A new style of music that combines electronica, rock and hip hop is fueling a burst of energy on the dance floor, a style that some are calling an electronic movement.
BLVD, the San Francisco band at the front line of the “livetronica” movement, will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Friday at Lost on Main for a Halloween costume party.
“We've got this style of music that's really a brand new genre emerging,” said drummer Dylan McIntosh. “We're merging that live band sound, live drums and guitars with newer, more progressive electronica.”
McIntosh does computerized music samples for their songs on his laptop, he said.
“We do a lot of pre-production at home then transition that into live tracks,” McIntosh said. “99 percent of what we're playing is original, but occasionally we'll do remixes of songs that have influenced our music.”
BLVD derives a lot of their style and sound from San Francisco culture, he said.
“The Bay Area is a hub for a lot of different styles of electronic music,” McIntosh said. “We're totally submerged in that scene.”
The four-man group includes Curtis Sloane, electronic guitar, Tripp Bains, bass and keyboards, and MC Souleye, the most recent addition to the band who brings his flowing freestyles.
Souleye got involved with BLVD in 2007 while they were on tour doing instrumental sets with various vocalists, McIntosh said. He toured with BLVD for six months doing improvisational performances before they decided they had a great combination of two unique styles.
Souleye has brought a whole new spin to BLVD.
Many different kinds of music influence Souleye, making it hard for him to put his finger on any in particular, Souleye said. He began singing as a four-year-old, honing his MC skills the majority of his life.
“My lyrics are based on passion and love because those are the kinds of feelings I get when I'm on stage and the feelings I like to promote,” Souleye said. “I'm inspired by everything around me.”
Souleye is pumped up for the Halloween show at Lost on Main and wants everyone to rock their costumes at the show.
“I'm way excited,” he said. “I'm gonna be dressed as a marathon runner, so everyone better be ready because I'm about to be running all 26 miles.”
People can look forward to new material from their yet-to-be-titled new album set to release in March of next year.
“It's gonna be slammin',” Souleye said. “We got a whole bunch of new songs that everyone should be pumped for.”
Music Connection Magazine named BLVD as one of the "Hot 100 Unsigned Artists” for 2008, according to their Web site. Music from their last record, "Music For People," has been licensed to Victoria's Secret for their Christmas Fashion Show advertising campaign.
Joel Hersch can be reached at
jhersch@theorion.com
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