SBTRKT brought with them an arsenal of instruments and tools — a live drum set and a pair of everything else: Two laptops, two microphones, two midi control pads. But their show on Saturday night at the Bluebird Theater left something to be desired: A dance party.
SBTRKT (pronounced “subtract”), wearing his usual tribal mask, worked hard to play his drums double-time, all the time. Likewise,
(CU Independent/Kelly Kaoudis)
vocalist Sampha sang his heart out, hyped the crowd and occupied himself on the slew of buttons, knobs and blinking lights surrounding him. Yet, instead of really getting down, people swayed back and forth as a part of an attention-deficient amoeba.
The sound of SBTRKT is pretty far removed from any sort of convenient genre. It draws from an eclectic range of influences — R&B, funk, tribal, dub and electro — but it doesn’t easily fit into any of the aforementioned genres. It is simply electronic music that incorporates live drums and a singer at live sets.
“Sorry, it isn’t dance music,” one show attendee said to his friend.
The majority of the crowd stayed until the very end and there was even an encore, at which point SBTRKT brought out a couple of bass music hits.
The set was reminiscent of Chase & Status or even Big Gigantic in that SBTRKT wailed on live drums constantly. At times, it bordered
SBTRKT played at the Bluebird Theater on Saturday night. (CU Independent/Kelly Kaoudis)
on jam band music.
SBTRKT is interesting to watch because of their live sets that progress similarly to a full, live band set up. However, their live music doesn’t resonate too well with young eardrums whose listening preferences lean toward compressed music.
SBTRKT represents the intersection of live and electronic music, but perhaps prioritizing live drums was a deal-breaker for those who came to rage.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Rebecca Bratburd at Rebecca.bratburd@colorado.edu.
