If composers like Mozart and Tchaikovsky were born today, would we recognize their work? Would they create the same kind of heady and emotive symphonies and concertos as they did in the past? Or would the history of rock and electronica bend them in a new direction? Maybe only time will tell if we're to see genius of their like ever again, but carrying on among the indie rock groups and folk revivalists are a group of young composers intent on exploring the boundaries of pop, classical and electronica -- among them, Portland's Peter Broderick, Iceland's Ólafur Arnalds and Berlin's Nils Frahm. In fact, all three were invited to perform during Decibel Festival in Seattle this year, demonstrating just how much the lines between genres have blurred. While in town, Nils Frahm stopped by KEXP to create an enthralling sonic landscape -- using borrowed analog gear, no less -- live in our studio. Watch the session and interview with Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole, here:
Full Performance:
Known to many as the band who introduced the “post-dubstep” era, Mount Kimbie have always defied expectation. After meeting at college in London and bonding over a shared love of electronic music, the UK duo of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos explored the spaces around the popular dance music of 2008 …
With their brand-new EP Fade Away, California band Best Coast prove they're not doing any such thing. The seven-song release just came out this past week, but we were lucky to have the band in the KEXP studios back in August for a sneak-peek at these new summery-sounding songs. You can't help smil…
What would a broadcast in Portland be without the city's most rocking political punk-pop band, The Thermals? Guitarist/vocalist Hutch Harris and bassist Kathy Foster have been pumping PDX audiences and fans all over the world for more than a decade with their high energy shows and thought-provoking…
For the final night of Decibel Festival 2013, Sunday September 29, I headed to the Crocodile for the Timetable Records showcase, featuring Nosaj Thing, with Lorn, Teebs, and D Tiberio. Aside from Nosaj Thing—a veteran of Decibel Festival I'd seen before — I was unfamiliar with the lineup and unsure…
