Saturday, Jun 16 - Front Room
Northside Festival: Neon Marshmallow Showcase feat. Black Dice
w/ Run DMT, SSPS, Mandlebrot & Skyy
Saturday, Jun 16
8:00 pm in the Front Room
$15 adv, $18 dos / 18+
Neon Marshmallow, in association with the Northside Festival & LQQK present:
+ Black Dice
+ Run DMT
+ SSPS
+ Mandelbrot & Skyy
Black Dice formed in '97 in Providence, RI (big ups to East Side Pockets!) as a loud, chaotic mix of early-eighties-inspired thrash n' harsh noise. After some time they moved to NYC, and across a few lineup changes their music bore more resemblance to crude 1st gen industrial / contemporary power electronics than straight up noise or HC. By spring of 2004, BD had again redefined themselves as a tight compositional unit, embracing a near-pop sensibility with shorter and catchier tunes bouncing forth. The music currently retains elements of noise and proto-industrial experimentation, while organically suggesting minimal, electronic, hip-hop and psychedelic ideas as well as those of punk, tropicalia, and dub. Any and every type of venue has served as the backdrop for Black Dice shows; from basements and warehouses to art galleries and museums, from house shows to gigantic outdoor festivals or formal seated theaters. Placing the music in a context contrary to the average show remains a compelling inspiration for unique performances. They are true NYC legends, and have made some of the greatest music (IMO) of the past decade.
RUN DMT: For just about two years, we've been hearing people in the scene buzzing about Michael Collins' Dreams. The album was rumored for release on Woodsist, and at that point the label had picked up a stable of talented artists that reflected a loose yet cohesive scene-- Real Estate, Kurt Vile, Thee Oh Sees, and Sun Araw. As luck would have it, Woodsist allegedly ended up passing, but put the Beach Boys-inspired Dreams track "Richard" on their Welcome Home compilation alongside one-offs from Ducktails, Moon Duo, and the Fresh & Onlys. Collins didn't put out any new music, played less shows, and eventually withdrew from New York in favor of Baltimore. For a minute there, Run DMT slipped from the consciousness of an easily distractable scene. But last September, Collins opted to start his own cassette and home video label, Culture Dealer, and set Dreams as its first release. And it's good. Really good. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, Dreams is composed of eleven tracks ranging from loop-based vignettes to a few more fleshed-out, traditional songs. It's easy to be wooed by the surprisingly meaty, stream-of-consciousness pop side of this album; "Romantic" recalls radio-ready '60s psych songs like "Crimson and Clover" and effortlessly captures the excitement and longing of young love, while the vaguely titular track, "Dreaming," unfurls with a sense of intimacy found in a drug-like euphoria. There are also other songs that're short and sweet, revolving around the development of a single loop, but fortunately they don't overstay their welcome.
Secret Society Pyramid Snake or S.S.P.S. is Porkchop from Excepter and in his words is "loneliness- a man and his machines on a vision quest trying to make sense of his surroundings.". Recently playing shows w/ some of our favorites (Jonas Reinhardt, Keith Fullerton Whitman, etc) and holding down the Particularly Random DJ night at Tandem (one of our favorite bars), this dude is consistently doing really awesome things; not a set to miss!
Mandelbrot & Skyy is Daren Ho of Driphouse and Jeff Witscher of Rene Hell and not for nothin', I think (PA booking guy here) they stole the show at last October's Neon Marshmallow Fest in NYC. That set was pretty geometric, glitchy, and aggressive but contained plenty of thoughtfulness and subtlety..we are really looking forward to hearing them again on our newly improved sound system. Shall be big!
Neon Mashmallow, est 2009, is a Chicago-based events organization that specializes in advanced sound, progressive electronics, new music media, and underground dance. Their mission is to provide audiences with new sonic experiences, and they do. Daniel Smith & Matthew Kimmel have carefully curated events featured artists from over 9 countries including Tim Hecker, OPN, Excepter, U.S. Girls, Lucky Dragons, Morton Subotnick and more.
