PopGun Presents
Sat
Aug
4
Lemonade (DJ Set)
Blondes (DJ Set), Rewards (DJ Set)
Glasslands Gallery
289 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY, 11249
Doors 11:30PM / Show 11:30PM
This event is 21 and over

Formed in San Francisco, Lemonade initially crafted visceral, psychedelic, and vaguely tropical rave journeys that touched upon dozens of the group's influences (Liquid Liquid, Sons of a Loop Da Loop Era, Digital Mystikz) without sounding particularly like any of them. Early shows offered otherworldy, mind-bending experiences that drew a loyal MDMA-crazed local following. The phenomenon only intensified after the release of the band's self-titled debut LP in 2008 and subsequent move to New York.
That mostly improvised, ecstatic collection of "agile, hedonistic pop music" (as called by Radio 1′s Mary Anne Hobbes) earned praise from the indie and dance communities alike. Pitchfork wrote, "it vividly replicates that first sensation of losing yourself in a peak-hour, strobe-lit reverie, where the communal act of dancing teeters between liberation and disorientation."
2010 saw the band's second release, Pure Moods, an effort by Lemonade to steer their schizophrenic palate through pop waters. Combining warped old-school rave, R&B, grime, a variety of global rhythms, and other styles too numerous to list, the record was an important stepping stone for a group that was only beginning to discover the emotional potency of out-and-out pop songwriting.
Now, more than two years later, that transformation is complete, as Diver documents Lemonade operating as a focused unit, one that's more interested in speaking to your heart than blowing your mind. Traces of the group's disparate musical interests still populate the record, but make no mistake, Diver is a bold and sensual electronic pop record.
Diver swims ecstatically in every thing from the melodies of early 90′s R&B, UK 2-step Garage, Balearic house and NY freestyle to '80s pop-rock nostalgia, wispy new age, boy-band innocence, and synth-driven Euro-trance. The production, assisted by Fisherspooner collaborator Le Chev, is exceptionally crisp. Diver also contains some of most easily digestible music Lemonade has ever produced, yet it is anything but shallow. Callan's lyrics now look inward, to his attempts to hold on to redemptive love and romance in a cybernetic, information-rich world.
"The three San Franciscans-cum-Brooklynites in the band Lemonade ... process the best bits [of dance-music subgenres, hot world music, and the post-punk revival] into something practical and satisfying. ... With their muscular, aggressive approach to dance music, Lemonade operate from a similar base as other percussive post-punk new-schoolers, from party-starting outfits like !!! and Professor Murder to more abrasive acts like Aa and Liars. But the trio strike a singular balance between weird and wired: eight-minute centerpiece "Nasifon" finds Clendenin's voice sliding further into indecipherability-- imagine Metal Box-era John Lydon bellowing out Sigur Rós' Hopelandic lyric sheet-- but layers it with Arabic-accented melodies, machine-gunned synths and a pounding 4/4 beat that would go over both in Williamsburg warehouse parties and Dubai super clubs." --Pitchfork
Blondes are one of many groups making music at the intersection of indie and dance, but a few things set the Brooklyn duo apart. Many of these acts start with pop structure and add beats and electronic arrangements borrowed from dance music. The best of these, like Delorean and ceo, combine elements in a way that appears seamless. But Blondes, who are friends Zach Steinman and Sam Haar, are more rooted in dance music proper. Rather than mixing styles, they build organic club music from the ground up using humble analog instruments. The result is kind of a bedroom take on Lindstrøm space-disco.
"His music is reminiscent of tender makeout sessions from 1987. Or how I imagine it would be if I hadn't been six at the time," tweets @billbergstrom. And it's true, there's a lushness and warmth to Pfenning's new songs that is nevertheless anything but sleepy – this is intense, sexual, lush-warm music. Not unlike the man himself.
In 2005 Aaron started the group that would first draw him serious attention, Chairlift. After producing an initial full-length (2007's "Daylight Savings") at Elliott Smith's studio in Los Angeles, the band relocated to New York, wrote & co-produced a new batch of songs ("Does You Inspire You" (2008)), and signed to Columbia Records. Chairlift toured everywhere people like bands, playing with such indie jewels as The Killers, Phoenix, Ariel Pink, John Maus, and MGMT. They did Bonnaroo, Lollapallooza, & All Points West, soundtracked an iPod commercial, and received an MTV VMA nomination for "Evident Utensil." After a vigorous two years working the Chairlift record, Aaron shifted his attention to Rewards early this year.
"Are you 'Rewards' for this bio?" the author wanted to know. "Aaron Pfenning IS Rewards, baby snakes," is what Aaron Pfenning texted back. This is very literally true. Over the last eight months, as Aaron has applied his gentle-yet-assured touch to the crafting of his new album, he has played all of the instruments, produced and engineered all of the recordings. For performances, he has experimented with everything from a solo show to a five-piece (including, yes, a two-piece, three-piece, and four-piece), always anchored by his seductive, leonine stage-presence and utterly unique vocals that swing easily from a croon to a howl.
Brandon Flowers told Entertainment Weekly, "It reminds me of the desert, the way he plays. That’s something that I try to capture myself. I’m a little jealous that he does it so effortlessly."
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Lemonade (DJ Set) with Blondes (DJ Set), Rewards (DJ Set)
Saturday, August 4 · Doors 11:30PM / Show 11:30PM at Glasslands Gallery