Fun Fun Fun Fest preview: Stage 4
Hip-hop, electro, funk, and other forms of mayhem
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Proving that drums and guitars have become the mules and cotton gins of the music industry, many of the acts holding down Fun Fun Fun's Stage 4 build their beats and melodies primarily out of circuit boards and samples, the way God intended. (After all, as Pink says, "God is a DJ," and when has she ever been wrong?) Each day's non-stop dance party, like the best mash-ups, seamlessly blends tongue-in-cheek rappers like Terp 2 It and Hawnay Troof; electro-wizards The Octopus Project, YACHT, and Dan Deacon; and multi-culti movement from Dengue Fever and Grupo Fantasma before coming to a close with a beamed-in set from Kool Keith's "Dr. Octagon" alter ego and a few skiing lessons from crack-rap crusaders Clipse. Put these acts in your pipe, then promptly take them out. Pipes are gross.
SATURDAY
Terp 2 It, 1:30 p.m.
Terp 2 It is the “nerdcore” rapper alter-ego of local improviser Chris Trew, founding member of the award-winning ColdTowne troupe. Like his comedy, Trew’s rhymes are clever, self-deprecating, and deliriously unpredictable: His subjects range from making to-do lists and failing to hook up to repping both his MySpace page and his Family Ties DVD collection with gangsta conviction. MC Chris should be strapping on a bulletproof replica Star Wars vest any day now.
Terp 2 It, 1:30 p.m.
Terp 2 It is the “nerdcore” rapper alter-ego of local improviser Chris Trew, founding member of the award-winning ColdTowne troupe. Like his comedy, Trew’s rhymes are clever, self-deprecating, and deliriously unpredictable: His subjects range from making to-do lists and failing to hook up to repping both his MySpace page and his Family Ties DVD collection with gangsta conviction. MC Chris should be strapping on a bulletproof replica Star Wars vest any day now.
Dengue Fever, 2 p.m.
Dengue Fever proudly plays a seamless combination of disjointed styles, including Cambodian pop, Ethiopian jazz, Jamaican ska, California surf, and ’60s lounge music. That alone would be plenty interesting if the L.A. band—fronted by Chhom Nimol, a Khmer-singing Cambodian pop star—restricted itself to instrumentals, but on this year’s Venus On Earth, the six-piece ably soars into irresistible, fascinating songs such as “Laugh Track” and “Tiger Phone Card.” Though the band’s music is just as unusual as its backstory (Nimol’s homecoming Cambodian tour with her group was chronicled in the 2007 documentary Sleepwalking Through The Mekong), it’s far from a gimmick.
Dengue Fever proudly plays a seamless combination of disjointed styles, including Cambodian pop, Ethiopian jazz, Jamaican ska, California surf, and ’60s lounge music. That alone would be plenty interesting if the L.A. band—fronted by Chhom Nimol, a Khmer-singing Cambodian pop star—restricted itself to instrumentals, but on this year’s Venus On Earth, the six-piece ably soars into irresistible, fascinating songs such as “Laugh Track” and “Tiger Phone Card.” Though the band’s music is just as unusual as its backstory (Nimol’s homecoming Cambodian tour with her group was chronicled in the 2007 documentary Sleepwalking Through The Mekong), it’s far from a gimmick.
Hawnay Troof, 3 p.m.
Vice Cooler has a lot of famous friends. The XBXRX lead singer, a favorite of the queer-punk crowd, has collaborated with indie luminaries like Erase Errata and Deerhoof—which explains how he’s managed to make a career out of snarky hip-hop side project Hawnay Troof. Like Har Mar Superstar, Troof frequently delves into foulmouthed odes while somehow scoring opening slots for “serious” bands like Gossip and Thurston Moore. While it’s full of early Beastie Boys steez and the occasionally brilliant lyrical throwdown, Hawnay’s latest, 2006’s Dollar And Deed, wears thin over the course of 34 (!) songs set to Casio beats and clamoring guitars. But Troof is an electric performer, and his B-boy act should translate well to the stage.
Vice Cooler has a lot of famous friends. The XBXRX lead singer, a favorite of the queer-punk crowd, has collaborated with indie luminaries like Erase Errata and Deerhoof—which explains how he’s managed to make a career out of snarky hip-hop side project Hawnay Troof. Like Har Mar Superstar, Troof frequently delves into foulmouthed odes while somehow scoring opening slots for “serious” bands like Gossip and Thurston Moore. While it’s full of early Beastie Boys steez and the occasionally brilliant lyrical throwdown, Hawnay’s latest, 2006’s Dollar And Deed, wears thin over the course of 34 (!) songs set to Casio beats and clamoring guitars. But Troof is an electric performer, and his B-boy act should translate well to the stage.
