Freezepop
is an indie Electropop/Electroclash band composed of Liz Enthusiasm and the Other Sean T. Drinkwater (who claims to be a clone of the "original" Sean T. Drinkwater). They formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1999. The band is named after the frozen snack. The members describe their music as "sweet and cold and fruity and plastic-y", much like the snack. [1]
They have gained a number of fans through their work in video games, and several of their songs can be found on titles such as FreQuency
, Amplitude
, Karaoke Revolution
, Guitar Hero
, Guitar Hero II
, Phase
, Rock Band
, Guitar Hero: On Tour
, Rock Band Unplugged
, Flash Flash Revolution
, and Downhill Domination
, along with one of the North American entries in the Dance Dance Revolution
series. Many of these games were developed by Harmonix, a company for which Kasson Crooker, a former member, is a Senior Producer.
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FREEZEPOP TICKETS
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Background
Originally, their music was entirely composed on a small portable
MIDI sequencer, a
Yamaha QY-70, which has often been mistaken for a
Game Boy. On more recent albums, they have expanded their toolkit due to a lack of variety in the sounds the QY-70 provided, but it still remains an important part of the composing process. The release of
Future Future Future Perfect only features the QY-70 in a single song, that being "Pop Music Is Not a Crime."
In addition to Freezepop, Kasson, who had previously been in fellow
Boston band
Splashdown, still records as a solo artist under the moniker
Symbion Project. Sean is also a member of the bands
Lifestyle and
Karacter, and worked with the band Polystar on their debut album.
Liz Enthusiasm appears on the song "Boom Box Chic" by Los Angeles based
Le Mans Electro.
In addition to dozens of remixes released over the last 9 years, Freezepop released a remix of their song "Shark Attack" done by chiptune artist
8 Bit Weapon in October 2007. The remix was done with a
Nintendo Entertainment System and a
Commodore 64 computer. Robotkid also used a similar approach in his "Science Genius Girl (lameboy remix)" that featured the GameBoy audio software Little Sound DJ.
A recurring theme in Freezepop's music is references to science, technology, and mathematics. As examples, the song "Science Genius Girl (hi-phive Mix)" features Liz reciting the first thirty digits of
Pi. Additionally, the Robotron 2002 (All Your Base Are Belong to Us) Remix by DJ Nebula pays homage to the cult "All Your Bases Belong to Us" internet phenomenon
All your base are belong to us.
Freezepop was once arrested in Canada for trying to enter the country under false pretenses.
[2] Harmonix pokes fun at them for this in the loading screens for their songs, in
Rock Band
and
Rock Band 2
.
On Thursday June 4th, it was announced on www.freezepop.net that founding member the Duke of
Pannekoeken (originally the Duke of Candied Apples, as well as the Duke of Belgian Waffles, all three
pseudonyms of
Kasson Crooker), will be leaving the band. Kasson Crooker stated that “My responsibilities at Harmonix making games continue to increase which takes away from my time and energy to compose and go out on the road to play shows.” Kasson’s last show as a member of the band will be at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo.
Along with bands such as
The Aquabats,
Bad Credit, and
Slowdraw the Hungry Eskimo, their music is featured in the
Mega64
television series. Mega64 also produced the
music video for the Freezepop song "Brainpower".
[3]
Freezepop's song "Swimming Pool" was featured in the episode "Liquid Heat" in season 5 of
The L Word
.
In early 2006, Freezepop's "Stakeout" won in The 5th Annual
Independent Music Awards for Best Dance/Electronica Song.
[4]
Discography
Full-length albums
- Freezepop Forever
(2000)
- Fancy Ultra•Fresh
(2004)
- Future Future Future Perfect
(2007)
EPs and remix albums
- The Orange EP
(2000, EP, limited edition CD-R)
- The Purple EP
(2000, EP, limited edition CD-R)
- Fashion Impression Function
(2001, EP)
- Hi-Five My Remix
(2003, remix)
- Mini Ultra•Fresh
(2004, remix, promo only)
- Maxi Ultra•Fresh
(2005, remix, out-of-print)
- Form Activity Motion
(2008 online, 2009 hard copy, remix)
Singles
- Bike Thief
(2003, 12")
- Dancy Ultra•Fresh
(2005, 12")
- The Rokk Suite
(2006, CD single)
Songs featured in video games
- "Science Genius Girl" is featured in FreQuency
and in Karaoke Revolution
.
- "Super-sprøde" is featured in Amplitude
.
- "Sprode", a rock remix of Super-sprøde, is featured in Rock Band
as a song included with the February 2008 issue of Xbox Magazine and is available as downloadable content. The January 2009 issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine
lists Freezepop's "Sprode" as first on a list of Rock Band
’s "Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs." [5]
- An edited version of "Brainpower" (with Electric guitars added in) is featured in Rock Band
.
- "Stakeout (Ultra:mix)" is featured in Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3
.
- "Bike Thief" is featured in Downhill Domination
.
- "Get Ready 2 Rokk" is featured in Guitar Hero
.
- "Less Talk More Rokk" is featured in Guitar Hero II
and DANCE! Online
, as well as a track for the Rock Band
series and Rock Band Unplugged
.
- "Lazy" is featured in Spin it UP!
- "Science Genius Girl Lameboy Mix", "Less Talk More Rokk (Mark Saunders Remix)", as well as a version of "Get Ready 2 Rokk" are featured in Flash Flash Revolution
, and "Bike Thief" is unlockable.
- "Pop Music Is Not a Crime" is featured in Phase
, a game for the iPod.
- "I Am Not Your Gameboy" is a hidden track available in Guitar Hero: On Tour
for the Nintendo DS. It is unlocked by completing the game on any difficulty.
- "Do you Like Boys" is featured in Mattingly-Attack, a flash game aimed at the LBGT crowd.
References
- Freezepop's FAQ
- Thursday, November 9 (Freezepop's site)
- Mega64: Freezepop "Brainpower" music video
- Independent Music Awards - 5th Annual Winners
- "''Rock Band''’s Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs," ''PlayStation: The Official Magazine'' (January 2009): 58.