Tone Of Arc is the San Francisco producer/musician/vocalist Derrick Boyd. ‘Urgent Turquoise’ (their first full-length album for Om Records), Tone of Arc deliver an epic 16 track sonic adventure, sublimely blending Nu-Disco, Techno, Deep House and Indie Dance sounds. Three and a half years in the making, TOA have created a truly inspired opus that highlight’s their articulate, playful writing style and Derrick Boyd’s masterfully rich production ingenuity. Tone Of Arc, in short means the sound of the laws of creation, a name born from the wonder of the sound that holds all things in the universe together.
Subtly woven into the tracks can be heard glimpses of Derrick’s musical for bearers; a tinge of Talking Heads, a wisp of Tones on Tail and a majestic nod to Bowie. From the standout first single ‘The Best Place to Fall’ (KCRW Song of The Day) to the sing along pop playfulness of ‘Shutters are Shaking’, the KCRW – Garth Trinidad electronic favorite ‘Tear Drops on the Moon’, to the truly uplifting ‘Provoco’, TOA reassures us ‘everything’s gonna be alright’. Two unforgettable covers on Urgent Turquoise are; Spandau Ballet’s ‘Chant No.1’ and Portishead’s ‘The Rip’. The musicianship and creativity is on full display here. Every listen gives a deeper experience to the album, as new standouts constantly jump out, and satisfy.
Tone Of Arc, AKA Derrick Boyd has a live show that is something rarely experienced on the dance floor. Resident Advisor describes TOA as “a perfect performance piece leaving no one on the dance floor short of enthralled”. While singing, playing guitar, bass, and keys during a fully mixed slew of original songs, their sense of bravado and daring blurs the line between traditional live performance and microprocessor obsessed futurism. Tone Of Arc has played at some of the biggest clubs and festivals around the world several times over including Fabric London, Panorama Bar Berlin, BPM Festival Playa Del Carmen, Pacha Buenos Aires, Warung and D Edge Brazil to name a few from a reputably strong list.
Prior to their latest LP Urgent Turquoise, TOA released 3 EP’s in 2012/2013 with remixes by Deniz Kurtel, Luca C. and Prinz Thomas leading up to their debut full length album The TIme Was Right in May of 2013 with record label No.19 Music. In 2014, NY based Touch Of Class Records (co-owned by Michael Tello of Pillow Talk) released the Retox EP including 3 originals, a remix by Signal Flow, Pattern Drama and 2 remixes by Eric Volta.