Tonight on THE MELTING POT 9.18.2012 Interviews with Random Rab, Govinda on their show in Portland this Fri 9.21.2012 @ Refuge. Il also touch base with Beats Antique about the Contraption 2 EP which drops today as well as an in studio performance by MPS (Melting Pot Soundsystem) Featuring Dr. J refreaking beats, Adrianna Locke on violin, Jessica Mardis on flute, and Calebula on percussion. Win Tickets to SHIFT Featuring Random Rab, Govinda, Nicoluminus, Afro Q Ben & Melting Pot Soundsystem.
RANDOM RAB- Emerging from his own distinct corner of the West Coast electronic music scene, Random Rab offers a powerful and unique contribution to sonic exploration. Often referred to as “The Master of Emotion” his music is patently beautiful and melodic. With diverse influences ranging from trip-hop, classical and Arabic to bass driven compositions, his songs are considered anthemic and timeless. As a multi-instrumentalist and singer, his tracks are organic, uplifting and stand on their own as a distinct genre. Listeners of all types of music can find something they can relate to in this sound. He has toured extensively across North America, including tours with Bassnectar, Shpongle, Beats Antique and headlined several festivals across the country.
There is no doubt that Rab understands a multitude of musical styles. He has been the front man of a heavy metal band, toured as a classical trumpet player, played bass in a country music band, was a scratch DJ for a jazz fusion project, was the singer for a rock band in Mexico and has collaborated with countless musicians of all styles. From acoustic performances in the Himalayas to rocking packed clubs in New York, Random Rab has found a way to connect with people of all kinds.
With a dedicated fanbase born from the San Francisco underground, Random Rab has become a Burning Man legend known for his sunrise sets that have now become one of his most sought after performances. His current popularity can often be traced to his breakout album, The Elucidation of Sorrow.. This album firmly established him as a recognizable force in the electronic music scene. His 4th album aRose, catapulted him into the state of momentum that is now taking hold internationally. His latest studio effort, Visurreal debuted in the iTunes Top 10 Electronic Charts as well as in the CMJ RPM Top 5 with several #1′s on radio stations across the country.
Sometimes performing solo and at other times featuring collaborative musicians, the live experience is focused on a high quality translation of sound that is simultaneously sexy and psychedelic.
GOVINDA: is the alter-ego of Austin based producer/composer Shane Madden. He began studying violin and composition at the age of eight and went on to study classical violin at the University of Texas where he fell in love with electronic music production. It was in Madden’s pursuit of his gypsy roots that he opened his ears to music from around the world. From experiences learning violin with mysterious masters on his journeys across the globe and his passion for modern design and technology, the current sound of Govinda was born.
Govinda has played with Thievery Corporation, Tipper, Bassnectar, Shpongle, Cheb I Sabbah, STS9 and many more and been featured on over 25 compilations such as Buddha Bar II, Asian Travels II, and Nirvana Lounge selling a combined 400,000 copies. Govinda has played at numerous festivals throughout North America including Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle, Sea of Dreams, SXSW and more. Govinda’s music has been licensed on shows like “Roswell” WB, “Road Rules” MTV, and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” Bravo as well as many independent films.
The Govinda live show is truly a multi-sensory experience that features professional dancers, live projections, resonating vocals and a sonical sound-scape. His live experience is full of vibrant energy that plays to its crowd. Govinda performs on Ableton Live accompanied by classical violin. Govinda is currently touring in support of his album “Universal On Switch” which was released independently earlier this year.
BEATS ANTIQUE: Growing like wildfire under the canopy of live electronica and experimental world fusion music, the acclaimed musical trio Beats Antique launch their fall tour to finish out 2012 in support of their upcoming Contraption Vol. 2, a new cinematic, orchestral, and seductively bass heavy EP.
As the trio masterfully merges modern technology, live instrumentation, brass bands, string quartets, glitch, and dubstep, Beats Antique’s highly anticipated new album explores another octave of musings first begun in 2009 with Contraption Vol. 1. Three years and eight new original compositions later, Contraption Vol. 2 – will arrive on Tue 9.18.12 – to round out the collection.
With a stage performance containing more sensory indulgences than the most lavish genie’s lair, Beats Antique will indulge their fans to a raw, animalistic musical event that blurs the lines between the provocative, the spiritual, and the artistic while still maintaining allegiance to the muses of class and beauty. The tour, “Animale Mechanique”, will cover 35 locations in North America and end with a 36th once-in-a lifetime show in front of The Pyramids in Egypt on the Winter Solstice.
Having already enchanted audiences at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Red Rocks and beyond, Beats Antique’s live performances blend electro-coustic breakbeats set to a Bollywood bass-circus stage show, with the sophistication of top hats receding to a sea of animal masks and wild feather headdresses. Their ability to blur the line between artist and audience even before the curtain rises creates a total escape both through live performance and the album experience that leaves critics and fans reeling alike.
Consider “Allure,” the opening track on Contraption Vol. 2 – you are instantly transformed into a Moroccan special agent awaiting your next assignment from the haunches of a camel. And truth in the music is told as the acoustic and electronic indulge in one another until they can’t be told apart. This is best observed after listening to — and not initially realizing the purely stark acoustics of “Crooked Muse” featuring LYNX effortlessly leaving behind electronic production entirely.
Listening to any of the four past albums and several EP’s over the last five years, a deeper earthen anthropology begins to reveal itself. The journey that led to Beats Antique was a winding and twisted path from the West Coast and eclectic underground of San Francisco’s performance art scene, to the ancient trade routes of the silk road. In this modern incarnation, the musical alliance of producers David Satori and Tommy Cappel is inspired and emphasized by their collaborative partnership with world-renowned belly dance performer and music producer Zoe Jakes.
David Satori studied at California Institute of the Arts and Tommy Cappel studied at Berkeley School of Music before they ventured to locations such as Bali, West Africa, and Serbia. With extensive backgrounds in multicultural music production, and the passports to prove it, Satori and Cappel command the spectrum of live and digital instrumentation with skills born from Traditional Folk to Hip Hop and old school Jazz.
Zoe Jakes adds a third dimension as the diverse and disciplinary dance counterpart to Beats Antique’s sound. Jakes has worked with two major dance troupes, including Miles Copeland’s Bellydance Superstars and Rachel Brice’s Indigo Belly Dance Company, and is a student of ballet and contemporary techniques.
Beats Antique is best imagined as an innovative creature built from the cumulative heritage of the world’s music chasing its tail. However vivid that image, when a marching band groove crashes into bluesy folk chords only to be accompanied by electronic beats and Middle Eastern melodies, you’ll still be surprised and taken to a place you hadn’t previously known existed.