El Ten Eleven

Hailing from Los Angeles, the instrumental post-rock duo El Ten Eleven is made up of bassist and guitarist Kristian Dunn together with drummer Tim Fogarty. Dunn performs on fretless bass or a double-neck bass/guitar instrument while Fogarty shifts between acoustic and electronic drum kits; the pair rely on looping stations and effects pedals in place of programmed rhythms, which means their lively concerts demand substantial stamina. The group stands out for building intricate, inventive pieces despite their restricted setup, and their ringing, emotionally resonant melodies paired with lively rhythms produce tracks that feel both moving and energetic, sometimes even suited to dancing. Their sound frequently carries a bittersweet quality, and multiple compositions bear the names of deceased friends or relatives. The musicians have maintained an almost continuous touring schedule since issuing their self-titled debut in 2004, with later releases encompassing the dance-oriented These Promises Are Being Videotaped (2008) and Fast Forward (2015). Although the majority of their albums appeared on their own imprint, they partnered with Topshelf Records for 2018’s Banker's Hill before shifting to Joyful Noise for the three-part Tautology in 2020 and the festive New Year's Eve in 2022; the more reflective Valley of Fire followed in 2023.

El Ten Eleven came together in 2002 and tracked their self-titled debut full-length in 2004, which Bar/None Records put out to positive reviews the following year. Nearly every subsequent recording has surfaced on their own Fake Record Label, beginning with 2007’s Every Direction Is North, also issued in Japan with an extra track by Xtal Records. These Promises Are Being Videotaped arrived next in 2008, a more dance-focused set captured using only fretless bass and both electronic and acoustic drums. Their fourth album, It’s Still Like a Secret—titled as a nod to Built to Spill’s Keep It Like a Secret—reached listeners in fall 2010. After a split 7" EP with Girlfriends in 2011, the fifth full-length Transitions appeared in 2012, followed in 2013 by Transitions Remixed, which included reworkings by Com Truise, Slow Magic, Max Tundra, and additional artists. The EP For emily, honoring a friend who chose lowercase spelling for her name, came out in early 2014.

After an online campaign to reissue select recordings on vinyl, El Ten Eleven delivered their sixth album, Fast Forward, in 2015. Two years afterward they released the four-song EP Unusable Love, featuring vocals from Emile Mosseri of the Dig and marking their most pop-oriented work at that point. Banker's Hill (2018), their seventh album and first with an external producer in Sonny DiPerri, also represented their initial outing on Topshelf Records. Joyful Noise issued Tautology in 2020, a three-part concept album exploring life, aging, and death. The optimistic New Year's Eve surfaced in 2022, while Valley of Fire, a comparatively darker effort drawn from a trip to Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park, arrived in 2023.