Last weekend, the Fillmore Auditorium hosted a show celebrating visual art and music. The strong lineup of artists attracted enough people to sell out the sizable venue, making it one of the must-see events of the weekend. Musically, the event was driven by fusion-type bands - bands that blended together multiple genres into something new, usually blending a traditional form of music with electronic music. Visually, the event was supported by legendary psychedelic artist and painter Alex Grey, who not only supplied artwork for visual projections, but he and his wife each completed a live painting throughout the duration of the show. There was plenty to see and to hear - just what one might expect from a show of this size.

Alex Grey

Saturday night began with opening performances from Lynx and The Nadis Warriors, as well as time allotted for Alex Grey to speak to the crowd and demonstrate some of his artwork. I was unable to make the opening performances, so I can not speak for them, but seeing Alex Grey in the flesh and his characteristic art style not only on canvas but projected and animated on an enormous screen on the stage wall elevated the mystique of the evening and certainly gave a feel of surreality. The projections were definitely out of this world; vivid, colorful and enthralling. When the larger-than-life projections moved in sequences it was certainly a trip, and it was cool seeing a painting take shape in real time.

I did get a chance to see Tipper, the project of British producer and DJ Dave Tipper. Tipper was situated inconspicuously in the middle of stage, surrounded by a near over-stimulating amount of visual support to go along with his jamtronic influenced psychedelic music. Behind him was a large projection screen mentioned before that would switch between crazy colorful visuals and visually effected live imagery. Before him was a slew of various dancers - mostly a small troupe that performed pop-lock dancing, but also some other dancers as well. The live imagery came from taking video recordings of the dancers as they performed, running effects over the captured video to make it look like the dancers were colorful scribbles, and projecting that up onto the screen to create an artistic shadow effect - something pretty cool to see and a unique concept.

Dancer, Tipper, and Alex Grey

Meanwhile, Tipper was behind the decks, mixing a seamless set of his original productions. His music was less infused than the rest of the performers from the night, but there were some strange and quirky samples that seemed to come from folk and blues that set his music apart. Tipper's sound was an eclectic blend of electronic styles, sometimes as far out and experimental as IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) but mostly more on the dub and drum and bass spectrum of electronic music. He incorporated a lot of twangy samples and heavy bass without being over-the-top wompy, keeping the audience in a steady groove throughout his set while making the audience's appetite steadily grow for the main attraction.

Dave Satori of Beats Antique

Finally, it was time for the main attraction to take the stage - Beats Antique. It was the first time I got the chance to see them live, and although I expected to see a lot of cool things, I really had no idea just how dramatic it would be. Beats Antique was essentially a three-piece band accompanied with belly dancers and other stage dancing - with occasional percussion support from the dancers. Drummer Tommy Cappel was situated up high on one side of the stage, multi-instrumentalist David Satori on the other. David Satori controlled the computer programmed accompaniment while adding banjo, fiddle, a little turntabilism and some percussion to the mix. Between them was guest performer Sylvain Carton on baritone saxophone and clarinet.

Zoe Jakes of Beats Antique

The three opened up the night setting the mood of the venue opening with Beats Antique's signature electronic-bellydance fusion style. As the music began, all eyes were on the impressive lighting display and colorful Alex Grey provided psychedelic background projection, but it didn't take long before someone else completely stole the attention of the entire crowd. From the side of the stage emerged Zoe Jakes in a teasing mask and traditional bellydance garb. She slowly moved to center stage and began to do her style of bellydance - a mixture of traditional bellydance and other styles of dancing. As soon as she made her way on stage, she set the tone for the whole evening - a sultry dance fest.

Tommy Cappel of Beats Antique

Beats Antique's unique combination of bellydance music with electronic music breathed new life into both genres, creating a product that was as seductive as it was danceable. Naturally, the bellydance portion of the music was responsible for the sexiness factor, while the bass heavy and dub influenced electronica kept the crowd busy on the dance floor. The music, of course was the underlying driving factor of the whole performance, but it was the extras that really made the whole experience stand out and become memorable.

Lynx performing with Beats Antique

Zoe Jakes never returned to stage in the same outfit. After her opening bellydance, she returned in a patterned jumper wielding a large bass drum. Then her and a couple other dancers would emerge from time to time in a variety of old-time circus-like or perhaps Vegas-style outfits - feathers, masks, even a strange caterpillar-like costume. Beats Antique also brought back opener Lynx to perform "Rising Tide", ending with some impressive beat-box work from Lynx.

Beats Antique

Beats Antique definitely knew how to put on not just a show, but an all out production. Knowing that the majority of their music is produced via computer, it was great seeing how they put it all together live. Tommy Cappel was pretty impeccable on drums throughout the entirety of the set, bringing about extra pop to the live sound. Sylvain Carton was incredible - his baritone sax was the main source of heavy bass throughout the whole set and he exhibited keen instrumentalism with his clarinet as well. David Satori layered in some sound with his instruments, but his contributions never really stood out, usually being dominated by the Ableton-driven computer controlled accompaniment. The drumming from Zoe Jakes and other stage dancers were somehat puzzling though - they seemed to be drumming on time but you couldn't actually hear what they were doing over the speakers - almost making it seem like they were drumming just for show. Nonetheless, it was more than I expected from a band that relies so heavily on computer production.


