Astronautica (Edrina Martinez) makes exactly the kind of sexy, smooth electronic music that you'd imagine emerging out of the L.A./West Coast beat scene. The Los Angeles native, who was signed to Alpha Pup Records a few albums back, is bringing that sweet groove to the One Stop this Friday night. Asheville producers Panther God and Koresma and Durham producer Hubbble will be along for the ride.
Astronautica's beats are inherently
California cool. Lush and vibrant, songs are gorgeously textured and highlight the producer's attention to her craft. The self-taught musician started honing her sound early, and now, at all of 25 years of age, she's been busy with her new label, has played regularly at L.A.'s Low End Theory and festivals all over the country, and has concentrated on honing her signature sound. The multi-instrumentalist employs the latest technologies in her songwriting, but also brings in the first instrument she ever learned: the guitar. Her latest album,
Gemini (2016, Alpha Pup), is a hypnotic journey through a landscape of sea and sun. It's like going to the best poolside party in Malibu with the best soundtrack imaginable. Listen or buy
Gemini on iTunes or
Bandcamp.
Asheville producer
Panther God (Paul Gaeta), the organizational brains behind events like the BEAT LIFE shows and founder of the Circuit Tree Records label, has been busy working on new music for his solo project as well as for Xero God, his outfit with local hip-hop artist Musashi Xero. Grounded in hip-hop beats, Panther God works in a darker palette than Astronautica, creating moody songs driven by energetic expression and deep bass. He's been a bit more behind the scenes these last few months, producing the wonderful
BEAT LIFE COMP.1 record, so it's exciting to see him back on stage.
Another guitarist-producer,
Koresma (Ryan Lindberg) will also bring his mellow sound to the stage. Koresma's songs creates his chilled-out sound using guitar, samples, home recordings, and down tempo beats. The resulting music washes over the listener like the ebbing and flowing of waves. Songs are inspired by Koresma's experiences of the natural world and his exploration of humanity's place in it through times of happiness as well as grief.
Hubbble (David Huber) hails from Durham, where he's made a splash in the Triangle beat scene. His upbeat tracks, like "Southamptom Exchange," skirt that sweet place between lightness and the weight of a solid beat. More downtempo tracks like "June Gloom," are dreamy and transportive, inviting relaxation and imaginative play as samples float in and out over a simple piano riff and a grounding bass.
With a lineup as killer as this, this show at the One Stop will win my heart this weekend. The show starts at 10 pm and entry is by donation. 21+.