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Friday, October 5, 2012

Out of Town A Quick Report from Seattle's Decibel Festival

Posted by Christina Broussard on Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 10:44 AM

Last weekend’s annual Decibel Festival held up in Seattle was kicking it proper as usual. In addition to earth shattering beats, experimental noise and video showcases, informative music conferences, and hot bodies taking over sweaty dance floors, festival goers were blessed with a vast array of distinctive talent in a number of interesting locales. There are always so many events to check out that it’s wise to plan out what you will attend in advance so as to maximize the potential for pleasure.

In my quest for a whirlwind of electronic bliss, I attended the Raster-Noton label showcase which featured live performances by the likes of Emptyset, Byetone, and Kangding Ray. To put it lightly, they had the cement walls literally vibrating with an aural assault reminiscent of the start of World War III. I should have brought my earplugs for that one. Thankfully, the usual dance floor facilitators were in top form as far as I could tell including Hypercolour recording artist J. Alvarez as he rocked the Saturday afternoon boat party, sun shining on the enchanting waters of Lake Washington. That was just a taste though. The highlight of the festival, for me at least, was the swanky new nightclub in Capitol Hill called Q. Their Funktion One sound system was absolutely on point for Roman Fluegel’s pre-dawn Sunday set. I couldn’t have asked for more.