Brian Borcherdt (born August 31, 1976) is a Canadian musician who has been both a solo artist and a member of Burnt Black, Trephines, Hot Carl, By Divine Right, Holy Fuck, Lids, and Dusted.

Brian Borcherdt
Brian Borcherdt performing in Montreal, 2005
Brian Borcherdt performing in Montreal, 2005
Background information
Born (1976-08-31) August 31, 1976 (age 48)
OriginYarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
GenresAlternative country, folk rock, electronic
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active1994–present
LabelsDependent, Hand Drawn Dracula, Polyvinyl
Websitehanddrawndracula.com/artists/brian-borcherdt

As a teenager growing up in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, he founded independent music collective and record label Dependent Music.[1]

Chipmunks on 16 Speed

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Chipmunks on 16 Speed or chipmunkson16speed (stylized in lower case) is a 2015[2] musical project by Brian Borcherdt, in which he plays various Alvin and the Chipmunks songs and covers on vinyl, and slows them down to 16 revolutions per minute, slow enough that the vocals no longer sound sped up.[3] Most of the songs come from The Chipmunks album Chipmunk Punk,[4] and the album covers for the project are also adapted from its cover art.

Borcherdt's work has been described as gothic rock, new wave, and post-punk,[5][6] or a combination between sludge metal and pop,[3][7] while Borcherdt himself described it as "heavy", "beautiful", and "poetic". A SoundCloud playlist made for the project, titled Sludgefest, was reuploaded to YouTube and now has over 3 million views.[3][5]

Borcherdt had discovered the concept as he began to play with Holy Fuck, after experimenting with the records on a turntable, and then found a suitcase turntable that could play at extremely slow speeds.[3]

Discography

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Solo albums

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The Remains of Brian Borcherdt

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  • Moth (2002)
  • The Remains of Brian Borcherdt (2003)
  • The Remains of..., Volume 2 (2004)
  • Torches/ Ward Colorado Demos (unfinished recordings from 2005 to 2006)

Brian Borcherdt

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  • Coyotes (2008)

Chipmunks on 16 Speed

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Collaborative albums

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Burnt Black

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  • Happy (1994)
  • Nervous Wreck (1996)
  • A Demonstration (1997)
  • Burned out (1999)

Trephines

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  • Trephines (2001)

By Divine Right

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  • Sweet Confusion (2004)

Holy Fuck

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Dusted

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  • Total Dust (2012)
  • Blackout Summer (2018)
  • III (2021)

References

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  1. ^ "BRIAN BORCHERDT - HAND DRAWN DRACULA".
  2. ^ a b c "chipmunks on 16 speed". chipmunks on 16 speed. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Boles, Benjamin (October 31, 2015). "Brian Borcherdt slows down Alvin and the Chipmunks songs". NOW Magazine. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c ""Call Me" (Blondie Cover)". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Networks, Hornet (March 16, 2022). "The Best Goth Album of the '80s Was Actually Sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks". Hornet. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "Brilliant Slowed Down 80s Pop Hits by Alvin & the Chipmunks". kottke.org. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "Slowed-Down Alvin And The Chipmunks Makes Great Sludge Pop". Stereogum. November 3, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
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