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Jaime Brooks
Birth nameEdward James Brooks
Born (1984-05-05) May 5, 1984 (age 40)
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboard
  • piano
  • guitar
  • bass
  • harmonica
Years active2009–present

Jaime Brooks (born May 5, 1984) is a Canadian-American songwriter and musician.

Career

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2009–2013: Elite Gymnastics

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Elite Gymnastics
OriginMinneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
Years active2009–2013
LabelsAcéphale
Past membersJaime Brooks (credited under deadname)
Joshua Clancy
Websiteelitegymnastics.tumblr.com

Elite Gymnastics, self-described as a "multimedia art project", was an electronic music duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota and later a solo project from Vancouver, British Columbia. Formed by Brooks in Minneapolis around 2009, original lineups consisted of various local musicians in the Minneapolis metro area and eventually settled as a duo of Jaime Brooks and Josh Clancy. They self-released several EPs and mixtapes before Clancy's departure in 2012.[1]

As a duo they released seven EPs, which credited Brooks with most of the songwriting and musical production, and Clancy with most of the album artwork: Real Friends, Neu! '92, Gizzard Greens V.1, Gizzard Greens V.2, Ruin (and its B-side, Ruin 2), Ruin 3, and Ruin 4. Gizzard Greens is a digital double EP (though the two volumes were released individually in 2010 and 2011) in the style of remix albums, featuring a cover of Cheryl Cole's "Parachute" and a mashup combining Sub Focus' remix of Rusko's "Hold On" (featuring Amber Coffman) with Blame's "Piano Takes You" on the first volume, and bootleg remixes of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and Waka Flocka Flame's "Fuck the Club Up" (featuring Pastor Troy and Slim Dunkin) on the second.

The Ruin EP was reviewed favorably by Pitchfork magazine, earning a 7.8 album review rating and critical acclaim among a number of smaller publications, and quickly attracted an online cult following.[2][3] Ruin saw a physical release in vinyl format under the electronic label Acéphale, with the B-side (Ruin 2) being five remixed versions of its A-side tracks. Previous albums were self-released online in digital format for free through their Tumblr-based imprint Psychedelic Surf Club. Ruin and Ruin 2 were later self-released for free download as a digital double EP. Ruin 4 includes "Life/Trap" and "We Got Lost", two previously unreleased tracks which didn't make it onto the Ruin EP, and a rerecorded version of Ruin's "Little Things" as a hidden track.

The name Elite Gymnastics was taken from the lyrics of "Ruthless Babysitting" by power electronics group Whitehouse.

Josh Clancy's departure

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Following a 2012 tour as a supporting act for Sleigh Bells, Elite Gymnastics became Brooks' solo project with Clancy parting ways after a reportedly tumultuous experience on the road. "Our personal relationship is kinda kaput for the time being," Brooks describes in a Tumblr post detailing some of the reasons for continuing the project solo.[4][5] Brooks continued the project solo, relocating to Vancouver following a stint in New York City, releasing the single "Andreja 4-Ever" as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program the same year.[6][7][8]

The solo form of Elite Gymnastics only saw the release of single "Andreja 4-Ever" and a couple of remixes (for Sky Ferreira and How to Dress Well) before Brooks decided to rename the project; first to Dead Girlfriends, then to Default Genders.[9][10]

2013–2014: Default Genders

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Default Genders
OriginVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres
Years active2013–present
MembersJaime Brooks
Websitemagicalpessimism.bandcamp.com

Dead Girlfriends and "On Fraternity" controversy

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The release of single "On Fraternity" from the debut EP Stop Pretending, in association with the name change to Dead Girlfriends, caused a substantial amount of controversy and prompted a series of articles by various publications and an online round table discussion by Spin magazine.[11][12][13] Brooks rechristened the project Default Genders shortly thereafter.

2015–2018: Eponymity

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During a four-year period following relocation to Los Angeles, California, Brooks released a series of demos and bootleg remixes on SoundCloud eponymously, though they were not made available for purchase or download.

