| MUSIC of the electronic variety — we're talking turntables, drum machines, synthesizers, you know, stuff that makes bloops and bleeps — is one of the most misunderstood genres.
Often lumped under the misnomer of dance music, electronically based jams have been written off as a soulless art form by the masses, particularly the American masses. But the Bay Area, as often the case, has proved an exception to the Yankee rule; it's long been a hot spot for innovative, computer-generated music.
Master scratcher
There's a long-standing tradition for concert-goers to embark upon a mass exodus to the bar or lavatory the minute turntables start spinning. Don't even deny it, you know you've split the minute the lone turntable ranger takes to the stage.
Well, Mike Relm, Daly City DJ extraordinaire, is hoping to curb this behavior.
Armed with two turntables, a microphone and a slew of visuals, the scratch meister is redefining the craft of DJing by combining champion turntablist skills with what's been described as his own personal film festival.
During live performances, Relm manipulates video clips and music, seamlessly interweaving both, delivering a one-two punch of sound and visuals. This is a pretty big deal because a DJ getting his scratch on isn't necessarily the most visually engaging thing.
Despite rather impressive credentials — he's worked with the likes of DJ Shadow, Mos Def and Outkast — the dapper DJ has his work cut out for him when he spins between sets on the main stage at Live 105's annual BFD concert.
But then again, Relm's a master at the mash-up (a sonic collage of sorts) — and Live 105 on-air personality Party Ben recently popularized the mash-up with weekly installments — so it's anyone's guess how well Relm will fare at the radio station's musical smorgasbord.
Check out Relm's magic touch at Live 105's BFD at 12:30 p.m. June 10 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, 1 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View. Visit http://www.ticketmaster.com.
In the mouth of the beast
The term "experimental" gets thrown around a lot, but if there ever was a band deserving of the title, it's San Francisco's Matmos.
Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt are constantly creating electronic soundscapes that challenge the conventional views of what music is and how music is made. Let's just say Daniel and Schmidt are best known for their "found sounds," which come from sources including crayfish nerve tissue and typewriters.
The duo's latest effort, "The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of the Beast," is a prime example of unabashed originality. A concept album of sorts, "The Rose Has Teeth" paints 10 musical portraits of historically and culturally important gay figures. It opens with a portrait of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein that features a guest appearance from the Icelandic pixie herself, Bjork. To accompany the musical biographies of figures such as William S. Burroughs and King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Matmos commissioned portraits by Dan Clowes, Jason Mecier and Michael Bernard Loggins to serve as album art.
OK, so maybe Matmos' latest is a little off kilter, but that doesn't mean the end result isn't simply beautiful.
Sounds around town
-Roadhouse bluester Michael Robinson releases his new album "Playing in the Dark" at 9 p.m. June 3 at Eli's Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. Tickets are $10. Call (510) 654-4549 or
visit http://www.oaklandmilehigh.com.
-Groovy Judy's flower power funk rock hits the semi-final round of the Emergenza Festival at 9 p.m. June 8 at 12 Galaxies, 2565 Mission St., San Francisco. Tickets are $12-$18. Call (415) 970-9777 or visit http://www.groovyjudy.com.
-Burlingame's Not Yet Dead was recently crowned champ of Slim's "Battle of the Bands." Check out the metal maestros today at 7 p.m. at the Burlingame Lyon's Club, 990 Burlingame Ave. Tickets are $5. Visit http://www.myspace.com/
notyetdead.
You can reach Christina Troup by phone at (925) 416-4856 or e-mail ctroup@angnewspapers.com.
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