[phlipcam video] Simian Mobile Disco @ the Paradise
And
now for something completely different. Amid the litany of SXSW
coverage, I'm happy to report that last night SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO played
the rawest show I've seen thus far in this short year. Probably too raw
for a Monday in fact, as I sit here at my desk way too early into
this work week to have such a sore neck as a result of violent
headbanging. Difficult as it may be to discern from the fancifully
stobe-lit phlipcam vids, the British duo masterfully worked their way
around a hearty analog setup, pulling plugs and twisting knobs to create
avalanche after avalanche of tension-and-release drops. I was a tad
concerned heading into the show as to how they'd incorporate their
heavy-hitting electro anthems of yesteryear into their recent
techno-leaning output. But in the end, it mattered not, as they kept it
four-to-the-floor the entire show, allowing them to traverse styles
without ever having to take their foot off of the pedal.
Support
arrived by way of BLONDES. The youthful Broolyn duo kicked off their
set with a wash of blissful synths that immediately called to mind the
output of Baths or any number of the chillwave acts that popped off last
year. Expecting a laid back set, you can imagine my surprise when the
beat kicked in. A cracking set, they built on the synth wall throughout,
incorporating almost-there drums to give the tunes distinction --
almost like listening to a set of ravey house music from the opposite
side of a paper thin wall. JUAN MACLEAN generously offered up DJ sets
both before and after Blondes. His first set went surprisingly deep,
especially considering the Paradise was near empty. One such tune queued up:
His
second effort was a more upbeat affair. Arriving after Blondes were able
to get the the crowd all hot-and-bothered, it prominently featured
jauns such as this:
Not
really the type of stuff to get us mentally prepared for the
pistol-whip of a set SMD were about to deliver, but anytime I get to
hear songs like those above being cranked out of a system like that of the
Paradise, I can't complain.