A Billboard chart topper for Bright Eyes.
Dntel is currently working with The Postal Service, as well as (reportedly) working on the next Dntel LP, rumored to be titled "Dumb Luck."
[edit] Figurine
Tamborello is also part of Figurine, an electro-pop band consisting of Tamborello, now in character as James Figurine, Meredith Figurine and David Figurine. The three were high school friends and created music based mostly on the theme of long distance love, with an inventive electro-pop sound.
Tamborello has also recently released an album under the "solo name" of James Figurine, entitled Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake. This album is more of a downtempo electronica album which, despite the moniker, sounds more like a slightly less glitchy version of his Dntel work than his work with Figurine.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Early Works For Me If It Works For You | Phthalo |
| 2001 | Life is Full of Possibilities | Plug Research |
| 2006 | Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake | Plug Research |
[edit] EPs
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Something Always Goes Wrong | Phthalo |
| 2001 | Anyone Anywhere | Plug Research |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan | Plug Research |
| 2006 | Rock my Boat bw Everything's Tricks | AIM Records |
[edit] Trivia
- He had a cameo in the music video for "Rise Up with Fists!!" by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins.
- Contributed to the UNICEF benefit song, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" in 2005.
