A New York City-raised singer, songwriter, film and video game music composer, and multi-instrumentalist,
James Euringer -- also known as
Jimmy Urine -- is best known as the mischievous co-founder and frontman of the genre-bending electropunk outfit
Mindless Self Indulgence. In 2018, he issued a solo effort as simply
Euringer.
In the mid-'90s,
Euringer and his brother Markus founded
MSI and have documented their nervy blend of lo-fi punk, industrial, and hip-hop on multiple albums, EPs, and singles. In addition to his work with
MSI,
Urine has recorded under the moniker
Left Rights with
MSI co-conspirator Steve, Righ?, and has done remixes for
Grimes,
Deep Forest,
Korn,
Serj Tankian, and
Serart. He has also done some film acting as well, appearing alongside his wife,
Morningwood vocalist
Chantal Claret, in Darren Lynn Bousman's Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival, and as a Ravager named Half-Nut in director James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
In 2017 he released
Secret Cinematic Sounds of Jimmy Urine, a compilation of his video game and film music. The following year, he issued a full-length effort,
Euringer (Metropolis Records), which featured appearances by
Grimes,
Tankian,
Claret, and
Gerard Way.
Euringer's goal with the project was to create a hybrid sound that blended
Depeche Mode,
J Dilla, and
Frank Zappa. With his familiar vocals and off-kilter production style,
Euringer also included covers of
Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" and
the Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes." ~ James Christopher Monger & Neil Z. Yeung