The Upside of Down: Show Review & DJ Sets - Matthew Dear & Sleepy + Boo at Le Poisson Rouge, 6.14.12

Last night I attended Basic NYC, a house party at Le Poisson Rouge. Resident DJs Sleepy + Boo kicked off and guest Matthew Dear followed. The show was spectacular. For one, Poisson Rouge has quickly become one of my favorite NYC venues. There's no dress code, the crowd is all about the music and NOT about the "scene." The music is consistently amazing.

Before I get into the show, this post represents a slight departure from the "downtempo" music I normally share. Its difficult to segment music all the time. I find myself often wanting to share the uptempo or dance oriented music that I listen to as well. Balance is important, and uptempo is complimentary to dowtempo, its simply necessary. So with this post I'm starting a new feature: "The Upside of Down." Posts with this tag will feature more uptempo stuff that I'm enjoying when I'm not chilling with my favorite downtempo tunes. Don't worry though, this does NOT mean I will be writing about downtempo any less, just that I will be adding more uptempo flavor! Now onto the music and show:



Resident DJs Sleepy + Boo have curated the Basic NYC party for years and they are known house DJs in NYC, also hosting a monthly party at Cielo in the city. They describe their brand of house music as "thick drums, big basslines, hypnotic grooves and tripped-out sci-fi synthesizers." Unlike many house DJs, this duo keeps their mixes interesting by playing a variety of tempos, rhythms and sounds. It also helps they've created a really cool aesthetic in the club - their stage backdrop is a curtain of luminescent bulbs that create a waveform in time to the music. It also creates psychedelic swirls and visualizations.



Matthew Dear came on around 1:30AM and dropped heavy beats immediately. By that point, the crowd was well warmed, and he took us to an even deeper, tribal place. Matthew Dear (a co-founder of Ghostly International and featured artist on the label) is known around the world as an experimental electronic music producer and house DJ. His original work has a dance pop quality, but not the kind the mainstream kind that makes me groan. His DJ set certainly delivered - very heavy and deep, with all the right peaks and drops to keep the crowd grooving with him. AND I was excited to see he uses Traktor for his DJ sets - my personal DJ software of choice :)

Check them out some pics below and listen to sets by Sleepy + Boo and Matthew Dear. I suggest listening to these on some device where you can get the true bass experience. Enjoy!

Show Review, Pics & Video: Ghostly International artist Shigeto live in NYC (Le Poisson Rouge, June 10, 2012)

I saw a side of Shigeto that I didn't quite know existed at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. He was trained in jazz at the New School in New York and his studio work has an ambient, jazztronica vibe. But his remixes and original samples lately have been layered with ruptured electronic music that seem influenced by other Ghostly International artists like Mux Mool and Com Truise. His foray into other sounds was awesome live, and I was able to snap some photos and take a short video of his performance. The last 30 seconds of the video is a glimpse into Shigeto's new world, of deep broken beat electronic music that blew my mind. Definitely see Shigeto live (here's his tour schedule), listen to his tracks and check out the video and pics from his performance below:

Ghostly International Promo Mix by Shigeto - via MixMag - featuring Com Truise, Mux Mool, Matthew Dear, more

I love the downtempo, trip hop, eclectic electronic music label and curator Ghostly International. They do an incredible job of mixing sound with art and design - the Ghostly web site features all sorts of cool design projects, ranging from clocks and watches to original art prints and limited edition vinyl from the Ghostly artists.

I also love MixMag.

MixMag just posted a great profile about Ghostly along with a promo mix by Shigeto - an artist on Ghostly - that you can download for free. Check out the article/profile here on MixMag and DL the mix too:

Shigeto brings "Lineage' to life

You know how you hear a song and think it's nice, but then you see it performed live and then it means so much more? That happened to me when I was checking out Shigeto's new track "Lineage" - off his new EP of the same name (just released Jan 31, buy it here!)

I follow anything Ghostly puts out - it's all solid. Shigeto is no exception. His fine downtempo is a mix of jazz and ethereal sounds, with some breaks sprinkled through some of his songs. His new track "Lineage" is a fantastic atmospheric track. When I first listened to it I loved the ambient textures over a foundation of rolling drums, but then I saw a video of him performing it live and it really did, well, bring it to life. Seeing how he builds the track through his drum kit and uses midi controls for the other sounds was cool, seeing the movement of him playing really complements how the drums reverberate in your head and through your body. Check it out, and DL for free via Soundcloud:
Shigeto - Lineage Teaser from Ghostly International on Vimeo.

More about Shigeto, from Ghostly International:

Zach Saginaw consistently grounds his music in a deeply personal, familial context; his grandmother inspired two releases, his producer aliases, Shigeto and Frank Omura, both reference family names and it's not for nothing that his latest release as Shigeto is titled Lineage. Lineage combines Shigeto's jazz, hip-hop, funk and folk influences. These elements aren't new to Saginaw's work, but never has he demonstrated such complete command of his material.