Hassle Hound

Hassle Hound conjure up a sophisticated mess of complimentary contradictions, voraciously sampling everything in their paths. They create a music of accomplished innocence, lush and melodic but with a haunting undercurrent of melancholy and menace. Samples and loops from a range of unlikely sources are merged with live instrumentation to create wonky off-kilter avant-pop with bite. The group have played extensively in the U.K., Germany, Netherlands and France, alongside the likes of Melt Banana, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Knifehandchop, Scatter & Volcano the Bear. The band is comprised of three core members: Tony Swain (Glasgow), Mark Vernon (Glasgow) and Ela Orleans (New York). Each of them are also involved in their own side projects: Ela Orleans has just had her second solo LP released on ’La Station Radar’ to critical acclaim: http://www.myspace.com/elaorleans Mark Vernon is one half of sample hungry double act Vernon & Burns who have a new LP on Felix Kubin’s Gagarin Records: http://www.myspace.com/vernonandburns Tony Swain is currently recording material for his debut solo album on the Shadazz label. “These folks delight in genre defying. Their extensive use of odd samples recalls People Like Us, musically they resemble a whimsical jazz band playing toy instruments, Young Marble Giants demos, or Cale era Velvets in a mellow mood. Bright, colorful, upbeat with stoned candy puzzles, and collaged delights in the corners...” (Dream magazine) “ …the meeting point between idle nursery rhymes and Harry Partch.” (Small Fish) " Hassle Hound are the musical equivalent of a Valhalla-esque flea market crossed with a super-group of every charismatic, story-hoarding uncle the world has known. Moreover, the depth and breadth of samples layered in among the exquisitely crafted songs almost makes this a train-hopping, long-haired hippie cousin of The Books." (Brion Paul, XLR8R) www.myspace.com/hhound Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.