Music Style Electronic

Musical Influences hip hop, rock, trance, dub, jungle

Artist History The idea for TRS-80 came to Kent Rayhill and Jay Rajeck in 1998 . "Jay and I had played in bands together since high school and we were always in the same place musically. We both wanted to play an experimental mix of all of our influences, hip hop, rock, trance, dub, jungle and we wanted to be able to perform it live with instruments. We also didn't want to take ourselves too seriously, we wanted to have fun writing and recording," explains Kent. "We hooked up with a couple of friends and gave it a try but it was a mess. There was no focus and each practice was nothing more than a keyboard noodle fest." Sensing quickly that the other members didn't share their vision, Jay and Kent started from scratch and brought in friend Deb Schimmel. "She had the same ideas," says Jay, "and she was really committed to being in the band. So, of course, she was in. " Now that all the pieces were in place, TRS-80 was able to develop their own sound while remaining true to their commitment to play live with Jay on the drums and Deb and Kent on keyboards. TRS-80 held their first sessions in Jay's bedroom in his small Chicago apartment. "We didn't have much equipment yet and we were crammed into this super hot, tiny room but we were so excited by what we were writing that we couldn't wait to get together again," explains Deb of TRS-80's first few months together. During this time, an enormous amount of material was recorded, more than enough for their four song demo. Kent says of the demo, "Every club that received it gave us a great response. That blew me away because I knew we were capable of producing much better songs, so the future looked good." So good that their first gig was the opening slot for Death in Vegas. "The clubs have always treated us well. We've worked hard on our live shows and it seems to pay off," says Jay. The audience and the clubs took notice. It was the beginning of a steady performance career. With this new stream of income, the band began assembling their own studio piece by piece. TRS-80 recorded, produced and released their first EP, Radiograbadora, in the spring of 1998. The five song EP was a tremendous first effort that skillfully mixed beats with dub flavored bass, samples and analog synths to create a unique aural collage. Their music also demonstrated a wide spectrum of emotion with songs that were menacing or playful, sometimes in the same song. "We wanted to create music that had subtle nuances so you can experience something new with each listen." says Deb. And they could play it live. With drum kit, keyboards and anything that would fit on stage in tow, TRS-80 combined their music with compelling video projections for a complete audio-visual experience. In fact, TRS-80 was developing a solid performance reputation. They played with Bedhead, Solex, Jim O'Rourke and Oval at The Empty Bottle to an ever-growing number of fans. Gigs with Frontier, Laika and Sonic Boom's E.A.R. soon followed. TRS-80 was becoming The Empty Bottle's electronic house band. Their sound was unique enough to dodge the standard categories but appealed to just about everyone. In addition to the Empty Bottle gigs, they were hand-picked to open for The Creatures and The Sisters of Mercy. And they continued to write and record. Industry Needs Electronic Skills, TRS-80's first full-length album, was released in the fall of 1999. Like Radiograbadora, it was recorded and produced entirely by the band. Industry was picked up by local record stores and garnered a prime listening station spot at Tower Records. The album continues to sell steadily, almost a year after its release. Not ones to ignore the ever-growing internet music scene, TRS-80 posted music on its own site, TRS80.com, as well as on Epitonic.com where they were among the top five electronic bands downloaded with over 55,000 downloads. All this without a label or any promotion whatsoever. Success like this doesn't go unnoticed. Invisible Records, whose president is the inimitable Martin Atkins of Ministry, PiL, and Pigface fame, began courting the band. Invisible asked the band to record Everyday is Halloween for their Wish you were Queer tribute to Ministry, and again on an album of Dead Kennedys covers released the same year. Respectful of the band's "do it yourself" work ethic, TRS-80 was granted full creative control, remaining the sole producers of their music. "Signing with Invisible is a great opportunity for us to reach a bigger audience without having to change the way we write or record," says Kent. The result is their Invisible debut, The Manhattan Love Machine, a sonic adventure that begins with the massive Tickle Fingers. The soundscape broadens from the lush Naturescent to the starkly hypnotic Night Soil. The journey ends with the schizophrenic drum-and-bass infused The Modern Practical Method. Their latest effort vividly showcases their unique sound as it bobs and weaves though an unpredictable electronic tapestry. "I think we've come a long way from our demo and we rework everything for our live shows so our older material still holds up next to the new," says Deb. With a nod to the past and an eye on the future, TRS-80 is surely a band that will continue to challenge themselves and their audiences.

Group Members [Kent Rayhill - Keyboards] [Jay Rajeck - Drums] [Deb Schimmel - Keyboards]

Instruments Keyboards & Drums

Albums RADIOGRABADORA, industry needs electronic skills, The Manhattan Love Machine

Press Reviews "Backed by more computing power onstage than that which controlled the first eight Apollo space missions, TRS-80 proffers samples and ambient sounds, all laid down on a foundation of drum beats put forth by a good ol' fashioned human being. Our favorite electronic whiz kids" The Empty Bottle - Chicago

Location Chicago, IL - USA

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