Mountain Oasis, an electronic music summit hosted in Asheville, N.C., finished its first year by bringing together some of the brightest and most innovate minds in electronic, experimental and indie music.
There was a host of shows that were simply once-in-a-lifetime experiences: a Neutral Milk Hotel reunion, and the emergence of reclusive acoustic legend Daniel Johnston. I was fortunate enough to attend 16 performances at the festival, but I have since whittled that down to five show reviews that captured the all-embracing spirit of Mountain Oasis.
Laurel Halo, 9 p.m., The Orange Peel
Dark electronic heroine Laurel Halo was my first full set at Mountain Oasis, and she set a chilling ambiance that was perfect for a Halloween festival. The backdrop for her performance was The Orange Peel, which combined the dusty charm of dive bars with the liquid comfort of a full bar.
Even though her excellent 2012 debut “Quarantine“showcased Halo’s brooding vocals, her set was guided by instrumental beats that fluctuated from intense, grimy grooves to moody synth washes. Unlike many of the bombastic DJ sets at Mountain Oasis, Laurel Halo’s set suggested, rather than demanded, attention. Her sound is hard to pin down, but the influence of her fellow label mates at Hyperdub are her closest sonic kin. The ever-mysterious grime mastermind “Burial” in particular shares her penchant for driving metallic rhythms and terrifying bass oscillations.
As a headliner, Laurel Halo would make absolutely no sense, as she served to build the crowd’s fervor. Her set faded into a meditative trance as she left the stage without a word or even a passing glance to the audience.
Baths, 1 a.m.,The Orange Peel
It was a bit of a shock to see Will Wiesenfeld–aka Baths–playing in a tanktop and running shorts. His latest release, “Obsidian,” was a deeply personal left-field follow up to the dense, bouncy beats of his earlier material. His lyrics dwell on suicide and sexuality and he constantly harmonizes with himself to ghoulish effect.
He looked casual and constantly joked with the audience to make technical difficulties less awkward, but when he grabbed the microphone, he showed off his anguish and kept the crowd hooked with the juxtaposition of his hushed falsetto that quickly escalated into outright screaming.
His set consisted almost entirely of material off of “Obsidian” and carried the album’s macabre sound throughout his performance. I was let down that he strayed so far away from the casual feeling of his earlier songs, but that was a small gripe as it is rare to see an instrumental electronic switch so fluidly from laptop to singing and embrace risky but rewarding stylistic shifts.
Animal Collective, 11 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
I saw Animal Collective eaten alive, and it was absolutely gorgeous.
Their stage set-up placed them in the jaws of the psychedelic teeth featured on the cover of their latest offering,”Centipede Hz.” Before they even emerged on the stage I was already gripped in anticipation. The versatile electronic quartet metamorphoses on every album, and their latest incarnation was a monster force that effortlessly traveled through a wide range of experimentation and pop accessibility.
They started off their set with “Lion in a Coma,” the disjointed banger from 2009’s acclaimed “Merriweather Post Pavilion.” Their set consisted mainly of material off their latest album with a few older gems, such as the frantic love jam “The Purple Bottle,” thrown in for good measure.
It is already well-established that Animal Collective is a fine-tuned live machine, but their improvising abilities are vastly underrated. Almost every song had transitions that were densely layered enough to be worthy songs on their own.
The real secret of their collective intensity came from the union of their musical personalities. Deakin, the guitarist who returned after a hiatus from “Merriweather,” hulked in the corner and maniacally danced around the entire time and somehow managed not to unplug his guitar through the entire process. Panda Bear, the singer/percussionist, provided the smooth Beach Boys style harmonies that guide the popularity behind Animal Collective’s most accessible tracks, such as “My Girls.” The Geologist, the sampler who always sports his trademark headlamp, thrashed around behind his gear as he provided many of the textures and unique sounds that often go unnoticed. Avey Tare, keyboardist and singer, provided the grating existential screams that dipped between beautiful melodies and terrifying shrieks.
Together, they formed a crazy sort of aural Voltron that at once delighted and completely exhausted the senses.
Jessie Ware, 6:45 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Jessie Ware has a sultry presence that combines the pop soul of Adele and magnifies it with a union of the UK’s house explosion that has dominated their charts. Her live set was a seamless fusion of a full backing band that constantly switched between samples and instrumentation.
Ware is a newcomer to stardom. She released her 2012 debut album, “Devotion,” to universal acclaim and managed to reach the fifth spot on the UK albums chart. Even though she’s only toured as a solo artist for a little over a year, she commanded the audience with the poise and class of a touring veteran.
Many of her songs have a downtempo, hazy nightclub feel that a lesser singer might lose an audience on, but Ware prowled around the stage and charged even her slowest numbers with jolts of energy. She played to inspire passion in her audience and constantly called out couples who were slow dancing, thanking them for their participation.
A solid live performer feeds off the audience and returns its energy, forming a cosmic connection that can turn thousands of strangers into momentary brethren. Ware fit snugly into this role and I’m excited to see how her music branches out in the next few years.
Disclosure, 8:45 p.m., Exploreasheville.com Arena
Last year when I saw UK house duo Disclosure at Mountain Oasis, they performed to a crowd of roughly 50 people. In just a year Disclosure has graduated to the largest venue at Mountain Oasis and was cheered on stage by a frenzied crowd that numbered well over 1,000 people.
“Settle,” Disclosure’s debut album released June of this year, topped the UK albums chart at number one thanks to the success of previously released singles such as the infectious “Latch” and “White Noise,” which featured the trendy electronic pop duo AlunaGeorge.
The most striking thing about Disclosure on a first glance was seeing just how young these two brothers were. I knew that they were 19 and 22, but seeing two dudes who looked fresh out of high school commanding an entire arena was a surreal experience. Their performance maintained a high level of energy throughout but it was clear that they did not have much to present to the audience besides a killer stage setup and prerecorded tracks that they played along to.
The audience didn’t seem to care, though. They clearly knew that it was not their DJ sets that got them out of 50 person crowds, but the slick radio sheen of their debut, which was bolstered by collaborations with many up-and-coming UK singers. They did a commendable job of not just being content to press play and haphazardly dance around the stage, but the added presence of a live singer would have significantly electrified their performance overall.
Thankfully, I received a taste of that electricity when Jessie Ware came onstage to perform a remix of her single “Running” that purged the audience of any remaining apathy or reluctance to groove. Hopefully Disclosure will able to find a way to recreate the captivating camaraderie of their debut without having to become backup musicians to their own tunes.
