OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2012 • mountainx.com50 mountainx.com • OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2012 51

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This year's Moogfest (the third for the locally held immersion course in electronic music) brings some changes — a smaller roster, for one. And no over-the-top headliner. No Flaming Lips. No Massive Attack. Think of it as the perfect opportunity to get to know the 2012 per-formers better. It's also a prime chance to check out some really experimental sounds, from Asheville's own noise-rock duo Ahleuchatistas and electronic forefather Morton Subotnick to events at the Moog Music factory all weekend long. Within this guide, Xpress offers up a select few interviews with performers (from dreamy noir duo Exitmusic to hip-hop genius GZA) as well as our take on all the bands and a roundup of Moogfest-related events. The Bob Moog Foundation, which furthers the ideas and sonic events of the man we're all here to celebrate, makes a showing at the Diana Wortham Theatre. Emerald Lounge hosts a weekend-long showcase of local electronic artists. And performance-art outfit Invisible makes music with a typewriter. Read on for your Writers: Justin Farrar, Jordan Lawrence, Alli Marshall, Dane Smith. Editors: Alli Marshall, Rebecca Sulock. Designer: Nathanael Roney Copyright 2012

Your weekend-long dance partY starts here

Moog Music makes Moog instruments, including the Little Phatty and Voyager. The factory is in downtown Asheville at 160 Broadway St., where the analog parts are manufactured by hand. Check out these events happening there: Even without a Moogfest ticket, you can go to MinimoogFest. It’s free and open to the public. Check out DJ sets by locals Marley Carroll and In Plain Sight (winners of the Remix Orbital for Moogfest contest), along with MSSL CMMND (featuring Chad Hugo from N.E.R.D. and Daniel Biltmore). Sponsored by QSC, Pisgah Brewing and Buchi. Thursday, Oct. 25, 3-6 p.m. “This year’s entries are truly mind-blowing,” says Moog Music of the third Circuit Bending Competion. Finalist judging will be handled by special guests from Google, and the company will film the event for a mini documentary. The instruments will be on display in the Moog Factory all festival weekend. Judging takes place on Friday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m. A Modular Synth Mash with special guests Herb Deutsch (synth pioneer, collaborator of Bob Moog’s and NYU electronic music professor) Alessandro Cortini (modular synth guru and Nine Inch Nails keyboardist) and Richard Devine (Warp Records artist and Native Instruments sound designer) will be a chance “to witness the synth gods generations collide.” Saturday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.

French electro-pop duo Justice is the unofficial start to Moogfest: the band’s American tour brings them to the U.S. Cellular Center on Thursday, Oct. 25. And while the show isn’t part of the Moogfest lineup, festival attendees did have first dibs on pre-sale tickets. Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay gained recognition back in ‘03 when they entered their remix of “Never Be Alone” by Simian in a college radio contest. Even before Justice’s ‘07 debut, †, was released, they’d won a best video accolade at the ‘06 MTV Europe Music Awards. Though remixing is largely the band forté (live album, Across the Universe, contains samples of songs or remixes on each track), Justice approaches shows with a rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic and, with the addition of rock instruments, has been moving away from the electronic sound. Last year’s release, Audio, Video, Disco was summed up by critics as the French duo’s attempt at ‘70s arena rock. Those screaming metal guitars and pummeling drums find their way onto the recently released video for “New Lands” (with its futuristic football/baseball/lacrosse/roller derby/played-with-an-atomic-fireball mashup), off Justice’s EP of the same name. In true Justice style, the EP is five versions (three are remixes) of the same song. Show time is 8 p.m., tickets are $47.65 including fees. ticketmaster.com. — A.M.

reMIX MasterseVents at Moog FactorY

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OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2012 • mountainx.com52 mountainx.com • OCTOBER 24 - OCTOBER 30, 2012 53

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7 to 8 p.m. — The bio of Hendrik Weber (aka Pantha du Prince ) opens by expounding on the theories of the origins of music. Heady stuff, but the German producer and DJ was among early Moogfest lineup speculations, one of the most mentioned. And his style, evolved from house music, incorporated not just electronic explorations but acoustic instrumentation and field recordings. panthaduprince.com — A.M. 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. — The son of jazz cornetist/guitar-ist/singer Olu Dara, Nasir Jones (aka Nas ) took the family business (music) in a different direction (rap). His career kicked off in ‘91 when he was featured on Main Source’s debut, but successful albums have been balanced with high-profile angst (a feud with Jay-Z, a split with R&B singer Kelis). As seven platinum albums to date attest, Nas is a master of the lithe, smart, rhythmically complex lyric that’s as poetic as it is powerful. nasirjones.com — A.M.

