Death's Dynamic Shroud
Death's Dynamic Shroud (stylized in all lowercase; also known as death's dynamic shroud.wmv under specific releases) is an American electronic and vaporwave trio consisting of James Webster, Tech Honors, and Keith Rankin.[1] The band releases a large amount of music regularly as sample-driven mixtapes under the .wmv moniker, in addition to releasing more standard mainline albums.
| Death's Dynamic Shroud | |
|---|---|
Tech Honors (left), Keith Rankin (center), and James Webster (right) performing as Death’s Dynamic Shroud in 2023. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Dayton, Philadelphia, Los Angeles |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels |
|
| Members |
|
The band's conception started with just James Webster and Tech Honors in late 2013, releasing their first mixtape (by James) on January 2, 2014. Keith Rankin joined later in August that same year in the co-creation of the first mainline album 신세기 EVANGELIS with James Webster. However, James Webster and Tech Honors had been creating music together and independently, for several years prior.[2][3] In 2017, with the release of their album Heavy Black Heart, the group used the name, 'death's dynamic shroud' for mainline albums, and 'death's dynamic shroud.wmv' for their NUWRLD mixtape series.
History edit
During the 2000s and early 2010s (pre-2013), Webster, Honors, and Rankin were active within the Dayton, Ohio, music scene.[4] Since their teens, Honors and Webster played together in the space rock band, The Sailing, with Honors on vocals and keyboard, and Webster on vocals and guitar.[5]
In early 2011, Rankin founded Orange Milk Records with Seth Graham.[6][7] During the same time period and through 2013, Honors, Webster, along with other collaborators such as Rankin, and The Sailing bandmate Michael Kirkland took turns writing and publishing a song a day to Soundcloud under the pseudonym Rebecca Peake.[8] Honors and Webster would later release albums compiling tracks from each month through Bandcamp, three of which were given official cassette releases via Squids Eye Tapes.[9] Certain songs from the project would later be re-released or rearranged by the collaborators under different aliases.[10]
In 2012, Honors and Webster founded Ghost Diamond as a way to pool their collaborative work.[11] The band members would continue to release more works under various labels and aliases, both as groups and individuals, and would lead to interest in vaporwave.
Early 2014 would see the release of the first project under the death's dynamic shroud.wmv name, シェンムーONLINE, which heavily samples the Shenmue soundtrack and was produced by Webster alone. This would start a series of vaporwave mixtapes produced individually by Honors and Webster, known as the NUWRLD Mixtapes.
In 2015, the album I'll Try Living Like This, was released digital and CD-R.[12] Unlike previous Death's Dynamic Shroud albums by Rankin or Webster, I'll Try Living Like This was not produced using the Portastudio, in order to compliment the CD-R release. It was ranked #15 out of 50 on FACT Magazine's Top 50 Best Albums of 2015.[13]
Modern Conception edit
In 2017 they released Heavy Black Heart under Orange Milk Records, and marked the group's first album with all three members working together.[14] It also marked a slight departure from vaporwaves' typically lo-fi production while still retaining its sample-heavy roots.[15] The band regards the release as an inflection point that defined their creative structure, and saw more standardization of release names and collaborations.
Honors and Webster would feature together as death's dynamic shroud on the 2018 Neo Gaia Phantasy Tour in Japan, alongside other musicians in the vaporwave scene Equip and R23X. The tour visited Okazaki, Kobe, Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo.[16] The setlist played on the tour would later be re-recorded and mastered as a studio album in 2019, Live From Japan, featuring remade songs from previous albums and mixtapes alongside new material. Webster would return for the second Neo Gaia Phantasy Tour in 2019, although Honors would not be able to attend.
