Ghislain Poirier’s nut-job Lazer Bass (Future Blap? Turbo Crunk?) set was near maniacal when Daedelus, or should I say “Dr. Jekyll"—what was with that costume?—crept on stage at the Doug Fir. For at least 15 minutes, Daedelus stood to Poirier’s right and enjoyed himself, nodding with the beat and busting an occasional move to punctuate his approval.
Infectious and huge as hell, Poirier’s bass took root behind the sternum and wriggled there like an alien baby intent on making you move. After that lady with red pants and Pocahontas braids—you know the one—broke the ice on the dance floor, the party gears started turning and before long the place was a hive.
Poirier was nudged off and Daedelus—looking like Eustace Tilley with muttonchops—apologized for the opener’s introversion and pedantically informed us that yes, what we had just witnessed really was a bangin’ set, but, since this was his show, he was going to slow things down and chill things out so that he might build it back up to Poirier’s level on his own terms.
Despite the gizmos, Daedelus is essentially a DJ who, instead of triggering the 4/4 via needle to groove (or mouse to monitor), he “plays” an insanely complicated looping device he cleverly refers to as his “light bright.” What I imagine to be his subtle refutation of the performance trend his musical coevals like The Field, Girl Talk, and Flying Lotus have adopted—the laptop as an instrument—Daedelus uses the light bright not only because he wants us to appreciate his compositions, but more importantly, to display his virtuosity.
The light bright was eye candy for sure. Its glowing orange LEDs crawled across the board like ancient little Froggers fleeing the mad-dandy’s jabbing fingers. Keeping track of what was going up there was no easy task. Like the Amazon, his set was hot, dense, and heavy. In less than 10 minutes he pummeled us with the hook of Loose Joint’s disco classic “Is It All Over My Face,” Daft Punk’s ubiquitous “Harder Better Faster Stronger,” and everyone’s favorite jam from ‘88 “It takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock. Each sample was recycled, reedited, and re-whatevered into Daedelus’s special mush, part Girl Talk, part Flying Lotus: his very own brand of rave.
Displaying the subtle affectations of a seasoned performance artist, Daedelus made it apparent that far from just “pressing play,” he himself is doing all the actual work. With mastery, one can’t help but embellish, and so, like Townshend hurling windmills, Daedelus threw in some super-silly tics and unnecessary tricks that turned what could have been a respectable set sans frills into a dorky-ass spectacle that despite the gimmicks, despite my nitpicking, was pretty damn hard to resist.
DOWNLOAD: Daedelus - Make It So (XXXChange Remix) (MP3) or Follow us for more Daedelus MP3s (Twitter)
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Portugal. The Man + World's Greatest Ghosts - 12/18
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Portugal. The Man + Jared Mees & The Grown Children - 12/19
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return to form? this reminds me why it is mos def in the top 10. That x-ray effect is reason enough to watch, as if the flow doesn’t force you to
by Ian on Thu Dec 10, 2009 at 05.51 am from the entry: Mos Def's video for "Supermagic"
this was a tune that annoyed me on the recorded version, but man it bangs hard live.
love how Mos offers “hand motions” through Jones’ verse
by Ian on Thu Dec 10, 2009 at 05.47 am from the entry: Blakroc on Letterman: "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)"
this is one of the coolest things i’ve heard in a while. at least since that brother ali show you put up last week. i agree that bitte orca is great. hearing “stillness is the move” live at sxsw this year pretty much blew my mind.
by josh on Wed Dec 9, 2009 at 05.22 pm from the entry: Dirty Projectors live in NY with help from David Byrne and the Roots (download)
It’s nice to see artists using the entire sandbox to play in instead of just sticking to their corner.
by colin on Wed Dec 9, 2009 at 02.51 pm from the entry: Chiddy Bang - "The Swelly Express Mixtape" - Buy It
i know colin mentioned this in an earlier post - but i really love hip-hop’s recent usage/acknowledgment of the indie rock scene. the results are fantastic. this record will be in my top ten of the year for sure.
by josh on Wed Dec 9, 2009 at 02.42 pm from the entry: Chiddy Bang - "The Swelly Express Mixtape" - Buy It
would love to know what you like so much about it. I just don’t get it.
by colin on Wed Dec 9, 2009 at 01.11 pm from the entry: Kid Cudi's new video for "Pursuit of Happiness"
Wow, if this isn’t one of the highlights, then I need to hear the album. I love this.
by Beth Doreian on Wed Dec 9, 2009 at 09.55 am from the entry: Kid Cudi's new video for "Pursuit of Happiness"