The Octopus Project, 4 p.m.
Austin electronica gurus The Octopus Project make wonderfully vibrant pop that dances wildly between sunny hooks and grungy noise. It’s weird enough to thoughtlessly slap the “experimental” tag on it, but that term conveys a sort of guesswork that’s clearly not in play here: Rock-evolved techno-tinged songs such as “I Saw The Bright Shinies” on last year’s Hello, Avalanche skip along with catchy precision. The album is a trippy blast, and that didn’t happen by accident—and live, the band exudes a level of warmth and glee not usually felt from the average crew of keyboard-punchers and knob-twisters.
Austin electronica gurus The Octopus Project make wonderfully vibrant pop that dances wildly between sunny hooks and grungy noise. It’s weird enough to thoughtlessly slap the “experimental” tag on it, but that term conveys a sort of guesswork that’s clearly not in play here: Rock-evolved techno-tinged songs such as “I Saw The Bright Shinies” on last year’s Hello, Avalanche skip along with catchy precision. The album is a trippy blast, and that didn’t happen by accident—and live, the band exudes a level of warmth and glee not usually felt from the average crew of keyboard-punchers and knob-twisters.
Yacht, 5 p.m.
Yacht is an intriguing act (it’s one guy essentially, but others hang around) given to sloppy, poppy sounds that slot somewhere between art-rock and electronic dance music. Certain songs from Yacht’s 2007 album, I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real, bear the disparate stamps of Animal Collective and LCD Soundsystem, and it’s easy to draw a timely lineage that traces the same shapes as those of MGMT, High Places, and lots of other quasi-electronic music acts bubbling up right now. Might it be a movement?
Yacht is an intriguing act (it’s one guy essentially, but others hang around) given to sloppy, poppy sounds that slot somewhere between art-rock and electronic dance music. Certain songs from Yacht’s 2007 album, I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real, bear the disparate stamps of Animal Collective and LCD Soundsystem, and it’s easy to draw a timely lineage that traces the same shapes as those of MGMT, High Places, and lots of other quasi-electronic music acts bubbling up right now. Might it be a movement?
Dan Deacon, 7 p.m.
The famously antic Dan Deacon is a spastic producer and performer whose sound traffics in lots of noxious noise, cartoon samples, breakbeats—basically everything and anything that can be made to swirl together. Deacon’s Spiderman Of The Rings was an indie fave of last year, but his live reputation is something else altogether: Somehow managing to be self-deprecating and self-aggrandizing simultaneously, Deacon dons taped-up glasses and Tweety Bird shirts as he sinuously conducts, dances to, and croons along with his music-spitting contraptions.
The famously antic Dan Deacon is a spastic producer and performer whose sound traffics in lots of noxious noise, cartoon samples, breakbeats—basically everything and anything that can be made to swirl together. Deacon’s Spiderman Of The Rings was an indie fave of last year, but his live reputation is something else altogether: Somehow managing to be self-deprecating and self-aggrandizing simultaneously, Deacon dons taped-up glasses and Tweety Bird shirts as he sinuously conducts, dances to, and croons along with his music-spitting contraptions.
DJ Z-Trip, 8:10 p.m.
DJ Z-Trip made his name as a gifted creator of mash-ups, those quasi-legal forced marriages between two otherwise unrelated songs. He made an early classic of the style with DJ P on 2001’s Uneasy Listening, Volume 1, which inventively pumped Midnight Oil into Metallica and handed Nas over to The Police. He jumped to a major label for 2005’s Shifting Gears, which features intricate rhythms and repurposed bits of Jethro Tull backing up guest MCs (Aceyalone, Mystic, Supernatural, Murs, and Soup from Jurassic 5) who wax lyrical about eating Cap’n Crunch and watching Jonny Quest. Expect his live set to be a tour-de-force of deft turntablism and pop-culture appropriation.
DJ Z-Trip made his name as a gifted creator of mash-ups, those quasi-legal forced marriages between two otherwise unrelated songs. He made an early classic of the style with DJ P on 2001’s Uneasy Listening, Volume 1, which inventively pumped Midnight Oil into Metallica and handed Nas over to The Police. He jumped to a major label for 2005’s Shifting Gears, which features intricate rhythms and repurposed bits of Jethro Tull backing up guest MCs (Aceyalone, Mystic, Supernatural, Murs, and Soup from Jurassic 5) who wax lyrical about eating Cap’n Crunch and watching Jonny Quest. Expect his live set to be a tour-de-force of deft turntablism and pop-culture appropriation.
SUNDAY
Franki Chan + The Toxic Avenger, 4:25 p.m.
