“Copy (aka Marius Libman) is the one man, keytar wielding, dynamically melodic beat master of Portland Oregon’s underground dance music scene. Innovative and catchy, he was first known for eruptive dance parties, until his debut album proved how headphone friendly his music was and kept them spinning the morning after the sweat had dried and long into the work week. Earning praise from music nerds, DJs, and party kids, he somehow managed to catch the ears of even the electro haters and indie rockers, and was the first solo/electronic artist to ever get voted “Best New Band” by Portland alt weekly The Willamette Week. He caught the most jaded and unsuspecting listeners off guard with his unofficial R&B reworks on The Diva mixtape and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony-N-Copy, where he showed his knack as a remixer by turning Whitney into an electro banger and putting the bleep into hip-hop years before it became acceptable by mainstream producers.

Named after a horror movie concept created by friend and Portland DJ/performance artist Joe Von Appen, Hard Dream is loosely intended as a score to the un-filmed movie; part synth pop, part electro, part Italo disco, with a twist of Ratatat, and a dash of John Carpenter. Copy’s third album for Audio Dregs sheds a slightly darker thriller vibe than the previous two, kicking off with a long arpeggiated intro that creeps in for a full two minutes before the beat breaks through the dark clouds; taking us from the twinkly bliss of “Shoots” into “Breakfast”’s frenetic maze of driving beats and closing with the triumphant 8-bit punk of “Stay Away From It”.

Marius was kind enough to do a little interview with me:

1) Copy has been a one man instrumental project since the beginning. Three albums in and you continue to work alone. You’re also a member of bands Atole and Astrology, so I know it’s not that you have a problem working with others. Is there a particular reason why Copy is instrumental? Have you ever wanted a vocalist for a Copy track? Do you ever sing yourself?

I’ve definitely thought about adding vocals to my music, but I’m pretty picky about singing and I dont know if I could find a match that would fit. I’ve thought about doing it myself, but I think so much music is ruined by shitty vocals that I’m scared to fuck up what I’ve got going. So maybe someday, but its something I’ll have to work towards slowly, I think.

2) You probably hear this all of the time, but your music sounds like the soundtrack to a really epic NES game. Did you play a lot of video games when you were kid? If so, what was your favorite?

I totally grew up playing NES – I remember going to the Nintendo store at the mall when I was 7 or 8 and picking out the Mario/Duck Hunt NES bundle with my grandma. It must have been a birthday or Christmas present. I was stoked! All my friends had Nintendos as well, so a lot of my youth was spent playing Mega Man, Zelda and Metroid. I think video game soundtracks seeped deep in to my subconscious because I’ve never actually tried to reference that stuff, it just sort of happened! I cant help it.

3) If you could only use 3 pieces of gear to write your music what would they be and why?

I only use one piece of gear to write my music: my laptop! I actually built a PC desktop this year, so some of the writing and engineering was done on that and I use a crappy USB midi keyboard sometimes to play melodies on but I step-sequence most of of my synth lines so it doesn’t get used all the time.

4) What’s the concept behind the name “Hard Dream”? Are the songs like chapters to a whole story? If so, can you give us a hint on the inspiration or basic plot of this adventure?

The concept of hard dream is something created by my friend Joe Von Appen – it’s a film treatment about a man who’s nightmares manifest themselves as a strange late night television show (that his friends and co workers watch as he sleeps) and later as hallucinations that become more and more real as he avoids sleeping for longer and longer. When Joe gave the treatment to me to read, i though it fit the sort of darker, moodier tone that I was going for and the decision to name my record after the story helped shape it. I don’t want to link specific themes or events to each song but I hope that people find the music, artwork and title evocative in some way. One of the cool things about music is that it can be shaped by the listeners mood and surroundings to the point that pinning too much meaning to it can take away from the experience.

5) What is your favorite viral video at the moment?

I don’t know if I have a favorite viral video right now, but I’m really stoked on that Justin Beiber “remix” that someone created by time stretching his song ‘U Smile’…! Hopefully everyone’s heard it by now – apparently it was created using a program called Paulstretch that uses granular synthesis to stretch audio without changing its pitch, so the resulting 35 minute song sounds like Eno or something. It’s really beautiful, and a really clever way of contextualizing a bit of pop culture detritus in to something that has meaning for people like me who would otherwise find no value in it! I’m jealous i didn’t think of it first!

I’ve really enjoyed my listen to this new album. The absence of vocals doesn’t leave you feeling as though something is missing. Instead it gives you room to insert your own daydreams and reflections whether they’re Nintendo style adventures or the secret feelings in your tender synthesizer loving heart. Copy’s new album, “Hard Dream” will be out September 21st on Portland, Oregon label Audio Dregs Recordings.

Track List: