Purple people eater
Perhaps enamored by purple’s adaptibility, Martyparty has christened a hip-hop/dubstep hybrid after it. He, Porter Robinson, The Life & Times, Innkeepers, and Jessie Baylin are in town this weekend.
Purple was once the sole province of Prince, but slowly he ceded ownership to a high-octane pot (due to its hue) or an ad hoc inner-city drunk-enabler that mixes cough syrup with lemon-lime soda. South Africa-born, Brooklyn-based DJ Martyparty posted his own definition online, stressing that what separates it from other genres is its ability to subsist with its beat removed. Curiously, he writes that a typical dubstep beat is in excess of 140 bpms, which is misleading because its half-step tempo naturally makes it sound slower. His self-released Six Shots Of Jameson — digression: Jameson is starting to gain traction as the hip-hop drink of choice. Vaya con Dios, silver tequila! — moves more like a brostep/Skrillex production weaned on hip-hop than Kode9 or Burial, but that’s neither here nor there. It moves; it really fucking moves. (Friday@The Mid with Eliot Lipp and Team Bayside High.)
Speaking of Skrillex, his protege bass-wobbles into town this week as his reputation builds. Porter Robinson‘s skills were apparent to just about everyone during last summer’s North Coast Festival festivities, and he nimbly shifts from brostep to moomahton to house and, of course, the lazily-dubbed “complextro” on last September’s Spitfire EP (Owsla). The 19-year-old has a tendency to try too many things in short spans, but usually has a massive drop on standby to make you forget whatever you just heard. (Saturday@Congress with Sebastian Ingrosso.)
Urge Overkill fanatics should take note of Innkeepers, a local outfit fronted by John Roeser — brother to UO’s Ed. The pair suited up as Electric Airlines after Urge broke up in the late ’90s, which lasted about as long as the myriad projects John Roeser has been involved with. Innkeepers claims to be an avenue for Roeser’s music, so in theory it could include his work for John Roeser Avenue, Hot Dog City, The Silver Rocket Band, Big Buildings, and Fast Product. (Thursday@The Burlington with The Hildegard Knef and Magic Gloves.)
Bike messengers, as a race, come from all stripes and probably embrace more music than their abrasive appearances would suggest. But one imagines they could all agree on The Life & Times. No One Loves You Like I Do (Slimstyle), the local outfit’s third album, sifts through post-rock and post-punk wreckage, priming the blast furnace, and has itself a little pyro party. Some of it’s a methodical grind, parts are grating cacophony, and then the occasional fuse lights to send a horrifying yet beautiful fireball into the sky. In short: a symphony of emotions you might equate to pedalling around The Loop during the lunch rush. (Friday@Empty Bottle with Sweet Cobra and Electric Hawk.)
Lastly, it should be interesting to see how Jessie Baylin travels if she can’t bring the ’60s with her. Encased in girl-group pop and Brill Building tones, her Little Spark (Blonde Rat) takes the strengths she fashioned as a Hotel Cafe songwriter and washes them in classic tones, topping them with harmonies by The Watson Twins and the Southern accents of her adopted homeland — that of husband/Kings Of Leon member Nathan Followill. Baylin arrives fully formed on this debut, though a case could be made that Little Spark could have been recorded several different ways, the others we assume she’ll reveal starting with her next one. (Sunday@Schubas with The Watson Twins.)
— Steve Forstneger
Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly
