Biography
Although Toronto serves as the home base for the synth rock and electro-funk collective TWRP, also known as Tupper Ware Remix Party, their sound draws from 1980s influences while existing beyond conventional temporal and spatial limits. The quartet gained attention during the first half of the 2010s through a series of vibrant recordings issued under their own name and repeated joint projects with the New York-based pair Ninja Sex Party, all while maintaining an irreverent approach to upbeat, dance-oriented material and delivering high-energy performances. From the outset, the musicians have concealed their identities behind stage costumes and pseudonyms. By 2019 the outfit had issued three full-length albums plus an assortment of singles, EPs, compilations, and collaborative works.
Doctor Sung, the group’s lead vocalist and keytar player, assembled the project after emerging into existence near the Big Bang; the 69th-degree black belt later enlisted robotic drummer Havve Hogan during the Mesozoic Era. The lineup reached completion only after the addition of bassist Commander Meouch, a lion-headed traveler from another galaxy who traffics in funk, and guitarist Lord Phobos, who pilots a rocket. The four performers, clad in spandex, launched their recorded career in 2011 with the single “Lazerhorse,” which merged melodic chiptune textures and 1980s hair-metal aesthetics. Their debut EP, The Device, followed in 2012 and steered the sound toward the style of a Discovery-era Daft Punk tribute act.
Two further EPs appeared in 2015. The release 2nite featured contributions from turntablist Skratch Bastid and from Ninja Sex Party, an American duo that would continue working regularly with TWRP. Believe in Your Dreams, the year’s other EP, contained an additional track by the same duo along with material by White Hot Guilt. The first extended joint effort between the two acts surfaced in 2016 as the EP Under the Covers, on which TWRP supplied instrumental backing for renditions of 1980s songs by a-ha, Tears for Fears, Van Halen, Michael Jackson, and additional artists. Also that year the band issued the EP Guardians of the Zone, which introduced the track “Rock n Roll Best Friends” and presented a revised version of “The No Pants Dance” from The Device now featuring Ninja Sex Party.
Ladyworld, the group’s fifth EP, entered the Billboard Heatseekers chart at number five upon its early 2017 release. In 2019 TWRP delivered the album Return to Wherever and served as the backing ensemble on Starbomb’s The TryForce, a side project involving members of Ninja Sex Party.
Doctor Sung, the group’s lead vocalist and keytar player, assembled the project after emerging into existence near the Big Bang; the 69th-degree black belt later enlisted robotic drummer Havve Hogan during the Mesozoic Era. The lineup reached completion only after the addition of bassist Commander Meouch, a lion-headed traveler from another galaxy who traffics in funk, and guitarist Lord Phobos, who pilots a rocket. The four performers, clad in spandex, launched their recorded career in 2011 with the single “Lazerhorse,” which merged melodic chiptune textures and 1980s hair-metal aesthetics. Their debut EP, The Device, followed in 2012 and steered the sound toward the style of a Discovery-era Daft Punk tribute act.
Two further EPs appeared in 2015. The release 2nite featured contributions from turntablist Skratch Bastid and from Ninja Sex Party, an American duo that would continue working regularly with TWRP. Believe in Your Dreams, the year’s other EP, contained an additional track by the same duo along with material by White Hot Guilt. The first extended joint effort between the two acts surfaced in 2016 as the EP Under the Covers, on which TWRP supplied instrumental backing for renditions of 1980s songs by a-ha, Tears for Fears, Van Halen, Michael Jackson, and additional artists. Also that year the band issued the EP Guardians of the Zone, which introduced the track “Rock n Roll Best Friends” and presented a revised version of “The No Pants Dance” from The Device now featuring Ninja Sex Party.
Ladyworld, the group’s fifth EP, entered the Billboard Heatseekers chart at number five upon its early 2017 release. In 2019 TWRP delivered the album Return to Wherever and served as the backing ensemble on Starbomb’s The TryForce, a side project involving members of Ninja Sex Party.
Albums
