MUSH RECORDS TOUR
The terms "experimental hip-hop" and "downtempo electronica" are typically tossed in the general direction of Mush Records. The L.A. label is much more than a conscious and blunted counterpart to the overground, though. Take its fall tour, for example. Headliner Her Space Holiday (or simply, Marc Bianchi) is a dare-I-say emotive dude, armed with clunky specs, a glowing laptop and muted guitar. Bianchi's last LP, 'The Young Machines', reflects rather drearily on the death of his grandmother and a nine-year relationship through hushed, honest lyrics and understated electronic texturing. Equally intriguing are producers/ performers Thavius Beck and Octavius, who paint a bleak picture of the world through ambitious arrangements and copious genre-splicing. Octavius references Aphex Twin, My Bloody Valentine and Radiohead, while Beck toys with possessed samples, whirring synths and severed breaks. Rounding out the bill is Neotropic, who complements the trio with humanistic, hallucinatory compositions and triggered visuals.
ANDREW PARKS