Toucans

Toucans is an experimental music group from Olympia, United States, active from 1988 to the present. The project later uses the name Ramphastos, the scientific name for toucans, and is identified with William Flourance, whose recent production work appears under that name. Flourance begins releasing music digitally in 2011 through Bandcamp.

Style and approach

Toucans draws on dubstep, witch house, and chillwave, and builds tracks from dusty samples taken mainly from music made in the 1960s and 1970s. These samples are reworked into reflective, lush soundscapes, with vocal and instrumental pitch often altered over hip-hop-oriented 808 drum patterns.

Name change

In 2011, Flourance changes the project name from Toucans to Ramphastos.