Crossover

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Crossover is an American electroclash duo from New York City. Their first full-length album, fantasmo, was released in 2001.

Biography

Vanessa Tosti (AKA Verona, AKA VEE) and Mark Ingram (AKA Desmond, AKA DEZ, AKA ZED) met in NYC and worked at Smylonylon, selling deadstock vintage clothing. They listened to the Smylonylon mix tapes over the store's sound system and watched customer reaction. In an interview by Lorraine Carpenter, Mark Ingram said, "That was a research period for us because we were listening to this music over a big sound system eight hours a day. We’re really interested in making people dance and all that music had beats and heavy basslines, and, if it had a nasty keyboard over the top, it made us happy." [1]

After writing a story called "Fantasmo," the duo experimented with four-track recordings and decided that music was what they wanted to do. In the same interview with Carpenter, Ingram said, "We felt we were dealing with future music so we developed a concept, an idea that interested us." The concept involves the adventures of characters "Desmond" and "Verona."

To accompany the music, Crossover makes books called Pirate Communiqués and distributes them at their shows.

Mark Ingram and Vanessa Tosti also known as Vee & Dez formed CROSSOVER in New York City and released their first album "Fantasmo" pioneering dark underground electro folk tales in 2001.

In 2005 they released their second album "Cryptic and Dire Sallow Faced Hoods Blast off into Oblivion" again ahead of the pack with their own unique style of "cozmik" music. The two lived in Berlin for a spell and did European tours for both albums including shows in major cities in the US and Canada.

The mystery surrounding the band has gained them a cult like following and also won them features in rags such as The Face, ID, NME, D-Side, Blow Up, Jockey Slut, Sleaze Nation, and Nylon, amongst others.

Along the way they have put out limited and hand numbered unreleased music and art on their own DIY non-label Cellar Door. Under this banner one can obtain "Anti-Cvlt" propaganda and regalia including hand screened shirts, patches and badges. Also the Pirtae Communiques, which are hand printed & bound fanzines that the band uses to disseminate their ideas and artwork.

CROSSOVER have shot, directed, and edited their own videos including "Over Exposure", "Apples on a Stick", and "I know Your Face" as well as creating the artwork layouts for their albums.

Sound

In an interview on the Crossover (Anti-cvlt) MySpace web page, they said, "I suppose we identify best with outsider art and music from any era. Stuff that is normally frowned upon. Also artists who combine otherworldly themes, nature, as well as melancholy, sarcasm and humor. It has to be scary and intriguing, sad and precious. Paul Laffoley, William Klein, Jean "Moebius" Giraud, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Hieronymus Bosch, Peter Bruegel, Theodor Kittelsen... Christian Brown, Pushead." [2]

External links

• Official site
• 2005 interview
• Brief bio