The members of The Octopus Project are collectors of sounds — beautiful, noisy, soothing exciting sounds; electronic, acoustic, natural and unnatural sounds. The music they make is an invitation for the listener to step inside the sonic structures they've constructed with the procurements from their ongoing search and wonder at the strange collection of tamed beasts. But the band also lets those sounds off the leash — The Octopus Project's live shows have developed over the years into a multi-sensory audiovisual riot that keep the senses overwhelmed and the dance floor moving.
Since playing their first tentative shows in the summer of 1999, The Octopus Project has developed into a powerful and prolific group, both in the studio and on the stage. Following a handful of self-released recordings, the first proper full-length was 2002's Identification Parade, which also served as the occasion to launch their work as a touring band. Fast-forward to 2009, and we find our intrepid musicians three albums in, with a plethora of singles, remixes and collaborations under their belts and a worldwide touring schedule that has recently included the UK's All Tomorrow's Parties festival, Taiwan's Spring Scream fest and the Coachella, Lollapalooza and ACL festivals here in the States. On the recording front, the band's most recent offering is the Golden Beds EP, a follow-up to 2007's spectacular full-length Hello, Avalanche, which earned high praise from such tastemakers as Rolling Stone, Spin, Wired, Magnet, The Village Voice, Pitchfork and Stereogum.
The Octopus Project's immediate plans include continued North American touring through the Fall. This time out, the quartet's numerous club dates will include a handful of non-traditional theater appearances where they will perform "Visual Music," a unique and somewhat psychedelic multimedia experience the band first presented to sold-out audiences at Austin's beloved Alamo Drafthouse Theater earlier this summer.
Following the tour, the group plans to return to Austin, carefully unpack the new noises collected along their travels and begin work on a new album, sure to reveal a whole new side of The Octopus Project's musical curiosity cabinet.
Discography
Albums
• Identification Parade CD (Peek-A-Boo Records, 2002)
• One Ten Hundred Thousand Million LP/CD (Peek-A-Boo Records, 2005)
• One Ten Hundred Thousand Million LP/CD
(White Wabbit Records [TAIWAN/HONG KONG], 2006)
• The House of Apples & Eyeballs LP/CD with Black Moth Super Rainbow
(Graveface Records, 2006)
• Hello, Avalanche LP/CD (Peek-A-Boo Records, 2007)
Singles & EPs
• Christmas on Mars CD EP (Soda Pop Productions, 1999)
• Black Octopus Lipstick Project Foam Party CD EP
(Peek-A-Boo Records, 2004)
• "Wet Gold" / "Moon Boil" 7" (Too Pure Recordings, 2008)
• Golden Beds Enhanced CD EP (Peek-A-Boo Records, 2009)