New wave grab bag

By JACK OATMON

Amongst other assorted wonders witnessed last weekend, I spent an afternoon taking in the magpie’s wet dream that is Sympathy for the Devil at Musée d’art contemporain. Without detailing the multicoloured eye candy on display, I’ll say I felt very strongly that the fabulous artistic tribute to rock ‘n’ roll could greatly benefit from some of the real, live article. Happily, I soon discovered that this Friday, as a part of the gallery’s excellent live music soirée on the first Friday of every month, Think About Life will be adding exhilaration to the exhibition at 7 p.m., with a full bar to boot. So that’s your chance to catch the whole show in full swing. And remember that the museum’s yearly pass costs you the same $10 as entry to the evening, so fill your boots.

But you’re not reading this to brush up on art listings. You’re here for the boom and the bounce. To that end, local baile funk baron Khiasma launches a new night called Boomboxx at Zoobizarre tonight. And it should be a solid start, with relentlessly eclectic gold prospector Jace Clayton, AKA DJ/Rupture, visiting, as always sporting a fresh load of international bass of the psychedelic and non-Eurocentric variety. I recently nabbed a copy of his latest mix, Uproot, a moody, pitch-bent, bass-laden foray into the many dimly-lit corners of drum & bass, dub and twisted tropicalia. For a taste of the sort of rarities and curiosities Clayton dredges up, check out his Mudd Up! blog at www.negrophonic.com—an insightful selection of ambient instrumentals, folk from all four corners and, of course, club beats that echo the historical legacies of a dozen locales.

MUDD PROPS: DJ/Rupture

Also at Zoobizarre, Friday night sees a visit from NYC-based Holy Hail, who mix sugary pop, kraut and disco beats in proportions that are somewhat off-putting at first listen, but quickly gain appeal when you acclimatize yourself to the initially nauseating happiness. A bit like Out Hud on lots and lots of painkillers. On the other hand, they open for former controller.controller rhythm section, Lioness, who seem not to have evolved in any appreciable way and I reckon I could do without, so it’s a close call.

I’ve also got an extra little piece of good council for all you Glass Candy obsessives out there going to the show this weekend. Johnny Jewel told me in our interview that he’ll be carting along a limited edition, tour-only album to hawk. He’s still debating whether he’ll give the collection of unreleased productions a proper launch on his label at any point, so this might be your only chance to grab a copy of it.

Lastly, I’d like to shout out a crazy-ass track I’ve been listening to on repeat lately. A recent Turbo Recordings release, Russian Proxy’s latest single “Raven” is a thudding juggernaut of onerous, chest-vibrating beats and hypnotic droning synths. The track is a confusing listen at first, as is all of Proxy’s work, but once you sink down into the insane-march-of-progress vibe, you’ll be having visions of post-industrial states chugging along through horrific disasters and political strife. Like a clanking, mechanical national anthem for the club, “Raven” is one of the most interesting and deceptively sophisticated tracks I’ve heard in months. Check it out for an addictive sonic nightmare.

7 A.M. METRO TECHNO GUY, HUGE HEADPHONES,
YEAH, THAT’S ME…jack.oatmon@gmail.com