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Two Chances
Parties featuring the fabulous Metro Area have become a rare breed - it seems we get a chance to hear Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani play together only a few times a year. This week is a special one, then, as they're slated to play not one but TWO events in the NYC area - as far as I know, the first since their live set at Love in June. That night was a blast but surprisingly underattended - hopefully the same won't happen this week. (Especially they'll be playing on two of NYC's best soundsystems.)
On Tuesday (i.e. tomorrow), Metro Area will be at APT for a Hurricane Katrina fundraiser, with the excellent Derrick Carter also on the bill. Word is the night will be heavy on disco, which should be fun. There is a minimum donation of $8 at the door. Given the cause, the musical talent, and APT's kickin' new soundsystem, this event is not to be missed!
But in case you do miss it, or if you're looking for a second round, head over to Love on Saturday (10/1) for another night with Metro Area. I was really impressed with Love in June - killer sound (again), plus a big dancefloor and a wild crawlspace of cushions.
Oh and in case you're wondering why I seem to foam at the mouth at any mention of Metro Area news, perhaps a sample MP3 will do the trick. Samples are tricky with Metro Area, their lone full-length, because I think its greatest strength is its balance - each track brings out a different element of their sound, in sum becoming "a deceptively intricate maze of tight machine rhythms, tumbling bongos, smacking handclaps, warm keyboard stabs, zapping synths, tickling pianos, lively loops of flute, guitar flicks, and seesawing strings." (AMG's words, not mine.) But as the first song on the record, "Dance Reaction" (MP3) is as good a selection as any - check it out.
That it's taken me this long to review Isolée's visit to APT last Tuesday means not a thing about the gig - it was fantastic, even better than I'd hoped. It was billed as a "live" set but, based on how these things sometimes go, it was entirely possible that Rajko Müller would just click play and sit back. But no, it was definitely a live set - Müller was plugged into a 12 channel mixer and basically recreated (and tweaked) his songs live. He played a non-stop mix of lots of Wearemonster along with some older tunes that the rest of the crowd recognized more than me. The songs weren't drastically different from the record, but more than enough was in flux to keep it interesting - for example the way Müller messed with the vocal sample on a wicked version of "Enrico" to start his set, or how he split "Pillowtalk" in two. It all sounded noticeably dubbier as well, which is always a good thing. "Mädchen Mit Hase" was my favorite part of the 70 minute set, mainly because I've been itching to hear that song on a banging soundsystem for months now. But pretty much all of the set hit the spot, and Müller definitely left the crowd wanting more. Let's hope we get another chance to see him again soon.
APT's brand new soundsystem, BTW, was the clear co-star of the night. Loud, crisp, deep, and bassy - but not distorted or deafening - it's made the music even more of a focus there. Great DJ's are always on the APT calendar, and the new sound will make their visits even more of a pleasure.