Styrofoam

The electronic one-man project known as Styrofoam came to life in Antwerp, Belgium, but didn't find its feet until moving to Berlin early on, and immersing itself in the developing rock/electronic hybrid scene that was taking that city by storm in the early years of the 21st century. The sole artist behind the moniker, Arne Van Petegem, quickly built a solid following in his new home, and caught the attention of Morr Music. Styrofoam released its first album for the label, The Point Misser, in 2000, followed by a string of successful releases, including 2001's A Short Album About Murder, 2003's I'm What's There to Show That Something's Missing, and 2004's Nothing's Lost. An EP (Heart Without a Mind) followed the album releases, but it was to be the last for Styrofoam under the guidance of Morr. Although most of Styrofoam's work — up to this point — was purely solo work, focusing on Van Petegem's ideas and concepts in a rather intimate recording atmosphere, he did manage a handful of remixes (Jimmy Eat World, for one) and collaborations with other Morr artists (Notwist, Lali Puna). His next move, to the acclaimed label Nettwerk, also saw Van Petegem working with outside producers on his Styrofoam work for the first time. The 2008 full-length (and debut for Nettwerk) A Thousand Words featured the production team Wax, Ltd. and guest appearances from Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World), Blake Hazard, and Josh Rouse.