Data Breaker

Bonkers! in Data Breaker again? Afraid so. Truth is, this
monthly night at Re-bar keeps bringing the weird and interesting bills
for which I’m a total sucker. It would behoove you to hoof on over to
the next installment of electronic tomfoolery that Ian Price (aka the Naturebot) and his stalwart crew have curated for your third
ear.

New York’s Wisp (Reid Dunn) headlines this month’s event.
He’s been making strangely contoured waves in electronic music’s IDM
sector with his most recent full-length, The Shimmering
Hour, on England’s seminal Rephlex Records (he’s also released
on Sublight and Terminal Dusk). The Shimmering Hour sounds like
an archetypal Rephlex effort; in fact, some thought Dunn was behind
the Tuss, a once-mysterious Aphex Twin production that
caused a stir in 2007.

On this disc, lustrous synths twinkle and swell with orchestral
grandeur while manic rhythms skitter and splat in a manner familiar to
anyone who’s followed elite producers like Squarepusher,
µ-Ziq, Plaid, and Richard D. James over the last 15
years. This is electronic music that bears the compositional complexity
and integrity of jazz-fusion masters like Return to Forever and
Weather Report, but it’s leavened by a giddy spirit. Wisp’s
music proves that you can simultaneously stroke your chin and cut a
rug, and not look too ridiculous in the process.

Another treat bestowed by Bonkers! is a rare live appearance by
Seattle’s Relcad (Alex Duff), who’s kept a low profile for
years. I didn’t hear anything by him till Peloton Musique issued his
“On Your Left” on its Bicycles Are Your Friends comp. That piece
damn near stole the show, even from esteemed figures like Markus
Nikolai, Jeff Samuel, Lusine, and Twerk.
Relcad produces techno imbued with compellingly odd atmospheres,
unusual textures, and danceable, non-peak-time beats. He has a
distinctive sound, which in techno circa 2009 is a scarce commodity;
let’s hope this marks the beginning of a more active live-performance
regimen for Relcad.

As for the Naturebot, this will be his first PA in
over six months. He warns, “I’m busting out all the hardware I’ve been
building and completely changing directions… after a dozen years with
cheery and overwhelming slappy crap, I’ve kind of given out and am
trying my hand at some electro-charged, marbled acid. Something wiggly
and omniscient.” Well, now you’re speaking our language, Ian. I praised
his album, The Schnebly, in a January Data
Breaker and still find it a deliriously delightful listen. That being
said, the Naturebot is a resourceful lad and surely his new stuff will
send jolts of novel excitement.

Bonkers!: Wisp, Relcad, the Naturebot vs. MC Anton Bomb,
Dopelabs, Fri July 10, Re-bar, 10 pm, $9 before 11 pm/$13 after,
21+.