2019-2020: Default Genders

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Main Pop Girl 2019

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On February 4, 2019, Brooks released a second full-length Default Genders album titled Main Pop Girl 2019, which includes a track featuring pop artist No Rome, updated versions of demos previously released eponymously, and an updated version of "Sophie" from Magical Pessimism 2014 featuring artist Beth Sawlts. The album was reviewed favorably by Pitchfork magazine, receiving an 8.0 rating.[14]

Pain Mop Girl 2020

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On April 20, 2020, Brooks released a new full-length Default Genders album titled Pain Mop Girl 2020, which consists mostly of guest-remixed and reworked versions of Main Pop Girl 2019 songs, and features two original songs as the opening tracks.[15]

Main Pop Girls 2015–2018

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On December 4, 2020, Brooks released a collection of demos as an album titled Main Pop Girls 2015–2018 which consists of an unreleased song as the opening track and songs previously showcased eponymously as SoundCloud demos during 2015–2018, many of which laid the groundwork for material on subsequent Default Genders albums.

2022: Elite Gymnastics revival

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In 2021, Brooks announced a reconciliation with Clancy and revealed intentions to revive the Elite Gymnastics name with his blessing (though ultimately not his involvement).[16] A debut album, snow flakes 2022, was released on October 18, 2022 (the only prior commercial release under the name, RUIN, being considered a double EP).[17] The album consists of re-workings of previously recorded songs as well as new material, with the new lineup of Jaime Brooks and Viri Char.

Private life

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Brooks is transgender[18][19][20] and uses she and they personal pronouns.[21] They were in a relationship with Canadian musician Grimes from 2013 to 2018.[22]

Discography

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Elite Gymnastics

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Extended plays

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  • Real Friends (2010)
  • Gizzard Greens V.1 (2010)
  • Gizzard Greens V.2 (2011)
  • Neu! '92 (2011)
  • Ruin (2011)
  • Ruin 2 (2011)
  • Ruin 3 (2012)
  • Ruin 4 (2012)

Singles

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  • "We Fly High (Original Version)" (2009)
  • "Life/Trap" (2012)
  • "Andreja 4-Ever" (2012)

Unreleased songs

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  • "Real Love (The Hedgehog's Dilemma)" (2010)[23]
  • "I Just Wasn't Paying Attention" (2011)[24]
  • "Walls" (2011)[24]

Note: "I Just Wasn't Paying Attention" is an early version of "We Got Lost" from Ruin 4.

Remixes

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  • Florrie – "Come Back to Mine (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2010)[25]
  • How to Dress Well – "Suicide Dream 2 (Elite Gymnastics Baptism)" (2011)[26]
  • Mozart Parties – "Where Has Everybody Gone? (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2011)[27]
  • Korallreven feat. Julianna Barwick – "Sa Sa Samoa (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2012)[28]
  • Sky Ferreira – "Red Lips (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2013)
  • How to Dress Well – "& It Was U (Elite Gymnastics Remix)" (2013)[29]

Mixtapes

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  • Mix for VnFold Magazine (2010)[30]
  • Mix for Opening Ceremony (2011)[31]
  • All We Fucking Care About is Kpop Whitehouse and Our Cats (Mix for Forty Ounce Clothing, 2011)[32]
  • I Want a 38-Minute Truce in Which There is No Rape (Mix for DIS Magazine, 2011)[33]

Default Genders

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Studio albums

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  • Magical Pessimism 2014 (2014)
  • Main Pop Girl 2019 (2019)
  • Pain Mop Girl 2020 (2020)

Extended plays

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  • Stop Pretending (2013)

Singles

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  • "On Fraternity" (2013)

Mixtapes

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  • Magical Pessimix #1 (2014)

Jaime Brooks

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Studio albums

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  • Main Pop Girls 2015–2018 (The Demos) (2020)

