“Arthur Russell represents, for us, the essence of an underground artist and a very true person to his passions, he is a reference to all of us in the music scene. ‘Hold on to your dreams’ was Arthur’s lesson and we should all engrave that in our hearts. He taught us that the destination is not important as the journey and his music and life have inspired so many people, and will continue to do so. Making this party in Detroit is an incredible occasion to expose a new generation to his talent and his motivations.” – Circoloco

Infamous party promoter Circoloco will host an after party at TV Lounge in Detroit for Movement Electronic Music Festival this coming Saturday. The event celebrates the life of the avant-garde composer, musician and DJ, Arthur Russell, a man responsible for producing some of the most compelling electronic music of the late 70s and 80s, and worked with collaborators and contemporaries including Robert Wilson, Allen Ginsberg, David Byrne, Bob Dylan, Larry Levan, and Francois Kevorkian. The lineup features local Detroit heroes Carl Craig, Ryan Crosson, Lee Curtiss, and Derek Plasaiko. Popular contemporaries from across the pond also include D’Julz, Gavin Herlihy, Richy Ahmed, and Simon Baker. Circoloco and Go Bang will also have art installations and live art performances from local Detroit artists, as well as Paradise garage inspired dancers, and video projections for a completely immersive experience for the eyes and ears.Get your tickets below and don’t get shut out at the door!

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Location: TV Lounge | Address: 2548 Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI.

When: Saturday, May 25th

Show Time: 10:00 PM | Show Close: 2:00 AM

21+| GA: $33 Adv/$40 DOOR

BUY TICKETS HERE —> RESIDENT ADVISOR

The thing about UM Bowl, or at least the desired goal, is to live completely in the moment. You know going in that you’re going to hear things that you will likely never hear again. And the things that you do end up hearing again are extremely special and you wanna attach strong memories to the first time you heard that. Your best course of action is to simply surrender to the UM Bowl flow, cast expectations and desires aside and hop along for the ride. But when it comes to talking about UM Bowl, I’m finding it’s nearly impossible to avoid comparing to past UM Bowls or look ahead to the future editions. So for this essay I want to break it up into three pieces — present, past, and future — to keep myself out of the chronological mindwarp.

Living In The Moment

Quarter 1: Raw Stewage

There were two Stews that I voted for without any hesitation and that I thought for sure were going to make the cut. So walking into Park West hearing one of them, “FDR,” was a great way to start the night. Unfortunately, I was caught up at the box office for a moment and didn’t really get to absorb the full impact of this ripper. But I settled in just as “Final Word” segued in. Right off the bat it felt like a song that was worthy of instant rotation material — one of the best new lyrical-driven songs of the past couple of years. The Asian-string sounding distortion that Jake used was so unique, nothing else in their catalogue really sounds quite like that.

When they slid into the familiar 11/5/11 Ringo jam, a.k.a. “Cut The Cable,” this quarter really took off. This song has been lingering for a while, seeming ready to creep into the rotation. So when it came up it felt a little strange since it had become more of an actual song than a repeated Stew since its birth. Nonetheless, “Cable” was gorgeous, and it was amazing to hear it fully fleshed out. Another perfect segue led to the most aggressive song of the quarter, “Constellations,” a new addition to the instrumental collection of darker, dance-rock songs. This one was gnarly and it was at this moment that I realized how fully locked in they were. It sounded like they had practiced this quarter to an unbelievable degree, like they saw the whole quarter as one giant painting rather than a collection of songs. Remarkable.

They ended the set with two more songs that felt like they could instantly slide into the rotation. “Gravity’s Real” had a similar feel to “Cut The Cable” in that they were both beautiful rock songs with substantial lyrics. I’d only heard this once before, with Brendan playing a solo acoustic version, and once again I felt lucky to hear it fully grown, all the T’s crossed and I’s dotted. They brought the energy back to a peak for the final song, another instrumental called “Fool’s Gold” that somehow brought bluegrass and prog rock together for an incredible collision. It was furious. The entire Raw Stewage quarter couldn’t have gotten much better, it was flawless and powerful and everything UM Bowl stands for. The only issue I had was that the 11/5/11 “The Haunt” Stew didn’t make the cut, which would have been the epitome of the cherry on top.

