For those unfamiliar with Filter Magazine's Culture Collide Festival, now in its fourth year (and third year of exclusive Australian coverage on the AU) the best way to describe it is as a smaller version of BIGSOUND. Two days of talks as part of the Creative Summit, introduced last year, and three days of live music over several venues in Silverlake, Los Angeles - ending in a huge street party on the Saturday!
The first night kicked off as any good conference should - with a few free drinks courtesy of a beer tasting panel to close out the creative summit, and then a party thrown by the Latvian music office. Yes, turns out there's some really interesting music coming out of Latvia!
First up were Instrumenti, pictured above. The Latvian duo feature a big, soaring, Cinematic sound with a beautiful falsetto on behalf of the singer. A fairly simple set up with keys, drums and a backing track, the musical comparisons are as varied as their influences. There are bites of Scissor Sisters in there, some of that Metallica record with the orchestra, a few Michael Jackson-esque "woo hoos!" and occasional robot voices and electronic breakdowns that would make Daft Punk proud. Impossible to pigeon hole into any particular sound or genre, Instrumenti are an interesting band to say the least. My favourite moment of the set was the closing track, which was a beautiful love song performed in their native tongue. They utilised vocal effects that I most associate with Imogen Heap and "Hide and Seek", with elements that could be on a James Blake record. See what I mean? Impossible to stick in any box!
Next up were Prāta Vētra (pictured above; the band were, at one point, known as "Brainstorm" to the Western market), a long running Latvian band who great bass lines, solid beats and catchy melodies. "Thunder Without Rain" was a fantastic track, with the band tight from start to finish. The last track "Maybe" was phenomenal. Not the first time I've seen these guys either! Check out our review of them in Singapore HERE and keep your eyes out for our exclusive interview with the group.
Next up was the Israeli party, featuring Adi Ulmansky (pictured above) - an accomplished and acclaimed producer, singer, rapper and composer. She follows a group of solo female artists who have made a name for themselves blending genres in front of a computer and keys - from Grimes to Iggy Azalea - though admittedly it seems she was doing it longer than both artists. Adi has talent that sits her up here with the rest, and her pop meets rap meets dubstep material is easily some of the best I've heard. Tracks like "Work It" have some great commercial potential and Adi powered through technical problems to impress the crowd. Keep an eye and an ear out!
