Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Kevin Quandt //
Fuck Buttons with Total Life //
The Independent – San Francisco
June 27th, 2014 //
An evening of non-traditional, also known as experimental, music was presented to a radical crowd that hinges itself upon the progressive more than the the mainstream. There is hardly a ‘beat’ to dance to. There are no massively recognizable samples. Basically, there is noise summoned from the depths of circuitry heaven, or hell for some, molded and formed into intricate pieces that challenge both the producer and the listener. The Independent pulsated to various frequencies on this given Friday night that featured full blown drone music from the opener, Total Life, and an updated set from UK act, Fuck Buttons.
Ah, the thrill of drone music as you ease into a well earned weekend. Kevin Doria is Total Life and he has paired music down to it’s simplest element of sustained tone in a manner which would make John Cage smile, while simultaneously making the masses cringe. Many in the crowd couldn’t handle the ultra-exploratory nature of his singular sounds that shifted only the slightest amount as he masterfully filled the room with individual notes.
Fuck Buttons would expand on this singular thought in a more methodical manner, as is to be expected form this heralded duo of button pushers, knob twiddlers and forward thinkers. On this evening, Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power jumped out of the gates, opting for immediate immersion over introduction. The opening featured Hung hollering into a mic that, in turn, sounded like something reminiscent of a whale call. The duo eased into a set that featured incredible tempo and one of the best visual shows in a while, accompanied the smorgasbord of electronic styles that were served up.
Similar to the Caribou, Fuck Buttons stand out in a sea of artists that could be categorized in the same vein, yet the majority fall short of something special, unlike the aforementioned. There were moments of gut-rumbling distorted bass and more upbeat segments that could best be described as ‘dark disco’. This particular tour is more accessible to new fans as a layer of their drone-music past seems to have been shed as portions of the show could have fit in perfectly with the likes of the Low End Theory crew. The preciseness of their sound is truly something to behold, nay, experience.
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