The road from Bickell may not be paved yellow, but ruby red heels and other swanky hipster attire were in full effect for the Oz invasion of Magic City by the neo-dance poppers Cut Copy. The first of a two night residency at Downtown Miami's Grand Central brought out a comfortably sized crowd facilitating just enough energy and the perfect amount of space to dance. The former railroad station was buzzing early as Peach State electronic ambassadors Washed Out brought their A-game with a tight set of energetic chillwave. The metropolitan crowd was attentive during more intense ambient moments like "Eyes Be Closed," and instantly kinetic for more lofty tracks like "Echoes."
Washed Out
The outdoor patio crowd moved inside as the rain started and the band simultaneously took the stage. A cramped lighting rig came to life as Dan Whitford (guitar, keyboard, vocals), Tim Hoey (guitar, sampler), Mitchell Scott (drums) and Ben Browning (bass) bounced on stage and picked up their instruments. The deep bass grooves of "Take Me Over" would set the pace as the opener. A gauntlet running representation of a dance party was instantly in full effect and the groovy sways did not stop when the smooth lounge anthem "Hanging On To Ever Heartbeat" dropped. Often nostalgic of the Cold War era music climate, the simple rhythmic sections play into modern synthesizers and echoy vocals. Yes, the youth has managed to revive the taboo era of 80's dance music for their own benefit. The kicker is that its pretty damn good.
Whitford and Hoey of Cut Copy
The pace changed with heavily distorted "So Haunted" that seemed to deflate the crowd. Maybe the realization of the local and environ played a part, but this lull in energy quickly shifted back to its previous course when a reverberating gated synth lead into "Corner of the Sky." Satisfied and eager for more, the perfect time to drop the thematic "Lights and Music" presented itself and had the entire dance floor jumping. The vivacity Cut Copy commands during their large festival sets was channeled into the club. A deep cut from the Zonoscope record, "Blink and You'll Miss A Revolution," gave way to another in "Pharaohs & Pyramids." Being one of the new album's more dynamic productions, the outro was extended into a segue that smoothly transitioned into "Saturdays." Pushing the patrons to take the Thursday night as high as possible, an animated display by Whitford during "Hearts On Fire" exploded over into the pulsing audience to close the set.
Cut Copy
A two song encore of "Need You Now" and "Out There On The Ice" put the lock on a short but very enjoyable showing by the Aussie quintet.
Last month I connected with Ben Browning of the Aussie dance-rock collective Cut Copy for an interview for Barcode Magazine. The band had just returned to Australia for a quick rest before coming back to the U.S. to continue touring. Tonight they set up shop at Grand Central in Miami for a two night run, the second of which sold out weeks ago. I Live Music will be covering the dance party tonight, but this Q&A for Barcode Magazine should get you through the rest of the day.
Interview with Ben Browning of Cut Copy Page 1 | Barcode | September 2011
Interview with Ben Browning of Cut Copy Page 2 | Barcode | September 2011
Last month I connected with Dave Macklovitch of the electrofunk super duo Chromeo to discuss their upcoming show in Miami. Beyond being a very interesting guy to talk to, he managed to point me in the right direction for how to approach the mission Chromeo set out to do. Click the image to check it out.
Miami was calling this past Thursday night and I was ready to answer the stacked lineup of young up-and-coming artists showing off their stuff in the Magic City. Despite a hot iron fiasco and a hidden wallet, my +2 at the W Hotel's 2nd Anniversary party made it into WET with enough time to exercise our open bar bracelets. Global music director Michaelangelo L'Acqua had really done his homework in selecting rising hip-hop name Theophilus London to provide the entertainment for the warm summer evening. A brand new album, an appearance on Kimmel and an upcoming tour with Big Boi in Oz are just a few things going on in the life of the brand smart rapper. We were on Miami time, so the music didn't kick off until after 10PM, but he jumped right into it with a medley of electro pop-hop tracks that showcased his aptitude for catchy beats and decrying lyrics. The venue was a beautiful pool surrounded by perfectly grown palms and over the top cabanas. The only off piece of the perfect setting was a lacking PA system that just wasn't cutting it for Theo's smooth flow. Beyond that, we had a time grooving in the to overtly funky instrumental undertones as we sipped palliative Canadian whiskey.
From a poppy "Love Is Real" as the set opener to other noteworthy tracks from Time Are Weird These Days, including energetic rockish anthem "I Stand Alone" and bass line driven "Why Even Try", the set covered all the bases. The crowd seemed some what confused, or perhaps apathetic, but this did little to dull Mr. London's onstage antics and off kilter dance moves. I admired his confidence and vowed to catch him in a more presentable room that would bring out his entire sound.
My outlandishly dressed cohort on this particularly evening has an even more questionable music addiction than myself. That being said, we were not satiated enough to head back North. Instead a plan made earlier in the day went into action, and the next stop was Bardot for an intimate show with Atlanta youngsters Reptar. Previous exposure included a single YouTube video and jokes about their nomenclature's ode to a childrens cartoon monster from the show Rugrats. The place was packed from the bar to the couches with just enough hipsters for comfort. Luckily the band took it upon themselves to wait for us to get there before starting the set. The next 90 minutes would encompass one of the more powerful auditory experiences I have had in recent history.
I stood amazed, in between swift dance moves, as I witnessed pure, unadulterated energy push from the five boys playing way beyond their years. The crowd didn't seem to be in tune with what they were witnessing, but much like Theophilus earlier in the night, this did little to dissuade them from dropping a full out dance rock attack on the Miami club. Front man Graham Ulicny was doing his best to flex charisma as his stuttered, yet fitting, vocals shifted between low moans to high pitched yells. Keyboardist William Kennedy held nothing back as synthesizer waves bounced around the room as much as he did behind the rack.
A tight knit rhythm section with an accentuated percussion element rounded out the building tension abilities and overall feel good cavorting. I really can not say enough about these guys other than the quality of the product is right on, and I am buying. In this case I will admit that words are limited in describing the fresh yet familiar sound Reptar captures, so I will for once let the music speak for itself. If you don't believe me, then maybe you should pick up their album Oblangle Fizz Y'all - the first CD I have purchased in over four years.
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