Proudly presents
Friday March 5th at the Nectar Lounge
The Seattle debut of....
SHACKLETON : LIVE
Skull Disco / Perlon - London
Resident Advisor page
RA Article on recent release
Pitchfork Review on Soundboy Punishments
Video of Shackleton at Sonar
:: OVERVIEW ::
Shackleton's maverick take on big basslines and complex beats doesn't fit into easy categories and that's how it's going to stay. Shackleton has been carving out his own brand of eclecticism on Skull Disco and Perlon releases so far with intricate, snaking percussion, hypnotic melodies, seriously deep bass lines and dubwise sensibilities.
In addition to being one of the most sought after producers in dubstep and dub techno, Shackleton is co-founder / manager of the critically acclaimed Skull Disco label out of London.
:: HISTORY ::
In 2004, prior to the founding of the label Skull Disco, Ian Hicks of Mordant Music liked and released an early Shackleton track entitled Stalker. The track later appeared on Rough Trade's 'Best of 2004' compilation. Around this time Shackleton started thinking about forming a label to release "interesting bass music" and "interesting percussive stuff". Around the same time, Laurie 'Appleblim' Osborne was making similar bass heavy music with abstract beats. Shackleton was impressed with a track, Mystikal Warrior, and it hence appeared on the first Skull Disco release; a double A-side with Shackleton's I Am Animal. Shortly after, Shackleton began the (now defunct) Skull Disco nights in London. Attendees at the first Skull Disco night included Loefah and Mala. Releases on the Skull Disco label are typically double A-sides featuring a track apiece from Shackleton and Appleblim, however the most recent release is a 2CD compilation, Soundboy Punishments, which includes all releases to date, as well as some early Mordant Music and Hotflush releases.
Skull Disco releases often tend to use unusual sounds, atypical of the dubstep genre; they often eschew the familiar drum tropes of dubstep for African percussion and samples of ethnic vocals, combined with massive, wobbling sub-bass and sometimes elements of four to the floor, Basic Channel-esque drum patterns. Typical artwork on releases (by Zeke Clough) is also of an idiosyncratic nature, the pen-and-ink covers referencing egyptological symbols as well as displaying a decidedly metal influence.
Shackleton's music seems to have tapped into a wide range of genres with support for his music coming from djs as diverse as Kode 9, Ricardo Villalobos, Radio Slave and Mary Anne Hobbes while the Hardwax record shop and The Wire magazine are also very enthusiastic. Shackleton's releases have been record of the month in publications such as Mixmag and IDJ magazine on several occasions, whilst Mixmag also included Skull Disco and Shackleton in their Best Act of 2007 top ten list as well as being in the top five record labels and at number one in the remix chart. Shackleton has also been involved with remixing for Simian Mobile Disco and legendary dub techno pioneer, Pole. Shackleton's 'Soundboy's Suicide Note' mix was even made the official mix of the year on Mary Anne Hobbes' show on BBC radio.
The Summer of 2007 saw Shackleton do two European tours whilst 2008 has already seen him play room one at the famous Fabric nightclub. Whilst Shackleton's music tends towards the idiosyncratic and intricate percussion in preference to the big, bass drop, his music is still geared towards the dancefloor and audiences respond in kind.
In 2008 he release 2 of his most praised 12" on Skull Disco, "Death Is Not Final" and "Soundboy's Suicide Note".
In 2009 Shackleton release a full length on Perlon records titled "3 EPs" that went on to become one of the best review dub albums of 2009. Unlike his previous releases on Skull Disco, "3 EPs" finds Shackleton trading in the broken beat format with a more streamlined rhythmic sound in the vein of Rhythm and Sound and Basic Channel.
and, the Seattle debut of....
DAEGA SOUND
LIGHTA! SOUND / DPR / Formant - Vancouver, BC
After Djing and promoting for over 10 years, brothers Ben and Joshua have taken the next step with the development their production/perfomance project DAEGA SOUND SYSTEM.
Formely known as DJ's, Sela and Deep Six, they have joined forces with the acclaimed production collective, Lighta! Sound crew. Adding to their involvement as performers and promoters with Lighta! they have signed to DPR Recordings and have forthcoming releases on both Sub Freq and Formant Recordings.
Daega focuses on deep moods within their productions and performances. They are described as "deep and heavy, intricate and spacious". With performances as Live PA or DJ duo they continue to push the deeper end of dubstep.
and, a debut dance set by....
THE SIGHT BELOW
Ghostly International / Decibel
The music of The Sight Below conjures half-remembered dreams and soft-focus sentiments with elegiac beauty; his video art works similarly, blurring snippets of film until they’re recognizable only as organic objects: black-and-white amoebas milling about, or a sunset rendered in grayscale.
All of The Sight Below’s songs are performed live: The artist runs E-bowed, slide, and lightly picked guitars through a series of loopers, 12-bit reverb boxes, and delay units, kneading and distending the notes until they drone like bees in a tunnel or keen like an orchestra of singing saws. The resulting swirl is pinned to propulsive, achingly subtle electronic percussion, which guides the listener through the gloom towards the music’s hopeful center. The resulting ambient works seem as effortless as natural phenomena; in fact, they’re carefully played, head-nodding hymns to the artist’s solitary life.
'Glider' and its accompanying 'No Place for Us' EP, The Sight Below’s 2008 debut releases on Ghostly International, were well-received in ambient circles and in the music world at large, gaining plaudits from international publications and musicians (including Radiohead’s Thom Yorke). The Sight Below spent the year touring the world, playing a slate of successful shows at DEMF, MUTEK, and SONAR, and collaborating extensively with Simon Scott (ex-member of legendary 'shoegaze' band Slowdive). The Sight Below is currently working on new material with Scott for a future release.
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$10 advance tickets are available through Ticket Web $15 at the door
Nectar Lounge
412 N 36th St
Seattle, WA 98103
Well said.