Last night, I got an invite from a DJ friend of mine to come see some of his upcoming shows, including his birthday extravaganza this Friday at a former residence-cum-gallery/performance space downtown. Sounds amazing, n'est-ce pas? I doubt I'll be able to make it, but if you can, please fill me in on the action and wish Chris a big, wet'n'sloppy happy birthday for me! In case you need the deets, here's the very cool poster:
Anyway, Chris has this dream day-job of choosing the bands and musicians to play the big festivals around here, as well as programming the music to accompany the big Fourth of July fireworks display over Lake Union. And that got me thinking about the relationship between fireworks and music. How far back does that go? Considering the Chinese invented fireworks however many thousands of years ago, my bets are that the two have gone hand in hand since even then. In 1749, Handel was contracted to write "The Music for the Royal Fireworks" to commemorate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession and the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. When it came time for its first official performance... take it away, Wikipedia!
"The performing musicians were in a specially-constructed building which had been designed by Servandoni, a theatre designer. The music provided a background for the royal fireworks. However, the display was not as successful as the music; the enormous wood building caught fire due to the fall of the bas relief of George II."
Well. That must've sucked. Anyway, fast forward a few hundred years, and I've noticed that there are three videos by indie artists I really like which feature... fireworks! So, without any further ado, please enjoy my presentation of:
Cute People! Tunes!! And EXPLODING THINGS!!!
Circlesquare ~ "Fight Sounds, Part I"
*Fabulously* narcotic track and evocative video from Jeremy Shaw (Circlesquare), a Vancouver DJ and multi-disciplinary artist; he produces installations under the monikers "March Twenty-One" and "M21." I totally dig his threads... and this white boy can dance. I'd say this one's quite... spicy.
Feist ~ "I Feel It All"
Here we have Feist in her characteric adorable, raspy, and "Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!" mode. Quite the antidote for the "okay, time to slash my wrists or O'D" video of Circlesquare. This one's definitely sweet.
Animal Collective ~ "Fireworks"
Oh, wow. I love the slightly demented and head-reeling feel of this song, and the video couldn't be more perfectly suited. And this one would have to be described as rather tart and peppy.
No comments:
Post a Comment