Svelt played the Civic Underground for the release of their self-titled album with special guests Sub Based Snarl, El Gusto, The Abyss, Hobo Bordeaux and Anklepants. Svelt is a five piece dub, psychedelic, touching on drum and bass, Sydney outfit. It includes Jesse Ricketson, Duncan Ford, Aden Wessels, James Nichols, Emily Collin and guest vocalist Rappaport.
So it's all happening!
Gone are the days that you play a bass guitar given to you as a kid with your parents hopes it will become a healthier hobby then video games - times are changing sorry Mum and Dad the video game nerd has he's own ideas.
Air Synthesizer anyone?
No, yes, maybe? If you are like me and the answer is no, allow me to try and explain...
It manipulates sound with an (approx) 20 cm invisible radius that is controlled by touch ie. x, y, z - the closer you bring your hand towards the air synth through z and towards y the pitch and tone is effected, this works on both a vertical and horizontal axis. So to the audience it looks like Aden is wiggling his hand in the air above his equipment and creating a effected sound...some how. Aden is using this air synth in Svelt along a chaos pad, ipod touch and various other 'stuff' to create an effectively organic electronic sound.
And it really just begins there, James to the uneducated eye looks like he's playing keys and/or synth, true but not quite that simple. He also has a variety of electronic tools creating sound. I can't really explain it anymore then that because I simply just don't know. Aden showed me the air synthesizer, a table full of equipment and tried to explain what he does but most of it went over my head.
So now add all that ridiculousness over an electric guitarist with his own effects pedals along with a drummer and a decent serve of vocals and you have baked yourself a Svelt cake. Personally I needed a few glasses of water to help wash it all down and I'm still trying to digest. So if you're a big bass eater Svelt is probably the cake for you.
They are all part of a new electronic band craze, new not because they haven't been doing this for years or because electronic music hasn't been done before, but because electronic generated bands are becoming a mainstream reality of the future. Technology is now constant and unavoidable with generations X and Y the digital leaping pad for future generations that are going to be technology dependent consumers. Bye bye analog, bye bye acoustic and hello science!
Have you got a problem with how music is losing its natural, basic, fundamental in Western Culture? Well you're probably 90 years to late. You would have to set your time machine some where around the 1920's just before Joseph Schillinger composed 'First Airphonic Suite for Theremin and Orchestra' because it's been spiraling out of control since. But perhaps you would be happy there until the 60's anyway, when people actually had the money to start making music technology accessible. Music and science what a great combo!
Svelt are a unique band with heaps of potential ready to explode out of their music nerd minds. To put it simply - with all else aside, Svelt are making tunes to get your groove onto, so check them out.
www.myspace.com/Sveltband
Image from Svelt myspace
gee they really have covered pretty much every genre under the sun, you should check out this hectic Dub Step DJ called Doorley (i think the spelling is right) saw him at the Oxford Art Factory about a month ago, he is the sickest DJ :D
ReplyDeleteOkay cool. Thanks for the head up
ReplyDelete