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Perkins in The Residents' studio, 1979

Philip Perkins is an American sound designer, musician, animator and lighting designer, whose career spans several decades. From 1973 to 2008 he was one half of The Bifurcators with Scott Fraser,[1] and has produced numerous films, albums and other recorded works since the late 1960s.[2]

Perkins worked closely with The Residents between 1979 and 1984,[2] acting as their lightning designer and a member of their live performance ensemble on the Mole Show tour, as well as assisting the group with their sound engineering and the cinematography of their music videos.

History[]

Philip Perkins was born in 1951, and began recording and mixing sound works in the late 1960s.[2] He was mentored in sound production by avant-garde composer "Blue" Gene Tyranny, and studied motion graphics and animation at the University of Oregon.[1]

He began working with The Residents anonymously in 1979,[2] and was a member of their live performance ensemble until 1984.[1] Perkins began releasing his own sound works in 1980, with a collection of 10 tracks recorded since 1975, Tapeworks 1975-80.[2]

Perkins is known to have contributed "special effects" to The Tunes of Two Cities in 1982, and assisted with engineering on Stars & Hank Forever! in 1985.[2] He contributed to the live-in-studio recordings collected on the 1984 album Assorted Secrets, and was one quarter of the group's live performance ensemble for their debut 1982-1983 tour The Mole Show.[3] He was credited as audio consultant on the Mole Show/Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats? VHS released in 1984.

After Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats? Perkins only occasionally collaborated with The Residents. He is credited as recording the live performance included on the 2015 Snakey Wake CD reissue. Most recently, he acted as sound editor and re-recording engineer for the documentary film Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents in 2015.

Credits on Residents projects[]

Solo discography[]

  • Tapeworks 1975-80 (1980)
  • Apartment Life (1980)
  • Neighborhood With A Sky (Bird Variations) (1982)
  • King Of The World (1983)
  • Drive Time (1985)
  • The Flame Of Ambition (1986)
  • Hall Of Flowers (1987)
  • Shapiro, Vermeer, Florida And San Francisco (1988)
  • Virgo Ramayana (And Other Works For Radio) (1992)
  • Choral Works & The Apsaras (2005)
  • At The Other End Of The Day (Improvisations 2005-2008) (2009)
  • The Department Of Strange Weather (2011)
  • Mister Anyhow (2014)
  • It Gets The Corners (2016)
  • Yeah Machine (2019)

External links and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Biography on Philip Perkins' official website
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Phillip Perkins Biography on Bay Improviser
  3. "During the period I was working on this music (1981 - 1983) I was also a member of what eventually became The Residents 'Mole Show' and 'Assorted Secrets' band." - Philip Perkins, King Of The World reissue liner notes, 2020
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