Steering a friend ship
Steve Guimond
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Deacon: Expert logistician and musician both
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Electro composer Dan Deacon and 20 of his mates set sail with beautiful new creation
Community has always been at the heart of Dan Deacon's musical mission, almost, one might think, a reaction to the lonely academic life he once led as an electro-acoustic composer prior to exploding into our consciousness with his most excellent 2006 disc, Spiderman of the Rings.As an indie-ethos mover and shaker, he played an instrumental role in the creation of Baltimore's Wham City art collective and the Whartscape music festival, all the while planning and prepping last year's massive North American Baltimore Round Robin tour (30-plus bands and 60-plus musicians).
This idea of collaboration, friendship and teamwork is not lost on Deacon's latest release, the cosmic Bromst. The album builds on the manic electronic compositions that have moved booty the world over, but the tracks here were specifically written or rewritten for the orchestra of Baltimore peeps heard on the record and on the upcoming support tour.
"I wanted to make a record that was very vast," says Deacon.
Inspiration lay in the landscapes he encountered on countless tours around the globe, and the success of his debut allowed him take a few chances. "It allowed me to take the project a little farther, gamble a little bit, and try things out."
The result is pure sonic mayhem to a beautiful degree, a world where the player piano, marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone, live drums, winds and
brass are respected and loved, and the acoustic, electronics and samples co-exist peacefully."It's been a real good study in logistics," mentions Deacon in reference to having 20-odd people on the road. Sonically, though, we are in for something special.
"It's been a lot better than I thought," he says. "A couple of times [on this tour] I played solo... and it was really, in comparison, lacking in intensity."
Dan Deacon
w/ Teeth Mountain and Future Islands
At Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent), May 11
