Last Saturday saw the fifth installment of Warm Up 2013, the day-long dance party that's kept Long Island City jumpin' for a sweet 16 summers. German up-and-comer Roosevelt kicked off the afternoon while UK-based heavy hitters Daniel Avery, Ben UFO, and A Guy Called Gerald kept the PS1 crowd steady mobbin' all the way through dinner time. But around 5:30, Montreal-based electro-pop duo Majical Cloudz broke up the DJ sets with a live performance, a fact frontman Devon Welsh opened by acknowleging: "As much as we love dance music, our music is not dance music. By all means, keep dancing, but I just want to let you know, it's going to be a little bit more difficult."
Welsh then plunged head-first into a roughly 45-minute set of sharply focused, deeply poignant vocals, backed on the boards by Matthew Otto's haunting synth loops. Playing predominantly off their most recent full length effort Impersonator, the pair were fortunately not bum-rushed by an irate, dance-crazed crowd. Rather, when Welsh crossed the barrier to belt the set's concluding single "Childhood's End" amongst the bucket-hatted masses, his earnest and emotive performance was met with the positive response it deserved.
I caught up with Welsh to get the scoop on his driver's seat karaoke selections, Montreal's music scene, and his connection to Twin Peaks. He also put together a playlist for us, a heartfelt compilation of his lyrical heroes punctuated by a series of ambient beats. Check it all out below!
Emily Manning: Do you see Impersonator as a departure or progression from your 2012 EP Turns Turns Turns? How did you approach writing and recording both?
Devon Welsh: Turns Turns Turns was recorded simultaneously with many of the songs from Impersonator, so I see it as neither a departure or a progression. It's more like a collection of the music that we liked but that didn't quite fit the idea that we had for a full-length. I see it as a testing ground for the aesthetic that we fleshed out on the full-length.
What do you sing in your car?
When I'm driving I'll sing along to whatever I'm listening to. Leonard Cohen, The Smiths, Nico... Recently I was singing along to Jeff Buckley. It's a habit that's very hard to break—I do it even when there are other people in the car and I’m probably ruining their listening experience.
What was your first concert?
My first concert ever was when I saw the band Live play in Toronto. I got a signed drumstick and I had a Live poster in my room for a long time after that.
Could you tell me about Montreal as a music scene, or Artbutus as a label and a community? I know Grimes and Mac DeMarco, but who am I missing? Who's next on that Canadian come up?
I've been playing music in Montreal for a few years now, there's been a lot of amazing bands and performers. There's the Arbutus bands, and there are a ton of other scenes and bands that I'm not as familiar with, like the Hobo Cult bands and the Fixture Records bands. There's a style of semi-improvised noise music made with electronics that people have been making in the city for a little while now—bands like Nacomi, C Car Bonfire, Jibba-Zappz, RAMZI, and Empire State Human are representative of this sound, and they are all worth checking out––especially live in my friend Duffy’s house.
What are some things that you love right now?
I’m trying to teach myself abo
Welsh then plunged head-first into a roughly 45-minute set of sharply focused, deeply poignant vocals, backed on the boards by Matthew Otto's haunting synth loops. Playing predominantly off their most recent full length effort Impersonator, the pair were fortunately not bum-rushed by an irate, dance-crazed crowd. Rather, when Welsh crossed the barrier to belt the set's concluding single "Childhood's End" amongst the bucket-hatted masses, his earnest and emotive performance was met with the positive response it deserved.
I caught up with Welsh to get the scoop on his driver's seat karaoke selections, Montreal's music scene, and his connection to Twin Peaks. He also put together a playlist for us, a heartfelt compilation of his lyrical heroes punctuated by a series of ambient beats. Check it all out below!
Emily Manning: Do you see Impersonator as a departure or progression from your 2012 EP Turns Turns Turns? How did you approach writing and recording both?
Devon Welsh: Turns Turns Turns was recorded simultaneously with many of the songs from Impersonator, so I see it as neither a departure or a progression. It's more like a collection of the music that we liked but that didn't quite fit the idea that we had for a full-length. I see it as a testing ground for the aesthetic that we fleshed out on the full-length.
What do you sing in your car?
When I'm driving I'll sing along to whatever I'm listening to. Leonard Cohen, The Smiths, Nico... Recently I was singing along to Jeff Buckley. It's a habit that's very hard to break—I do it even when there are other people in the car and I’m probably ruining their listening experience.
What was your first concert?
My first concert ever was when I saw the band Live play in Toronto. I got a signed drumstick and I had a Live poster in my room for a long time after that.
Could you tell me about Montreal as a music scene, or Artbutus as a label and a community? I know Grimes and Mac DeMarco, but who am I missing? Who's next on that Canadian come up?
I've been playing music in Montreal for a few years now, there's been a lot of amazing bands and performers. There's the Arbutus bands, and there are a ton of other scenes and bands that I'm not as familiar with, like the Hobo Cult bands and the Fixture Records bands. There's a style of semi-improvised noise music made with electronics that people have been making in the city for a little while now—bands like Nacomi, C Car Bonfire, Jibba-Zappz, RAMZI, and Empire State Human are representative of this sound, and they are all worth checking out––especially live in my friend Duffy’s house.
What are some things that you love right now?
I’m trying to teach myself abo