ursting onto the scene only a few years ago, Scott Herren has quickly made a name for himself in the independent music world under the auspices of three different monikers. Savath and Savalas, the first pseudonym, has been used for relatively ambient work mixed with a sprinkling of jazz. His first effort, Folk Songs for Trains, Trees, and Honey reflected attention paid to the craft of album-making and the creation of mood. As such, there were few tracks that could be picked out as singular instances of his brilliance- but the overall premonition gained from the proceedings was that this was a talent to be watched for in the future.

And Herren didn’t disappoint with his equally as successful more IDM influenced Delarosa and Asora name. Recording for the Schematic imprint, Herren combined the ambient, jazz, and hip-hop influences that he had been pursuing with Savath and his Prefuse73 project into a blender of static inflected avant-compositions. While the name has since been shelved for the time being, Herren’s work as Delarosa revealed the hidden complexity inherent in both Savath and Savalas and his Warp Records and most successful project, Prefuse 73.

Prefuse has come to be, by far, the most widely known and talked about name that Herren has recorded under. As Prefuse, Herren has spawned a host of imitators to the style perfected on his first full length LP, Vocal Studies & Uprock Narratives, which used cut up vocal samples mixed with hip-hop beats. While the idea was not wholly original, its current in vogue status can undoubtedly be attributed to Herren. In a recent interview with Stylus Magazine, Herren admitted that on his newest release, One Word Extinguisher that he consciously went away from the cut-up vocals to prove to himself and fans that he was not merely a one-trick pony.

His relative happiness throughout the interview with his music and life, in general, seemed to illustrate the fact that whether or not the critics approve of the change- or the listening public keeps buying his records- Herren is more at ease than he has ever been. This happiness reflects on the music, as One Word Extinguisher is, in comparison, a sunnier record than his previous work. Previously, Herren stated that recording an album consisted of being holed up in a studio focusing intently on the music being made. This self-imposed isolation to record, while good for some artists can take a toll on others. In Herren’s case it produced much of the new Prefuse record, but also found him personally dissatisfied. After the completion of the record and a change of outlook near the end of recording, Herren has decided to focus on both his tour and the label that he co-runs, Eastern Developments. “I listen to little that comes out these days- it’s mostly old stuff and the stuff that we are putting out right now,” he said. With no defined aesthetic other than to release music that inspires and sounds good, the label has an air of extreme possibility about it, rather than the eventual dead-ends that most genre based labels tend to run into.

As a successful recording artist with two artistically innovative pseudonyms to record under and as a co-owner of one of the more interesting up and coming labels in the independent music scene, it appears as though everything seems to be coming up roses for Herren. Here’s wishing that it is- and we get to hear the fruits of more of his labor very soon.

Quick Facts:

Location: Spain, Atlanta

Style: Jazz, Hip-Hop, Ambient, IDM

Labels Appeared On: Hefty, Warp, Schematic

Major Releases:

Savath and Savalas- Folk Songs For Trains, Trees & Honey
Savath and Savalas- Immediate Action 12"
Savath and Savalas- The Rolls And Waves 10"
Delarosa and Asora- Sleep Method Suite
Delarosa and Asora- Delarosa / U-Sheen Split 12"
Delarosa and Asora- Crush The Sightseers 12"
Delarosa and Asora- Backsome 12"
Delarosa and Asora- Agony Pt. 1
Prefuse 73- Estrocaro 12"
Prefuse 73- Vocal Studies & Uprock Narratives
Prefuse 73- The '92 vs. '02 Collection 12"
Prefuse 73- One Word Extinguisher

Essential:

Folk Songs For Trains, Trees & Honey
Vocal Studies & Uprock Narratives