January 24, 2001
Lesser: London Notting Hill Arts Club
San Fran glitch-mangler proves this laptop-wrecking thing isn't always the sound of the future...
Well at least he's made an effort. Interesting moustache, smart brown shirt, swept-back hair: he might look like a trainee pimp, but you can't fault San Francisco's J Lesser in the style stakes - not when compared to his more sartorially challenged laptop-jockeying brethren.
A long-time affiliate of California's found-sound pioneers Matmos and occasional touring partner of Kid 606, 30-year-old Lesser is an avuncular character, a veteran noise collagist whose playful, cavalier approach to his subject tends to overshadow his frequently mediocre productions. Busy and provocative his debut rarities collection 'Gearhound' may be, but it's also a difficult and unrewarding listening experience.
As on record, so it is live. Lesser flits over genres like a deranged butterfly, settling briefly upon spasmodic drum'n'bass rhythms before hacking up sine waves and picking at the pustules on his PowerBook's hard-drive. It's an improvised journey, a slapdash navigation through his latest sound-files while a CD player hops, skips and jumps at his command.
What's most encouraging, especially to the eager-eyed boys documenting Lesser's every sudden twitch, is that really, anyone with the necessary inclination and the crudest technology can make this kind of music. Laptops replaced guitars long ago as the starter tool of choice and, as Lesser proves, you don't need to be a genius to achieve this level of success. You just need luck.
Piers Martin
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