Edit by Scott: FYI: Will Calcutt used a Canon 5DMKII to shoot these videos. Really amazing stuff.
There is techno out there and then there’s Audion, I remember the first time I heard Matthew Dear play as Audion and I was standing right in front by the stage and holding my hair with clinched fists, I remember looking down and I actually pulled out a good amount of hair from my head.
The slow build and swelling of sound can only be explained by the feeling if your getaway ride is a helicopter thats trying to start in a warehouse while a bunch of people with guns are coming after you(that we gotta go go go nightmare chase feel), you’re just watching the propellor false start and finally it just feels like the power of a typhoon hits you and you getaway at the last second.
I don’t think anything in dance music is this high end, unique, and hypnotic. Audion plays at a slow pace which seems to be the magic behind keeping people dancing at 5 am still because people still have the energy unlike some crap club DJ pace. The installation visuals are wild looking, I can’t wait to see all of this live. I was actually at the DEMF/Movement show where all the masked people walked around, I was one of them funny enough, really freaked people out. Below is some info about the Live tour scheduled in the US:
“In ancient Greek, “Hecatomb” is the word for “large-scale sacrifice or slaughter”; in Audion’s universe, it’s a live audio/visual experience like no other. Hecatomb is a dazzling and gorgeous assault of light that spins and twists into the ether. Musically, it’s the new live Audion—a relentless percussive onslaught that will leave you breathless. A whirlwind of light and sound, Hecatomb was created by longtime Audion art director Will Calcutt and renowned artist Eno Henze.
Audion spent the summer bringing Hecatomb to a series of European clubs and festivals—now, he’s trucking the whole light-and-sound spectacle to North America. Check out the dates, and take a peek at the new audion.me for photos, video, news, and other Audion goodies.”
TOUR DATES
11.06 San Francisco, CA @ MIGHTY
11.07 Los Angeles, CA @ AVALON HOLLYWOOD
11.12 Montreal, QC @ KARMA
11.14 Vancouver, BC @ LOTUS SOUND LOUNGE
11.19 Washington, DC @ MUSE
11.20 Chicago, IL @ SMART BAR
11.21 Toronto, ON @ FOOTWORK
11.28 New York, NY @ LE POISSON ROUGE
I love Matthew Dear but I’ve never heard his Audion work until today. Thanks for introducing it to me. Audion is staight ill!
wow, didn’t know will finished that video… that show was great!
oh and also, you did it. I forgot you were rocking that mask at the end.
We booked it in Montreal 🙂
Stoked!
ps: it’s not at Karma anymore, it will be at Stereo with Tiga
Scott –
“I loved her. Ya blew it!”
Audion is definately “The Thing” that’s going on!
Excellent news! I was a fan of Audion years before I even knew his name was Matthew Dear. His new stuff is excellent too, glad there are still talented EDM producers pointing dance music in the right direction.
Jakub – any chance they need another masked man for the show in Vancouver? I’d be down for sure.
I’ll be at that vancouver show as well. Sporting a brand new Canon 7D perhaps to test out the low-light video.
– Scott you checked into the 7D at all? it seems to be the perfect camera that you are looking for: not as pricey as the 5dmk2 but with all the features and excellent ISO range.
Jakub,
You are spot on with almost all of your music posts. I’ve discovered so much great music on this site. I am definitely hitting up the Audion show in Chicago. Thanks!
Ryan
Ryan –
Thanks for the kind words, i’m glad you can find some of these posts interesting, more I just have to work on my journalism and grammar ha
I really enjoy your description of the builds. Spot on description of Audion.
That Audion is pretty good, but it reminds me mightily of on of my fave electronic records ever… Ken Ishii – Innerelements.
I don’t really think he’s that great normally, but that one record is a classic.
Find it.
Avalon isn’t even selling tickets yet for the LA show. Bogus.
His remix for Hot Chip is absolutely insane. Just love the build-up, and those sounds! Love how it starts too, where the beat just sort of stumbles in, like it’s distant. Then layer upon layer, gravity just lets go. Then a huge blinding light in the sky…big, big tune! Great post. Look forward to the Toronto show!
Seen his show a couple of months ago, mid-summer on a portuguese open air festival. I was really looking forward for his live-act but even with the best PA system in the world it was kind of disappointing. But later i realized that it was not Matthew’s fault: the pa system was unbelievably badly set up :\
(sorry about this confusing english)