First, a head’s up that SLOOOM had to drop off tonight’s bill because of a spontaneous scheduling conflict. That is of course unfortunate but let’s be real, this trio of acts is so mind blowing I’m not sure you all could have handled a fourth in the mix anyway.
Beginning with LNS Crew mad scientist Haris Qureshi’s new project H+, this final Summer Music Sampler is geared towards showing off some of the most adventurous new producers in Austin. H+ in particular excites me because of the way Haris utilizes sounds that are entirely unheard in the Austin beat scene and infrequently used on the national level to boot. A project devoted to working in samples and styles from Eastern cultures, H+ doesn’t rewrite the rules of hip hop so much as he forces you to rethink how those rules can be bent and manipulated. While his LNS Crew collaborators help out with the project and turn in some of their best performances to date on the EP’s quick quintet burst, the real star is H+’s imaginative knob fiddling.
IAYD mastermind Alexander Luna will be showing off his new eponymous project Luna which I’m told is a pretty big departure from the IAYD chiptune sound. Luna doesn’t have any tracks up anywhere yet, but IAYD fans who are used to the producer’s intense, glitchy 8bit work will likely be in for a bit of a surprise as Luna. Consider this the Dark Horse of the bill, a new work from an electronic vet who likes to reinvent himself before he gets bored.
And rounding everything out is frequent Ovrld favorite Artificial Earth Machine, who combines noisy synths with lighter rhythmic textures to make a sound that’s playful but intense, like if a bunch of muppets formed a side project that wound up on Anticon Records. AEM’s use of haunting, wordless vocals like an organic synth pad are especially fascinating as they’re not quite as prominent in the mix as likeminded glitchmaster Baths, they’re almost Gregorian and borderline spiritual. It’s an eerie effect that seems simple but in truth grants the music subtle layers of complexity, even more so when you watch him do it live, away from studio trickery.
Thanks again to everyone who has played and come out to our Summer Music Sampler series, it’s been a blast and we hope you’ll celebrate with us tonight as we ring it out in style!
Nick Hanover got his degree from Disneyland, but he’s the last of the secret agents and he’s your man. Which is to say you can find his particular style of espionage here at Ovrld as well as Loser City, where he mostly writes about comics. You can also flip through his archives at Comics Bulletin, which he is formerly the Co-Managing Editor of, and Spectrum Culture, where he contributed literally hundreds of pieces for a few years. Or if you feel particularly adventurous, you can always witness his odd .gif battles with his friends and enemies on twitter: @Nick_Hanover