10 to 11:30 p.m. — Primus , as much as any band in modern rock, exists on its own plane completely. Two decades of “What-the-hell-was-that” kind of weird, irreverent prog rock (defined by Les Claypool’s mind-

bending bass lines) and the band is still at it. Following 2010’s Oddity Faire sideshow and the band’s first new record in a decade, Primus returns with an equally ambitious “3D enhanced live musical experience.” What, exactly, that is, who knows. But judging from the past 20 years with Primus, we’re pretty sure it’s going to rule. primusville.com — D.S. 12:15 to 2 a.m. — If gold watches were still handed out for career longevity, Richie Hawtin (two decades DJing!) would get one. Born in England, he influenced mid-’90s Detroit techno; he grew up just across the river in Canada. Hawtin, known for a minimalist approach to music, has also undertaken some maxi-malist ventures, producing raves, running clubs and performing under dozens of stage names. richiehaw-tin.com — A.M.

both big and personal. The band previewed this year’s release, I Love You, It’s Cool by slowing it to a stagger-ing 2,700 hours of drone. bearinheaven.com — A.M. 8:45 to 10 p.m. — If “Swedish indie pop” sounds about as approachable as bog snorkeling or blowfish eating, just listen to trio Miike Snow ’s hit, “Animal.” Which you probably already know, and if you don’t, it’ll still probably feel instantly familiar. The band’s name (in homage to friend Mike Snow and Japanese film director Takashi Miike) is also as clear as its English-language vocals á la American singer Andrew Wyatt. miikesnow.com — A.M. 10:30 to 11:45 p.m. — Electronic musician Tom Jenkinson (aka Squarepusher ) plays Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and London before landing in Asheville. His brand of drum and bass is significantly influenced by jazz; in addition to samplers and sequencers, he also plays drums, a xylophone, bass and guitar (including a classical). And a toy Yamaha keyboard, according to one interview from ‘98. His latest album is Ufabulum . squarepusher.net — A.M. 12:30 to 1:45 a.m. — Explosions in the Sky ‘s uber-melodic instrumental rock is textured and atmo-spheric in the “I’m about to zone out and think about my entire life” sort of way. Layers of spacey riffs

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7:30 to 8:15 p.m. — Dense and elaborately blan-keted in psychedelic nuance, krautrock moodiness and fuzzy synth meanderings, Bear In Heaven (led by Brooklyn’s Jon Philpot) deftly balances unwieldy prog-rock axioms with pop discernment. Songs are

If you've ever been to a festival like South By Southwest, you’re familiar with the assorted satellite events (both official and unof-ficial). In line with that concept, Emerald Lounge is hosting a local showcase during Moogfest, with a full roster of bands Friday and Saturday nights. The showcase is free to Moogfest pass holders and $10 per day for the general public. Moogfest day-pass holders get in free on the day of their ticket. Buy Friday advance tickets at avl.mx/m7 and Saturday advance tickets at avl.mx/m8. Friday: Panther God (Beat music) 9:30-10:45 p.m.; Aligning Minds (breakbeat, dubstep, IDM, down-tempo) 11 p.m.-12:15 a.m.; Futexture (IDM, tech-step, house, down-tempo) 12:30-2 a.m. Saturday: Novakord (pictured, synthesized vocals and beats) 9:30-10:15 p.m.; Sonmi (electronic instrumental) 10:30-11:15 p.m.; RBTS WIN (electro-soul) 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Paper Tiger (trip-hop, down-tempo) 12:45-1:45 a.m. Doors at 8:30 p.m. nightly. Info at emeraldlounge.com. — A.M.

