El Ten Eleven

El Ten Eleven is an American instrumental duo from Silver Lake, Los Angeles, active since 2002. The group consists of Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty, and performs as a two-piece without laptops or sequencers.

Sound and live setup

Dunn moves between a double-neck bass and guitar and a fretless bass, while also using a large set of looping devices and effects pedals with his feet. He plays and layers all parts live. Fogarty switches between acoustic drums, roto toms and electronic drum pads, often within the same song, and also loops parts when needed. Their music combines instrumental rock with ambient, electronic, experimental and post-rock elements.

Albums and releases

Their early full-length albums, the self-titled debut El Ten Eleven and Every Direction Is North, establish a dense, atmospheric style that draws comparison with post-rock acts such as Tortoise, Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Rós. On the third album, These Promises Are Being Videotaped, the duo shifts towards a more dance-rock-influenced approach, closer to Ratatat and Soulwax. It’s Still Like A Secret follows and brings together elements from the band’s first three albums. The group releases that record on its own label, Fake Record Label.

Transitions follows in 2012, and Transitions Remixed appears in 2013 with remixes by electronic artists including Com Truise, Slow Magic, D33J and Steed Lord. The remix collection reaches number 13 on the CMJ college radio chart. In 2014 the band issues the three-song EP For emily, dedicated to a friend who dies the previous year. The EP includes a bonus track, Favrile, which is not available digitally.

Touring, DIY work and film scoring

El Ten Eleven builds its audience through extensive touring across North America and through a strong do-it-yourself approach to recording and releasing music. The band’s songs are also used widely in television, film and advertising. Dunn scores the PBS documentaries Helvetica and Objectified, both directed and produced by Gary Hustwit and both nominated for Independent Spirit Awards. The duo also scores Hustwit’s film Urbanized.