Music
Press
As all my fellow zombies were making their way back to the car from the Starscape festival grounds, we were handed a promotional CD that said Tek SubPort: Live at the Midtown Yacht club. Since we still had a straggler who refused to leave durring the tail end of the Biscuits we decided to weave through the sea of balloon salesmen and take go back the car and chill out. My friends on the other hand decided to pop in the CD and wait for our buddy. Although I voted for silence, we let it ride out the entire way back to my house in Northern Virginia. After months of blasting this live recording, Tek SubPort aka Chris DeMillo (Pyroaster) and Stephen Frank (PCM3) came out with their first release called Tekkie-P.
These guys went way beyond my expectations. The mix we were given, although was quality listening, had an MC that kept repeating himself over and over, that just killed the vibe a little on the recording. However, these Baltimore natives brought out all the stops with Tekkie-P. It ranges from heavy bass dub-step, ambient-trance, to even what I would refer to as an electro ballad track such as “Dub Sum”. You can grab this 8 track album at http://teksubport.bandcamp.com/ for FREE. There is also an “Enjoy the Moment” remix on there for you as well.
I was fortunate enough to catch these guys at a STS9 after-party, along with Leon Sonkin and Big Fresh (Dominic Lalli vs. Two Fresh) and everyone was nothing short of phenomenal. If you get a chance to see these guys live, GO, but first cop this album. - None Backwards
These guys really had it down in every aspect of their performance except one. Their music, their image, their atmosphere, and their originality were perfection, but I really suggest that they change their scene.
Tek SubPort played at the ODDSAC screening After-party held at the Senator Theater. They paired fresh beats with vintage eighties songs, they paired dance music with looped flutes and guitars, and they paired a helicopter baseball hat with Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth. That was probably my favorite part of their performance – behind them, a giant screen showed some of the best clips from Planet Earth. But the music was not right for the crowd before them. If you’ve ever seen hipsters dance you know what I mean – they need funky stuff to throw their bodies around to. If the music is too controlled they don’t know what to do with themselves. If you haven’t seen hipsters dance please see my post about Dan Deacon.
Anyway, Tek SubPort had a really controlled sound, perfect for the kind of dancing I had been doing at Power Plant on Friday night but not perfect for hipsters. In fact, they sounded a lot like the stuff I heard being played all over clubs like Mynt in South Beach, Miami. They have a Dubstep feel so they’re definitely joining the emerging genre of dance music.
I congratulated them after the show and they said they play somewhere in Baltimore every Friday night. They are seriously impossible to find online so check them out below – we need see more of these guys in the future. - Aphera Music
Discography
Tekkie-P - This is the Tek SubPort EP and it is available for free download from www.teksubport.bandcamp.com.
Pyroaster (Chris DeMillo) - Culture Shonk (LP) - Available on iTunes and all other major online music retailers.
pcm3 (Stephen Frank) - Colors in the Air (EP) - Available on iTunes and all other major online music retailers.
Photos
Bio
Tek SubPort is an electronic music performance act that blurs the line between DJ and Live performance/improvisation. With roots in every form of electronic music, as well as jazz, jam rock, hip-hop, and many more, Tek SubPort has a unique take on where music has come from, where it is, and where it needs to go. Tek SubPort has shared the stage with a wide range of artists ranging from Datsik, The Egg, Two Fresh, C.I.A., Erik McFadden, and The American Babies.
The Base -
The live performance is based on fully produced original music with each song broken down to its individual elements (drums, bass, harmony, melody, etc...). These elements are played in any way seen fit and are used along with music created by other artists. This allows for a very unique flow that mimics a DJ, yet it generates a unique space for improvisation and interpretation.
The Structure -
The tools used to perform the music have been custom designed so that the elements of original songs can be manipulated at any moment in time. Each individual musical element can be changed in a various number of ways to allow the songs to take on new forms at every performance, making each event a unique experience of familiar sounds. Then these manipulated elements are combined with music from other artists to allow for hard falling bass lines and soul crushing drum beats to capture the audience and make them crazy.
The Flare
Tek SubPort likes to keep things interesting by bringing in live instrumentalists and vocalists to add there own musical concepts to the mix. This allows the music to become even more organic and the electronic sounds to feel even more natural.
Overall, Tek SubPort wants to take electronic music and its performance to the next level by adding an element of humanism and reality to the experience.
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