Tag: Datalog

ARTIST EXCLUSIVE: DATALOG “Everything Is Essential”

DatalogDATALOG (moniker of Brooklyn-based digital artist Conor Heffernan), is garnering momentum and buzz on the NYC indie electronic circuit for his recent live performances, many of which have included stunningly curated videography that rivals any I’ve seen in quite some time. His body of work is immense, and reflects the inclinations of an artist coming into his own, though he has yet to release a full-length album. The genre that he deals in—namely live electronic music that incorporates visual or performance art—is an increasingly compelling medium for performers and audiences alike, and hence includes its fair share of mediocrity. In fact so much mediocrity that you could say its heyday is up. Or needs to die and be reborn I suppose. From what I’ve seen, DATALOG is at the forefront of that rebirth, and people should be taking notice.

His tracks embody an expansive classical and jazz pedigree, often layering self-composed, complex instrumentals and polyrhythmic beats into thoughtfully arranged digital sequences that are at once ominous, chaotic, soothing and purposefully glitchy; they call to mind early Notwist albums (minus vocals) and expand on the style of Four Tet, Underworld and the like. His older work, including 2011 EP Threads as well as his impressively thorough collection of singles tends toward the more formulaic aspects of deep house, with heavy beats underpinning jazz and funk infused melodic motifs. His newer tracks however, showcase a growing confidence in his own capacities as an artist, and perhaps more importantly underscore Heffernan’s exploration into darker, more untapped genres of electronic music. There seems to be more negative space in his compositions, in which silence is equally as important as noise, and through which tension is cultivated—not by an accelerating BPM, but by the inclusion of ambient noise and languid, extensive, drawn out expository themes which are often based on two or three notes of music. When performed live with video the result is as much dark and gripping, as it is accessible and visually gratifying.

AudioFemme was lucky enough to get its hands on an exclusive from him. “Everything Is Essential”, a brand new track from Heffernan, seems to signpost a new era in his creative life. It displays in equal measure his prodigious rhythmic abilities and eye for detail as well as his desire to edit and restrain his compositions to create a more sculpted and deliberate sonic narrative.  The first minute or so is quiet for the most part, and plays entirely on three notes of a major scale. Then come just enough hints of bass to keep one guessing whether it might just be a dance track. When the beat finally cuts through, it amps up and resolves this quandary simultaneously. Frantic, like the pulse of an animal in flight, it hovers over the melody for a few minutes until the composition as a whole begins to dissolve into artfully conceived progressive house/trance. By the time it wraps up, right where it started with only a three-note melody, one is left breathless: a rare feat even for those artists who inhabit the upper echelons of electronic music. DATALOG is clearly just getting started.

Listen to “Everything Is Essential” here.

Everything Is Essential

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AUDIOFEMME PRESENTS: CMJ 2012

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AUDIOFEMME PRESENTS: CMJ 2012 AT SPIKE HILL // 10/16

 

Please join us on Tuesday, October 16th at Spike Hill, for AudioFemme’s inaugural CMJ showcase. In order to give you a preview, we’ve written a little introduction to each artist in the lineup. We love them, and hope you will too! Doors are at 12:30 PM.

See you there!

XO

The girls at AF

AUTODRONE

Autodrone combines many of the best elements of our favorite genres, including dreampop, shoegaze and experimental indie rock. Formed in 2002, their career has spanned an entire decade of music—a decade during which technological innovations in live and recorded performance have changed the face of the industry, changed how we listen to music and upped the ante for bands looking to make an inimitable mark on the scene. Autodrone has managed to withstand the crucible of the aughts, emerging with gusto. This in our opinion is due to a few important aspects of who and what they are as musicians. First, Katherine Kennedy’s voice is timeless, both reminiscent of early 90s post-punk—in particular Kim Deal and her ability to vocally walk the line between angelic and grating (a thing that can leave one feeling emotionally vulnerable)—and also unique in its own right, melding seamlessly with the band’s more experimental elements. Second, they are possessed of the capacity to straddle what some may think of as conflicting genres. While tracks like “Through The Backwoods”, off Strike A Match employ catchy drums and accessible melodies, the subsequent track “Moth Of July”, is a seven-minute long, droning, synth-laden psychedelic journey into what feels like the band’s deepest, darkest musical intimations. Lastly, however, is their compelling group dynamic, which is also their thread of continuity. Their cohesion with one another is palpable even through the opacity in which studio recordings tend to enshroud a song. This goes to show that longevity in and of itself can make for better music. It also nearly ensures that they will be a great live act.

12 Pictures, by Autodrone

 

FOXES IN FICTION

Foxes in Fiction’s Warren Hildebrand first stole our hearts at the Moodgadget Showcase back in September. Originally from Toronto, Hildebrand is a multi instrumental, multi talented, genre bending one-man show. At first glance, he is shockingly young. His blond hair gleams from behind a table full of impressive looking electronic gadgets. He performs in his socks. When he starts his set, however, he transforms into a self-possessed magician and master of his craft. Yes, what he produces is electronically driven, but he plays guitar and sings too, blending and looping his live music into a dreamy atmosphere that spins and builds from the setup before him, which by the third song appears like a perfectly designed stage plot, even though the props only occupy a small surface area. He is so mesmerizing, that at times it feels like he’s raising something from the dead as he builds and shapes each track. He reminds some people of Bradford Cox. We think he’s much better. There are ineffable qualities about him as an artist, and about his music, that leave a space for one’s imagination to inhabit as his set develops, and goes from droning, ambient electronica to innovative, thought provoking, multi-dimensional live performance. Plus, he really is a youngin’. At the tender age of 23, he has decades of musical trends to herald. And we fully expect him to do just that.

 

WHICH MAGIC

Sara Autrey, jangling guitars, tinkling bells, a “shitty” keyboard, and an eight track are all it takes to make Which Magic; the recipe may be simple but the resulting jams are spellbinding. Autrey’s earnest and astral incantations swirl through a haze of chill beats and warbling guitar loops. Lyrically, Autrey mines her dreams and earthly desires alike for material with an authentic heart; listening to these tracks is not unlike drifting in and out of sleep in those first early morning hours of waking. For a project that began only recently, Which Magic has already achieved a compelling evolution via Autrey’s own musical curiosities. Her self-titled debut cassette is a rare lo-fi gem full of dissonant bells and softly strummed ukele, layered vocals and heady, sylvan frequencies fuzzy with tape hiss. High Already (her split EP with fellow Baltimore-based band Wing Dam ( in which she also plays) sees a migration from woodsy thickets to a beachy boardwalk thanks to the addition of thumping drum machines, sunny claps, and airier synths. And Autrey has plenty of tricks left up her sleeve, including an album of hip-hop influenced tunes and an exclusive AudioFemme track. We’re so excited to host her New York City debut!

 

DATALOG

Datalog is the brainchild of Conor Heffernan, whose tight productions and complex, jazz-influenced beats oscillate from cool and collected to grandiose and flashy, sometimes within the same track. Unlike many bedroom producers, Heffernan is a classically trained pianist who has put in hours as an internationally touring musician. As Datalog, he’s remixed tracks from Bjork to Brooklyn indie darlings Phone Tag, DJed runway shows and composed movie scores, but it’s his personal work that stands out most. With its ethereal touches, dramatic flair, seamless sample collage, and chopped rhythms borrowing from a variety of globe-spanning genres, his music is a cosmic beam of light endlessly refracting through a smoky, pitch-black club. Fans of Four Tet or Flying Lotus will appreciate his knack for building complicated, intelligent soundscapes from the expertly-curated digital depths while reveling in an dark romanticism completely his own.