SQUID by D.Treut

"Insane" - Dave Douglas

Squid is a band D.Treut led from '01 - '05. They played exclusively in NYC at Tonic, Knitting Factory, FONT Festival, C-Note and Pyramid Club catching drifts of the Downtown Jazz music scene with Drum'N'Bass pervading musical shifts of the zeitgeist. D.Treut’s vision was to make a record that included the disparate elements of free-jazz, improvisation, driving drum’n’bass inspired beats. The fully processed and electric trumpet and guitar are offset by the mostly unprocessed drums and bass.

The record is a dream like world, where after a certain point you can’t tell who is soloing, but you do know and feel the propulsion and waves in which you are being tossed around. In terms of genres, D.Treut thinks a record should go all over the place and be non genre specific. In genre defying, he believes you can make your own. The band suspends and elevates between dense interplay and technicolor soundscapes.

We recorded in 2004. Being in our early to mid 20’s without much of a budget to work with, we recorded in Rob's Living Room in Red Hook on a now ancient Digi02, borrowing mics and cables from our friends, using couch cushions as sound baffles. Michelle Casillas, Rob’s roommate & Tony Scherr, her boyfriend at the time, were drinking coffee in the kitchen between takes, Eric Biondo popped by later to sing.

D. Treut's music is defined by unconventionality – he has explored the jazz improvisational, rock, and pop realms with equal vigor, extracting from each to create something original and undefinable.

Classifying D. Treut's style as 'outsider music' is somewhat undervaluing, given the complex, intelligent musicality of the work. Yet, the moniker captures the non-conformist spirit of the music.