Austin – A lot of people say SXSW Music doesn’t really start until Wednesday, but those chumps missed out on day one. It was a little slower than usual as people waited in line to collect wristbands, but careful planners could have filled up their schedules. Or, just stayed at Spotify House. They had some pretty great sets, including two of the three that made my day one list of best shows.
Gorgon City
I was waiting for ODESZA when I heard Gorgon City for the first time. By which I mean, yesterday. They hadn’t finished their first song before I was frantically e-mailing the editors to ask if I could please, please, please write about Gorgon City.
The English duo are categorized as garage producers, or sometimes deep house, but “Go All Night” draws just as much from the early days of house. These two are pretty good at 4/4, is the point.
Standout track: “Go All Night ft. Jennifer Hudson”
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ODESZA
None of which is to say ODESZA were shown up. They did bring something very different, though: slower, spookier, and more fascinated with breakbeats than the relatively straightforward syncopation of Gorgon City. They’re taking full advantage of the exposure of SXSW, playing, according to them, nine (!) sets over the week. It won’t be hard to catch them at some point.
Standout track: “Say My Name ft. Zyra”
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Milo Greene
Like San Fermin, Milo Greene is one of those bands that makes you think they’re a solo artist if you don’t look them up beforehand. Why is this a trend?
Anyway, Milo Greene is an indie rock group, it turns out, with a recent album, Control. And a pretty good one, who’ve managed to wring an extra bit of life from that well-worn label. They sound like a more mature version of The Preatures, or—while it would be kind of misleading to say they sound like Sting—they leave the same impression of some of the best Police Songs. It’s probably the prominence of the bass, and the desperation of the vocal delivery.
Standout track: “Heartless”
Coming up today: Blossoms, Kaytranada, Elliphant, Shamir, Viet Cong, and hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd. You can’t do all of these at once, but except for Kaytranada they’re all playing additional sets.
Finally, a few pro tips:
You’re going to wait in some long, long lines. They move faster than you think, but if you’re trying to see a specific set at one of the bigger showcases get there at least an hour beforehand.
The official SXSW schedule is far from complete: look here to get a more complete picture of what’s going on day-to-day.
Will Jukes
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