College's David Grellier on 'Drive' Success, '80s Soap Operas and MySpace's Death

Emily Thomas — 2012-09-14T15:00:00 00:00

PJ Skyman

David Grellier's story begins with a gift. In the summer of 1999, the brains behind the one-man band College was bestowed a computer. He spent the next few weeks of his vacation playing around with music-making programs. Fast-forward a decade and Grellier composes the EP A Real Hero, with vocals by the electro-pop outfit Electric Youth. It would become the hit single off the soundtrack of last fall's neo-noir drama, "Drive," a chart topper in France and a classic theme for sportsmen everywhere. The soundtrack's success led College, Electric Youth and Anaroaak to form the "Drive" Tour, a 28-stop tour across the U.S. Expect pastel neons, frizzy-hair, and a sea of flashy varsity jackets swaying in a synth-heavy cloud of ethereal beats.

Before Grellier committed full-time to his music he was working as an accountant in Paris, an experience he says gave him a firm foundation in the financial aspect of music business. "It's easier to understand what your value is and what to expect of the future. Some artists are really closed from that," he tells Spinner. "I also don't like to share my artistic vision. I've had a strong artistic vision since the beginning.

Nicolas Jaar and Noah Kraft Expand PS1 Show Into Multimedia Entities

Emily Thomas — 2012-02-29T16:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, Exclusive, RPM

Courtesy of Clown and Sunset

Inside a white geodesic dome, recently propped up for the inaugural "Sunday Sessions" at the Museum of Modern Art's PS1 in New York City, an unearthly performance transpired when 22-year-old Ableton master Nicolas Jaar performed a five-hour set for an eclectic international group. At the center of the dome, amid a mound of microphones, speakers and analog equipment, Jaar achieved a beautiful coalescence of space, motion, sound and time.

Throughout the performance, titled 'From Scratch,' Jaar was joined by energetic saxophonist Will Epstein, guitarist Dave Harrington and angelic singer Sasha Spielberg, who is a classmate of Jaar's at Brown University and daughter of the renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

On a portion of the dome's ceiling, Pomp and Clout video artist Ryan Staake projected black-and-white found footage of woodsy outdoors layered by video from a live feed of the audience. The first chunk of the lengthy exhibition was largely a solo performance by Jaar, who created soundscapes out of feedback, recorded and looped rhythms and magnified spacey field recordings.