Eclectic Vibes - September 2014
by Andrew Frey
Bonobo
The fall concert season looks to be another sizzler, so get off your ass and jam!
KING ZIGGY
We braved the crowds and got there early because we knew it was gonna be a zoo…and it was! But this was a landmark event. One not to be missed. One that was at capacity well over an hour before the eldest son of Bob Marley even hit the stage. An event that attracted CRAZY numbers of people to the King Street area in front of the Capital with crowds that never thinned appreciably till after the final notes were played. That said, Ziggy hit the stage with “Love is My Religion” which delighted the crowds and got his set off to a great start. Of course he and his 10 member band played a few Bob songs, but still didn’t let his fathers influence steal the show. He played Dragonfly and Black Cat, plus some off of his newest release, Fly Rasta, which has more dancehall influences, including the title track (which was his encore finale). So glad I made it! ziggymarley.com
Awarding Bonobo?
Three cheers! The British musician, producer and DJ known as Bonobo (aka Simon Green) has been nominated for ‘BEST LIVE ACT’ and ‘HARDEST WORKING BAND’ in the 2014 Association of Independent Music Awards. Known for touring with both a live band as well as doing DJ sets, Bonobo has a very enticing style combing trip-hop with break beat and cinematic style ambiance. See him kick off his fall 2014 tour with a DJ set on 9/18 at the Majestic Theater in Madison, WI. bonobomusic.com
FRIPPIN IT UP!
King Crimson rarely tours anymore, so when they do it is worth taking note. Marking the band’s eighth incarnation over the past 45 years, the touring lineup for this landmark prog rock band will be band leader and guitarist Robert Fripp, bassist Tony Levin, saxophonist Mel Collins, rhythm guitarist Jakko Jakszy, and drummers Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin and Pat Mastelotto. What more do you need? This rare event will happen on 9/23 at the Barrymore Theater in Madison.
Droppin Carolina Chocolate
If old-time hillbilly-style folk is your thing, then the Carolina Chocolate Drops will melt your brain. This award-winning trio (their 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and was number 9 in fRootsmagazine’s top 10 albums of 2010) twangs out thangs in a way that get your tail feathers flustered and flocked. Get your double dose of drops 9/23-24 at the Stoughton Opera House in Stoughton, WI. .
Greening Bluetech
In an effort to create a smaller eco-footprint, Hawaii-based DJ, producer, and artist Bluetech (aka Even Bartholemew) is attempting to convert his work space to a solar-powered studio. Funds raised from the sale of his newest downtempo dubtronica release, Cosmic Dubs (released on his own Native Slate Records), will go towards making this noble goal a reality. However, you can also support him in person when you go see him perform on 10/2 at the Frequency in Madison, WI. www.bluetechonline.com
MICRO REVIEWS:
This Month's Rating Scale is from 1 is Debasing 10 is Riveting
Dirtwire - Carrier
Dirtwire
Album title: Carrier
Record Label: Beats Antique Records
Rating: 9
Creaking and groaning southern folktronica landscapes filled with worldly rhythms and electronic ambiance. This makes total sense since this duo, comprised of multi-instrumentalist David Satori (Beats Antique) and Evan Fraser (Hamsa Lila; Stellamara) met at the California Institute of the Arts while studying World Music Composition. The 7 tracks on this EP are packed with dense earthy tones and flavorful rhythms that twist Americana into something new again.
(2131) Page Views
The Dirtwire online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Carrier from Amazon
dr trippy - Invasion by Osmosis
dr trippy
Album title: Invasion by Osmosis
Record Label: Disco Gecko Recordings
Rating: 10
This debut release from Dr Trippy (aka Martin Corbett) maneuvers dub reggae rhythms through a battery of effects and synths while whirling in Indian and Middle Eastern vocal snippets and other ethnic flavors thus creating a quirky yet clever, flowing and highly listenable downtempo electronica which managed to pull me in again and again. Now I understand why it is being promoted as “Punjabi swamp music” and how he got signed to Toby Marks’ (Banco de Gaia) label!
(1976) Page Views
dr trippy online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Invasion by Osmosis from Amazon
MOA - Uncountably Infinite
MOA
Album title: Uncountably Infinite
Record Label: self-published
Rating: 9
Cleverly disguised as a teacher of electronic music production at New York’s Dubspot, Saxophonist Max Wild, under the moniker MOA, really comes alive when he experiments with and exploits the collision of his childhood in Zimbabwe and formal jazz training with the irresistible advances of electronic music at his fingertips. This diverse background gave him ample inlets and ideas for producing and embellishing this genre jumping debut offering of dubstep, dance and electropop melded with urban grooves and African rhythms.
(2090) Page Views
MOA online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Uncountably Infinite from Amazon