Subtle began in 2001 when Dax Pierson, an employee at the Amoeba Music record store in Berkeley, CA., met Adam Drucker at the record store. They decided to try and make some music together. The first time they got together Pierson also invited Alexander Kort to the session, whom Pierson had collaborated on performing, composing and improvising a score for some classic silent films (Marty Dowers was also a part of these collaborations). Later that year, Pierson was invited to an open mic show and invited other musicians to form a one-time group for a predominately improvised twenty minute performance. Pierson invited Marty Dowers (woodwind/synth), Jordan Dalrymple (drums/guitar) — a fellow Amoeba Music employee — and Alexander Kort (cello), all of whom Pierson had previously played with. Everyone enjoyed playing together so much that they decided to continue on as a group and added mpc/drum machinist Jeff 'Jel' Logan and emcee/vocalist Adam 'Doseone' Drucker, who had both created music as the duo Themselves.
Over the course of 2002 and 2003 Subtle released their four 'season' EPs: Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, which consisted mostly of homemade recordings and were released on Doseone's own label, A Purple 100. Winter was comprised solely of one 37-minute track which was entirely improvised at midnight on winter solstice. The EPs were eventually discontinued and replaced by the compilation album Earthsick in 2004, which was made up of the tracks thought by the band to be the best of the 'seasons' EPs and added four previously unreleased, untitled, improvised tracks.
In 2003 the band signed to Lex Records and, in 2004, released their first proper full-length, A New White. This album spawned the single "F.K.O.", which stands for "Fuck Kelly Osbourne". Introduced on the record, and a recurring character in much of Subtle's work, is 'Hour Hero Yes', an aspiring middle-class poet and rapper. He is mentioned throughout the two Subtle LPs and both remix compilations, as well as in the 13 & God (a collaboration between Doseone, Jel, Pierson and the Notwist) song "Ghostwork". Album and video artwork, as well as art on Subtle's official website, suggest 'Hour Hero Yes' to be a bald man with a black and white striped face — an image which is embodied by a bust that serves as a centerpiece prop during live Subtle shows. Their live shows are particularly noted for their theatricality, incorporating hand-painted backdrops, set props, "costumes", and theatrical monologues that go alongside the musical performances.
While on tour to promote A New White in 2005, the band's van went off the road after hitting a patch of black ice on a highway in Iowa. The driver, live sound engineer Patrick Scott and five members of the band sustained minor injuries, while Dax Pierson's upper spine was severely damaged, leaving him a quadriplegic. Dax has continued however to contribute to the band, but as of now, does not tour.
In 2006 the band released the CD/DVD Wishingbone, a sister album to A New White containing remixes of tracks from A New White, some remixed by Subtle, as well as new material. Three music videos were released on the DVD included with the album, all of which were produced by animation company SSSR. SSSR would also later create the video for the 2006 single "The Mercury Craze".
Subtle signed a distribution deal with Astralwerks/EMI as of July 2006. For Hero: For Fool was released in October 2006 on Lex and Astralwerks/EMI. Dax Pierson, rendered quadriplegic by their tour accident in 2005, contributed beatboxing, vocals and harmonica to the album and his contribution is prominently displayed on the final track, "The Ends". The album was received very well by critics, with Cokemachineglow.com declaring it their 2006 "Album of the Year". The single "The Mercury Craze" was released as a 7" Vinyl and CD single and is used as an opening for the German TV show Spam Deluxe.
In November 2006, while on tour in Europe, their tour van was robbed in Barcelona, Spain. Bags containing $15,000 worth of gear and personal belongings were stolen, including a laptop containing demos, draft lyrics and unreleased work. To try and recover some of the funds, Doseone drew personalized portraits of fans from photos they would send in.
Yell&Ice, a collection of remakes and remixes, was released October 2007, It featured collaborations with Why?, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, Markus Acher of the Notwist, and Chris Adams of Hood. Just as Wishingbone revisited Subtle’s first LP A New White, Yell&Ice explores and reinterprets their preceding full-length, For Hero: For Fool. Unlike a typical collection of remixes, Yell&Ice utterly reapproaches the lyrics and music of For Hero: For Fool. In order to better suit the palette and prowess of each respective collaborator, lyrics were rewritten, sounds resampled, and time signatures unlocked. These songbones were then sent to various collaborators who then rewrote, sang, and sequenced to the tune of their talents.
Both Wishingbone and Yell&Ice were fashioned to further explore Subtle’s conceptual protagonist, 'Hour Hero Yes', while creating a medium for the band’s love of collaborative music making. Doseone has likened the albums to early rap maxi-singles which would contain tracks with the same backing music but different vocals.
On May 13th, 2008 The band released ExitingARM, the third album "in the ever-widening epic of Hour Hero Yes" which was accompanied by its own website with further poems on Yes' journey. The album was an attempt to create a more accessible sound.
It is intended that Subtle's first three studio albums (A New White, For Hero: For Fool and ExitingARM) serve as a trilogy about the rise and fall of the character 'Hour Hero Yes', and the character may indeed live on throughout the course of all their studio output, with the lyrics derived from his perspective.
