Battles | Atlas

Musically (and visually) arresting, to say the least. In addition to the march-like rhythm, a synergy of bass and drum that propel the music forward, the aural and visual action take place a room with two-way mirrors. Yet the images do not extend into infinity, they are circumscribed by a cube. The cube is obviously an artifice, a wholly conjectured object that floats and rotates in green-screened space.

Elements of digital and analog, human and machine, to be sure. Snare hits alternate between real and triggered. A bassist occasionally dances in front of an Apple MacBook, yet we hear a slightly fuzzy, bass-y low frequency noise. Tyondai Braxton sings into a microphone, his voice serrated and ambiguous. Somewhere between vocoder and Speak-and-Spell.

Battles' latest album, Mirrored (WARP CD156) will be released in the US on May 22.

Postopolis!

Postopolis! First Speaker List
Originally uploaded by bldgblog.

It was inevitable: the first case of shameless self-promotion on A456 .....

On June 2, I will be speaking at Postopolis!, an event organized by Geoff Manaugh (BLDGBLOG), Bryan Finoki (Subtopia), Dan Hill (City of Sound), and the kind folks at Inhabitat.

Let me just say right now, I had no idea that the roster was going to be like this. I was honored when Geoff first extended the invitation. But, wow. Really. Wow.

The event will be at the Storefront for Art and Architecture, 97 Kenmare St., New York, NY 10012. More details forthcoming.

So, please stop by and say hello.