Techno, indie, poetry, and noise—We have it all, as long as you like it experimental
Photos from WC01 + new music by Club Moniker (ft. Pteron, kk. Shucko, and Soeneido), April Magazine, IDHAZ, and Blue Telly + weekly show recs
Well, that was fun.
Thank you so much to Michael Bridgmon aka James Wavey for curating this incredible party, and thank you to all the artists—Mild Universe, Louda, Aroma—that made it possible. Plus a huge thank you to Tyla Wave, DJ Chatoyance, Scheherazade Sound, Sup Street Food, and everyone else that contributed. Stay tuned for WC02 :)
— White Crate
TURBULENT, VIRULENT TECHNO
Even though Club Moniker can still be considered a fledgling addition to the San Francisco underground scene, its residents are by no means new. With their various takeovers at Fault Radio, Hyde FM, and parties throughout the city, the crew hasn’t gone unnoticed for lovers of expansive club music.
Now Club Moniker has established their own label and just released the first of hopefully many dance compilations: MONIKER001. Enjoy squelchy, post-apocalyptic, and industrial rhythms from contributors Pteron, kk. Shucko, and Soeneido, each of them reveling in the liminal spaces of experimental club music. It’s turbulent and virulent, with mentally invigorating techno and familiar jungle beats scratching against spacey, eerie melodies. Not to mention the ultra-clean production designed to grace the low-lit, far-out soundsystems and dancefloors. Zero skips here. Keep your ears to the ground for upcoming parties and radio takeovers.
— Elise Mills
ETHEREAL INDIE BLISS
How do they it? How do they effortlessly push off the shore in this simple raft and drift across these oceanic jams under overcast skies, billowy breezes, shimmering waves, on and on and on? April Magazine just uploaded Wesley’s Convertible Tape for the South, a surprise album (available on Bandcamp only at the moment) that stretches out in ethereal indie bliss for nearly an hour. Words are spoken, words are sung, but they dissolve unintelligibly into the background before you even notice they’re there. It’s all just happening: And so let it happen, lofi tech, false starts, and all.
— Ronny Kerr
LAYERS OF INTENTION
“In a book of the Maya, the cosmos was compared to a piano~ even though there are a fixed number of keys on a piano, there are an infinite amount of songs to be created with these keys. you are an infinite being, i hope you always remember this.”
Poet-producer IDHAZ returns with infinite octaves arriving, a five-track EP delving into the limitless potential of a deceivingly limited existence. Musically, he achieves this by stacking up layers and layers of sound, sometimes sung in a disjointed round like a nu-metal nursery rhyme, other times perfectly aligned into hip-fluid groove house jams. Music made with intention, for people living life with intention.
Listen to IDHAZ play Sunday Mass on Lower Grand Radio every first Sunday at 6:30 PM.
— Ronny Kerr
VICIOUSLY VIOLENT TREAT
“Life is beautiful when you’re silent and just observe without judgement.”
Well, I guess it’s experimental week here at White Crate. But unlike the preceding, this one goes all in on noise. Bluejay Telly is a new seven-movement piece of sound art by Blue Telly, a new Oakland-based duo made up of Virtual Girl and Alocasia. You wouldn’t know it from the operatic start or even the trip hop beat it transitions into, but this album goes hard. Industrial skittering, Merzbow-level metal grinding, and then finally on track 4 (which is conveniently titled “5”) you get a mega-distorted hardcore noise stompfest. It’s a viciously violent treat to the ears on headphones, but I’m sure it’d be just as dreadfully scrumptious at a late night rave.
Listen to IDHAZ play Sunday Mass on Lower Grand Radio first Sundays at 6:30 PM.
— Ronny Kerr
LIVE
Our top show recommendations for the coming week:
[rock] Oxide, Grimoires, Chroma Sea — March 24 at Neck of the Woods
[hip hop] Del the Funky Homosapien, Prince Paul, DJ Platurn — March 24 at Victory Hall
[club] To Our Friends ft. 1morning b2b bloodhound, DJ Warning, Discnogirl, Tom Marsi & DJ CARO, Vertigo, Skyler Vander — March 24 at Commune
[club] Dystopia 12 Year Anniversary ft. Sub Killaz, Whys, Blunter S. Whompson, DJ W4X, Amber Leigh, R3M, Screwtape, The Doctor — March 24 at DNA Lounge
[rock] Death Valley Girls, Fauxes, Mayya — March 25 at Eli’s Mile High Club
[metal] Heavy Psych Sounds Fest ft. Windhand, Weedeater, Mondo Generator, Nebula — March 25 at Thee Parkside
[folk] Mae Powell, Talker, Lou Roy, Kalinders — March 28 at Neck of the Woods
[r&b] Adi Oasis, ASTU — March 29 at the Independent
[rock] Tortoise — March 30 at the Great American Music Hall
[rock] Hooveriii, Dark Dazey, Fuckwolf — March 30 at Thee Stork Club