Monthly Archives: February 2015

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Sol Gems

Sol Gems at Vans Psych Night

The first time I saw Sol Gems was at a Psych Night at Arcade Empire. A three piece band always grabs my attention when it doesn’t sound like three egos pummelling into each other. There were no musical masturbatory solos or overstated attempts at being the sore thumb of acquired taste. They were a tight knit unit of simple ideas and good tone. Their sound harks to many ethereal-sounding influences like Tame Impala, MGMT and assorted 60s bands. They call it Sungaze.

This outfit is definitely one to look out for on the South African scene.

Enjoy their latest tracks on soundcloud and available for download at bandcamp.com

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Binkbeats

Live performance has become my deal breaker for many bands/artists. In the case of BINKBEATS, I am completely and utterly sold. This guy makes Jeremy Loops look like David Guetta asking his bimbo hookup for the night to press play on his pre-mix that was put together on iTunes (no offence, Jeremy, you’re swell). BINKBEATS is one of those guys that makes musicians wonder what they’ve been doing with their life and wish they have more obscure/cool/weird instruments. Eat your heart out and try pay attention, play button surfers (DJs).

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Why its okay to like weird music – Part 3

Have you ever wondered what someone from 1940 would think of the present? The popular music alone would make our time travelling friend mad with wonder. It’s perfectly normal to think that I can record a video of myself and send it to the other side of the world within a day (maybe being a little optimistic about South African internet speeds) but 75 years ago this would be deemed near impossible/downright weird. We can see a very thin line between innovation and craziness in the world of weird things.

It’s plain to see that those who innovated were alienated/just plain ignored. AC inventor Nicola Tesla was literally driven to madness by everyone’s refusal to see his brilliance. Bach was only recognised as a composer after he died. So if people look at you like you’re an alien it’s probably because you’re ahead of the times… or you’re trying to bring back heelys and it’s not working out.

Weirdness is a grey area with a minefield of “no! just no, dude” on top of “I heard it before it was cool/in the latest FIFA sound track”. Prepare to be shunned, pseudo-hipsters. Stay strong and please try to avoid the “before it was cool” line. You’ll just sound like a sore loser trying to keep cool shit to yourself. We love you for enduring the weirdness war zone for us though. At least I do anyway…

 

 

 

 

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Sunrise Projector – Tycho

Tycho is the king of a rather refreshing genre called ‘chillout’. You’ll understand what I mean when you listen to this track. It’s from one of his older albums. He has remained consistent in the quality of his releases and all his albums have beautifully crafted progression.

Today is a deadline day for me so this works just fine for working under pressure. If you also have a cool creative boss that encourages listening to music at work then Tycho will definitely help you keep a cool, focused head.

Happy Friday SOTD, friends.