Aug

Seattle Decibel Music Festival Advice

The Decibel guys back in Seattle have been hyping their lineup for months now. Here’s my advice. Sean Horton and Jerry Abstract are two of the key guys; friends for a long time. I think both from near Detroit. They love techno and if from Detroit that makes sense. The technology for laptop music became affordable several years back and they leaped into it. So they are both laptop laptop techno oriented.

The first few years of the Decibel Festival were influenced by this. Nothing wrong with that, it was natural for them. But something that an attendee should keep in mind. They are not neutral curators, instead biased performers with a good knowledge base about electronic music. You will continue to see a strong influence of that music style as well as performances by them or their close friends in the festival even this year.

I do praise for pulling the festival together. No one else was going to do it as the public Seattle electronic scene has been sputtering near death since 2001. Once the stock market bubble crashed and people didn’t have extra money anymore, the audience didn’t go out as much. Artists didn’t have as much money to buy equipment. Bars didn’t experiment or pay performers. And unfortunately, that event six years ago has still seriously dampened the scene in Seattle.

However, Seattle loves festivals. It makes people think they are getting a good “bang for their buck”. They’ll take off their Teva sandals, dust off their tennis shoes, and go to a bar to hear a fest-i-val! Weeee. Sometimes, festivals like Decibel pay off; sometimes not. In this case, they bring in artists rarely seen in the town of Seattle. They bring the couch potatoes out to listen to music that is not played on MTV, VH1, or commercial radio. They bring a glimmer of light.

The Decibel Festival lineup is available. Look it over. After hearing about their lineup announcements for months, here are my picks and cautions.

Henry DB Art Gallery opening. Its electronic music in a modern art gallery. Whatâ€™s not to love for $10. Lusine is performing and you can see “COLORFIELD VARIATIONS”.
DB opening part/death of party w/ Diplo, Switch, and Simian Mobile Disco. $17 is pushing it.
Beyond bookings/ NYC showcase. I’ve heard Wolf + Lamb in New York. Mostly minimal laptop tech, but its ok. Not worth the $20 though.
Future Funk Showcase. Its got another live set by Jacob London. I love these guys and deserve support. Its worth the $12. DJ Heather is also performing but sheâ€™s not my fav anymore.
Sunday headfuk showcase/db finale has Chris De Luca of FunkstÃ¶rung and Shitkatatpult’s Phon.o. I like both Funkstorung and Phon.o and recommend checking out their collaboration/batter here. The PR says, “…with a spirited live set of glitched out accapellas, booty bass and the filthiest break beats you’re likely to ever hear.” I’d pay the $20 just to hear what mayhem they might create
Claude VonStroke is performing at the Mothership Label Showcase for $20. I think too much money but if you like his sound, check it out.