Russell E.L. Butler

Russell E.L. Butler is an electronic musician based in the Bay Area who makes stripped-down yet high-impact techno using analog hardware equipment. Originally from Bermuda, the non-binary artist's work explores themes related to transplantation, evolution, and healing. Initially known for making goth-influenced synth pop as Black Jeans, Butler began releasing improvised techno and acid tracks under their own name in 2014, gradually expanding their sound through releases like 2018 full-length The Home I'd Build for Myself and All My Friends. Butler first began making vocal-based goth/EBM under the name Black Jeans, debuting with a self-titled tape in 2011 before releasing the LP Black Tourmaline in 2013. Switching to instrumental techno, Butler released Constructions, an album of live hardware-based improvisations, in 2014. This was followed by God Is Change, a 2015 release inspired by the philosophy of the Parable novels by groundbreaking science fiction author Octavia E. Butler. Issued by Opal Tapes, the release immediately received critical acclaim, with NPR naming it one of their favorite electronic albums of the year. Cassette EP Visions of the Future appeared on Jacktone in 2016, shortly followed by vinyl EP The First Step on Black Opal. I'm Dropping Out of Life, an EP dedicated to Butler's friends who perished in the 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire, was released by CGI Records in 2017. Butler's equally introspective full-length The Home I'd Build for Myself and All My Friends appeared on Left Hand Path in 2018. An EP of rough, functional club tracks titled Petty was released by Ghostly International's Spectral Sound imprint in 2018.
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