5 Sets Thou Shall Not Miss at Rootwire 2k17
This year’s line-up is killer! We have mad love for the usual suspects – Phutureprimative, Govinda, Pysmbionic, CloZee, David Starfire, Spiritual Rez, Consider the Source but DO NOT snooze on Moon Frog, Eumatik, Deaf Science with their tool tribute and Danksgiving Family Band with their Pink Floyd tribute!
We wanted to share sets thou shall not be miss, but after doing the homework –
the entire line-up sounds pretty stellar!
The festival organizers truly out did themselves sourcing diverse music talent.
RJD2 a.k.a Ramble Jon Krohn is a musician based in Columbus, Ohio. He is owner of record label RJ’s Electrical Connections. He has been member of groups such as Soul Position, MHz Legacy, and Icebird. Spinning since the 90’s has allowed RJD2 to incorporate a different flavor in his mixes compared to some of comparable big edm artists today. Electronic music has evolved and morphed in many ways over the last (almost) two decades. He gravitates towards working with hip-hop artists and hands down the epitome of a DJ. He keeps the beats flowing and his fingers skipping and scratching while flipping and switching between classic LPS – RJD2 is a disc jockey/producer who brings experience and longevity to the game. Please do not miss his set. It’s exquisite to watch him live mix for you – quite a different experience…
Polish Ambassador is hands down one of my favorite artists and he was my first introduction to glitch-hop music. The Polish Ambassador, real name David Sugalski, is an American electronic musician and disc jockey from Oakland, California. Sugalski began dabbling with music production while earning a Marketing degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 2006, he released his first album, Diplomatic Immunity, a collection of 8- and 16-bit funk / electro anthems. After he released two more albums, he attracted the attention of a Microsoft-funded video game developer. Sugalski is a multi genre musician, producing styles including electro, breaks, hip-hop, dub, funk,and glitch-house/hop. Sugalski uses live sound mixing, using computers and midi instruments to produce album tracks differently at every live performance. The Polish Ambassador’s latest album, Color Of Flight, was released in March 2017. For most Polish Ambassador shows, Sugalski wears a neon-colored jumpsuit that he purchased in a Chicago thrift store for $3.99. He uses Ableton Live and Sonar to produce his music. He is Jumpsuit Records.
He explores many sub-electronic genres and combines them effortlessly with hip-hop and breaks being his favorite to artfully sprinkle into the mix. There are multiple sides to the Polish Ambassador and every personality is hella lit. Whether is tribal, South American-influenced gypsy music or the computer-tech, glitch-hop – his production will take your ears on an eargasmic journey and mind on a cosmic flight through the various instrumentation components he’s so tactfully webbed together. He is a wizard. Every time I see him live, I’m amazed how well he reads the crowd and matches the energy while playing off the crowd’s energy to keep his connection with the audience very aware and present.
Vibe & Direct, three-piece powerhouse, is an ever-evolving musical fusion, landing somewhere on the spectrum between rock, dance and electronic music. I have never seen them live, but after dabbling with their soundcloud – I am quite impressed with the variety of sounds, tempos and genres used. The trio performs with a rhythmic pulse and known for their dynamic dance parties and smiling faces. They released their first full-length album – Chrysanthemum – in February of 2017. With a sound that is driven by their primitive bond, the boys spend most of their time deep in jam, and touring the US. Consistently traveling throughout the Northeast, Midwest, East Coast, and Southeast, Vibe has made stops at festivals like Rootwire, Mad Tea Party Jam, Domefest, and the Werkout.
Eumatik, thank-you for the DOPE Dr. Dre remix. Love for anyone samples 90’s hip-hop and continues to celebrate it. Don’t snooze on this DJ because Eumatik will keep your senses lit and you dancing on your toes as he uses weird noises and glitch breaks to keep the electro-funk alive. His music is intended to expand the conventional horizons of live electronic music. This is accomplished by fusing a diverse variety of musical elements that range from jazz theory to 18th century counterpoint. These unfamiliar musical territories can even bend the rules of counterpoint for the music theory enthusiasts who care to analyze it. Another important aspect of this music is the mix of contrasting genres and vintage keyboards with ultra-modern sound design. They’re constantly looking for fresh and innovative ways to use music technology while keeping everything melodically and harmonically interesting at the same time. – GO SEE HIM!
Zach Deputy is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter based in Savannah, GA and best known for his live looping shows. He describes his style as “island-infused drum n’ bass gospel ninja soul.” Deputy has a diverse ethnic background, having Puerto Rican, Irish, African, British, French, and Cherokee heritage, which opens him to influence from Latin, Caribbean, and African music. Deputy’s music is often about “the highs of life,” and he has said that songwriting is a way to “take pictures of the things that I want to remind myself of 10 years from now.”
Deputy began looping when his bass player couldn’t make it to a show and Zach decided to use a delay pedal as a looping pedal rather than cancel the gig. When he plays live, he will loop and layer chord progressions, bass, beat boxing, drum sounds, vocals, and guitar. He performs with four microphones: a vocal synthesizer for choir sounds; one for high-hat, snare, and back-beat; one for main vocals, and one for vocal bass or bass drum. His looping shows are known for their variety. “There are so many different ways it can happen. I can loop my guitar first, go into drums or loop a vocal riff first or straight into beat boxing and loop it or just go acoustic. It’s very free formed. Every show can be extremely different from another. I try to have little consistency when it comes to my show. I never want to get bored with myself.” His fans will seek out live recordings of particular shows because each is so unique.
Deputy spends most of the year touring and at one time averaged 300 shows a year. His performances are mostly one-man-band looping shows, but also include Zach Deputy Band shows and acoustic storyteller shows. He has played many large festivals such as Jam Cruise, Mountain Jam, High Sierra Music Festival, Gathering of the Vibes, and All Good Music Festival.