News/Updates

AUBE SHOW IN DETROIT - AUBE AREA ADDED!!

So, Sean and I had the pleasure of catching Aube's live performance in Detroit this weekend, an event made possible by the good folks at Time Stereo. The show was held at the C-Pop Gallery in Detroit, MI. There to sell merchandise were a man and a woman I presume to be Elsie and Jack themselves, of E+J Records.

Fellow Livonia natives Princess Dragonmom opened the event with an interesting performance involving a pinecone locked into a transparent box among other things. Warren (also of His Name is Alive) and Davin spaced themselves out, each making an independent racket on opposite sides of the gallery. Interesting approach, given that it allowed spectators to wander from one side of the gallery to the other to witness the proceedings, very much in the manner of an art exhibit.

Following Princess Dragonmom came the low-key, spacy ambience of local favorites Windy & Carl. We unfortunately missed a large chunk of this performance, but what I caught of it left me impressed. I heard Windy & Carl perform a couple years back and I can tell they've really pulled together and defined their sound in the intervening time. The crowd was clearly engrossed and the two performers definitely seemed in their element.

Finally, around 10:30 p.m., Aube began his performance under a hanging light, surrounded by what appeared to be a customized G.R.O.S.S. laptop, processors, and other electronic equipment. With great focus and nothing spared in terms of ear-splitting intensity, Nakajima-san wove a complex, intuitively layered hour-long piece, incorporating a nice array of textures, turns, and reverberating sonic burbles. I'm not certain what the source material was, though I'd imagine it was one of his electronic devices. It was a fine, engaging piece, which I remember thinking would make for a very good live CD.

The first fifty people through the gallery doors received Aube's CDR release on Time Stereo, a set of three tracks which utilized Detroit field recordings as source material. Although a bit on the short side, I was very pleased with the content of this special (and extremely limited) release, and am very glad I managed to be one of those who received it.

All in all, a memorable event and a good show. Congratulations to everyone involved, most especially Akifumi Nakajima. I hope he enjoys/enjoyed his time in the U.S.