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HUNS

August 20, 2014

Editor’s Note: Fresh Meat will be a periodical, in-depth look at some of the area’s freshest bands. For the first installment of the series, we focus on the instrumental trio, HUNS. For HUNS, it’s all about the improv, and no, I’m not talking about the comedy club. Improvisational music is usually something that you correlate to jazz, even though there have been a few bands who have thrived on it, such as Fugazi, Mogwai, Kyuss, and Clutch. “We record everything we do right here,” drummer John Neiss says, pointing to a shelf of stacked recording equipment. The shelf is nestled into the corner of Huns’ tiny rehearsal space in downtown Buffalo. “We go back and listen to it,” adds guitarist Brandon Schmidt. According to Schmidt, the biggest obstacle is keeping Neiss engaged. “He is very punctual when it comes to time.” “I can’t stand 4/4,” Neiss chiming in. An interjecting Schmidt[...]

Column 6: Motion Picture Movie Music

June 11, 2014

Depending on the average age of buffaBLOG’s readership, it’s probably safe to say that most of us grew up with a few decades of film history behind us. Within those decades are a handful of movies whose music is just as iconic as the film itself. Take The Godfather trilogy, Chariots of Fire, or Jurassic Park, for example. You can probably think of (or whistle) the beginning notes to each of the above movies’ melodies. A movie’s music usually becomes famous because the movie itself does well. A movie does well for many reasons, but mostly because it resonates with the audience. In these cases, the music enhances this feeling and completes the experience in the viewer’s mind (and maybe sometimes, the soul). When I think about the movies that, in my opinion, have music that takes them to the next level, a common theme seems to arise: they’re all[...]

Tonight: Sauced

May 24, 2014

As one of Buffalo’s most diverse and creative music scenes, the instrumental hip hop and beat producer community has long needed a continual event to showcase some of the city’s vibrant, unsung talent. Tonight, Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar will host the first installment of Sauced, an event aimed at featuring local as well as touring producers, providing an opportunity for their studio heat to be brought to a live setting. Veterans of the Buffalo hip hop scene, Shuteyes and Tone Atlas, will be rocking live on the MPC with local MC Mad Dukez and DJ Charlie the Butcher hosting the event. Also on the bill tonight are Oakland producer Durazzo, whose jazzy, sample-based tracks have a reflective, soulful feel and New Orleans producer AF The Naysayer as a part of their “Back on the Pads” tour.  Music starts at 10pm. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/87419866″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]    

Pluto Brady- The Beat Tape

April 28, 2014

Rochester producer Pluto Brady balances hazy, melodic textures with sinister elements of trap, bass, and hip-hop on his self-titled debut beat tape. The 18-year-old artist  has been previously credited for tracks on rapper Donzelly’s DMS mixtape as well as Black Kray’s Goth Luv mixtape and various other MCs. Bringing to mind producers like Clams Casino, Ryan Hemsworth, and Suicideyear, Brady’s instrumentals place emphasis on slow paced, patient melodic builds, making for an immersive experience that reveals new layers with each listen. Throughout the tape’s eight tracks, the vibe ranges from ethereal, reverb-laden hip hop on tracks like “Without You” to futuristic r&b on “I Don’t Know What to Say.” The lush “Alone Forever” starts off the collection with a captivating hybrid of menacing trap -inspired percussion and fluid melodic synth swells behind a soulful piano riff. “Internet Eyes” builds around a similar style of elegant keys, but heads in a slightly darker[...]