In late 2020 the NUWRLD Mixtape Club, a Bandcamp subscription service which allowed members access to exclusive death's dynamic shroud mixtapes on a monthly basis was opened to the public.[17] For the first year of the mixtape club, mixtapes were produced by Honors and Webster, alternating each month. Rankin would release his first mixtape for the club, Faith In Persona on November 1, 2021, to favorable reviews and marked a turning point in the group's visibility.[18] It would be released on Spotify and Apple Music a month later.[19]
In early 2022 the band announced a new mainline album titled Darklife,[20] again featuring contributions from all three members, which was later released in September to positive reviews.[21][22] The album was praised for being ambitious and unlike most contemporary electronic music releases. A follow-up album, After Angel, was released in 2023 consisting of material recorded in the same sessions as Darklife, eight songs which were available previously on two EPs, and four new tracks.[23]
On November 10th, 2023, the band simultaneously released three mixtapes from their NUWRLD Mixtape Club to the public as revised albums: Midnight Tangerine, Keys to The Gate, and Transcendence Bot. [24] Each album was a solo mixtape made by Tech Honors, James Webster, and Keith Rankin but with cross-production work shared between members for the revised albums and distributed on streaming services and LP by 100% Electronica.[25]
Discography edit
NUWRLD Mixtapes (2014) edit
| Title | Date | Details | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|
| シェンムーONLINE | January 2, 2014 |
| James Webster |
| ティーンファンタジー：MYSTIC QUEST | February 18, 2014 |
| Tech Honors |
| D.E.S.I.R.E.私が若い頃 | March 1, 2014 |
| James Webster |
| RPGウィンドウズ ビスタ | March 15, 2014 |
| James Webster |
| #NUWRLDの気持ち | April 6, 2014 |
| James Webster |
| 世界大戦OLYMPICS | April 20, 2014 |
| Tech Honors |
| SEAWRLDハートブレーク | June 8, 2014 |
| Tech Honors |
| DERELICTメガタワー | June 20, 2014 |
| James Webster |
| 失われた時REGRET | August 1, 2014 |
| James Webster Tech Honors |
Mainline albums (2014–present) edit
| Title | Date | Details | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 신세기 EVANGELIS | August 26, 2014 |
| James Webster Keith Rankin |
| VIRTUAL UTOPIA EXPERIENCE | November 8, 2014 |
| James Webster |
| I'll Try Living Like This | May 15, 2015 |
| James Webster Keith Rankin |
| CLASSROOM SEXXTAPE | May 13, 2016 |
| Tech Honors |
| Heavy Black Heart | August 15, 2017 |
| Tech Honors James Webster Keith Rankin |
| Darklife | September 23, 2022 |
| Tech Honors James Webster Keith Rankin |
| After Angel | June 30, 2023 |
| Tech Honors James Webster Keith Rankin |
Live albums edit
| Title | Date | Details | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live from Japan | September 6, 2019 |
| James Webster Tech Honors |
Singles edit
- "Judgment Bolt" (2022)
- "Neon Memories" (2022)
- "Messe de E-102" (2022)
- "Fall for Me" (2022)
- "You Are Burning Me Up Like This" (2023)
- "Phantom You, In Four Parts" (2023)
- "The Bleeding of the Sun" (2023)
- "Love Heat" (2023)
- "What? to be human" (2023)
- "Who I Say I Am" (2023)
- "Let Them Live" (2023)
- "Profane Angelic Function" (2023)
NUWRLD Mixtape Club releases (2020–present) edit
| Title | Date | Details | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEAWRLD 2 | November 2, 2020 | Tech Honors | |
| さよならTAISAI | December 1, 2020 | James Webster | |
| YELLOW FLOWER LOST | January 1, 2021 | Tech Honors | |
| ENDLESSメガタワー I | February 1, 2021 | James Webster | |
| おはよう ATHLETICS! | March 1, 2021 | Tech Honors | |
| Sleepless | April 1, 2021 | James Webster | |
| The Masterflan | May 1, 2021 |
| Tech Honors James Webster |
| サンシャインMANIA | June 1, 2021 | James Webster | |
| POISONの時代に | July 1, 2021 | Tech Honors | |
| ENDLESSメガタワー II | August 1, 2021 | James Webster | |
| softwrld | September 1, 2021 | Tech Honors | |
| Monument to the Architect | October 1, 2021 | James Webster | |
| Faith in Persona | November 1, 2021 |
| Keith Rankin |
| A Quiet Reset | December 1, 2021 | Tech Honors | |
| ENDLESSメガタワー III | January 1, 2022 | James Webster | |
| RIBBON EP | January 6, 2022 |
| James Webster |
| Crisis パーティ | February 1, 2022 | Tech Honors | |
| Keys to the Gate | March 1, 2022 |
| James Webster |
| Kingdom of One | April 2, 2022 | Tech Honors | |
| Transcendence Bot | May 1, 2022 |
| Keith Rankin |
| DREAMガーデン | June 1, 2022 | James Webster | |
| Midnight Tangerine | July 7, 2022 |
| Tech Honors |
| Reality 2 : Archive of Fading Mist (part ii) | August 7, 2022 | Keith Rankin | |
| ENDLESSメガタワー IV | September 7, 2022 | James Webster | |
| The Lunar Curtain | October 7, 2022 |
| Tech Honors James Webster Keith Rankin |
| MYSTIC QUEST REMAKE | November 23, 2022 | Tech Honors | |
| Bio System-J | December 7, 2022 |
| Tech Honors James Webster Keith Rankin |
| MYSTIC SIDEQUEST EP | December 21, 2022 |
| Tech Honors |
| Together, Our Thing | January 7, 2023 |
| Keith Rankin Holly Waxwing |
| Holy Magic Self | February 7, 2023 | James Webster | |
| History of Holy Magic | February 15, 2023 |
| James Webster |
| Bright Heart Rotating Into View | March 10, 2023 | Tech Honors | |
| Letter to Myself | April 1, 2023 | Keith Rankin | |
| GenoMods | April 10, 2023 | Keith Rankin | |
| Blue Ocean | May 8, 2023 | James Webster | |
| Darklife Anthology | June 30, 2023 |
| Tech Honors James Webster Keith Rankin |
| Rainbow Prison | July 31, 2023 | Tech Honors James Webster | |
| No Tomorrow | August 31, 2023 | Keith Rankin | |
| CASTLEデザイア | September 25, 2023 | James Webster | |
