King of the gearheads

By JACK OATMON

Having been pared down from a four-piece, synth-adorned rock band to just a producer and a singer over the course of the three years since their Pop Montreal appearance at Zoobizarre, Glass Candy’s bare elements still functioned quite well last Saturday night at le Gymnase. The Portland duo played a set that was steady and consistent without seeming canned, raw without seeming forced and glamourous without seeming pretentious. They were at ease with each other on stage, bouncing about and dishing out free merch as they belted out spacey, funky, hypnotic grooves. The sound was warm and full. The crowd was a motley mix of rockers, geeks, disco fans, club tarts and scenesters, making for an engaging ambiance. The Loose Joints DJs before and after the show were on point with a fine selection of old-school disco, house and electro favourites. The light show by Video Droid was well suited to both the tunes and the locations.

In fact, the whole thing was a shining example of a well-organized evening out, without too much of the repetition that can bog down DJ nights, nor too much of the mind-numbing spectacle that sets in at many rock shows—opening band, cigarette, second opener, another beer, stand around, headliner, lethargic cheering, wash, rinse, repeat.

JAMS AND JURY DUTY: Solvent

This coming weekend, keep your ears peeled for New York City’s Gabriel Andruzzi, keyboardist from the Rapture and pretty darn good electro DJ, who will be playing records at Coda Club on Friday, Nov. 14, along with local Duvall. On Saturday night, Toronto’s high-energy hip hop/electro crossover duo Thunderheist appears at Lambi along with kindred spirits Hatchmatik and Obscene Kidz. And on Sunday night at Zoobizarre, catch Casiotone for the Painfully Alone who, as the name might suggest, compose sweet, nostalgic, minimal pop songs played on simple analog synthesizers.

Ah, simple, analog synthesizers. The most perfect instruments in existence. The apex of technological achievement. On that self-evident, undeniably truthful note, I would also like to draw your attention to tonight’s Roland synthesizer composition competition finals at the SAT. It’s your chance to hear some of the ostensibly top synth whizzes in Canada tweaking those divine bolt-buckets in a contest to be crowned the country’s head honcho of bleeps and bloops. Toronto’s Alessio Mazzone, purveyor of tranquil elevator muzak, will perform his “The Riding Child,” while excellent local Montreal trio FM Radio Gods will play out some sleek electro house and Burnaby, BC trip hop breakbeat boy Francis Hooper will perform “In and Out the Door.” The wide range of styles represented should make the contest interesting, and there will likewise be other electronic entertainment provided. Toronto’s fabulous new wave revivalist Solvent, of Ghostly International, who also appears on the jury, will be kicking out some jams alongside Montreal’s DJ Bliss. Also appearing on the jury is analog guru Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys. That’s one hell of a pool of talent right there, and for all you aspiring and practicing producers, it’ll be an excellent opportunity to scope out some new styles and techniques. And drool over all the badass gear those dudes will be packing.

MY FAVOURITE! MORE ELECTIONS! jack.oatmon@gmail.com