Big Muff

Itaal Shur issued his first solo albums under the alias Big Muff (named after a classic Electroharmonix guitar distortion pedal) -- 1998's Music From the Aural Exciter and 2000's Aurally Exciting Remixes -- a combination of funk, techno, and hip-hop which spawned the modest U.K. hit "My Funny Valentine." Shur (who was raised mostly in Seattle and Connecticut, before relocating to Manhattan) inherited his love of music from his father, who was a noted composer of Israeli music and originally from Russia. Shortly after moving to N.Y.C., Shur became involved in the experimental j...