"I kinda like that we don't make hits. I mean, it would be fun to have one, I guess. Maybe it wouldn't be. Maybe it might be a disaster." - James Murphy for NME, June 2010
In 2002, New York City DJ James Murphy broke onto the indie scene with his new project LCD Soundsystem and a debut single, "Losing My Edge". The song, characterized by a stone-skipping drum machine beat, synthesized alarm call bass hits, and Murphy's nasally rambling, later landed on LCD Soundsystem's 2005 self-titled album. Throughout the nearly eight-minute runtime of the song's original cut, Murphy listlessly laments his situation as a DJ seemingly aging out of his usual musical crowds. "The kids are coming up from behind...but I was there."
"Losing My Edge" is a chronicle of millennial insecurity, a document of the early internet age, and, perhaps above all, a testimony to the eternal question of coolness – "Am I still with it?"
In the wise words of one Abraham Simpson,
"I used to be with it, then they changed what it was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you."
Twenty years on and LCD Soundsystem is, perhaps ironically, still undoubtedly with it. A dance-punk project turned commercial and critical darlings, the band's marathon track lengths, claims to music geekdom, and heart-on-your-sleeve awkwardness and earnestness have yet to lose their luster. This fountain of youth dose of cool brings the band today for a collaboration with EarthQuaker Devices for a new fuzz pedal in their classic, punky style.
This is the EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver.
Too Much Love
Introducing the EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea
Any discussion of LCD Soundsystem will eventually involve mastermind James Murphy's fascinations with vintage music and equipment. The band's discography is decorated with appearances from true-blue, capital "V" vintage synthesizers, drum machines, and effects. Today's Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver pays tribute to that unique and distinct state vintage gear can quite easily fall into: parts drifted, pieces bought, sold, and resold, taken on the road, dropped in the parking lot, taped back together, always living to fight another day.
You might recognize Chelsea's tonal character right off the bat from LCD's extensive discography, as it's a recreation of one of Murphy's standby fuzz pedals bought back in 1989. This distinct fuzz made appearances in guitar and bass performances on many of the band's key tracks. A recreation designed to emulate the idiosyncrasies of aging, punched-up components of vintage gear without the imminent threat of total collapse, Chelsea makes its mark as an investment in a utopian dance-punk future and all the thrills implied with it.
Showing the Ropes
EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea Controls
There's a simplicity to the Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver that frankly, needs little introduction. Across its front plate, there's a familiar interface of controls designed to both instantly capture a vintage fuzz experience and offer some elbow room for tonal negotiation. In short, Chelsea is decidedly straightforward in a way that cannot be scripted – the way barebones vintage gear can often be. Let's talk some controls.
- Level – Chelsea's output control. Functioning as you would expect, Level can reel back for more reserved output levels or be cranked to make more noticeable statements. You've seen a Level control before, no surprises here.
- Sustain – Chelsea's distortion amount and sustain control. This control, likely familiar to Muff-style fuzz players, will harness the amount of distortion in Chelsea's signal and the length to which it will sustain out. The Sustain control acts to deliver heaps of fuzzy breakup that can run the gamut from a dirty overdrive to a thick distortion to a caffeinated fuzz. There's plenty of tonal sweet spots along the way with Chelsea, so be sure to stop and take a few pictures.
- Tone – Chelsea's frequency control. Once again, we've got an appearance of a Muff-style effect control. Through this parameter, players can sharpen or dull the frequencies of Chelsea to either spike treble responses or pad out bass responses. The Tone control does quite a bit of heavy lifting when it comes to striking new fuzzy balances and injecting (or removing) nuance in the circuit. This all takes a detour, of course, when you introduce the two-way Tone switch.
- Tone Switch – The Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver features a two-way on/off Tone switch that removes the Tone control from the equation altogether. Flipping the switch left will bring Chelsea to play with a distinctly mids-focused voice that leans into the more wild, devil-may-care persuasion of fuzzes, where articulation and precision aren't prime concerns.
This Is Happening
EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea Tones
Chelsea, a "Low End Fuzz Driver", is particularly noteworthy for its effectiveness in driving both guitars and basses. Landing in a zone that is not too dark and not too bright, this EQD specialty enters rigs seamlessly for its patented flavor of vintage dirt. However you choose to use the Chelsea, the effect gives back in loving doses.
On bass, Chelsea is very responsive to the low-end thump of Precision-style bass pickups as well as the pointed punchiness of Jazz-style bass pickups. Whether you're using split or regular single-coil pickups, Chelsea effortlessly drives a signal with the ability to either work in the background as part of a dark undulation or bop to the front of the mix with a bright and buzzy sonic profile.
On guitar, Chelsea comes alive with bright single-coils or thick humbuckers, alike. Concerning the Sustain control, Chelsea offers quite a bit for players looking for some lasting, soaring sustained notes like a handful of LCD Soundsystem leads. These sustaining, articulate, overdriven notes are accompanied by the circuit's affinity for mids-focused dirt so effortlessly accessed with the Tone switch off. With Chelsea, you have a surprising amount of room to work with its vintage-style fuzz tonality.
The Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver features analog design and true bypass switching. It operates on your usual nine volt DC center negative power supplies, so working this vintage fuzz into your rig is as easy as any other pedal.
EarthQuaker Devices Chelsea Low End Fuzz Driver Final Thoughts
Closing time. Let's start wrapping this party up.
With Chelsea, EarthQuaker Devices surfaces dance punk gold for players seeking out authentic LCD Soundsystem tones or just a reliable, vintage-style fuzz. Chelsea sets itself apart enough from your usual Muff-style fuzzes to certainly be worthy of a trial while being familiar enough to get in on its flavor of fuzz fairly quickly. The effect mixes with bass and guitar signals wonderfully and seeing as it can be hard to find a drive that works in both instrument realms, Chelsea is definitely worth checking out. If you're a fan of LCD Soundsystem and the dirty, punky guitar and basses they're known for, you're sure to find something to love about Chelsea.
More than twenty years on and LCD Soundsystem still has yet to lose their edge. With legions of fans, a decorated discography, and now the EQD Chelsea, it makes you consider how they do it. Inspiration and perspiration is what we'd say, if we had to wager how LCD Soundsystem makes (or doesn't make) a hit – maybe that's how it starts.