| From a Distance | October 31, 2023 | Tech Honors James Webster | |
| FORESTLIMIT BOOTLEG | November 29, 2023 |
| Tech Honors James Webster |
| Reality 2 : Archive of Fading Mist (part i) | December 18, 2023 | Keith Rankin |
Remixes edit
| Artist | Title | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOLDEN LIVING ROOM | Al'Teau (death's dynamic shroud Remix Special Version) | July 15, 2016 |
|
| Nmesh | Hepatic Portal (death's dynamic shroud.wmv's Nuwrld Version) | August 4, 2017 |
|
| KOROstyle | Selector (death's dynamic shroud Remix) | February 7, 2020 |
|
| Equip | Nocturne Catacombs (death's dynamic shroud Remix) | May 26, 2020 |
|
| R23X | Project Veltahl (Dds Remix) | October 23, 2020 |
|
| Neggy Gemmy | California (death's dynamic shroud Remix) | March 2, 2022 |
|
| Small Black | Postcard (death's dynamic shroud Remix) | May 31, 2022 |
|
| Vitesse X | Potential Energy (death's dynamic shroud Remix) | December 2, 2022 |
|
| WTRGRL | Scream (death's dynamic shroud Remix) | June 30, 2023 |
|
References edit
- ^ "An Interview with Tech Honors of Death's Dynamic Shroud". vwmusicrocks.com. 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ nice, haha. "haha nice x death's dynamic shroud [2022 interview]". youtube. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ Lucia, Emma. "Keith Rankin on his death's dynamic shroud.wmv project and the future of pop". RTRFM. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ death's dynamic shroud [@ddsnuwrld] (March 30, 2021). "~A brief history of death's dynamic shroud~ a thread. 2000s: @HCMJmagic @techhonors and @keithrankin0_0 are a part of the Dayton, Ohio music scene - friends and in bands together ???-2010: All three put out dozens of synth, rock, and experimental albums under various aliases" (Tweet). from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Thrasher, Don. "The Sailing: a final show and album release". dayton-daily-news. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ death's dynamic shroud [@ddsnuwrld] (March 30, 2021). "2011: @keithrankin0_0 and @sethaarongraham found Orange Milk Records 2011-2012: Tech and James with former bandmate Michael Kirkland and other guests write and release a song every day for 366 days as Rebecca Peake. Played on BBC radio and made "Soundclouder of the Day"" (Tweet). from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "About/Demo/Return Policy". Orange Milk Records. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
Orange Milk Records is operated by Keith Rankin and Seth Graham.
- ^ . 2021-04-05. Archived from the original on 2021-04-05. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
- ^ "Rebecca Peake". Rebecca Peake. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
- ^ "The World's Strongest by Rebecca Peake". Bandcamp. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ death's dynamic shroud [@ddsnuwrld] (March 30, 2021). "Around this time Tech and James found Ghost Diamond - a way to pool the long-time collaborators' work in a single place in order to amplify each others' successes 2012: @orangemilkrecs releases Webster's album 'Honeybee' (as HCMJ)" (Tweet). from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ . Bandcamp. 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Ravens, Chal; Wilson, Scott; Lea, Thom; Twells, John; Kelly, Chris; Bowe, Miles. "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". FACT Magazine. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Parks, Andrew (10 January 2024). "Death's Dynamic Shroud Are Ready to Rock". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ Beane, Pat. "Death's dynamic shroud returns with Heavy Black Heart on Orange Milk, premieres single". tinymixtapes. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ . 2018-11-19. Archived from the original on 2018-11-19. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ death's dynamic shroud [@ddsnuwrld] (November 2, 2020). "🚨 LIVE NOW 🚨 NUWRLD MIXTAPE CLUB https://deathsdynamicshroud.bandcamp.com/nuwrld-mixtape-club" (Tweet). Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Fantano, Anthony (13 December 2021). "death's dynamic shroud.wmv - Faith in Persona ALBUM REVIEW". theneedledrop. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ death's dynamic shroud [@ddsnuwrld] (December 18, 2021). "Want to hear what you've been missing in the NUWRLD Mixtape Club? As a special holiday gift, you can stream Faith in Persona 🚨FOR A LIMITED TIME🚨 on Spotify and Apple Music.🎍Happy holidays everyone!🎍" (Tweet). Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "death's dynamic shroud share "Judgment Bolt," announce new album". The FADER. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Blackwell, Matthew. "Darklife". pitchfork. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ Gadbois, Drew (13 October 2022). "'Darklife': death's dynamic shroud's operatic reinvention". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "You Are Burning Me Up Like This: An Interview with death's dynamic shroud". Uoeindiemusicsoc. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ death's dynamic shroud tweeting about trio album release: https://twitter.com/ddsnuwrld/status/1722985351508087124
- ^ "death's dynamic shroud". 100% Electronica. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Death's Dynamic Shroud.wmv". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ "History of Holy Magic, by death's dynamic shroud.wmv". death's dynamic shroud. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
External links edit
- Death's Dynamic Shroud on Bandcamp