**Drew Daniel** (b. 17 July 1971) is an American experimental musician based in Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known as ½ of the acclaimed electronic duo [[artist:Matmos]] and solo as [[artist:The Soft Pink Truth]]. Daniel is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Before joining the JHU English Department, Drew Daniel taught Renaissance literature, critical theory, and aesthetics at [[label:San Francisco Art Institute]] and [[label:614635]]. He also held seminars at [[label:Tate Modern]], [CalArts](https://discogs.com/label/156314), [Princeton](https://discogs.com/label/289773), and [[label:Harvard University]]. Born and raised in Kentucky, Daniel grew interested in punk rock as a teenager, publishing "The Conqueror Worm" DIY punk fanzine at sixteen and later participating in local bands, including [[artist:Crain (2)]] and [[artist:Cerebellum (4)]]. Drew performed his early solo noise gigs as [Western Blot](https://discogs.com/artist/11015195) while attending [U.C. Berkeley](https://discogs.com/label/614635) in California. From 1992 to '94, Drew Daniel studied English literature at the [University of Oxford](https://discogs.com/label/494155) in Britain, receiving his Bachelor's from Brasenose College. In 2007, Drew earned his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley with a doctoral thesis *“I Know Not Why I Am So Sad:” Melancholy and Knowledge in Early Modern English Portraiture, Drama, and Prose*.

Around 1992, Daniel formed **[[artist:Matmos]]** with his partner [[artist:Martin Schmidt]]. The duo gained prominence and numerous accolades, with international tours and 12 full-length studio albums released on their private imprint [[label:Vague Terrain]], [[label:Matador]] (1999–2008) and [[label:Thrill Jockey]] (since 2012) — and numerous EPs, collaborations, and side projects on other prominent independent labels. Drew and Martin played together in "occult avantgarde" band [IAO Core](https://discogs.com/artist/150990) and released several records as [[artist:10119]] with [[artist:Miguel Depedro]]/[[artist:Kid606]] and [[artist:Lesser]]. In 2001, Drew Daniel started **[[artist:The Soft Pink Truth]]** solo project dedicated to techno, house, and other "club music" genres, which often records electronic covers of notable British/American hardcore, crust punk, and black metal bands. Under the SPT moniker, Daniel released several EPs and two full-length albums on [[artist:Matthew Herbert]]'s [[label:Soundslike]] label and is currently on Thrill Jockey's roster. The Soft Pink Truth also self-published two digital "name-your-price" releases via Bandcamp.

In May 2018, Daniel's first-ever album under his real name came out, *[r=11869460]* LP recorded with [[artist:John Wiese]] and released by Arizona-based [[label:83974]]. Their second collaboration followed in July 2021, with a limited edition *[r=19471264]* 7" on John's label [[label:2798]]. As a solo artist, Drew Daniel produced remixes for a wide range of artists and bands across genres, from [[artist:1373]], [[artist:Roots Manuva]] and [[artist:Grizzly Bear]] to [[artist:10814]] and [[artist:5611]]. He collaborated with [[artist:Horse Lords]], [[artist:Negativland]], [[artist:Steven Stapleton]]/[[artist:Nurse With Wound]] and many other renowned musicians and composers.

Drew Daniel wrote three books: "20 Jazz Funk Greats" (2008) for Continuum's 33 ⅓ series (an essay on [[artist:Throbbing Gristle]]'s [eponymous album](https://discogs.com/master/6814)), followed by "The Melancholy Assemblage: Affect and Epistemology in the English Renaissance" (2012) at Fordham University Press and his latest manuscript, "Joy of the Worm: Suicide and Pleasure in Early Modern English Literature" (2022) published by [[label:1673330]]. Daniel was also a contributing writer to [[label:Pitchfork Media]] and authored liner notes on multiple records, from [[artist:People Like Us]], [[artist:Patrick Cowley]] and [[artist:Zeena Parkins]] albums to 30th-anniversary reissue of *[Love's Secret Domain](https://www.discogs.com/master/21323-Coil-Loves-Secret-Domain?format=Reissue&country=US&query=30th+Anniversary+Edition)* by [[artist:Coil]].