Photos by Drury Brennan

Throughout this past work week, an especially arduous and stressful one by my standards, the light at the end of the tunnel was the weekend’s three day Pitchfork Music Festival. It promised sun, relaxation, friends, music, intoxication and a chance to unchain myself from the computer. What else could I ask for? So it’s with some surprise that I find myself chronicling my fest-going experience. Each year the festival’s line up has offered fewer and fewer reasons for electronic music fans to get excited, in no small part because the Biz3 stage, which played host to Matthew Dear, Dominik Eulberg and Matmos in years past, no longer exists. Last year’s biggest consolation to techno fans was The Field and Klaxons — not much, in other words. Initially this year’s line-up seemed equally bereft, and yet several subtle nods to electronics emerged that could not be discounted.

Day One

Public Enemy bringing the noise; photo by Drury Brennan
The first came from the Bomb Squad, the trailblazing production duo whose discordant and fleet-footed beats helped set Public Enemy apart from their peers. The Squad was charged with keeping a restless crowd amped up to see P.E.’s It Takes a Nation to Hold Us Back performed in full while Chuck D and Flavor Flav limbered up backstage. Unencumbered by classic material for the time being, the pair launched a 30 minute bass-in-your-face assault of dubstep tunes. The crowd seemed a bit bewildered as the sub-bass tones wriggled and burst in their faces, but gradually warmed to what the Shocklee brothers labeled as “wobble music.” Public Enemy themselves surprised first by performing backed by a live band on some tracks, the long retired Terminator X for one song, and DJ Lord (possibly using Traktor Scratch or an equivalent) for the rest. Can’t say I watched the whole performance (with stage banter the lengthy album got even longer), but Chuck D proved a consummate entertainer in the face of his nearly 50 years, while Flav was more suited for “reality” TV.

Day Two

Extra Golden get live; photo by Drury Brennan
Though the threat of thunderstorms loomed over Saturday’s performances, the few showers to poke through proved a blessing in disguise, as the growing muddy pits sopped up some of the heat. A late arrival meant missing a few acts which promised promised electronic respite from all the guitars. The glitchy pastoral pop of Manitoba has grown has grown more traditionally structured and band-oriented since becoming Caribou. Still, the group apparently filled their set with Kraut rock interludes meted out by motorik drumming and meandering drones. Also on the droning tip was the unfortunately named Fuck Buttons, whose synths and sequencers approach left no room for spectacle or audience engagement. !!! later made up for the lack of energy with a typically sweaty and exuberant performance.

Animal Collective in all their colorful glory; photo by Drury Brennan
This year the Balance stage (where Biz3 once existed) became a legit third venue with a more esoteric programming streak which drew a steady and dedicated audience. There, Extra Golden, an NPR-approved Anglo/Kenyan guitar fusion group drew a timid response at first, though restraint gave way to hands-aloft hip-shaking as both sides became more comfortable with each other. One certain electronic highlight was Atlas Sound, whose main-brain Bradford Cox is usually accompanied by a live band. But a scheduling snafu left much of the group in Portland and Cox to quickly rig things together with a laptop, sequencers, effects and his guitar. His dreamy, loop-laced tunes were generally built before the audience’s eyes, which helped win over the throngs of on-lookers despite his hushed mood; and it made so much sense he was the one to introduce me to Burger/Voigt’s [Las Vegas]. Headliners Animal Collective are also generally electronics-based these days, which helped to replicate their complex tunes — as well as member Panda Bear’s euphoric “Comfy in Nautica” — in a surprisingly hits-based set list which delighted the massive crowd.

Day Three

Spiritualize en-trance for a new century; photo by Drury Brennan
Sunday’s line up didn’t have much suction for me (excepting Chicago’s Mahjongg, who played at 12:30), so my arrival corresponded with the sinking sun. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon were just finishing their final rhyme salvos as I entered, so the Spiritualized was my first act for the day, and what a show they put on. Born after the split of psychedelic droners Spacemen 3, the group now caters to leader Jay Spaceman’s more soulful urges, albeit at a stoner’s nodding pace. Sped up it would resemble trance, with soulful backing vocals caressing plainly anthemic guitar lines repeated endlessly, and by the end the throngs seemed happily hyponotized.

Photo by Drury Brennan
Besides pungent marijuana, there was worry in the air, though, as buzzing Pitchfork staff revealed Australian dance poppers Cut Copy were still in transit, with chances of their making an 8:25 set time looking grim. But rather than let the Balance stage sit empty, Bradford Cox, King Khan (of & the Shines), Jay Reatard and the drummer from HEALTH took up instruments and banged out fuzzy garage rock tunes, a Nirvana cover and a punk standard or two. “It’s like a concert broke out at Pitchfork Festival,” my friend Chris quipped. Finally by 9:30 Cut Copy had set up and proceeded to whip the ever expanding crowd into pogoing ecstasy. My hips, however, seemed immune to their charms, left cold by the milquetoast rhythms, blase arrangements and the general sense of having heard it all before. That said, I was glad the Festival concluded with a cheerful bang (for most folks) rather than a disappointing absence.

Photo by Drury Brennan
That the Pitchfork Music Festival seems unlikely to offer the kind of techno asides it once did is actually somewhat surprising. Flowing throughout the three days were various currents, strains and elements of electronic music — often repetitive, given to a swinging beat, and featuring synthesizers/sequencers/samplers –which seemed to resonate quite strongly with the generally more rock-centric crowd, even if they didn’t give it much thought. Combined with an audience ready to forget the world’s problems and get lost in music, the climate actually seems perfect for a techno/house resurgence at the Fest. We’ll see if next year’s extravaganza picks up the hints. (post by Steve Mizek)