Human Algorithm | 04.01.24
My SXSW 2024 Highlights feat Justice, Kevin Kaarl, Malugi, Patreon CEO & IDLES Documentary 🤠 Move Yourself HA Mix 📦
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🤠 My SXSW 2024 Highlights
This was my first SXSW so I had no idea what to expect but was blown away by the number of places beyond music venues that transform into a music showcase…bars, restaurants, barber shops, tattoo parlors + more! There were hundreds of places in Downtown and East Austin playing music all day long, all week long. See below for my highlights (in order of events)…
Justice’s Interview with Katie Bain (Senior Music Correspondent, Billboard)
French electronic duo Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé discussed their upcoming 4th studio album Hyperdrama (releases April 26) and it was fascinating (and insane) to hear how much time and effort they put into their album releases. No wonder it takes them years (their last studio album Woman released in 2016). For this album, they created their own samples and even made up to 200 version of one song to really fine tune their secret “disco sauce” recipe. What can you expect from this album? It is influenced from 90s rave gabber era and includes some 180 hard techno samples that they slowed down to make it more melodic, sharing that hardcore techno is basically sped up disco (would have never thought of it that way but now even more intrigued). They even mixed it themselves, a new skill they learned. And while there are professionals that can do that, they opted to do it themselves to make it more personal and translate the emotions they intended.
They will be performing at Coachella this month, where they played their very first live show back in 2007. Based on the description of their show - creating custom instruments and an album experience geared towards a live audience - I would highly recommend seeing them live (or from Couchella live stream). But don’t worry, they will be going on a US & Europe tour this year!
Watch the full interview:
Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Showcase feat. Kevin Kaarl
This 22 year old Mexican alt/indie folk singer has won over my heart and watching him perform was just as a good as I was hoping it would be. I highly recommend listening to all of his albums starting with most recent album from 2022 Paris Texas. Fun fact his twin brother is the one playing the trumpet! He will be playing at Coachella and is a must-see.
German Music Export Showcase @ Coconut Club feat. Malugi
I was most looking forward to seeing Sofia Kourtesis DJ but unfortunately she wasn’t able to make it. Silver lining though was German DJ/producer Malugi (who I wasn’t familiar with before) played a double set and it was so much fun. He had the dance floor going with high energy! If you’re looking for a good set of his to listen, check out his recent Boiler Room here.
Death of the Follower & the Future of Creativity on the Web with Jack Conte
Jack Conte is the CEO of Patreon, a creator monetization platform similar to Substack. His keynote focused on the difference between reach, following and true fans and how the changing internet has impacted/killed creating an engaged following of true fans. In 2010s, it was all about Facebook rankings (which favored maximizing attention over community engagement) to the 2020s TikTok era we are in now with the “For You” algorithm, which he says is the death of the follower. He gave a really passionate talk and shared about how he got started as a creator being in the band Pomplamoose. Worth a watch for anyone that runs a community, newsletter, podcast, etc regardless if it’s just for fun, a side job or your full-time thing.
Don't Go Gentle: A Film About Idles
Watched this on the flight home and was a nice way to wrap up a music filled weekend! Idles is a UK band from Bristol who just released a new album TANGK and the documentary covers how they got started, their friendship and hardships throughout the years, and puts a nice spotlight on their fans that have formed a supportive community around them.
📦 Move Yourself HA Mix
Last weekend I moved and listening to music definitely makes unpacking & packing a lot more enjoyable. This is a mix I whipped up the last night in our old spot! It features a lot of new electronic songs from this year and is upbeat, inspired by Malugi’s fast driving beats. But don’t let that scare you, it’s all very dance-y I promise.
Music Club Beats / Now Playing: March 18 - April 1
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Really like that Kevin Kaarl suggestion. I'd meant to check him out, and this was a good nudge to get to it. Glad I did. Thanks!