Dirty Beaches

Alex Zhang Hungtai

Alex Hungtai (Dirty Beaches) performing in Paris, on February 19, 2012
Background information
Also known as Dirty Beaches, Last Lizard
Genres Lo-fi, no wave, experimental, rockabilly
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, keyboard, synth, sampler
Years active 2005-present
Labels Zoo Music
Associated acts Last Lizard
Website dirtybeaches.bandcamp.com

Alex Zhang Hungtai (born September 4, 1980 in Taipei), formerly known by his stage name Dirty Beaches is a Taiwanese-born Canadian musician originating from Montreal, Quebec. He is currently based in Los Angeles, and releases music under the name Last Lizard.

Dirty Beaches released a number of EPs and instrumental-focused albums on cassette-only labels, before releasing the full-length Badlands in March 2011.[1] Badlands was subsequently nominated as a long listed nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize.[2] Dirty Beaches has also released singles including "True Blue"/"Sweet 17," "Lord Knows Best" and "Lone Runner," as well as videos, many of them directed by Zhang himself. Zhang has also recorded several original film soundtracks, such as for the documentary Water Park, by Evan Prosofsky.

History

Dirty Beaches began as a one-man band, sometimes employing sampling, inspired by Zhang's longtime love of hip hop. In addition to his own years moving between countries and on the road touring, films are one of Zhang's influences, particularly those by Wong Kar-wai. Zhang said Wong's movies are "usually about the passage of time, and how in relation it distorts your relationship with everything else in life. The central Dirty Beaches character is a product of those experiences. Of someone traveling long distances in search of something, in exile, misplaced, with no home to return to."[3] Zhang has lived in Taipei, Queens, Etobicoke, Honolulu, San Francisco, Shanghai, Vancouver, Montreal, Berlin and Lisbon[4] among other cities.

Dirty Beaches has released work on record labels throughout the world since his first album Old Blood came out on Montreal's Fixture Records in 2007. Dirty Beaches has recorded and toured with musicians such as Dum Dum Girls, U.S. Girls, Ela Orleans and Xiu Xiu. In 2011, Zhang was able to leave a kitchen job to play music full-time. First touring solo, he then put together a live band with sax player Francesco De Gallo and drummer Jesse Locke. On tour, Dirty Beaches moved away from the sample-based rock n roll of Badlands to embrace a more improvised sound. In 2012, guitarist Shub Roy and electronic musician Bernardino Femminielli joined Dirty Beaches live and in the studio, and they remain members of the band as of 2013.

After the release of Badlands and a number of EPs and collaborations, Dirty Beaches recorded 75 minutes of new material in late 2012 and early 2013. One set of songs, Drifters, was begun at La Brique recording space in Montreal and features Zhang's vocals and songwriting, along with instrumental contributions by Roy and Femminielli and former bandmates De Gallo and Locke. Making use of live instruments- guitar, bass, keyboard, drum machines and saxophones- arranged into original loops, none of the eight songs include any samples of previously existent recordings, a change from Zhang's previous working methods. During the course of recording Drifters, Zhang's relationship of several years ended in Canada and he relocated to the studio of friend Anton Newcombe in Berlin, where he finished the record and also recorded Love is the Devil, an instrumental set of eight songs, in late hours when the studio was not in use.

Drifters/Love Is The Devil was released as a double LP, as well as on a single CD and in digital formats, by the Zoo Music label in May 2013. Dirty Beaches will tour Europe and other regions in spring and summer of 2013. Earlier in the year Dirty Beaches toured the Asia Pacific region for the first time.

In November 2013, Dirty Beaches played the All Tomorrow's Parties festival held at the seaside resort of Camber Sands, United Kingdom.[5]

In August 2014, Dirty Beaches announced his 3rd album, Stateless, which would be entirely instrumental and released in November 2014.

In a series of tweets in October 2014, Dirty Beaches announced their breakup.[6] In early 2015, Hungtai began releasing music under the project name of Last Lizard.


Discography

Studio albums

Singles and EPs

Collaborations

Soundtracks

Music videos

References

  1. ↑ "Sadness suits Dirty Beaches". The Georgia Straight, May 25, 2011.
  2. ↑ "2011 Polaris Music Prize Long List announced". aux.tv, June 16, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Dirty Beaches Interview". nothingbadmag.com. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Dirty Beaches Interview to Público". Públicoril 2014.
  5. ↑ http://www.atpfestival.com/events/endofanerapart2.php
  6. ↑ http://pitchfork.com/news/57227-dirty-beaches-calls-it-quits/
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