E-603 - Bang Bang

New Hampshire’s (hence the “603”) Ethan (“hence the “E”) Ward has been creating a nostalgic yet original blend of music made from samples as E-603 since 2002. Emerging from the mashup scene that produced Girl Talk, The Hood Internet and others, Ward takes a more musical approach than his peers, including his own instrumentation in his unprecedented, superfast cut and paste production aesthetic.

After establishing himself in the underground electronic music scene, Ward’s style of genre-smashing dance floor mayhem entered the download market with his first full-length album "Something For Everyone" in 2008. The album was followed by 2009’s "Torn Up". Comprised of more than 250 samples culled from six decades of music, that album earned E-603 a larger audience, sending Ward on nationwide tours of clubs, colleges and the underground party circuit including stints and shows with Passion Pit, Body Language, Kid Sister, RAC, The Cool Kids, (improbably) Yo La Tengo and (for some reason) Gym Class Heroes.

As is customary within the genre, fans at an E-603 show can be seen going, what Kanye West would call, apeshit. Over the years, Ward has made thousands of people dance their brains out, while masterfully mixing over 500 samples together on the spot into the perfect party anthem.

Incorporating more than 300 samples into its 45 minutes, the latest E-603 album "SMOKESHOW" is available for free download now at http://www.e-603.com. Ward explains, “The idea of 'SMOKESHOW' was to transform what we already knew about pop songs and bring out the genre bending qualities of each sample by transforming ‘Celebrity Skin’ by Hole into a trap booty-shaking trunk slammer and transforming LMFAO into a 1970’s oldies sing along, for example.”

"SMOKESHOW" announces Ward as a master of the genre, as he utilizes samples from as many as fifteen songs at once and ultimately constructs some of the most elaborate electronic songs out there. The work on "SMOKESHOW" is bold enough to pull from the most recognizable parts of our favorite songs and recent hits and skilled enough to re-contextualize them in a way that doesn’t play as novelty, but instead as the surprising revelation all good art should be. To date, E-603’s free albums have been downloaded more than 50,000 times, with three tracks from "Torn Up" landing in the Hype Machine’s top five all at the same time and tracks from "SMOKESHOW" already racking up tens-of-thousands of plays prior to any promotion.

Next up for Ward is an album of remixes, including work for his friends in Passion Pit and Pepper Rabbit and others for his favorite artists like Robyn and Miguel. E-603’s remixes can be previewed at: E-603. Ward has also been producing his own wholly original, non-sample-based music that will likely serve to further establish him as a talent outside of that world. This original material varies in content from Daft Punk-style French House to Southern-style Trap Hip-Hop slammers that go harder than Michael Jordan! Toss in some Moombahton and pure Pop flavors and what you have is an all-original E-603 album, coming soon.

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Some amazing moments from "SMOKESHOW":
“Bang Bang” (1:52 – 2:36): Samples - Hey Lil Mama, Always Something There To Remind Me
“Swag Me Out” (1:38 - 2:05) Samples – Riot Rhythm, Damn, and Dominoes
“All The Kids” (1:57 – 2:39) Samples - Machine Gun Funk, Fame
“Like This” (2:24 – 3:23) Samples – Like This, Dance Yrself Clean, Boomerang
“Down Low” (2:46 – 3:24) Samples Bring The Noise, I’m Coming Out, Things Can Only Get Better
“Gotta Get” (1:14 – 2:17) Samples – Aerodynamic, Boom Boom Pow, Culo.
“Watch Me” ( 0:00 – 1:02) Samples – Bang, California Gurls, Like A G6, I’m Every Woman
“Every Weekend” (0:15 – 1:14) Samples – Pon De Floor, Time After Time, My Boo.
“Tear It Up” (0:44 – 1:41) Samples – High School Dance, Cupid Shuffle, Giving Up The Gun

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Press Quotes:
“The denizens of master masher E-603’s ‘Crunk Colony’ are people like Clipse, Postal Service, Crime Mob, Wolf Parade, and The Strokes.” – New York Magazine

“Oh shit, son. E-603 just released a masterpiece of a mash-up album... It’s like “Where’s Waldo” for your ears, really.” – Under The Rotunda

“He has some amazing mixes with some of the best rock/rap mash music I have ever heard...” – Wrecked Magazine

“Blah blah blah, just fucking download it. Best mashup artist out there.” – The Hidden Playlist