The Anticon Invasion: A Week of Fresh Performances
by The Artistree
Recently, NYC was treated to an exciting sequence of Anticon events. Although each show could have easily been its own article, we realized the significance of displaying these innovative individuals as a unit. Think of it as a sampler of the label’s finest!
A refreshingly anxious crowd welcomed Martin Dosh and Mike Lewis, who jumped straight into building a richly instrumental, visual sound to fill our ears during the late show at Mercury. Words like electronic, ambient, experimental, even video-gamey can explain Dosh, or better their own genre description: Polyrythmic Hypermelodic Drone. The live music is somehow easier to explain, sounding most similar to jazz – without being so black and white – but instead, unbuttoned and colorful. Almost tribal, in a way. Mike showed the audience many faces while letting off steam on saxophone – his body dancing with it as it sang – and during bass changes mid-song, just in the knick of time but always on cue. Surrounded by the walls of a marimba, percussion and electronics, Martin resembled a switchboard operator inside an electrical room. Dosh played as if no one was watching them – a balance of focus and ease – absorbed in artistic work. The duo’s power of hypnotizability left us snake-charmed.
Joining TOBACCO, aka Tom Fec, was fellow Black Moth Super Rainbow member, Maux Boyle, aka The Seven Fields of Aphelion. Despite the aggressive crowd, the two were exuding cool with a collected pace much like the calm before a storm. Appearing menacing under certain light at times, Fec’s trucker hat and Boyle’s hood were the only noticeably forward details about these two Noise Ninjas. TOBACCO embraced the sounds of BMSR – less trippy, more abrasive – integrating dirt and grime with gritty beats. Their equipment was set up on a fold-up picnic table, various chords/wires hanging down to a power strip next to a paper box between their feet. We admired the makeshift, we-just-showed-up vibe and appreciated that they didn’t try overdoing the set up of laptops and bass guitar. We kept wondering what show the crowd – who acted like untamed animals, looking for a fight – was watching? Graphic video projections (from the DVDs Fucked Up Friends 1 & 2) shared the stage with TOBACCO, which may have advocated the erratic behavior. Full of sexual innuendo from soft serve ice cream to early exercise videos to costume porn (think ET getting banged) – the images were stimulating, wrong, and worth gasping over. They had us turning away but then looking closer – the sort of unusual fun found on the new album, Maniac Meat!
We have to hand it to Son Lux. His live world is always an imaginative, well thought out product – full of intriguing elements and partnerships, different from the last. We fear ever skipping a show for what we’d miss! The theatrics – from the Moulin Rougey curtain drawn open at the start to dancers falling to the floor at song’s end – made this show a performance and not a concert. It makes sense to say that in our music bubble, Ryan Lott is Lady Gaga. Lott stood centered within the layers on stage: Stage left – Ryan Fitch (drummer). Stage right – musicians playing violin, viola, clarinet, trumpet and French horn (mostly members of yMusic). In between – the interpretive dancers, creeping one minute and fluttering the next. The movement cast shadows onto the stone wall behind them, causing Lott to resemble a mad scientist who conducted live stories. He faced the audience on two feet and spoke emotions with his hands – whether on his chest, swaying, or clenching a fist. We loved seeing soft-spoken, contained Lott…well, rocking out! Synths were introduced this time – showing the harder, electronic side we are so fond of. Even though Fitch laid down towels to tame the drums for the posh venue, the sound was triumphant! For the last song, Lott walked from the mini keyboard for the solo “Stay” on signature piano. Son Lux just touched the surface of what he’s capable of that night. As per usual, there is a larger spectacle to be unveiled!
