The IEA welcomed Denzel Russell as our visiting artist in residence over the week of October 26th. Denzel, aka Pantoo, is a Brooklyn based artist and music producer who he studied glass and sound at Alfred University. On behalf of a Bernstein Grant from Alfred University he continued his sound studies at the Stockhausen School of Music during the summer of 2011. There he learned more about the spatial aspects of sound and studied the works of one of Germany’s best composers. Using Ableton Live along with brass instruments, contact mics, synthesizers, and sampling he creates works based in hip-hop, jungle and club tracks. He draws influences from hometown heroes such as Black Moon and Supercat along with experimental composers like The Flashbulb and Flying Lotus. His production led him to open for international acts such as AM444, Block Barley, Swimful Buterfly, and many others. Denzel is working on his first EP September 2015 from work he produced during time spent working in Shanghai, China.

Over the course of his residency Denzel set out to polish the sound work he started in Shanghai and explore video media, processing photos and video clips he took during his time in Shanghai. The visuals Denzel produced were processed by his DJ-ing work through GRM tools, the Doepfer, the Sandin, and the MVIP. Denzel intends to use these visuals for later print work and covers for future albums.