Sep 9, 20130
Nov 14, 20110
La Blogotheque : Saul Williams in Paris Catacombs
In 2003 I had the pleasure of witnessing the one man force that is Saul Williams. I was skeptical of seeing a solo spoken-word set as an opener for the Mars Volta, a very bold and questionable choice by the band. But as soon as Saul began his set everyone was focused and brought into Saul’s universe through his words. After that show I was definitely a fan. I haven’t been keeping up with Saul’s work over the past few years but I would always see his name pop-up next to Trent Reznor and Zach Del La Rocha’s names, proving that he is definitely on his way up. This year I found out that my buddy, David aka Tahiti Boy is currently playing keys/synth for Saul Williams’ live band so I’ve been following Mr. Williams more than usual. This weekend I stumbled upon this La Blogotheque video, an amazing 30 min video that captures Saul William performing in Paris’ Catacombs. I was surprised how dark and deep he has become with his music, these stripped down performances remind me a lot of Joy Division but maybe it could just be the dark catacombs that make me think of Ian Curtis.
“Saul Williams came to us. He wanted to be filmed in Paris Catacombs. Not the official, clean ones. He wanted to go in the dirty, tough, cold and humid network of underground corridors. He thought we might be crazy enough to accept the challenge. We were crazy enough.” – La Blogotheque
May 23, 20110
La Blogotheque | A Take Away Show Presents : Battles “Wall Street”
I had the pleasure of catching Battles live a few weeks ago here in NYC at Le Poisson Rouge – a very intimate show that was NYC first introduction to their newly trio-ed band. They are a band that always sought to prove that man and machine can co-exist to create some intricate yet visceral music, this time it is was more man vs. machine. Ian Williams was no longer looping his own guitar lines as much but instead triggering them via a new Ableton rig that they incorporated into the live setup. Overall the energy of Battles live has been amplified as you can tell how much more each member has on their plates as they perform their musical acrobatics onstage.
The one and only La Blogoteque had a rare opportunity to capture Battles’ live energy in an unlikely setting – Paris’ City Hall, Hotel de Ville. Quite a juxtaposition of sites and sounds as Battles are architects of such futuristic music.
May 26, 20101
La Blogotheque A Take Away Show: Jamie Lidell
Yet another candid and fun Take Away Show courtesy of La Blogotheque this time capturing the one and only Jamie Lidell.