References

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  1. ^ "Josh Clancy Leaves Elite Gymnastics". Pitchfork. August 14, 2012.
  2. ^ "Elite Gymnastics 'Ruin'". Pitchfork.
  3. ^ "Elite Gymnastics". Pitchfork. August 24, 2011.
  4. ^ "Elite Gymnastics and Javelin Tour With Sleigh Bells". Pitchfork. March 22, 2012.
  5. ^ "Elite Gymnastics now James Brooks' solo project -- Josh Clancy leaves group". City Pages.
  6. ^ "Elite Gymnastics". Pitchfork. September 26, 2012.
  7. ^ Hogan, Marc (August 28, 2012). "Elite Gymnastics Goes Solo, Gets Emo on 'Andreja 4-Ever'". Spin.
  8. ^ "Elite Gymnastics". Dazed Digital. September 11, 2012.
  9. ^ "Elite Gymnastics Changes Name To Dead Girlfriends, Releases New EP". Stereogum. July 29, 2013.
  10. ^ McGovern, Kyle (July 29, 2013). "James Brooks Kills Elite Gymnastics, Returns as Dead Girlfriends". Spin.
  11. ^ Hopper, Jessica (August 2, 2013). "Dead Girlfriends' 'On Fraternity': A Roundtable". Spin.
  12. ^ Hogan, Marc (August 7, 2013). "Default Genders' James Brooks: 'I Totally Failed'". Spin.
  13. ^ "Deconstructing: Dead Girlfriends, Mansplaining, And When Being An Ally Goes Wrong". Stereogum. July 31, 2013.
  14. ^ "Default Genders Main Pop Girl 2019". Pitchfork.
  15. ^ "Default Genders Pain Mop Girl 2020". Pitchfork.
  16. ^ "ELITE GYMNASTICS". Tumblr. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  17. ^ Darville, Jordan. "Listen to snow flakes 2022, the debut album from Elite Gymnastics". The FADER. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  18. ^ Brooks, Jaime [@elite_gz] (May 30, 2021). "i don't really have any personal desire to re-litigate that whole miserable saga, but if it comes up, it comes up. i'm trans, the way i expressed femininity before i had the right language to explain myself seemed to put off a lot of people. not much more to it than that afaik" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Catucci, Nick (September 10, 2022). "My Internet: Jaime Brooks". Embedded. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  20. ^ "ELITE GYMNASTICS". July 16, 2023. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  21. ^ "jaime brooks ☭ (@elite_gz) / Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023.
  22. ^ "Default Genders Escaped The Spotlight's Glare to make 'Main Pop Girl 2019,' His Best Work Yet," Exclaim. February 2019.
  23. ^ "Listen & view Elite Gymnastics – Real Love, The Hedgehogs Dilemma (Demo) lyrics & tabs". TabLyricFm.
  24. ^ a b "In-Studio Performance: Apr 15, 2011 Elite Gymnastics". Radio K.
  25. ^ "'Come Back To Mine' (Elite Gymnastics Remix)". Pitchfork. June 2010.
  26. ^ "How to Dress Well 'Suicide Dream 2 (Elite Gymnastics Baptism)'". Pitchfork.
  27. ^ "Mozart Parties 'Where Has Everybody Gone?' / Elite Gymnastics Remix". Pitchfork.
  28. ^ "Korallreven 'Sa Sa Samoa (Elite Gymnastics Remix)' [ft. Julianna Barwick]". Pitchfork.
  29. ^ "How to Dress Well '& It Was U (Elite Gymnastics Remix)'". Pitchfork.
  30. ^ "Elite Gymnastics – Elite Gymnastics For Vnfold". Discogs. August 19, 2010.
  31. ^ "Elite Gymnastics' Opening Ceremony Mix MP3". Fader.
  32. ^ "Elite Gymnastics Made a Mix and it is Hard to Figure Out". Fader.
  33. ^ "Elite Gymnastics' I Want a 38-Minute Truce During Which There Is No Rape Mix MP3". Fader.
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