During the ExitingARM tour, the OughtAlmanac of AmassedFact Vol. 1, a 70 page book that acts as a guide for the world in which 'Hour Hero YES' resides, was available for purchase at Subtle's merchandise booth. Limited to 100 pieces, the Almanac featured pages all hand painted by Doseone and accompanied by a 65 track mp3 CD of Doseone reading the Almanac in its entirety. All copies of the Almanac have the first and last pages torn out except for a small bit, where it is numbered and signed. The reading on the CD featured background noise from the improvisational sessions that later became ExitingARM as well as the crackle of a blank record. Exitingarm.com served as an online version of the book/CD.
WASHERE, the first live Subtle album contains a collection of 'hand-picked' live songs, alternate versions, and "original session" improvisations from their past five years of touring. WASHERE includes tracks from the rehearsals for the A New White tour. The tracks recorded "live at the mansion" are some of the only live performances that were recorded before the tour accident that left Dax Pierson quadriplegic.
Similar to what Wishingbone was to A New White and Yell&Ice to For Hero: For Fool, SmallFear Souvenir will be a remix/ re-interpretation album of ExitingARM. Artists confirmed to be working on it are Alias ("Sick Soft Perfection), Thee More Shallows ("Day Dangerous), Black Moth Super Rainbow ("GoneBones), Genghis Tron ("Take To Take) and Trans Am ("The No).
Videos, audio and news can be found on Subtle's official website: http://www.subtle6.com/
2) Subtle is the pseudonym of Mauricio Yepes, electronic/footwork producer from the US.
https://soundcloud.com/subtlemuzik
3) Subtle can also be the short form term used as an identifying moniker of Subtle.FM; Online Radio Station based in the UK.
A Tale of Apes I
Subtle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Both on stage : both dangling
The ape's lucky leather jacket has turned up missing
And he's shouting out something about stretching his threat,
Or else...
Hence the intergalactic presses have been halted accordingly.
Their consummate plug - been kicked from the outer-space wall
And then alone does the nightclub's only spotlight get to stuttering.
And the air this here ape's in charge of, has now grown doubly thick,
So it unzips its 20odd year old skin to reveal a classic tattoo style anchor,
Strung up on a pair of ugly and classic roller skates.
And the crowd goes wild...
And then needs a line to repeat,
You try to think why? and...
"everything is empty and it runneth over"...
Cuts clean across your clenched teeth.
Letting off the small fear fire
Set tall inside your just beyond merch booth bound chest.
The lyrics of "A Tale of Apes I" by Subtle are filled with enigmatic imagery and symbolism. The song opens with the mention of a carrot and an ape on stage, both occupying a space of suspension or dangling. The mention of the missing lucky leather jacket of the ape creates a sense of tension and unease. The ape is shouting about stretching his threat and dropping a stainless steel egg on a poor defenseless hand mirror. The consequence of this threat is the halting of the intergalactic presses, which creates chaos.
The focus then shifts to the nightclub and the ape's presence, which thickens the air. The unveiling of the classic tattoo style anchor and the roller skates triggers the crowd to go wild. The line "everything is empty and it runneth over" is repeated, leading to an emotional release that cuts across the clenched teeth of the listener. The small fear fire inside the chest is set tall and then extinguished, leading to a catharsis.
The meaning behind these lyrics can be subject to interpretation. One possible interpretation could be that the song is addressing the anxieties and fears that are prevalent in our society. The ape symbolizes the primal, animalistic nature of humans, while the carrot represents the need for sustenance and survival. The halting of the intergalactic presses could signify a societal breakdown, while the thickening of the air symbolizes suffocation due to rampant anxiety. The unveiling of the classic tattoo style anchor and roller skates could represent a call to nostalgia and a return to simpler times.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a carrot and ape...
On stage are a carrot and an ape, both dangling.
The ape's lucky leather jacket has turned up missing
The ape's cherished jacket is gone.
And he's shouting out something about stretching his threat,
The ape is yelling about his violent intentions.
To drop a stainless steel egg, onto a poor defenseless hand mirror
The ape plans on dropping a dangerous object onto a fragile item.
Or else...
There will be consequences if the ape's demands are not met.
Hence the intergalactic presses have been halted accordingly.
The situation has caused a disturbance across a wide area.
Their consummate plug - been kicked from the outer-space wall
Their advertising/promotion has been disrupted.
And then alone does the nightclub's only spotlight get to stuttering.
The spotlight becomes unsteady.
And the air this here ape's in charge of, has now grown doubly thick,
The atmosphere is tense due to the ape's actions.
So it unzips its 20odd year old skin to reveal a classic tattoo style anchor,
The ape reveals a tattoo on its skin.
Strung up on a pair of ugly and classic roller skates.
The ape is wearing old-fashioned roller skates.
And the crowd goes wild...
The audience reacts positively to the ape's performance.
And then needs a line to repeat,
The audience wants a memorable line to repeat.
You try to think why? and...
The reason for this is unclear.
"everything is empty and it runneth over"...
The repeated line is a philosophical statement.
Cuts clean across your clenched teeth.
The line is memorable but jarring.
Letting off the small fear fire
The line sparks a small, but uneasy feeling.
Set tall inside your just beyond merch booth bound chest.
This feeling is felt deeply within the listener, even after leaving the venue.
Contributed by Alexander R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.