Pulse's Henry Johnstone heads to the Boomrat party at SXSW 2014 to catch up-and-coming NYC duo, Bob Moses.
Despite dance music – sorry, ‘EDM’ – being the biggest music genre in the USA right now, there’s something about its connotations with the future that makes it feel out of place in a city like Austin - a town steeped in a rich history of jazz, blues, country music and punk rock (unless of course you’re listening to Avicii’s ‘Wake Me Up,’ which actually sounds like it was born out of America’s South than a baby-faced producer from Sweden). Austin’s musical heritage aside, the reality is that the long-running SXSW has been showcasing electronic music for years, and 2014 was no different, with a variety of sounds on offer to punters throughout the city.
One of the more interesting ‘underground’ acts playing the festival this year was New York City’s Bob Moses. And no, that’s not a dude’s name, but rather the name of two dudes, Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, a pair of Vancouver raised fellas who bumped into each other in the Big Apple and began making music together. The result has been some of the most interesting and distinctly individual deep house to materialise in the last 12 months or so, and the duo have been on my radar ever since a friend pointed me towards their superb mix for the Scissor & Thread podcast last year.
Bob Moses’ billing on the Live Nation curated Boomrat party at SXSW was a bit of a head scratcher, particularly given that they were sharing the lineup with the hyperactive beats of Just Blaze, and that the party immediately preceded the HARD showcase with the likes of EDM big-hitters like Flosstradamus, Destructo and Gorgon City. But hey, hats off to Live Nation for having the insight (and foresight, if you’re of the opinion that deep house is going to be dubstep’s successor in the USA) to book a more niche act.
Located in Austin’s warehouse district just east of downtown, the free Boomrat party was housed in a massive venue called the Hangar, situated just across the road from New York publication The Fader’s setup. Bob Moses fittingly opened the night’s proceedings, their deep and immersive sound perfectly suited to a warm up slot…even if it was only 7:30pm.
The band’s set up is deceptively simple but effective; Jimmy controls the song structures on a laptop while Tom croons his sentimental and reverb-soaked vocals, and busts out on a guitar when the song calls for it. The result is a live show that sits somewhere between an electronic pop gig and a deep house DJ set, with each song transitioning neatly into the next. The small but appreciative crowd – who you could surmise were all there to see the NY duo – most certainly approved of the moody, atmospheric and melodic house music on offer.
Highlights came in the form of the gorgeous ‘Winter’s Song,’ ‘Far From The Tree’ and THAT bassline from ‘Hands To Hold’. Criticisms? Only that the volume was a little low at times, which led to the intricacies of their music getting lost in the cavernous warehouse space. It was passable if you’re already acquainted with their music, but wouldn’t have aided in gaining any new fans.
I look forward to the opportunity to see these guys do their thing again in smaller venue more accustomed to their sound. If you get a chance to catch Bob Moses play live this year, do it. They’re two fellas on the cusp of big things.