Tokyo is frickin' hot in August (and in May, June, and July if you want to get technical). Summer may be on its last legs, but that doesn't mean that the humidity is ready to call it quits. Several hundred of the city's ultra-hip music connoisseurs attempted to beat the heat by hanging out at Laforet Museum in Roppongi and listening to some extremely cool artists turn out brilliant electronic-enhanced landscapes. Mugison delighted the sweat-soaked spectators with a unique set that featured different facets of rock n' roll being fleshed out and accented by various electronic beats.Armed with an acoustic guitar and a laptop, the Icelandic musician turned out several awesome tracks from his most recent release, Mugimama Is This Monkey Music? The highlight of his performance was his attempt at playing some heavy metal. The combination of the strange noises churning from his laptop and his gruff vocals brought to mind the wonderfully warped stylings of Mr. Tom Waits. Anyone worthy of a comparison to Waits is always worth checking out in my book. Caribou (who used to be known as Manitoba before being hit with a bullshit trademark infringement lawsuit from Dictators frontman Handsome Dick Manitoba) was up next and quickly proved to be the star of the night. Accompanied by a guitarist and drummer, Canadian Dan Snaith did a fantastic job of recreating his synthesized-pop lullabies in a live setting. Opening with "Yeti" from this year's The Milk of Human Kindness, Snaith and co. spent the next 45 minutes filling the spacious basement venue with a delectable mix of indie rock, pop, jazz, electronica, and psychedelic sounds. 
Concentrating on material from his most recent release and 2003's Up In Flames, Snaith was constantly on the move while showcasing his remarkable musical abilities. Over the course of the concert, he played synthesizer, keyboards, flute, acoustic guitar, drums, and even managed to do a bit of singing. His hard work wasn't for naught, as bopping bodies and cheers met each new composition unveiled by the tight trio. Along with the excellent display of showmanship and talent on stage, all of the evening's songs were complimented by a dazzling array of animated clips that were projected onto a screen placed behind the band. The increased visual component made the powerful performance even more enthralling. Wrapping things up with "Final Warning", the group made their exit as everyone in attendance roared their approval. Four Tet had the daunting task of following Caribou. Stationed behind a table holding two laptops, a mixer, and a few other tools, Kieran Hebden combined a barrage of beats, glitches, spacey sequences, and other assorted sounds into lovely sonic gems. Touring in support of his new album, Everything Ecstatic, he did his best to keep the audience happy early on. Those crowded near the stage nodded and swayed along to the laptop-driven tunes whilst watching Hebden's every move. 
For the first part of his show, Four Tet had little problem keeping up with predecessors. However as his set wore on, some spectators began to tire and chose to sit down against the wall and chat or hang out in the lobby. Although musically he was quite good, aside from a few faint, occasionally flickering lights there was nothing to watch on stage. Bent over his table of goodies working diligently, Hebden looked up briefly between cuts before starting his next song. His set could have definitely been strengthened by the use of the movie screen at the back that added so much to Caribou's performance. Despite the lack of visuals, his innovative tunes still managed to create an enjoyable, chilled out environment for many in attendance. The slight change of pace provided everyone with one last fresh blast of coolness before they made their way outside to get hammered by the city's unrelenting humidity again.
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report by shawn |
 mag files : Four Tet / Caribou / Mugison Cool Sounds From The Underground (05/08/20 @Laforet Museum Roppongi) : review by shawn |
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The official site Four Tet http://www.fourtet.net/ Caribou http://www.caribou.fm/ Mugison http://www.mugison.com/ |
check the albums? |
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