The Mystic Underground : Electro-Pop Duo Play EP Release Show at Grand Victory Tonight, Aug. 27th

”We write pop songs for the disenchanted, disillusioned and disenfranchised. they are songs for the broken-hearted and desperate. songs that celebrate life, love, death and everything in between.” -- The Mystic Underground

Electro-pop duo The Mystic Underground released their third EP, "Gender Rules", on Aug. 20th and are playing a CD release show at Grand Victory later  tonight.  Cover is $8 and doors are at 7:30PM.  Also on the bill is The Deep Pink, The Dossier and Daniel Kasshu (front man from Dialogue From A Silent Film).

Consisting of four tracks, this "Gender Rules" EP addresses various gender issues in our society today. With Benedetto Socci on synthesizers and Vladimir Valette on vocals, this EP displays the duo’s signature intelligent lyrics and driving dance rhythms, drawing comparisons to iconic bands Erasure and Depeche Mode.

From the very first day that Socci and Valette were introduced through a mutual friend in 2003, the pair were writing songs together non-stop. After Socci produces the musical foundation on synthesizer, Valette adds the lyrics and overarching melodies like icing on a cake. Says Valette, “We pride ourselves on being songwriters in the classic sense where the paramount objective is to write songs that are accessible, danceable and most importantly, memorable.”

Valette also likes to write “clever lyrics that explore all aspects of the human condition with a twist of melancholy and a dash of unadulterated wit.” With most of their songs around the theme of gender politics, their single “Fanfare for the Modern Man” makes the statement about how “gender rules are passed but they're never made to last”.



Socci and Valette attribute their musical tastes to a variety of influences, including David Bowie, The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, Prince, Joy Division, and Massive Attack. While performing throughout NYC over the past 5 years at popular music venues such as Mercury Lounge, The Grand Victory, and Public Assembly, Socci and Valette focus on really engaging their audiences by putting on an exciting, hi-energy performance.

Links:
The Mystic Underground

Hot Chip - "What's In My Bag": Shopping at Amoeba Records, San Francisco

London electro-pop band Hot Chip just finished a well-received US tour. The band was out on the West Coast last month and here is how SF Weekly described the band's show at The Warfield: "Hot Chip bring[s] it live. This weekend was awash in stage adaptations of electro-pop acts, and this one was at least as compelling as Miike Snow's, without the creepy face masks. (HC singer Alexis Taylor was wearing a sequined-elephant-festooned baseball cap that my stepmother also owns, but that was an entirely different, altogether more non-threatening kind of creepy.) At six strong -- only one more than their current operational lineup, mind you -- they breathed more life into their songs than I've ever found on record: something about the distribution of sounds, maybe, or the refreshingly schlubby keyboardist-cum-cowbell guy, or the non-stop dancing other-keyboardist, or the drummer. The drummer! God bless the touring drummers of electronic-based bands, you know? Their rhythmic precision, their interminable fours-on-the-floor, their tireless muscle memory." (link to full review)

Here is a video of Hot Chip stopping in at Amoeba Records in San Francisco for some record shopping while they were in town along with an audience video from the show at The Warfield.





Links:
Hot Chip
Amoeba Records

Viper Creek Club Plays CMJ Showcase at Le Poisson Rouge on Oct. 23rd

DOWNLOAD: Viper Creek Club - "Eliza"

Seattle electro-pop duo Viper Creek Club are playing the AM Only & Famous Friends CMJ Showcase at Le Poisson Rouge on Saturday, Oct. 23rd.

Viper Creek Club is the joint effort of Seattleites Mat Wisner and Brandon Jensen. The band released their debut full-length Letters in August and Redefine Magazine described the disc as an "array of synths and an endless cache of ideas...[that is] solid...from beginning to end".

Letters is an electronica laden-pop journey that will get the dance floor moving. The album splices a savy production knack with organic percussion and piano, making it both deliberate and natural at the same time. VCC’s beats are carefully constructed and synth-focused, building a fresh sound and energy in the music. The album consists of eleven original songs written by members Wisner and Jensen and is heavily influenced by euro pop music and other genres such as hip hop. Wisner provides vocals, keys, beats, and loops, while Jensen plays guitar. Song content is influenced by everything from murder mysteries to lust gone wrong.



Links:
Viper Creek Club

Noah: Live Performance and Interview with BrooklynRocks, May '09 (NoahXMusic / Human Geometry)

Canadian electro/dance artist Noah was in town last week to promote his debut CD Human Geometry (which will be released June 23rd through iTunes). I talked with Noah about the new CD, his influences and how he got into the music business. Noah also gave an impromptu performance of his new single "Mannequin" which kicks off this video.



The underlying message of Human Geometry is one of personal growth and self-improvement -- "[t]he idea is that everything you experience in life, up until this very moment, shapes you. The contradictory idea is that you have the power and control to shape your own life."

Noah's next show is June 10th at the Canal Room. He is playing as part of ArjanWrites Superfraiche Pop Music Showcase and advance tickets are $10.00.

Links:
Noah's MySpace Profile