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Fense DJs at Bumbershoot: The Playlist

Fense DJing at Bumbershoot

Dev Sherlock from Hype Machine asked me to DJ a brief set at their Bumbershoot tent. The prospect was a nerve-wracking one: I DJ weekly at KSVR, but broadcasting behind the curtain of radio is completely different than being in front of people. Still, I said yes and put together a playlist.

Day-of-the-event I arrived, picked up my credentials, and wandered to the tent.

Head back a few years and that’s when Dev and I met. I believe it was this Label Spotlight on WeePOP! Records that did it. We had never met in person, though, and I think both of us were stoked it would finally happen.

When I arrived, Gary Numan was being interviewed by Dave Hill of Upright Citizen’s Brigade and some guy from Brooklyn Vegan. His hair, as Hill pointed out, looked fantastic.

After Numan, it was a conversation with Todd Barry, who turned the questions back on Hill and BV followed by a performance by Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside.

Then: DJ time. I joined Jason Friendt of Seismic Sound (who took the above photo) on stage while he played a few tracks and then it was my turn.

Our DJ sets were cut short as the interviews and performance went a bit long. We each got 30 minutes to play a few tracks we dig, modern and/or past. Jason focused almost exclusively on local artists whereas my focus was more genre-specific: garage and psych rock.

The set commenced as follows:

“Chill Spot” by Gap Dream

I covered “Chill Spot” not long ago, stating the following: “Hazy psychedelic pop and hip hop do not go well together. Yet with his new single, Gap Dream’s Gabe Fulvimar pulls off the mash-up effortlessly. Never have two so mismatched genres worked this well together.” Read the post here and watch Gap Dream’s video for “Chill Spot” as well.

“Clash the Truth” by Beach Fossils

I’ve been obsessed with Beach Fossils’ “Clash the Truth”, the title track off their 2013 LP. It has this stoic tenor to it and a repetition that is beyond cool. Then, Beach Fossils have always had that cool, laid back, carefree sound.

“Painted Indian” by MINKS

MINKS’ latest LP, their sophomore release Tides End, is in stark contrast to their debut. Here the duo opts for a more timeless sound and drops in plenty of truly catchy melodies, as heard in “Painted Indian”. I noted all of this in last month’s feature on MINKS.

“Find Them Empty” by Woods

Woods’ 2012 LP Bend Beyond was among my favorite albums of the year and “Find Them Empty” tops the album as well. I still cannot get enough of this song, so I take any chance I can to introduce it to the people around me.

“St. James Infirmary” by The Standells

On their 1967 LP Try It, The Standells cover traditional folk song “St. James Infirmary” (also commonly titled “St. James Infirmary Blues”), which, in a way, mirrors the melody of traditional folk song “House of the Rising Sun”. I played this track and two others by The Standells on my weekly KSVR radio show (tune in Friday nights from 10pm to midnight PST) and I couldn’t pass up a chance to play it one more time.

“Passion Plays” by Wymond Miles

Gary Numan’s hair has nothing compared to that of Wymond Miles, the guitarist for The Fresh & Onlys. Miles returns next month with a new LP. I featured “Passion Plays” in a recent post on Wymond Miles’ new album, stating: “Where Under the Pale Moon found Miles’ guitar with a hint of jangle, “‘Passion Plays’ off Cut Yourself Free has a poignant and angular edge. His vocals, too seem almost more melodramatic than before, carrying the song right to the cliff of its quite abrupt finale.”

“Erre” by Boogarins

Brazilian band Boogarins create a thick, fuzzy psychedelic sound on their new LP As Plantas Que Curam. The clashing drums hint at influence by recent releases by Tame Impala and Opossum while the guitars dip into psychedelic bliss with hints of dreaminess. As Plantas Que Curam is out October 1 on Other Music Recording Co. (vinyl, CD and mp3) and Burger Records (cassette).

“Future Folklore” by Crystal Stilts

Following other recent obsessions, I played Crystal Stilts’ “Future Folklore” off the forthcoming LP Nature Noir on Sacred Bones. In my feature for “Future Folklore”, I noted the song “finds Crystal Stilts departing even more from their super dark, post-punk roots and laying on a thick psychedelic rock sound.”

“You Know Where to Find Me” by The Young Sinclairs

I wrapped the set by reining things in with the Byrds-ish “You Know Where to Find Me” by The Young Sinclairs. The band has a new EP of the same name. I had this to say: “The title track follows their rapidly-growing library of work. Still true to 1960s folk-pop and mixed with the grit of underground garage-pop, “You Know Where to Find Me” is among the better tracks from The Young Sinclairs.”

My Takeaway

Alright, so I didn’t have any fancy transitions between songs like Ernest Greene of Washed Out did, nor was I able to rock the vinyl records as I had originally planned. But I sure had fun.

I quickly got over the nerves, much in part thanks to joining Jason on stage during his set and chatting about tunes. He joined me for the first few songs of my set as well, before heading off to a show. And I got to play some of my current favorite tunes.

You see, this is why I started FensePost way back in 2006: I enjoy writing about music I dig just as much as I like introducing these bands and songs to other people.

And while the space between posts may have widened slightly over the past few months, know that I am far from calling it quits. I am merely being even more selective on the artists I post and working toward a higher quality of content generation.

I hope you continue to come back to the site and enjoy discovering new music by bands that deserve to be heard.

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