Public Record

Philadelphian septet, Public Record, blend together a vast array of musical genres ranging from early-disco to shoegaze; Afro-beat to Scottish Postcard pop; and northern soul to Factory Records funk. The product of this co-mingling of musical ideas and sensibilities is a refreshingly creative take on dance music that manages to surprise and bewilder listeners with each changing verse and track. This is not to say that Public Record’s music regularly bombards us with dramatic style shifts or taut genre “stunts.” It is rather that each of the individual components of their instrumentation simultaneously partakes in a complex and subtle play on various styles. It is rare for an instrument to be played in one genre specific manner throughout the course of a whole song and when a stylistic change does take place it can happen in an understated manner or while the listener is being distracted by perhaps more salient elements. As a result, Public Record can be described as a band that chooses to obscure much of its experimental leanings. The genre-bending explorations they make are often hidden in intricacy and familiarity. When it’s all said and done they could be described simply as a pop band or a dance band, but it will be their complexity that will allow listeners to enjoy multiple dimensions otherwise figured to be missing from many groups today.

Public Record was originally formed in Philadelphia in 2001 by Gareth Duffield and Brent Bohan. The recorded line-up of the group is comprised of Gareth Duffield (guitar, keyboards), Brent Bohan (bass), Greg Pavlovcak (guitar), and Hilary Baker (alto saxophone), Ted Johnson (drums, percussion), Matt Lyons (drums, percussion), and Charles Duquesne (drums, percussion).

The band still resides in and plays regularly around the Philadelphia area. The band recorded its s/t debut with Jeff Zeigler of the band Arc in Round at Uniform Recordings in Philadelphia and was released on High Two in early 2008.

The band’s follow-up Echolocation was released in 2009. The album features remixes from memebers of Superchunk/Portastatic, Mazarin, the Clientelle, Unrest, Sonic Liberation Front, Josef K/Orange Juice, and more.