Copy (aka Marius Libman)
is the one man, keytar wielding, dynamically melodic beat master
of Portland Oregon's underground dance music scene. Innovative and
catchy, he was first known for eruptive dance parties, until his
debut album proved how headphone friendly his music was and kept
them spinning the morning after the sweat had dried and long into
the work week. Earning praise from music nerds, DJs, and party kids,
he somehow managed to catch the ears of even the electro haters
and indie rockers, and was the first solo/electronic artist to ever
get voted "Best New Band" by Portland alt weekly The Willamette
Week. He caught the most jaded and unsuspecting listeners off guard
with his unofficial R&B reworks on The Diva mixtape and Bone
Thugs-N-Harmony-N-Copy, where he showed his knack as a remixer by
turning Whitney into an electro banger and putting the bleep into
hip-hop years before it became acceptable by mainstream producers.
Named after a horror movie concept created by friend and Portland
DJ/performance artist Joe Von Appen, Hard Dream is loosely intended
as a score to the un-filmed movie; part synth pop, part electro,
part Italo disco, with a twist of Ratatat, and a dash of John Carpenter.
Copy's third album for Audio Dregs sheds a slightly darker thriller
vibe than the previous two, kicking off with a long arpeggiated
intro that creeps in for a full two minutes before the beat breaks
through the dark clouds; taking us from the twinkly bliss of "Shoots"
into "Breakfast"'s frenetic maze of driving beats and
closing with the triumphant 8-bit punk of "Stay Away From It".
Raised on the likes of Minor Threat, De La Soul, Tortoise
and Mahavishnu Orchestra, later playing in prog and punk bands,
and eventually going DJ and record store clerk, Marius has always
been musically obsessed with a variety of genres. Citing OMD, Fugazi
and Dr. Dre as some of his biggest influences he somehow manages
to add it all up to an extremely focused and appealing sound - both
nostalgic and forward thinking at the same time. Whether carrying
ecstatic dancers with the bass and beats or tickling the ears of
the more finely tuned listener who wants to get lost in the journey
that the melody has to offer, Copy brings the noise in his own distinctive
style.