Continue onto the next page for Quarter 2…

The House of Blues has been bringing in more and more shows lately catered to the electronic/jam scene. This has fans of this particular brand of music more than enthused, as House of Blues is one of the nicest, most fun premiere venues in Chicago. Late April brought yet another electronic rager with up and coming DJ/producer, Luke The Knife and Chicago’s hometown heavy hitter favorite, Future Rock. The crowd was perfect, as it wasn’t quite sold out so you could actually move around but had enough people there to maintain a high level of energy and excitement throughout its entirety.

Luke The Knife kicked things off with a set of his signature disco/funk house sound that has progressively gotten more and more popular lately in the electronic scene. Luke The Knife is the stage name for Luke Miller, the guitarist and synthesizer player for jam scene titans Lotus. His side project is not even a year old and became an instant hit thanks to his mixes on SoundCloud. What started as him playing locally in his home base of Denver, CO has developed to him touring nationally opening for big name bands and producers and playing late night after parties. His set at House of Blues was the first time I have seen him and the performance was about what I had expected from what I had heard and downloaded.

One thing I did notice during the set was that he was using a lot of the same house beats from the same producers when transitioning between the disco/funk edits. Some more diversity in his sampling would have made for a better performance but his set was still filled with groovy selections of electronic dance outside of the house backing tracks I felt were overused. However for someone fresh to the scene and just now getting his name out there on a national level, his set was a fun disco dance party that had everyone pumped up and dancing hard. There is plenty of room for growth for Luke The Knife and for being so new I wouldn’t expect anything less out of someone who is so motivated. I am definitely looking forward to seeing him again sometime soon.

Headlining the evening was Future Rock who is no stranger to anyone who listens to electronic or jam music in Chicago. The local trio plays in their hometown multiple times a year and they never let us down. Their live electronic music is unique and recognizable as their own. The band has produced a good amount of music in their ten-year career and for the House of Blues show we go to hear songs that span the decade. There is a noticeable difference between a Future Rock festival set from a Future Rock concert; at festivals you get a all of their heavy hitters with a fast paced banger from start to finish, while at one of their shows there is more of a mix. Now this may all be due to time allotment, but their own shows are much more enjoyable as the audience can get more of a feel of what Future Rock is all about and what they are capable of.

This was the case for the House of Blues show. There were moments throughout where I felt as if some of the songs were either new or just super throw backs that are rarely played; they were slow and melodically driven throughout the jams and progressed as the song continued. It reminded me of a slightly more synthy/electronic STS9 type of sound and it complimented the set perfectly. My friends and random fans around me had the same feeling; some asking whether or not these were newly written songs and mentioning never have heard them before. That’s the beauty of being able to see someone you enjoy multiple times; despite how many shows of theirs you’ve been to, you can always be surprised and impressed with what they deliver.

The timing for this how couldn’t have been better. As festival season quickly approaches and with Future Rock on many of the major festival bills, I was thrilled I got to see a full two and a half hour show of a well-balanced setlist involving a range from old classics to new experimentations. All of this before the one hour festival sets coming this Summer that will most likely be their most beloved material got me excited yet again for Future Rock and their continuing popularity.

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In all of my years of concerts in big music halls, tiny bars, garages and festivals… there is one show that I’m still holding out for that I haven’t been able to see. That would be OutKast. Probably the most socially acceptable hip hop group of all time, OutKast has been blazing a trail for 20 years in pioneering music. My chances of seeing them seem to be dwindling as Andre 3000 gets closer to being a movie star than he does for another album. Fortunately for us, his partner in crime – Big Boi – has been relentless in making music and touring the last couple of years. His act, along with rap giant (literally, he’s huge) Killer Mike, made a stop at Park West for some good southern fun.

