Ego alone isn’t what makes Mr. West such a fascinating figure; any other schmo with a head his size would be scoffed and discarded as parody. There’s actually a certain degree of legitimacy that keeps his maniacal sense of self-importance from devolving into full-scale megalomania: that Kanye’s vision and production chops are currently unmatched in […]
dance
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Vulgar incident
You’re doing something right when the powers that be shut your show down early. Denton, Texas’ experimental duo Vulgar Fashion endured this rite of passage on May 30, when the owners of a posh Dallas nightclub called The Dram instructed the two to call it quits a mere 20 minutes into their set. The band […]
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Getting creative
A 10-month survey that included 324 people across varied demographics illustrates the problem with attracting new participants to the arts, said Sharon Astrin, community arts program director for Arts Council. The programs are available and the desire of citizens is there, but bringing the groups together has been a challenge. “There are big parts of […]
Posted inMusic
Beat street
Making electronic music is more complicated than you might think. The virtually endless spectrum of sounds capable of being produced by a computer is matched only by the equally broad variety of kits, patches and plug-ins tailored for each piece of production software — an often daunting wormhole suited only for those seeking a truly […]
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Big time
Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken — the two minds behind electronic duo Big Gigantic — met while playing in various jazz and funk bands around the greater Boulder, Colo., area before rooming together and deciding to collaborate. Old habits die hard. “[Lalli] said, ‘I’m making these beats, and I want to play sax over it.’ […]
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Lotus flowers
Photo: Tobin Voggesser American music’s evolving scope hasn’t played into the hands of many bands as well as it has for instrumental act Lotus. The collective of Deadheads with penchants for Aphex Twin and The Orb has ridden the rise of electronic dance music to sold-out tours and high-profile festival slots. “When we first started […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Merry and bright
Holiday on Broadway White Christmas: The Musical7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday Sooner Theatre101 E. Main, Norman soonertheatre.org 321-9600 $15-$23 Adapted from the beloved 1954 film starring Bing Crosby, this musical finds war veterans Bob and Phil singing and dancing their way after showbiz sisters Betty and Judy. The quartet ends up at a Vermont […]
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Horny time
Photo: Harry Fellows Robert Perlick-Molinari had no idea that a secondhand instrument would set his life on a new course. “My oldest brother played French horn. He had an extra laying around the house,” he said. “I wanted to play a different instrument, but Mom was like, ‘Looks like you are learning the French horn.’ […]
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Sample size
It’s hard to imagine that Gregg Gillis — best known as Girl Talk — spent several years playing for handfuls of people, being that he now regularly plays for 10,000 or more a night. No matter the number, he infused the same manic energy into his mad mash-ups. “I’d yell and jump on them, anything […]
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New moves
For almost a year, Michelle Dexter has been planning the sixth annual Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival, showcasing the work of five Sooner State-based dance companies and 38 dancers. “I start planning as soon as the year before is over,” said Dexter, artistic director of the Perpetual Motion Dance troupe. She begins scouting for choreographers so […]