| Prids
/ Low Technicians
Elysium, November 24th
When
I was younger, back in the late eighties, I really did not
like synth music all that much. I naively thought that using
sequencers and such was cheating in the world of live music
performance. I have since grown to appreciate synth-driven
music in most of its forms (I just don’t get ambient
though). The Low Technicians, a local synth-based trio, opened
for Portland, Oregon’s The Prids. Starting out with
a couple of atmospheric tunes, the Low Technicians set a laid
back sort of mood in the dark innards of Elysium. The twin
hollow body guitarists played effect-laden melodies, all sparkly
and light, heady with phase regeneration. Breathy vocals only
added to the laid back feel. Jumpin’ electro beats and
synth arpeggiations lent a dance club vibe to the place a
few songs later. I enjoyed the Low Technicians’ performance,
you too will enjoy them if you like guitar laden techno.
The
Prids, a band that has been categorized as new wave, certainly
has a streak of that genre/label in them. The combined efforts
of Mistina Keith on bass, David Fredrickson on guitar, Jairus
Smith on synth, and Lee Zeman on drums comes close to uncategorizable.
Though quite a bit more rockin’ than the Low Techs,
the Prids too show their early eighties guitar influences
such as the Cure and early delay-dabbling U2. Keeping the
music simple with a lot of two-note progressions, the Prids
played a string of short but dynamically and tonally complex
instrumentals and songs with barely audible vocals. Keith
was a ball of energy on stage, dancing and swinging her bass
in time with her bandmates in an effort to keep the crowd
energized. The small audience was appreciative, a few of the
gothsters clapping and cheering after each song. Mixing synth
dance pop and frenetic rhythms, the Prids dark music fit right
in at the ol’ Elysium. Check out the Prids debut LP
Remembrance on Luminal Records.
-James
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