Killer Mike took stage like an elephant on the run, stomping and shaking the earth with each step. For a big man, he has rhythm! I’ve been imitating his his moves ever since that night. He ripped verses with strength and power, every lyric politically charged… and all done with a huge smile on his face. He patted the sweat beading down his face with a hand towel, and went right back to preaching. Killer Mike’s approach was what gave the show such intimacy. Towards the end of his set, he stepped off the stage and walked out into the crowd. Trackstar, Killer Mike’s DJ dropped out… so there was no instrumental, just stripped down a capella for his final song. His version of what he referred to as “Rap Church.” A radiating finish to a killer show.

If there is anything that Big Boi knows how to do, its throw a party. His stage set up is always done to the 9′s. Live band, coupled with a DJ and back up singer. Videos played on the big screen during the opener, as “General Patton” blasted over the speakers. It felt like the ring announcements for a Mike Tyson fight. I was AMP’D. Having seen Big Boi a few times, I was expecting to see a good blend of classic OutKast tracks along with tunes from both of his solo albums. Not much variation from his previous shows at Congress, Pitchfork and North Coast… but it didn’t matter. Everyone came to hear hits. That’s just what they got. It was hit, after hit, after hit. Non-stop. At one point, Big played six straight songs with no break. Ceaseless energy. I was sweating and whistling for a full 90 minutes. The night was filled with thrills and chills. He took us on a trip through time of southern hip hop discography, everything from early days of SouthernPlayalistic to his grammy winning album SpeakerBoxx. There wasn’t a single point when the crowd wasn’t bouncing all evening, especially when he invited the entire crowd on stage for “The Way You Move” and “Kryptonite.”

Big and Killer Mike high five’d the crowd and took pictures after the show. Concertgoers gathered around the stage and cluttered outside the venue. Dancing and signing ensued… I wish we could go back, it was so much fun.

After a six month break from the last Full Court Press it seems a little momentum was lost. This was billed as the biggest FCP to date and certainly had the firepower on the artist roster to back that up. But the crowd ended up being lighter than the 4th edition, which was sort of fitting in a way because, while this FCP had the best overall set this far, it wasn’t quite the well-rounded affair that FCP 4 ended up being. Regardless, this was yet another fantastic night of improv-based music. Let’s just hope there’s less time elapsed until the next one.

The first two teams were both a lot of fun, there just weren’t many people around yet. The combo of Buddy Pearson and Marco Villareal really stood out in this group. Buddy is one of the sickest bass players in the Midwest, while Marco is an unassuming but relentless shredder. They wrapped their set with a seriously jammed out version of “Get Lucky” with Buddy carrying the song with a filthy bassline and lead vocals, while Marco pushed the song to a wild peak, well beyond what the actual song contains. Buddy stood out once again in the second group, this time going ape on a number of ridiculously technical solos that made Nasty Nick Gerlach shake his head as if to say, “Now how the hell am I supposed to play off of that?” But he figured out a way, as he always does, especially during a badass “25 or 6 to 4,” with fantastic vocals from Joe Day and a sneaky soulful guitar tangent from Russ Olmsted.

The middle two segments is where all the magic happened this time around. Anytime My Boy Elroy is involved in an FCP group, it winds up being great, and right off the bat they came out swinging with Ween and Beck covers back-to-back. Beck’s “Hell Yes” was especially impressive with Elroy rattling off Beck’s nearly impossible to memorize lyrics and Marcus Rezak peeling off with a wild, hip-hop based guitar solo with sneaky teases from “Hell Yes.” But the peak of this set was a massive cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “Dance Urself Clean.” Joe Hettinga led the way with some powerful vocals that were completely on par with James Murphy’s emotion. The group welcomed Rob Watson to the stage for the final song, OutKast’s “I Like The Way You Move,” which was pretty cool but felt anti-climactic and a little out of place — it would be cool to see Watson on an entire set at the next FCP.

