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Celebrating its tenth anniversary with its tenth studio release, the Bay Area’s wildly innovative performance dynamo Beats Antique emerges from the studio with a brand new album and stage show to mark the milestone. With legendary sets at some of the most iconic venues and festivals around the world and collaborations with superstars from Les Claypool to Bassnectar, the next chapter in the trio’s story takes them back to a mysterious world.
When multi-instrumentalists David Satori and Tommy Cappel and choreographer Zoe Jakes dove into development of the new Beats Antique era, the concept of Shadowbox emerged. Driven by the infinite wonders of the deceptively simple design, the narrative of shadows and light, of darkness and contrast, of reality and surreality propelled the music and vision into new territory.
Capturing the heart of the Beats Antique sound means skirting that divide between the electric and the acoustic. Balkan melodies strung over crashing cymbals and marching band horn lines run smack into contemporary electronic grooves. It might be the drums and brass or the sweeping psychedelic strings that will take you for a ride down the rails of a steampunk circus. It’s chaos and cacophony on a very tight leash.
All three members shared production duties to harness the sound they first stumbled upon a decade ago: far east meets wild west. Bringing in sarod master Alam Khan (son of Ali Akbar Khan), Jakes was able to take her study of Indian classical dance from the stage to the studio. Russian singer Tatiana Kalmykova resurrected an ancient folk language to evoke a haunting fairy tale that feels at home in the shadows. Beats Antique also recruited rising stars of brass house TOO MANY ZOOZ for the horn-fueled funk and punk central to their sound.
As always, Tommy Cappel focused his efforts on the beats and bass production, while David Satori assembled an armory of stringed, plucked, and bowed instruments from far-flung lands to adorn the low-end foundation. All samples were created live in the studio—a hallmark of the lush warmth of a Beats Antique record.
The Shadowbox stage show will be teased at Red Rocks and Electric Forest before its full unveiling this fall. Taking the theme of shadow play and expanding the concept forward and backward in time, the core members dove deep, influenced by ancient practices of Indonesian shadow puppetry, falling into the world of wayang kulit, the eons-long tradition of storytelling where epic tales unfold into the wee hours of the morning.
Enormous lanterns adorn the stage, casting light upon a maze of curtains where playful new characters dance and fight and rejoice and mourn. Beats Antique is breaking the boundaries of conventional wisdom. Why can’t an electronic music performance encompass a range of emotion?
This isn’t a nuclear-powered laser light show from the ever-intensifying optical arms race of the EDM industry. This is one of the earliest methods of storytelling brought from the past into the present. “The digital is there to enhance the analog,” notes Jakes. “We’re here to tell a story,” Satori adds.
Bringing an album from the shadows of the studio to the brightly lit stage is what Beats Antique does best. These are storytellers for a digital age — equipped with the newest technology and ancient traditions. This is where the Beats meet the Antique.
I didn't know what to expect. My friend asked me if I saw them before live and when I said no she told me, "be ready for a show then." She meant literally a show! The music was fantastic, the dancers were also really awesome... It was so much fun and definitely worth a lot more than the price we paid!
Loved seeing Beats Antique. It was an 8pm show though and they started playing at 11pm. Left at midnight! Couldn’t stay for whole show, so that was very frustrating.
Beats Antique is musically so tight. The artistic display was phenomenal! Dancers had an incredible amount of stage presence! Really a transformative experience. The venue was clean and the bartenders were attentive. I would see them at that venue repeatedly.
But the surprise was how amazing Devotchka performed. Fox Theater's acoustics are perfect for them.
SERIOUSLY AMAZING SHOW. They didn't just come to play, but the PREFORMED. Such a completely new admiration for them. Would DEFINITELY see them again!!!
Everyone should see this band at least once in their life.
Both opening band and headliner were incredible. But the most touching part was their support and love for the community in wake of the oakland fire the evening before. Beats antique requested a moment of silence and you could hear a pin drop in the fox theater. They brought us music when it was most needed. Classy bands.
I have been to one other Beats Antique show and will continue to be at their shows when they come to town!!! I love the music and show, Zoe does an amazing job at the choreography and the music sets fire to my soul like a strong heart beat...
I was blown away by the beat and the dancers! I had not heard of this group and did not google them before the show so I was totally surprised by everything. I danced all night and loved watching the dancers...would definitely see them again and have told all my friends about them. The lead dancer is a goddess!!!
Beats has really stepped up their game. A great show...
It's pretty rare to say this about a concert with opening bands, but I loved the entire show from beginning to end! Thriftworks was a nice way to start with the mellow, trippy music, but when Too Many Zooz came on with their crazy act, they really got the crowd pumped up. With Beats Antique, I wasn't expecting there to be as much of a show with Zoe Jakes and the dancers as they did. It was definitely a big step above any normal concert you would go to, to see a band. Everyone involved did an awesome job!
It was a visual and sonic explosion that is still satisfying me in my memory today
Show was phenomenal.Beats Antique always delivers exceptional performances.
Absolutely amazing! I highly recommend seeing Beats Antique!
5 WORDS: AMAZING NIGHT, MUST SEE AGAIN. Hope they come to Maine more often!!
Amazing show can't wait to see them again. 2nd time this year my 3rd will be in VA,this Tuesday
They were great! One of the best performances I've seen; and I didn't even eat mushrooms this time.
excellent! I would highly recommend this show to anyone.
Beats is doing all the right things. I've seen them before and they changed some of their show up but also kept some of the great old parts. Really loved the additional live musicians (clarinet, sax) and general party atmosphere. I kind of wish I had known earlier who the openers would be and when they would be going on. Ticketmaster didn't relay that info though I eventually found out.
Incredible show from start to finish,danced our asses off.Beats Antique you are loved!!!thanks for a mind blowing experience.