Before Stabbing Eastward inhabited the stage, an in-house DJ played tracks – mostly off the label’s roster – that tickled our curiosity. Small details like having a person to hand pick songs between sets for an Anticon show – though common – is just one of many that continue to set them apart to fellow fans. It’s a shame that the body count wasn’t as supportive, but it did mean more wiggle room for the three of us! Stabbing Eastward took the honor of setting the mood for the special evening – an eerie atmosphere created with what instruments were on stage. Vocal-synth pitches made by Tunde Adebimpe with Ryan Swayer’s voice effects to drum thumps had us locked in – believing that anything could happen in the sacred anti-pop agenda. Whether or not one likes TV on the Radio, leaves no clue to how they’d take in this side project. We enjoyed the engrossing mess of effects of their off-the-wall adventure. Bowery’s bystanders looked enticed, too, validating that it’s at least something to watch. Mike recognized the irony of the duo’s name and wondered if it had anything to do with post-industrial rock outfit, Stabbing Westward? The native taste behind the noise brought a slice of culture we hadn’t yet seen at the venue. Odd Nosdam’s set, which we regretfully missed (for a surprise to be later revealed), followed.
This gentleman’s stage presence takes the metal for being most expressive – using shoulder, hip, leg and giving just about everything and then some – to fully command your attention. Whether you’re a first time witness or a regular, his personality shines through as honestly as it does on record. What you may not know is that Buck 65 is a dancer. And after taking off his bomber jacket to reveal an all white get-up (plus trademark hat), Rich Terfy’s body really got loose – channeling the likes of Thom Yorke, Ian Curtis…and even the zombies from Thriller. The White Knight – this soldier of dance – poured out his state of mind physically. In the span of a song, he’d rotate intensity and playfulness with 100% sincerity. From this degree of openness, you got a sense of an authenticity, never before seen. For goodness sake, Buck even thought of choosing specific images to better represent the songs he shared – displayed via the help of his only band member, a MacBook Pro. Those familiar with Bike For Three were treated to surprise tracks from the project arranged within new material that referenced Michael Jackson, heartbreak, zombie attacks, and the good ol’ mating parts. All with the newfound bluntness of a man who’s seen it all. Between the humor and lyrical brilliance, it was hard not to obsess over every next word – or move, for that matter. Who would take traditions of old school hip-hop and make them operatic? That man wearing the mint condition, circa 1990 Ice-T tour shirt (actually bought way back when from the very show), Buck 65!
Closing out the all-in-one lineup were Doseone and Jel, two of Anticon’s founders. Ultimately, the day-off performance gave this group of deep-seated companions a reason to hang out in NYC together. Themselves, matching as usual, paired their famous grey vests with white V’s and subtle haircuts – a display of the night’s casual aura. Doseone’s side commentary further suggested, “We are all friends here tonight.” However, they hammered out our favorite tracks off of CrownsDown, unrestrained. Between Jel’s rapid beats and the velocity of Doseone’s tongue, the ferocious duo delivered their ‘A’ game – a wind that mobilized the show’s exclusive quality. The occasion escalated to a personal level on our end when Dose repeatedly made Chad his stage prop – whether wrapping an arm around his neck or holding him to the mic. Interactive antics from Them are expected in the front few rows, but Chad still changed hue anytime he became Doseone’s puppet. During “Dark Sky Demo,” Dose brushed the dirt off Chad’s shoulder, adding “And you got a lot of that on your shoulder!” The endless banter between Dose and Jel flowed heavy as wine, mostly shit-talking wack rappers and the misfortunes of our dumb-downed society. Halfway in, Buck 65 reappeared on stage to find out who in the crowd was most broke. Someone from the audience asked yelling, “Emotionally broke or financially broke?” which revealed Buck’s motive behind the gesture – to give away his subway fare! A mega-closer ended the evening’s festivities with the collaboration of all acts on the bill. Doing together what each do best, they materialized the assortment of sound as to brand their form of experimental hip-hop. Doseone’s simple parting words, “Stay you,” summed up to us the clearest attribute of Anticon’s approach to music – a pact to remain true to their creative calling, without ever considering the repercussions or opinions of others.
Special Thanks to Daniel Gill, Jacob Daneman, Jessica Linker, Ryan Lott, Peter Agoston and Shaun Koplow.
Tags: Anticon, Buck 65, Dosh, Odd Nosdam, Son Lux, Stabbing Eastward, Themselves, TOBACCO
- June 14, 2010
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