One of L.A.’s many arbiters of cool in a scene crawling with self-proclaimed kings, Franki Chan earns his laurels through his popular promotion house/underground label IHeartComix, which has thrown some of the hippest happenings of the last several years. Chan’s acrimonious split from fellow L.A. scenester/promoter/DJ Steve Aoki and his Dim Mak label gave birth to Comix (named for his previous career as a comic-book artist), and he comes here with French mixmaster The Toxic Avenger to lend some coastal cool to us yokels in flyover country.
Franki Chan + The Toxic Avenger, 4:25 p.m.
One of L.A.’s many arbiters of cool in a scene crawling with self-proclaimed kings, Franki Chan earns his laurels through his popular promotion house/underground label IHeartComix, which has thrown some of the hippest happenings of the last several years. Chan’s acrimonious split from fellow L.A. scenester/promoter/DJ Steve Aoki and his Dim Mak label gave birth to Comix (named for his previous career as a comic-book artist), and he comes here with French mixmaster The Toxic Avenger to lend some coastal cool to us yokels in flyover country.
Kool Keith/Dr. Octagon, 6:30 p.m.
Mix old-school hip-hop beats with modern rap vulgarity and you’ve got Kool Keith. Formerly a member of the ’90s group Ultramagnetic MCs, the Bronx-based rapper has been following the solo route for over a decade, changing his name from Dr. Octagon to Dr. Dooom to Mr. Nogatco to his current moniker. Whatever he’s calling himself, expect the same unabashedly crude lyrics and sample-free, self-produced beats. The latter can occasionally sound repetitive and flat, but Kool Keith’s years of experience on the mic more than make up for any musical shortcomings.
Mix old-school hip-hop beats with modern rap vulgarity and you’ve got Kool Keith. Formerly a member of the ’90s group Ultramagnetic MCs, the Bronx-based rapper has been following the solo route for over a decade, changing his name from Dr. Octagon to Dr. Dooom to Mr. Nogatco to his current moniker. Whatever he’s calling himself, expect the same unabashedly crude lyrics and sample-free, self-produced beats. The latter can occasionally sound repetitive and flat, but Kool Keith’s years of experience on the mic more than make up for any musical shortcomings.
Grupo Fantasma, 7:30 p.m.
With its shimmering horn section and grooves so tightly wound James Brown would never dock it a red cent, it’s no wonder Texas-based Grupo Fantasma was handpicked by Prince to be his backing band for several high-profile gigs, including after-parties for both the Super Bowl and Golden Globes. When not catering to the whims of His Royal Purple Badness, the Latin combo worked hard on the recent Sonidos Gold, described as its “definitive album.” Ablaze with the group’s signature psychedelic salsa, Gold sets the new standard for modern funk—futuristic enough for Mr. “1999” and timeless enough to include a guest turn from Maceo Parker.
With its shimmering horn section and grooves so tightly wound James Brown would never dock it a red cent, it’s no wonder Texas-based Grupo Fantasma was handpicked by Prince to be his backing band for several high-profile gigs, including after-parties for both the Super Bowl and Golden Globes. When not catering to the whims of His Royal Purple Badness, the Latin combo worked hard on the recent Sonidos Gold, described as its “definitive album.” Ablaze with the group’s signature psychedelic salsa, Gold sets the new standard for modern funk—futuristic enough for Mr. “1999” and timeless enough to include a guest turn from Maceo Parker.
Clipse, 8:45 p.m.
The members of Clipse took their rightful place as hip-hop’s foremost chroniclers of the drug trade when 2006 finally saw the release, after years of legal entanglements, of their album Hell Hath No Fury, an instant classic for Pusha T and Malice’s bleak, paranoid rhymes and The Neptunes’ adventurous production. This year saw the release of the first proper album by the Re-Up Gang, the group Clipse formed with the Philadelphia MCs Ab-Liva and Sandman and introduced with the excellent We Got It 4 Cheap mixtape series. Clipse reportedly has another album due out at the end of this year, but fans who worry about history repeating itself would do well to get their fix while they can.
The members of Clipse took their rightful place as hip-hop’s foremost chroniclers of the drug trade when 2006 finally saw the release, after years of legal entanglements, of their album Hell Hath No Fury, an instant classic for Pusha T and Malice’s bleak, paranoid rhymes and The Neptunes’ adventurous production. This year saw the release of the first proper album by the Re-Up Gang, the group Clipse formed with the Philadelphia MCs Ab-Liva and Sandman and introduced with the excellent We Got It 4 Cheap mixtape series. Clipse reportedly has another album due out at the end of this year, but fans who worry about history repeating itself would do well to get their fix while they can.
