Formed at the tail-end of 2008 as a bedroom recording project, Small Black first made waves with their eponymous debut EP.
Recorded in the attic of singer Josh’s uncle’s remote Long Island beach-house/surfboard workshop, it served as an ideal introduction to the group with its pulsing patchwork synths and addictive, stay-gold hooks that seemed to unfurl themselves gradually over repeated listens.
Slightly more immediate and polished than its predecessor, Small Black’s debut LP New Chain remained a continuation of this contrasting ethos – a delirious smudging of the lines between melancholy and nostalgia, tension and celebration, unabashed pop music and experimentation.
Small Black | Bad Lover
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=NvAxnvtyC3o
Next, the band wanted to combine their aesthetic with overt sampling, inspired by legendary beatsmiths like RZA, DJ Premier and J Dilla. Enter the Moon Killer mixtape. A free full-length release through Small Black’s website, Moon Killer not only openly borrows from sources as rich and diverse as Nas, Pere Ubu, Drake and the Carpenters, but features multiple drop-ins from Das Racist MC Heems, as well as remixes from Star Slinger and Phonetag.
What truly stands out is the ease with which Small Black folds their source material into their own inimitable sound. It’s a legitimate step forward for the band – a sizeable stride closer to what they’ve been hearing in their heads this whole time.
Small Black | Canoe
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=fZL3PBz5IXs
Sean Nicholas Savage is a Montreal based recording artist. In 2011 he released the albums, Flamingo, Won-Ton Jaz and Trippple Midnight Karma with Arbutus Records, each a new flavor in the palate of pop, always smooth and practical but with the darkness and depth of real life.
A contemporary incarnation of singers like Elvis or Madonna, he marries the universal themes of love and pain with fingered keyboard bass playing, lush harmonies and hypnotic rhythms. As if each were an episode in a philosophical drama, Savage touches always on a theory or point and comes to at least a near conclusion with his compositions. His melodies are inspired and free, but with a wisdom and responsibility, flowing effortlessly under each captivating stanza.
Sean Nicholas Savage | You Changed Me
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=n2sXgp2T4M4
Paramount of Montreal’s after party scene, Savage is renowned for his captivating and inspirational performances, although each tends to be different from the last.
Savage has released exclusively with Arbutus Records, and was one of the first artists to join the label after its inception in 2009. Savage was an on/off resident at the historic Lab Synthese DIY space that the label was born out of.
Peaking Lights | Beautiful Son
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=flEveFxbGOg
The Peaking Lights Sound System: Comprising the Wisconsin-based husband and wife duo of Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis, Peaking Lights released two of the most critically acclaimed albums of last year: the analogue synth-led soundbath ‘Lucifer’, and its weirdly more compelling cousin ‘Lucifer In Dub’.
In a similar vein to Screamadelica creators Primal Scream, Peaking Lights are renowned for their depth of musical knowledge and ability to consistently redefine sounds. The Peaking Lights Sound System will see the band member Aaron Coyes go crate digging for the finest in shoegaze, krautrock and dub-led psychedelia. Who knows where the adventure will end up…
Touchy Mob | Foam Born
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=F5aBpTZCHk8
Berlin based Touchy Mob is a man of many talents. An electroacoustic renaissance artist who is equally adept at penning introverted Chad Vangaalenesque dirges and beat heavy club ready bangers.
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Small Black, Sean Nicholas Savage, Peaking Lights Sound System, Touchy Mob
Friday, 04 October 2013 | 21:00 CET
Kantine am Berghain | Am Wriezener Bahnhof | 10243 Berlin/Friedrichshain
berghain.de
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