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Adam DiAngelo : Fingernail The Vermillions (with Erin Anderson) : Magnet-F (with Eric Sherman) http://www.doubtful.com/artists/fingernail/ : :    Adam DiAngelo achieved rare acclaim  with the Fuzzybox/Darla release of Versions, remixes of his 1998 album so, backward by other young Philly and international ambient/electronic artists. Presently he is working on a degree in Architecture and a side project with Flowchart's Erin Anderson called the Vermillions. Starting out on Eric Sherman's Doubtful label, Adam performed with Eric as half of the short lived band Magnet-F. Striking out alone turned fruitful within the Fuzzybox clique of young Philly electronic artists and DJs. Soon Adam, as Fingernail, was getting deserved hype from all over.  To his credit, Adam's fame never diverted his focus despite what you'd think from the picture to the left. The picture to the left was from the 1999 "10 to Watch Out For" article in the Philadelphia Weekly (see below). Press: From the Philadelphia Weekly: by Brian Glaser  (April 21 - April 28, 1999)  "I don't get out a lot," says Adam DiAngelo, the sole force behind Fingernail. And in the end, that admission is more a statement of artistic aesthetic than a peek at his social calendar. As such, the chilly but inviting music on Fingernail's first CD, So, Backwards (Fuzzy Box/Darla), has an audible homebody sensibility. Though actual melodies may sneak in and out of the floating tones and distorted rhythms, So, Backwards is designed for solitary headphone time, not for when the party's moving.  Appropriately, Fingernail is a Philly project that occupies little, if any, public space in the local music scene. "If I were a 'Philadelphia artist,' I think most of my inspiration would probably come from collaboration or local feedback," DiAngelo says, noting that outside of his friend and sometime-collaborator Eric Sherman, Fingernail is essentially locked in a personal vacuum. DiAngelo doesn't even venture out of the house to go to a studio, instead recording and mixing his music on a laptop computer.  But it's just that self-imposed isolation that lends Fingernail its uniqueness. "I think I have an idea of how a song should sound and what music should be," says DiAngelo. "When I listen to other people's music and they don't fulfill my expectations, I then take that upon myself."  The irony is that, by following an inward vision, DiAngelo is actually building an audience -- no matter what he might think. "If I went out on the street wearing a T-shirt that read, 'I am Fingernail,' I don't think people would treat me any differently. A few people at Spaceboy Records will recognize me and say, 'Hey, you're Fingernail, aren't you?' That's the highest reaction that I ever get. I figure that's about right."  From the City Paper: by Brian Howard  The Music Issue (April 15, 1999) Adam DiAngelo, the lone figure behind electronic project Fingernail, says that his goal when sitting down to write music is to make pop songs. Hmm... that might give you the wrong idea. That's like referring to Beckett as light, summer reading. Perhaps DiAngelo, 21, is just being modest. While there's an ethereal element to the all-instrumental analog keyboard, computer and sequencer compositions on his debut full length So Backwards (Fuzzybox/Darla), its complexity and looping meditation are a far cry from the candy-coated beats and whistles of electronic club pop. Fingernail is as cerebral as atmosphere acts like Tomorrowland and Labradford and as beat-oriented as Autechre with a bit more warmth. Yet Fingernail rarely performs live. DiAngelo much prefers to record in his home/studio. Though he's fond of composer Philip Glass, he claims Kurt Ralske of Ultra Vivid Scene as perhaps his biggest influence. In a turn of divine karma, Ralske will contribute to an upcoming So Backwards remix album. DiAngelo also admits an affinity for the big soul sound of Phil Spector. He says his goal is to follow in Spector's footsteps and form a girl group, "the Spice Girls, with some good music," he explains, only slightly joking.

 

so, backward (Fuzzybox/Darla 1998) From the Fuzzybox catalog: This is the otherworldly, beat laden, pop-ambient-electronic debut of Fingernail AKA 20 year old Adam DiAngelo of Philadelphia. This is a very queer and instantly lovable instrumental album. Most striking is the simple elegance, fluidity and cohesion of its curious composition. Its subtle humor and mood are similar to Aphex Twin or a darker Tomorrowland with strong beat programming abilities, or a prettier and more passionate Autechre. Ghosts of Eno, Kraftwerk, LFO all haunt the mix playfully. Adam says he's known to shun human contact, and prefers instead to make his chilly brand of ambient Electro alone in the basement with the aid of his blinking machines. The sounds he produces are as fresh and smooth as his complexion. You can hear that he's been hard at work for many years.   http://www.doubtful.com/releases/fuz-011/ From XLR8R: by Derek Grey Issue No. 35  IDM fans take note, Philadelphia's Adam DiAngelo has created a new album of computer-based intelligent dance music comparable to some of the greats of the genre. Global Communication-style ambient interludes, to mellow keyboard sounds reminuscent of B-12 plus some occasional stacatto drum machine beats. So, Backwards has a magnificent, drifting quality that evokes futuristic city landscapes. Floating, beatless melodies swirl in "Santaand" like Santa Ana winds through the streets of Los Angeles while "Gentlemen" is a rhythmic treat comparable to Jega or releases on the Skam label. This release is surprising, creative listening for electronic enthusiasts who aren't afraid to step out of a dance-beat structure. While the back cover track listing only shows nine songs, your player will track 15 (that's six bonus pieces!).   From ElectronicMusic.com  It's always a joy to hear home grown sounding as good as Fingernail's release So Backwards sounds right now. Recorded sometime between the Summer of 97 and the Winter of 98 it really makes me glad that not all artists feel that they have to be signed to a major record deal before deciding to put out the good stuff, although these days it's growing increasingly more difficult for electronic music makers to stay in the shadows.  As the bio, which has Adam Diangelo down as being signed to Fuzzy Box Records out of New Jersey, rightfully proclaims the music is out there with the likes of Aphex Twin and Autechre, although I hasten to add that originality is really the key word around here, with most of the music heading off in an entirely new directions while retaining that all important "sounds like electronic music" quality.  A record company talent scouts' dream come true.  Rating - 911,383 (out of a possible 1,000,000)

