SXSW

SXSW Review: Deadmau5 vs Richie Hawtin, Stubbs, March 12

Posted on by Ricky in South By Southwest | Leave a comment

I’m not entirely sure what DJ battles are, but when I saw that the main event for the SXSW Interactive closing party was Deadmau5 vs Richie Hawtin, my curiosity was tickled and I couldn’t resist going. Where else are you going to see two of the world’s biggest DJ’s battle it out in a backyard of a bbq house?

Deadmau5 and Richie Hawtins are two of the most popular dj’s in the world. They are also Canadian. You might recognize Deadmau5 from his trademark head ensemble, gossip worthy relationship with Kat Von D or just the fact that he is EVERYWHERE. The dude played a sold out show at the skydome, to put his popularity into perspective. Richie Hawtins has been around a lot longer, I was not as familiar with his music.

So what does a DJ vs DJ battle entail?

First of all, my expectations were this:

Instead, what I got was

Did I just use the same image twice in a post? you bet.

The setup was pretty minimal – Deadmau5 on one side, Richie on the other. Deadmau5 wisely decided against wearing his traditional headgear. With the searing Texas heat, it was probably a wise decision. They seemed to be quite friendly with each other even though they were locked in a DJ battle. I guess when you are both millionaires, what’s the point in being hostile? Maybe it’s like WWF, where the whole battle is fake, and it really is just some sort of complicated choreographed set. I don’t know. I did not see any chair shots.

After attending their hour plus battle, I think DJ battles basically come down to matching the other DJ’s beat after he has played his for a few minutes and then taking it over and adding your own twist to it and then the other dj will build on that and so forth. That is what I gathered. I couldn’t really tell who was DJing what part, but I can tell you this – they put on a freaking good dance party. They know how to build up the beat and they know when to slow it down. Combine that with an epic light show and you have a pretty stunning display of electronic dance music for all to see. I can’t even begin to imagine how awesome this would be out in a field, in the middle of the night and by the sea somewhere.

Not quite sure who won the DJ battle, but I think in the end, we all won. (cliche fact-of-life concluding line)

SXSW Review: Cloud Nothings, Mohawk, March 12

Posted on by Ricky in South By Southwest | Leave a comment

Cloud Nothings, they know how to rock.

When I first heard about them, I had heard they were a DIY sort of rock band that embraced a lo-fi rock kind of sound. I hadn’t particularly paid much attention to them aside from the fact that one of my friends seem to be BFF’s with the lead singer. It has seem that in the few years since their self titled album first made waves in the music world, the band has grown up. Dylan Baldi is no longer a clean shaven short hair basement singer for his little band – now it seems like Dylan Baldi has emerged into a long hair bearded leader of a rock band that just hits you with a punch of grunge-ish rock.

I didn’t quite know what to expect when Cloud Nothings took the stage at the Mohawk on Tuesday night. I had thought that they were this nerdy little band whose lead singer who writes for the same zine I did. I was wrong. The band took the stage and just rocked the place. For forty minutes, there was a non stop wall of sound from the group. Playing tracks from albums new and old, the group played what I can only describe as a blistering set of guitar noise and screamy vocals that weres surprisingly catchy. Paul said it was pretty clear that Dylan listened to Nirvana growing up. I would agree. I felt bad for people without earplugs. It was quite a jolt.

Cloud Nothings are playing a few more shows this week, so if you want a good punch to the gut of rock n roll, then definitely check them out.

SXSW Review: El Vez, March 12, Flamingo Cantina

Posted on by Paul in Concerts, South By Southwest | Leave a comment

Sometimes it’s the unexpected surprises that are the most satisfying. Case in point: as i wandered along Sixth Street on a Tuesday afternoon just as the music portion of SXSW was getting underway, I noticed a sign outside of Flamingo Cantina announcing that El Vez would be appearing there later that afternoon. I was aware he was playing the festival, but did not know about this showcase. Figuring now would be as good a time as any to catch his set, I figured why not? It ended up being a good gamble.

I’ve been aware of El Vez (aka The Mexican Elvis aka Robert Lopez) for some time now and friends who’ve seen him have told me he puts on a great show, yet the closest I’ve come to seeing him perform before this show was his appearance in Dave Foley’s The True Meaning Of Christmas Specials alongside such luminaries as Jason Priestley and that other Elvis Stojko (aka the Richmond Hill Elvis). While I did enjoy his take on holiday music in that TV special, what was on offer here today was El Vez’s take on punk rock. And like punk rock, his “punk rock revue” did not always go 100% smoothly. However, while there were a few technical difficulties (a mic issue at the beginning of the set, a costume change that took a little longer than expected), El Vez and band were not fazed at all. With humour and a lot of showmanship, El Vez and his band plowed through a set full of punk classics reworked with his own political and cultural take added in. As he noted a couple of times, these songs could now be considered classic rock, adding that many in attendance were not even born yet when he first got into the punk scene.

And as I said, there were multiple costume changes, the best one being a punk-inspired take on Elvis’ Comeback Special jumpsuit with studs and safety pins included. All in all, a bizarre combination of old school showmanship, tongue in cheek humour, and a punk rock ethos, yet an effective one.

SXSW Review: f(x), March 12, Elysium

Posted on by Ricky in South By Southwest | 6 Comments

If SXSW is all about unique experiences, then clearly, there are few experience as unique as seeing f(x) in concert. The first K-pop band to ever play a showcase at SXSW, the five piece girl band packed the Elysium on Tuesday night. I think half the Korean population in Texas was there.

Formed by SM Entertainment (a record label), the five girls have been steadily gaining popularity in Asia with their take of electronic music, choreographed dance moves and well, let’s face it, good looks. With the hit single Electric Shock making some waves overseas here in North America, putting a show here seemed like a natural progression. Doing it in a dive bar in Austin during SXSW however, seemed like a risky move given the festivals tendency to lean towards the indie spectrum.

Personally, I thought the place was going to be half empty when I arrived. Instead, the Elysium was packed with a line that almost snaked around the corner. Once I got in, it became clear that this was no regular SXSW show. The stage had five lcd screens mounted on the walls and playing korean music videos. There was a smoke machine. The room seemed to be packed with K-pop fans with a small amount of actual SXSW music goers. These fans were quite rabid, as a stream of bodyguards was needed to block them off from when the band went from the truck to the soundcheck room.

Taking the stage to a rambunctious applause, the five girls danced around the stage to perform a song I can only guess is called “History”. As you would expect, the music was provided off a computer and the entirety of the stage was saved for the synchronized dancing. The show was about what you would expect if you have ever seen any k/j-pop videos, each singer gets their turn at the front of the stage and then the fans would cheer for whoever they liked the best, then they would get together to do a flirty dance that would immediately give any white guy yellow fever and then at the the end of each song, they would end with a pose.

The music itself was rather catchy, and I can definitely see the music being played at night clubs. It’s got that same turbo charged electronic vibe that made Psy’s track so popular. It seems like South Korea has gone EDM crazy. I was surprised that one of the singers, Amber, spoke perfect English. I don’t know if the others did, but it became pretty apparent she was the leader/JT version of the band. Always interesting to see the dynamics of a pop group when one person seems more talented then the rest. She might be the case.

In conclusion, a completely enjoyable night. The 15-20 minute set seemed a bit short but I guess that’s one of the tricks of the trade – leave them wanting more.