The time is now for Los Angeles-based The Glitch Mob. A lot has changed for the trio of Josh Mayer (Ooah), Ed Ma (edIT) and Justin (Boreta) since they released their heralded underground anthem, “Crush Mode” a year and a half ago. Then, they were known for bringing the heavy, glitched-out bass bombs to the Low End Theory crowd, West Coast clubs and opening stints for the likes of STS9. As a group, their success has been rather viral, seemingly with each passing show a new set of fans would arise. It was their high energy; epic live performances that garnered them attention, as crowds from coast to coast attended their shows in awe of the triple tag team approach. Today, The Glitch Mob has come full circle, comprised of three forward-leaning producers and musicians who have risen from the relatively unknown to the forefront of a burgeoning world of live electronic music played, well, live. They have become much more than an explosively loud live show and they’ve done it their way.
After releasing their debut album, Drink the Sea in late May, Ooah, edIT and Boreta have unleashed an unwieldy and unique auditory assault on the music world. In its 10 tracks, Drink the Sea defies categorization and in the process, blurs the boundaries of what an electronic album can be expected to be. This uniqueness comes in deconstructing their sound and as a result, creating a new brand, a 2.0, of The Glitch Mob. Sure, the dirty, hip hop-based appeal is still there, along with the various booms, blaps and manipulated soundscapes. But today’s Glitch Mob focuses much more on concise songwriting and adept live instrumentation, centered around the meshing of Lemur-led electro and glitch coupled with bass, guitar and V drums performed live, warts and all. The era of preprogramming an act’s entire set may be over, and they are on the forefront of envelope pushers in the post-modern electronic age. Capably and effortlessly combining the best of the DJ/Producer world with that of a live band, they have forged new territory in their new release and ensuing live shows, resulting in a refreshing concoction of sonic satisfaction and stimulation.
Jambands.com had the opportunity to catch up with The Glitch Mob’s edIT after the group had just concluded their 25-date national leg of the Drink the Sea tour, and just before heading out to begin a plethora of European club dates. We touched upon the making of the new album, the thought process behind such a large sound evolution and where they will take it from here.
Moving from “Crush Mode” to Drink the Sea, some listeners might be hard-pressed to realize that its the same band. Can you talk about hoe that growth and transition came about?
Drink The Sea is merely the story we’re telling at this point in time in our lives. When we put out the “Crush Mode” mix tape we were telling a slightly different story. We don’t necessarily look at this album as a conscious effort to push ourselves in any way. To us, it’s just the natural evolution of us as human beings and what we’re trying to say.
A year or two ago, would you have thought that the three of you would be incorporating live drums, bass and guitar to your live shows along with all the electronics?
A year ago? Yes. We had the foresight to know that our live performance would evolve to how we currently perform the album. If you had asked us three years ago, we probably wouldn’t have guessed we’d be performing our music like this.
Have you guys faced any backlash from your old fans wondering what happened to the Glitch barrage?
There have been some fans who like the “Crush Mode” era of The Glitch Mob over our current album. That’s fine. We still have a lot of love for fans whether they like our old stuff or our new stuff.
To me, this seems to be a collection of songs with a real, emotional feel to them…
It’s a very personal and sentimental record to us. There was a lot happening while we were writing the album and we definitely weren’t afraid to be vulnerable and convey that through the music.
No Comments comments associated with this post