Beats Antique performed a variety of songs from Blind Threshold and their newly released Elektrafone to keep the night of music flowing. They also treated the crowd to a completely new song which David Satori said was the very first time the song was ever performed. For an encore, they performed bellydance-infused remixes of Bassnectar and The Glitch Mob, and ended with an original piece that truly went all out on the surreal side of things - as everyone on stage donned various masks and proceeded to dance wildly.

Beats Antique

Beats Antique was a very unique and awesome experience - what they do is so different from much else it is hard not to be completely entranced when you see them. Being in a sold out show helps too - the crowd was incredible, many also coming dressed up in an array of costumes to go along with the sultry musical theme. Beats Antique has wide appeal - electronic music fans, especailly fans of bass, dubstep and jamtronica will be attracted to their sound, but so will those interested in world and bellydance music. Go to a Beats Antique show for the music, and leave with an eperience even greater than what you bargained for.

See more pictures from this show in the Facebook photo album. Like the Concerted Effort page to stay up to date.

The Fillmore Auditorium hosted two acts Wednesday night that performed a delightful blend of world influenced music. It was all presented in a way that had a certain familiarity - I knew I was hearing music that was fantastically different, though it never sounded shockingly foreign. I suppose that was due to the respective artists' ability to meld international sounds with Western musical sensibilities, delivering a listening experience that was somewhere in between and ultimately refreshing.


The night began with a short opening performance from French singer-songwriter Laetitia Sadier. She is best known for her work as part of the indie post-rock band Stereolab, but has since delved in solo projects since that band went on hiatus two years ago. Laetitia Sadier released a solo album titled The Trip last year, a collection of original songs and a few covers that maintain a connection to the Stereolab sound, especially through the help of her backing band, and I expected her performance to draw mostly from that material. It turned out that wasn't exactly the case.

Laetitia Sadier came out on stage with an electric guitar in hand and no backing band in sight. She came up to the microphone, introduced herself, and began to play intimate versions of songs that spanned her lengthy career. It took me off guard at first, as I thought I'd be recognizing mostly songs off of her new album, but she decided to perform minimalist versions of a variety of songs. Unfortunately, I think it wasn't the most appropriate setting for her minimalist approach; she couldn't quite capture the full attention of the large Fillmore Auditorium crowd the way a full band may have been able to.


I did enjoy the music Laetitia Sadier performed, despite it being not what I was expecting, as it was a good mix of solo material, songs from Stereolab and songs from her side project Monade. The only song she performed that I recognized off of her new album was "Statues Can Bend" - fitting because the studio version of the song is also minimalist (just vocals and guitar). I enjoyed "Where Did I Go", an original song not featured on her album. It was cool hearing stripped down versions of "Wash and Dance" (from Monade's album A Few Steps More) and "International Colouring Contest" (from Stereolab's album Mars Audiac Quintet).

Although I was hoping to hear more material from her new album with a full backing band, I did appreciate the very personal way she presented her performance. I would have loved to hear the full band versions of songs like "One Million Year Trip" and "Un Soir, Un Chien". However, while a full band performance may have been better suited for a venue this size, I don't think it would have had the same intimate charm. Still, I couldn't help but feel her solo performance would best be experienced in a small setting allowing listeners to truly get a personal connection.


As for Beirut's performance, there was not much minimal about it at all. Beirut brought a collection of world influenced folk sounds like audio souvenirs and snapshots gathered from around the globe. To achieve their sound, the six members of Beirut used an incredible collection of various instruments; trumpets, ukulele, trombone, tuba, french horn, xylophone, accordion, upright bass, drums, piano, electric bass. There was a constant shuffling of instruments occurring on stage - a marvel to see what it takes to create the Beirut sound.


Beirut started with a more analog and deliberate version of "Scenic World" (compared to the version on Gulag Orkestar) - there was no bossa nova-like drum loop, the tempo was a little slower, and the accordion/horn melody was much stronger and incredibly powerful, hinting that the band would continue to perform songs that had a more organic feel and not really incorporate some of the digital aspects found in some of their later songs - instead being more traditional folk oriented like early Beirut.


It wasn't after two more earlier Beirut songs, "The Shrew" and "Elephant Gun" before the band played anything off of the new album The Rip Tide. "Vagabond" was the first new song performed, and it inspired the crowd to dance creatively - somewhere between ballroom, club and rock show. I like that Beirut decided to really mix up their set list and incorporate songs from their entire catalog, rather than running straightforwardly through their new material and then placing older songs randomly here and there.