And then there was the set that that stands apart in the young history of Full Court Press. Just look at this roster: Joel Cummins, Ryan Stasik, Nick Gerlach, Marcus Rezak, Greg Fundis, and Ray (mothafuckin) White! And this team played every bit as well as the murderer’s row of names would suggest. Getting to hear Frank Zappa and Umphrey’s McGee songs ‘covered’ but played by actual members in a completely different format, with a band of made of all phenomenal musicians, was a really, really special thing. These guys probably didn’t practice together more than just a few minutes (if at all) yet they sounded like they prepared for days. They were loose, but not too loose, having every bit as much fun as the crowd. We got an “I Am The Slime” and a “Keep It Greasy” on the Zappa side, and a “Soul Food 1″ and a “Bright Lights” on the Umphrey’s side. Seriously… this couldn’t have turned out any better. And the “Bright Lights” to wrap the set, my god man… it was so gnarly, even sliding into the repeated Stew “Den” jam to make it even crazier. Yeah, this is exactly what Full Court Press is all about. This was a fucking grand slam.

This kinda put the final team in a tough position. Not only was the previous team essentially impossible to follow, but at the last two Full Court Presses the final team of the night was a high-energy electronic grouping, almost like a late-nite show following the 4th team. That’s not to say this particular final team was bad — in fact they played a really funky set that was more improv-driven than any other — but it was certainly anti-climactic considering the climax of the show already happened. Any way you look at it, this Full Court Press was a blast. I’m probably getting more critical as thing goes on, yet every FCP is so much fun that I leave each time swearing to never miss one.

From his humble beginnings as Mount Kimbie’s unofficial “live” third member, to his current status as an indie heartthrob, James Blake has steadily risen to the top of underground music in a relatively short span. Part R&B singer/songwriter, part electronic musician, his music has the ability to draw in a wide audience. The lush, moody soundscapes blur the line between organic and digital. For an electronic artist, Blake has the ability to add a very human touch to his music. And that vibrant characteristic is due to his powerful, yet gentle voice, a gift that entrances audiences and keeps them coming back for more. He is currently on tour supporting his newest LP Overgrown and has been receiving widespread acclaim for the album as well as his live show. And his recent Chicago show lived up to that billing. Playing Metro for the second time in two years, Blake returned for a stunning performance in front of another sold-out crowd. I make an effort not to see an artist too often out of fear that I’ll grow bored too quickly but something told me I could not pass this show up. Especially after catching his live stream at Coachella last month.

A key feature of Blake’s live show is his ability to leverage dynamics and control the room instantly. At times, every member on stage would stop playing their instruments (including Blake) and it would just be his quiet falsetto whispering sweet-nothings into the microphone. And as he crooned, you could feel a hush sweep over the audience. They were hanging by his every note and there was very little chit-chat happening when the music was playing. In fact, the people that did talk received some dirty looks (including yours truly). And for how crisp this trio sounded, you didn’t want to miss a second, especially when they improvised or augmented the music from the album’s original version. One of my concerns going into this show was witnessing a carbon-copy performance similar Blake’s last visit at Metro two years ago, but the opening track “Air & Lack Thereof” made that fear seem irrational in hindsight. One of his earliest releases dating back to 2009, it was a slow and methodical way to begin the set. It was also just the right amount of energy and “weird” to wake everyone up. Building off that energy, the familiar “I Never Learned To Share” was met with a resounding approval from the audience, with many people singing along with Blake.

The set was surprisingly balanced and did not lean too heavily on newer material. Old favorites like “CMYK,” “Limit To Your Love,” and “Lindesfarne” were met with huge applause; new songs like “Digital Lion,” “Overgrown,” and were equally, if not more, popular. He closed the night out with two of the most popular tracks from his catalog: “The Wilhelm Scream” and “Retrograde.” Both songs feature very distinct, catchy vocal melodies and only affirmed the power of the young man’s pipes. He walked off stage briefly but returned alone to perform one last tune, oddly enough a cover. Blake surprised the audience with Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of  You” off her wildly successful Blue album. This is not an easy song to cover by any means but Blake sounded flawless, and made it look so easy in the process. I stood there in awe as he sounded just as lonely and vulnerable as Mitchell did on the original. It was a powerful exclamation to a night that backed up all the internet hype this young man is receiving, and deservedly so. There is no sophomore slump happening here, James Blake is the real deal.

