Equally influenced by diverse artists like Devo, Talking Heads, Scratch Orchestra, Raymond Scott, and Conlon Nancarrow, electronic music composer Dan Deacon studied electro-acoustic and computer music composition at Purchase College in New York. While he was a student, he issued his first recordings in small runs on CD-R, including Green Cobra Is Awesome vs. the Sun, Silly Hat vs. Egale Hat (yes, "Egale"), and Meetle Mice, all released in 2003. He later moved to Baltimore, MD, and became an instant figurehead of the city's fledgling electronic music community, joining the Wham City collective and evangelizing his and his fellow whimsical peers' "future shock" output. Linking up with the Carpark label, he released Spiderman of the Rings (2007) and Bromst (2009), two albums filled with hyperactive and often challenging electronic detritus. In 2012, Deacon signed on with indie label Domino Records, who released his most mature and wistful album, America, later that year.