story by Cliff Berru
Different levels of experimental music offer different levels of
interpretation. For a while, experimental music was perceived as un-listenable,
unnecessary, and a bit too eccentric for the masses. The Boredoms
appeared to be one of the only bands in the '90s to pull it off without
a hitch. In the literal sense of the word, anyone is capable of achieving
such a sound. The more technology advances, the more accessible components
for this genre become available to your typical post-rock junkie.
Though, with technology also came more sincere interest. Experimental
music in the way it's interpreted today embodies more of a collective
attitude. Cohesion is important, and supplementing members to achieve
that eclectic goal appears to be the solution. Artists like Wolf Eyes
rely on aggression while Animal Collective - a supernatural entity
altogether - depends on every color of the emotional rainbow, including
an in-depth interpretation of mysticism. Experimental doesn't necessarily
mean empty in structure, but it does mean openness in composition.
This makes it impossible to pigeonhole any particular sound or awareness.
New York City experimentalists Gang Gang Dance are one particular
example of a group that draws from various influences of musical interest.
Members Tim DeWit and Brian DeGraw rocked out with D.C. punk outfit
Cranium at one time…but DeWit also showcased his talent "playing
live drums to African dance theatre groups," says lead singer
Lizzi Bougatsos in an interview with Chicago Innerview. Bougatsos
herself is not foreign to the arts, with her history in art and dance.
"I used to do solo performance art involving the audience, projections,
and props in galleries....then I started to sing for bands, all in
NYC," she says.
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BOUGATSOS' INNER VIEW
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"Nathan considered all money God's
money."
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Drawing from various influences, Bougatsos proclaims, "We have
a hard time with classifications because we really don't fit in anywhere…Our
direction comes from confusion of our eclectic musical tastes, and
we consider it a positive thing."
Sounding more like a haunted version of Liz Fraser - but with an
actual message to her lyrics - Bougatsos wraps her vocals around deeply
rooted melodies buried underneath rhythmic cathedrals of sound. Gang
Gang Dance functions as a proper band with guitar, drums, and keys.
But various delay and effects pedals are all adapted to the music
- including the vocals, where Bougatsos mentions that her voice is
used as more of an instrument and that "vocal tracks are recorded
later to match the tone, pitch, and rhythm" of the music.
Relatively new to the road circuit, Gang Gang Dance embarked on their
first proper tour journey last fall. Occurring on the East Coast with
friends Animal Collective, after an abrupt cancellation from Black
Dice, Gang Gang Dance exploded onto the live circuit. The substitution
was received with great enthusiasm. They were now introduced into
the sphere of experimental touring bands, but Bougatsos admits, "Classifications
have really just put us on festivals or shows with bands that we don't
have anything in common with, like drone bands and noise bands."
God's Money (The Social Registry), the most recent release from this
NYC quartet, is the first to be released directly onto CD. Their self-titled
(Fusetron) was first pressed to vinyl and other CD-Rs were released
for touring and extra production purposes. The debut self-titled record
has special significance, as it featured briefly the vocals of late
member Nathan Maddox, who according to Bougatsos, "left the Earth
by a lightning bolt [strike]…But we still consider him in the
band, he was very spiritual and was always looking for another realm
of existence." His legacy is thus carried onto the new record.
As Bougatsos says, "[Nathan] was the subject matter…his
brother Benjamin Maddox gave us the photo [for the cover art] and
Brian added some collage elements. Nathan considered all money God's
money."
Gang Gang Dance :: Empty Bottle :: June 3.