I love the funk. I honestly cannot get enough of this genre of music, especially in a live atmosphere. If it’s played right, your normal venue can turn from a room full of yawning conservative patrons to a ruckus-churning sea of human sweat and ecstatically cringed faces in the beat of a drum and the stroke of a bass guitar. Horn sections become weapons of mass destruction. Guitar solos become massive onslaughts of creativity and insight. Drums and bass guitar become the marching band and instigators of perspiration and movement. If done right, funk can turn bankers into pimps, kindergarten teachers into harlettes, and the goofy dancing nerd you know into the dopest dude on the dance floor. What I witnessed at the Abbey Pub on this particular night was everything aforementioned and more. A full exposition of what can randomly happen when two great funk bands come together to play a show.

I arrived at the Abbey during The Twin Cats‘ sound check, dead sober and full of anticipation for what the night had in store. I had seen these guys on one occasion before, and was familiar with the bands high level of talent. Nick Gerlach holds it down as a sax player, never skipping a note and showing veteran skills at a young age. His craftwork beamed on one of the first tracks they played called “Waiver” with short, sharp, and abrupt notes that complimented Adam Catron and Cameron Reel’s diligent work on the skins and the fat strings as well as Phil Geyer’s flowing and jamming strokes on keys.

With the majority of the crowd loosened up and strapped in, Gerlach and Seth Catron upped the ante, dropping progressive jazz-fusion proper enough to smack a nasty face on former president Bill Clinton’s head. The band seemed to work through their set with absolute ease, making Gerlach’s monstrous melodies and lightning fast tone work on the EWI compliment as well as meld smoothly into Seth’s face melting outbursts. If you get the chance, check these guys out soon.

Between sets, I grabbed a beer from The Abbey’s awesome variety of drafts and watched as something very strange unfolded on stage. Before my eyes men were being auctioned off as simple pieces of meat with a flock of oddly placed formally attired women leading the banter and bids, with some men selling their companionship for a night for as much as a week of my pay. Before I could begin to hustle anyone into either letting me or one of my cohorts on stage to reap some of these seemingly impossible monetary gains, my attention was caught by two saxophones softly slipping teased notes of Lettuce’s “Blast Off” on the side of the stage.

Euforquestra is no stranger to the midwest scene, originally hailing from Iowa City, and currently located and immersed in Colorado’s abundant music culture. They picked, strummed, stroked, and slammed through an amazing set of material old and new, originals and covers, showcasing amazing levels of musical talent, versatility, and the tightness of their sound. On “Soup,” Austin Zalatel, Mike Tallman, and Matt Wright exercised entertaining, up beat, and fun vocal harmony as well as impeccable timing, winding in and out of solos coming from the sax, keys, and guitar. A lot of the material with reggae influence that they played seemed to be new with no recordings out on the interwebz, giving fans new and old some common ground and the promise of a new album! They displayed progressive mixes of soul, r&b, jazz, and funk on tracks such as “Melody Truck” and “Road Funk,” and even made my night by performing an awesome cover of the Talking Heads’ classic, “Girlfriend is Better.”

All in all, I left the Abbey satisfied and stunned with the intent on seeing either of these bands again in an instant if they came back to Chicago. Actually, I’ll have to admit, I would definitely go out of my way a bit more to see either band again. You may catch me at Euforquestra’s own festival in Lone Tree, Iowa, or maybe tapping my feet at the Mousetrap in Indianapolis…till then, funk on y’all!

Fresh off the release of the fantastic third album Holy Fire, Foals is touring heavily and selling out venues across the country. In fact, their upcoming show at Vic Theatre has been sold out for a long time. But fear not! You have another chance to see these guys this weekend, and in a completely different form. Silver Wrapper and React Presents snapped them up for a late night DJ set at Primary on Saturday, May 18th. Considering these guys are a rock band, this should be a very eclectic and interesting set. Local DJs Fleege, Redux, and Greg Corner open the night.

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Saturday, May 18th | Primary
21+ | $10 + fees
Show at 10:00
Buy Tickets here —> CLUBTIX
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Or… enter our giveaway! React Presents hooked us up with a pair of tickets to giveaway. Just email frazier@soundfusemag.com with “Foals Tix Giveaway” in the subject line and your full name in the body of the email. Deadline to enter is 3pm on Friday the 17th –winner will be announced shortly after!

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