USF





USF (formerly Universal Studios Florida) is an electronic duo that began in the fall of 2008. Band members Kyle Hargus and Jason Baxter released their eponymous debut EP in January 2009, and followed it with the critically-acclaimed full-length Ocean Sunbirds in June 2010, both on Brooklyn’s Little Fury Things Records. Described as “primitive in its joy, and cosmic in its intention” (Chocolate Bobka) and “[a merging of] psychotropic house music with sonic textures long foreign to dance music” (Impose Magazine), Ocean Sunbirds was an attempt at maintaining a uniform feeling across a sixty-minute exploration of imagined landscapes, and was featured in a variety of online and print publications, including Pitchfork Media and international press in Italy, Japan, Germany, the U.K., and Spain.
With their second self-produced full-length the Spray, USF are aiming for something different. Through an emphasis on complex rhythms and melodic layering, the Spray is an attempt to evoke a broader spectrum of emotions and create a tangible atmosphere—one soaked in the textures of the Pacific Northwest and ideas related to hauntology, nostalgia, and the impermanence of things. The Spray takes Jonathan Lethem’s short story of the same name as its primary source of inspiration, and was conceived as part of Lethem’s open-source “Promiscuous Materials” project. The album features vocal contributions from New York artists Big Spider’s Back and Alaskas, and was mastered by Jeff Smothers in San Francisco, CA.
Gimme Tinnitus
Jason and Kyle of USF sent us these answers to our questions in this next installment of the q and also a series...
Impose Magazine | Close Your Eyes
USF is writing a variation of that white boy r&b on a fluttering electro-tapestry...
The Seattle Times | Close Your Eyes
Fans of Seattle's USF might know "Close Your Eyes" as the slinky guitar song with the fast-grinding drums. For those unfamiliar, USF is a duo that makes beat-heavy laptop/synthesizer music, featuring gleaming electric guitar by Kyle Hargus.
The Seattle Times
"Left foot twitching high above your yoga mat. Black out for a just a few earth-seconds. When you wake up, the serene feeling stays."
Impose Magazine
"Seattle's Universal Studios Florida are onto something akin to Silk Flower's project to merge a psychotropic house music with sonic textures long foreign to dance music."
Pitchfork
"Jason Baxter and Kyle Hargus take some inspiration from Animal Collective's aquatic samples and electronic flourishes and add a bit of early M83-style drone to craft this gorgeous instrumental track..."
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