Although Beirut did not play their entire discography, Beirut performed at least a couple songs from every album including EPs in their catalog. There were pieces from the full length albums The Flying Club Cup and Gulag Orkestar as well as inclusions from Lon Gisland, March of the Zapotec & Realpeople - Holland. As I mentioned before, Beirut seemed to strive to keep their performance as organic as possible, so the the songs performed off of Holland did not feature the many of the electronic aspects that are present in the original recordings. That is also what I noticed about songs performed off of The Rip Tide. For Example, there was no drum machine loop in "Santa Fe", and instead of the synth loop that drives the recorded version of the song, an accordion riff took it's place. This organic approach didn't disrupt the feel of the songs, but instead made me appreciate the musicality each member of Beirut possesses. I honestly can't decide which versions of the songs I like better, and I am glad they approached performing their music this way.


Beirut had the entire Fillmore Auditorium crowd engaged in their performance from start to finish, so much so that the crowd refused to let their set end not once, but twice. Beirut played their initial set for a little over an hour, but before they could even fully leave the stage the building was shaking from stomping feet and loud calls from the crowd to bring them back for an encore. Beirut came back, playing "Carousels", an organic version of "My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille", and "The Gulag Orkestar". Yet even that wasn't enough to satiate the crowd, so after more raucous calls from the crowd for another encore, Beirut came back with more.


For the second encore, Zach Condon came out and played a stripped down version of "The Penalty". Zach Condon came out alone with just his ukulele and wowed the crowd with his intimate solo performance. Afterwards, the rest of Beirut came out for one final song, an incredible cover version of A Hawk And A Hacksaw's "Serbian Cocek", sending the crowd into the night after treating them to a feverish dance session.

Seeing Beirut live was even better than I imagined it would be. Their ability to combine music from around the world - Balkan folk, French folk, Mexican folk and more - and combine it all in an accessible way that makes sense, doesn't seem dated, and is not an unorganized or unrelatable sonic mess, was truly incredible. Seeing all the instruments come to life was a feast for the eyes and enhanced the pleasure of the ears. Anyone who has appreciation for folk, traditional and indie music should strive to see Beirut live - as Wednesday's performance truly was a remarkable show.

See more pictures from this show in the Facebook photo album. Like the Concerted Effort page and stay up to date!

Beirut is on tour, and they'll be coming to Denver at the end of this month. Beirut will be at the Fillmore Auditorium on September 28 performing to support their new third full length album The Rip Tide. Beirut is an indie folk rock band, put together by Zach Condon, that is notable for their world influenced music. Zach Condon played jazz trumpet growing up, and jazz is a major influence in Beirut's music. Condon then became aware of and then heavily influenced by world music after discovering balkan folk music on travels to Europe. While studying at the University of New Mexico, Condon recorded his first album The Gulag Orkestar, a smooth blend of gypsy music and jazz.


Since then, Beirut continued their experimentation with international music styles and adapted more folk sounds from around the world to their own sound. Beirut's second album, The Flying Club Cub was heavily influenced by Condon's appreciation for French chanson music. The March of the Zapotec & Realpeople - HollandEP had a heavy Mexican influence after Condon's trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. Beirut's new album The Rip Tide is a blend of all prior influences matched with a distinct indie sound that is uniquely Beirut.


All the world music influences are present in Beirut's new album, but rather than relying heavily on foreign styles to drive each song, those elements are cleverly matched with Beirut's own blend of indie folk pop rock. All together, I think this new album is the one that best showcases what Beirut is about. Check out "Sante Fe", a clever pop song that sounds like it came from an era long before pop existed. Listen to "East Harlem", a song that sounds familiar and classic, yet not like anything else out there. Beirut is sure to wow the Fillmore Auditorium with the breadth of their sound late this September.


Before Beirut performs, Laetitia Sadier will do an opening performance. Laetitia Sadier is a long time veteran on the music scene, being in bands since the late eighties. She is best known for being a part of the band Stereolab. Stereolab began in 1990, and were at the forefront of post-rock music. Laetitia Sadier played keyboard and guitar for Stereolab, but her most important contribution to the band was penning the bulk of the lyrics to their songs. Laetitia Sadier sang vocals for Stereolab, and her vocal style is a main component to what defines Stereolab's unique krautrock meets sunshine pop meets lounge sound.


In 2009, Stereolab went on hiatus, but Laetitia Sadier kept busy, working on a solo album called The Trip that was released late last year. Laetitia Sadier's album keeps much of the feel and sound of Stereolab, with perhaps a little extra dreampop. It sounds very much like a post-rock version of The Free Design, with dreamy melodies and complex harmonies sung over driving rhythmic guitar and drums. Check out "One Million Year Trip" and Sadier's cover of Wendy & Bonnie's "By The Sea".

The concert starts at the Fillmore Auditorium on September 28 at 7:30PM. Tickets start at $27.50 and are available now while supplies last. Tickets can be purchased online at LiveNation.

Beirut - Santa Fe by Revolver USA
Beirut - East Harlem by Revolver USA

Laetitia Sadier :: One Million Year Trip by eatomoro
Laetitia Sadier - By the Sea by kaffibatteri