Gavin Russom (b. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 1974) is an artist and musician working simultaneously in the media of writing, visual art and music. He produces concerts, exhibitions and recordings, which frequently use and blur the lines between these disciplines. Using self-designed and constructed electronic instruments, he sees his work as an attempt to create new and self-sustaining languages and forms which approach the functionality of ritual and to explore the alleged boundary between tangible reality and a deeper, more archetypal and abstract world. Direct exploration of the medium of sound and its effect on consciousness is critical to his creative practice.

Russom began creating home recordings in 1987 based on simple designs using feedback, mixers and tape loops. Discovering group improvisation in 1991 he began to collaborate with other artists and musicians including Michael Kelley (Kelley Polar) and Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt) in numerous free form “bands”. From 1994 - 1996 he studied musical composition with composer and music theorist Benjamin Boretz at Bard College.

Relocating to New York City in 1997 he continued to work on music both solo and in several collaborations and began performing “magic shows” based on a synthesis of radical compositional structure, ritual and stage magic, shamanic practice and avant-garde performance. Integrating his visual art practice in sculpture, drawing and painting, Russom also created objects which echoed the spirit of the performances and musical works but also existed outside the context of these events.

In 1998 he began creating collaborative works with musician and visual artist Delia Gonzalez. Between 2001 and 2007 the pair engaged in a period of intense collaboration; narrowing their focus and working towards a consistent shared vision. Much of their research, experimentation and creative output was synthesized into the 2005 album “The Days of Mars” released by DFA records. They also worked with many international galleries and museums producing large scale sculptural installations which gave visual forms to the landscapes suggested by the music. Collaboration with other artists included performances and singles (2005’s “Casual Friday” and the yet to be released “Hey Coach (I read your diary)”) under the name “Black Leotard Front”.

In 2006, inspired by European disco and electronic dance music, he began the project “Black Meteoric Star” as a way to channel the energy and repetition of these forms into a rich sonic landscape, releasing what he sees as the potential power of what dance and dance music can be. 3 12” singles under this name will be released on DFA records in 2009.

Russom currently lives in Berlin and continues to create new musical works, produce exhibitions of drawing and sculpture for international galleries and museums and to design and build electronic instruments,. He is currently composing a suite of songs using guitar, voice and self designed electronics for both live performance and recording.

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Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom "The Days of Mars" LP (DFA, 2005)

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