Algorhythms: Negative Gemini on Oasis
This piece is part of the Algorhythms project: artists telling stories about music they discovered from humans. Because where we discover music is an important part of its impact, and not all music is discovered through an algorithm.
Negative Gemini is the nom de plume of Lindsey French, an LA-based songwriter, singer, and producer known for her washed out take on electronic indie. When her self-produced 2016 record Body Work arrived via her own label, 100% Electronica, Lindsey starting collecting acclaim from industry linchpins like MTV, Resident Advisor, and The Fader. Over the last few years, she’s continued to garner praise and refine her unique sound, achieving a rare blend of moody nonchalance and intimacy with dance floor hooks that have a tendency to sneak up on you. That formula is reflected in the anecdote she shared with us.
For her Algorhythm, Lindsey recounts an intimate and vulnerable moment of discovery with her older sister…
I must have been around nine. I was sitting on the front steps of my house in Louisville on some day just like any other. It was really nice outside and I was probably just hanging out or yelling over to my friends next door. My older sister came out of the front door to where I was sitting. I don’t remember her saying a word to me, but she just kind of smiled and bent down to put her headphones over my ears, the kind everyone had in the ’90s before earbuds became so popular. I was suddenly listening to “Wonderwall” by Oasis.
It must have just come out and I had never heard it before. I don’t know why but I have always remembered this moment so vividly. The song was cool. I felt like I had stepped into another dimension or as though I was suddenly experiencing something epic. After an unknown matter of seconds, my sister figured I had had enough and took her headphones back from my head and went about her business.
I wish I could remember what we must have said. I didn’t turn into some Oasis fanatic after that, but the moment really struck me. It was so deliberate. Older siblings are so cool like that. Just dropping bombs on you. She was always listening to cool music and introducing me to different sick bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana, which were just happening as we were becoming teenagers. I doubt that I would have ended up so into music if it weren’t for her showing me so much cool stuff all the time. It’s nearly impossible for me to talk about her now, because she recently passed very tragically. But if there has ever been a significant piece of music that was personally shared with me, it’s this.
The two most recent Negative Gemini releases — the Bad Baby EP and the Different Color Hair single — arrived in 2018 and 2019, respectively, via 100% Electronica. Give them a spin — and listen to our full Algorhythms playlist here.
Sometimes the story and source of discovery are as important as the music itself. Grey Matter is a community platform with new ways to discover music, express yourself, and support creators. Learn more and join the community here.
Originally published at https://www.greymatter.fm.