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l o c a l emerald lounge hosts the satel l ite party

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nas8:30 - 9:30

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richie hawtin12 : 15 - 2:00

Bear in heaven7:30 - 8: 15

Mi ike snow8:45 - 10:00

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explosions in the sky12:30 - 1 :45

ki l ler Mike7:30 - 8:30

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gZa presents liquid swords1 :00 - 2:00

wick-it the Instigator9:45 - 10:45

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ana sia12:45 - 2:00

Buke and gase7:00 - 7:45

Morton subotnick presents“From si lver apples to asky of cloudless sulfur”

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7:15 to 8:15 p.m. — In less than a year, Divine Fits has gone from an unknown entity (at one early and badly kept secret show, they were billed as "The Hot Skull") to playing a Lollapalooza aftershow and two New Year's Eve shows with The Black Keys in Vegas. Then again, Divine Fits members (Britt Daniel of Spoon, Dan Boeckner of Wolfe Parade, Sam Brown of New Bomb Turks) are the kind of musicians who fans follow closely. And, with the early success of just-released A Thing Called Divine Fits , they promise to be much more than a one-hit wonder. divinefits.com — A.M. 8:45 to 10 p.m. — One of just a handful of female performers at Moogfest, Santi White (aka Santigold ) already wowed at Bonnaroo this year (one report noted "choreographed dance moves with her backup singers/dancers involving pom poms and briefcases"). And, having toured with the Beastie Boys and Kanye West and recorded with Karen O and Q-Tip, it’s a safe bet that Santigold will bring to the stage plenty of energy — along with the self-described "sonically eclectic but with some epic curveballs” spirit of her new album, Master of My Make-Believe . santigold.com — A.M.

s a t u r d a y 10:30 p.m. to midnight — Not only does British dance duo Orbital have its roots in the late '80s rave scene, their '89 track "Chime" became something of an anthem for raves. Brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll disbanded in 2004 but regrouped in '09 (20 years after "Chime") and have been playing big festivals ever since, such as Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (with a guest appearance by “Doctor Who” actor Matt Smith). orbit-alofficial.com — A.M. 12:30 to 2 a.m. — Ambient musicians Simon Posford (aka Hallucinogen) and Raja Ram build the sonic journey that is Shpongle using acoustic guitars, flute (played live by Ram), Moroccan drum-ming, samples of Turkish singing, cello and double bass. Though from the U.K., Shpongle has a huge following in Japan. The duo can site authentic psychedelic roots: 70-year-old Ram was a founding member of '60s-era psychedelic rock band Quintessence. shpongle.com — A.M.

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Four Tet1 1 :30 - 1 :00

Actress7:00 - 8:00

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Trust9:30 - 10:30

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Tim Hecker and Daniel Lopatin10: 15 - 1 1 : 15

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Pace your music intake — Moogfest offers more than just bands. Festival attendees can also check out three different panel discus-sions. All panels are held at Diana Wortham Theatre. They’re free and are open to both festival pass holders and the general public. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Creative Expression Through Interface — Morton Subotnick (syn-thesizer pioneer), Herb Deutsch (collaborator with Bob Moog) and Alessandro Cortini (keyboardist for Nine Inch Nails) discuss how musical instrument interfaces affect artists’ approaches to creative expression. Marc Doty moderates. Noon-1:15 p.m.

•  Shaping Hits with Moog Synths — Phil and Paul Hartnoll of Orbital and Chad Hugo of N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes talk about “integrating analog gear into explosive live sets and hit studio pro-ductions.” Amos Gaynes moderates. 1:30-2:45 p.m.

•  The Bob Moog Google Doodle: How a Pioneering Legacy Inspired Modern Innovation — A special presentation from Google head doodler Ryan Germick, Google head engineer Joey Hurst and Moog product development specialist Amos Gaynes. Marc Doty moderates. 3-4:15 p.m.

p a n e l s 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. — The Magnetic Fields ' jangly ballads and poppy hooks are the creative vehicle of Stephin Merritt, the band's principle songwriter and driving force. Merritt is as comfortable with synth-heavy electro pop as he is with minimalist folk and fuzzy garage rock, and the multi-instrumentalist's deep crooning vocals and pointed, witty narratives — as biting and sarcastic as they are humorous and universal — are always there to make listeners feel at home. houseoftomorrow.com/tmf.php — D.S. 9:30 to 10:45 p.m. — Thomas Dolby will forever be remembered for the ‘82 hit "She Blinded Me with Science" and his dance-friendly synth-pop of the same decade, but the producer/song-writer/multi-instrumentalist is a musical Renaissance man of sorts, combining his love of computer generated tones with funk, jazz and world styles, even collaborating with Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia and Eddie Van Halen on ‘92's Astronauts and Heretics . In the ‘90s, he founded Beatnik Inc., which pioneered the polyphon-ic ringtones that dominated early mobile phones. These days, Dolby serves as musical director for the TED Conference series and tours the country with his Time Capsule, a "chrome- and brass-plated trailer" where fans can produce their own 30-second video message to the future. thomasdolby.com — D.S.

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MORTON SUBOTNICK

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