i am trying to break

above is a picture of velapene screen performing at the breakcore show on sunday. this was probably my favorite set he's done, since he concentrated more on beats and live manual processing. he also added more depth with new chords and sounds from his new album medical breaths on frozen empire media. although his original and complex music is the main reason to check him out, he did get treat everyone to his always-changing remix of "untitled" by interpol, which takes an already great song to a completely different level.

just about all the music was so good you forgot you were just watching a guy with a laptop (although lance blisters, most of whose set i unfortunately missed, had a guitar). the great visuals also helped. the duo les technocrates from montreal had particularly complex visuals, and ilan katin used some great DIY techniques with his processing and live minicam mixing. out-of-town dj peter lee played complementary music in between some of the artists to keep things flowing.

vytear started off the night with a set that was several cuts above his appearance at dbr's anti-rnc party. some of the beats were a bit harsh, but that's part of breakcore.

mad ep did a great job as usual, with only one song i recognized from the various times i've seen him. the man is a workhorse. his music was slower compared to the other artists that night, but that left room for subtleties, a welcome respite from the sometimes punishingly fast beats.

not that everyone pummeled the crowd to death. scrap.edx turned in a perfect set alternating between lush keyboard atmospheres and pounding beats that managed to sound new and familiar at the same time. even better, the man behind the gear was the most unassuming, ordinary-looking, indie/college guy in a plaid shirt and glasses, whom you'd never expect to churn out music so fiercely dark. he actually got people dancing and kept them going for most of his set, people only taking time out to catch their breath. another enjoyable night put together by angel of dogs blood rising, the monthly event happening this coming saturday.


the title of this post is from the only song i've heard by wilco i actually like, and the movie of the same name. i found the movie very interesting, especially the studio footage and the scenes detailing the pressures within and without the band. however, after they booted the most interesting and experimental band member, the music took a sharp turn to hearditallbeforeland.