 

Three Suites (Atomic 1999),  From ElectronicMusic.com  There is a winning softness to the music of Fingernail that is sweet and gentle in an almost organic way. At it's best the grooves are uncluttered by needless production trickery and the tiny electronic melodies and basic rhythms sound unforced and relaxed as if the machines were accidentally recorded while just singing un-selfconsciously to themselves without human intervention. A lot of 'Three Suites By ...' is evocative of the early '80s, although I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's because here and there there are the merest hints of sounds I heard on old Paul Hardcastle records or Cabaret Voltaire discs or even on Tomorrow's World articles about bubble cars or lunar travel. That's not to say, though, that the music is dated sounding as there are some contemporary sounding bin lid rattles and bass rumbles that suggest the ever-present influence of Warp Records; the icicle tinkling/fractured clattering of 'Adrienne and Kim' being a fine example. 'So Backwards' is, if anything, even more minimal and small-scale with its translucent ripples that never threaten to become tidal waves. There is a sense of sleepy wonder that pervades the delicate hums and glows of 'Santaand' that mean it could easily go on all day without becoming tiresome. 'Isn't Backwards' is beautifully repetitive and could be the sound of a 1,000 daises opening their petals to greet the early morning sun. In these 2 lps, Fingernail have fashioned a couple of unassuming but nonetheless life enhancing pieces of electronica that stand up to repeated plays and are ideal accompaniments to those moments between sleep and waking.  Three Suites By ...' is on Atomic, Parijsstraat 32, 3000 Leuven, Belgium (available from Melody Bar) So Backwards is on Fuzzy Box, PO Box 632, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. USA

 

Versions (Darla 1999) From the Fuzzybox Catalog at Darla: 'Versions' is possibly one of the greatest electronicambient/experimental remix albums of all time with an amazing line-up of remixers from renowned experimental labels including Warp and Rephlex. The remixes are all of previously released tracks from Fingernail's debut CD/LP, 'So, Backwards.' 'So, Backwards,' released earlier this year on Fuzzy Box, is serene and sinister with subtle humor, moodswings, and programming comparable to Aphex Twin or Autechre, while the complexity of the in-depth melodies parallels early classical composer, Maurice Ravel. This list of remixers is as follows: WOODENSPOON (aka Disjecta, Mark Clifford, Seefeel - Warp Records, Too Pure), GLOBAL GOON (aka Spider - Rephlex Records), BOCHUM WELT (Rephlex Records, Sony Music Japan, Fuzzy Box Records), CATHARS (aka Kurt Ralske of Ultra Vivid Scene), JUNIOR VARSITY KM (Darla Records), FLOWCHART (aka Flowtron - 611 Records, Darla Records, Endorphin Records), EXHALERA DECK (aka Accelera Deck - Pitch Cadet Records, Endorphin Records), BOB BROWN (Hidden Agenda Records, Framework Recordings), TLEILAXU (aka DJ Crasta - Fuzzy Box) vs. EDK (aka Sloppy, Pathfinders - Plastic City), OCTOROCK (aka Magnet F - Casa De Toad Records, Doubtful Productions), QUASIMOJO (Casa De Toad Records), BLINK BLINK (Doubtful Productions, The Blind[tm] Organization), FINGERNAIL (Fuzzy Box Records, Doubtful Productions). This is a one-of-a-kind release that stands apart from your average remix album, and all the individual remixes brilliantly flow from track to track. So enjoy the range of ambient tension and schizophrenic beat programming, and realize what Fuzzy Box is all about.  From Epitonic.com: The Fuzzy Box label does its part to bring artists together with the Matchmaker Via Remixology series. On number four in the series, everyone gets a piece of Fingernail, or more precisely, selections from their debut album So, Backwards (it's up to the listener to figure out which selections). Darla/Fuzzy Box artists Exhaleradeck and Tleilaxu step up the plate, as well as Junior Varsity KM, Bochum Welt, Flowchart, and others. This album is a land mine in the landscape of contemporary electronic dance. The techno, downtempo, and drum and bass rhythms of the moment receive the fiercely original treatment and ambient conditioning rinse that you've come to expect from Darla/Fuzzy Box artists, with unusually high levels of bump and kick. Experienced in one sitting, as a whole, this album ranks up there with the best albums of world-class artists like the Orb, Aphex Twin, or Orbital. For the DJs, this album will provide outstanding new groove mileage for your trip hop, techno/electro/breaks, and drum and bass explorations (plus, it's conveniently available on vinyl).