NYS Music 20​14

Tag: neuroceptor

  • Hearing Aide: Neuroceptor ‘Reuptake’

    Neuroceptor, a four-piece electronica fusion group from Rochester has just released their first EP as a band, Reuptake. The group released the album on August 30 while playing the Purple Pig Music Festival in Naples, NY. Reuptake features six tracks that blend organic sounds with electronic beats.

    According to keys player Mike Lopresti, who also wrote and produced the album, “most of the tracks are inspired by some piece of nature or culture…the whole concept of Neuroceptor is blending electronica with these organic and natural inspirations.” With tracks like “Estuary Path”, “Roads of Spain”, and “Giant Earth Shattering”, Neuroceptor’s fascination between natural and synthetic dualities surfaces in both song titles and composition.

    neuroceptor reuptakeThe opening track, “Anura” is named after the Greek term for the genus classification of “toad.” The tune has an underwater feel, setting a fluid tone for the EP. Beginning with fast, snappy drumming and a tight bass line, the addition of melodic keys shore up the full sound. As the track progresses, a plethora of croaking sounds, produced with analog synthesizers, create an out-of-this-worldly amphibious effect. The electronica track, nearly seven minutes in length, gets intense in the middle, but returns to the melody for a gradual comedown as it closes.

    The aquatic vibe carriers over to the second track, “Ganges of Heaven”. Led by the guitar, this tune follows a more linear rock path than “Anura”. Third up, “Roads of Spain” introduces the band’s versatile side with a mix of reggae samples and ambient synth sounds. One could easily imagine blasting this jam at a summer beach party.

    “Estuary Path” showcases Lopresti’s production skills. Both eerie and ambient at once, the song has the most personality of any on the album. It commences with the flowing theme introduced in the first couple songs. A few minutes in, however, sharper, more menacing synthetic sounds are incorporated. The track progresses through a Daft Punk-esque section before closing with strange samples playing over the dance party version of The X-Files theme song. As a whole, the nearly nine-minute long song is a captivating journey with distinct sections.

    While Neuroceptor’s first self-titled EP was recorded solely by Lopresti, he recruited a band for a live show and they’re featured on the new album. “Reuptake is supposed to highlight us as a band,” Lopresti stated. “Giant Earth”, the fifth track, starts a bit slowly, but picks up with some funk in the middle and concludes with the most deeply layered and fullest sound on the EP. The finale, “Collective”, returns to reggae for an easy-listening ending to the album.

    Overall, the six tracks on Neuroceptor’s Reuptake blend electronic and instrumental sounds to create a well-balanced, smoothly flowing album. Each song is both easy to listen and dance to, while there are certain nuanced points that may require a couple listens to fully appreciate. You can listen to more of Neuroceptor here, and they will next be playing live on September 20.

    Key Tracks: Anura, Estuary Path, Giant Earth Shattering

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  • Farewell, Dub Land Underground

    Rochester lost a gem with this one. Despite its imperfections, Dub Land Underground was home for a variety of local bands, a destination for niche national acts and a launching pad for some of our regions finest musicians. Those memories are now all a thing of the past, as Dub Land closed their doors for good Friday, January 10th after seven years in operation. But rather than fade away quietly, why not go out with a bang? That was precisely the MO for Dub Land’s Last Call, bringing together local favorites Haewa, Ocupanther, Neurocepter, Mosaic Foundation, Roots Collider and a slew of DJs for one last (BIG) party. With non-stop music for nearly eight hours straight, and people spilling out into the parking lot and streets, this ‘good-bye’ was one for the books.

    Dubland Closing 20131011 (17)

    Haewa kicked things off to an expectant, loyal crowd, complete with fresh dancing legs, hula-hoops and half naked bodies. If you haven’t seen these guys yet, you really have to. Their energy and balls-to-the-wall approach to improvisational peaks and valleys is straight up dirty psychedelia. I have heard Haewa called ‘punk-jam’ and while I certainly wouldn’t confine them to these two boxes (far from it), they do have the energy and musical chops to back up both. Their relentless fire and connection with the room was the perfect way to start out the evening and let everyone know they were in for a good night.

    By the time Ocupanther took the stage, the audience was already loose and the room was filling in quickly. Ocupanther, known for their dark textures and complex rhythms, did not fail to disappoint. Sort of like reading Pynchon, or watching a David Lynch film, you feel a certain way from start to finish—but you might miss subtle details if you’re not paying attention. Luckily they didn’t appear to have this problem, as the audience locked in and stuck with them for the shadowy musical ride through their compositions. As soon as Ocupanther finished up, Riley Beats spun my favorite DJ tracks of the night, with fat dance and disco-infused lines.

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    Neurocepter took the stage shortly after to a nearly packed (or so I thought…) room that now contained people wearing costumes, Barney the dinosaur masks, and of course those gloves with the light up fingers. Having never seen Neurocepter before, I really appreciated their taste for smooth, danceable grooves while maintaining machine-like precision. These guys were probably the most electronic-infused band of the night, but with a sound so pure and atmospheric, even the most die-hard traditionalists had no problem getting down.

    The chilled-out, feel good vibe captured by Neurocepter lent itself nicely to the next band, Mosaic Foundation, who brought their roots reggae tunes to a now jam-packed room. Of course, Mosaic Foundation sounded good and had the audience moving perfectly in time to their thick harmonies. Having seen these guys a few times now, and being someone who is easily bored by the repetitive reggae upstroke, I have to give it up to Mosaic Foundation’s consistency and connection with the audience; no matter what type of genre you prefer, it’s hard not to dance (or at least sway in time) when they take the stage.

    At this point in the night, the room downstairs at Dub Land was so full you could barely move. It became quite clear that where you were is where you would stay until Roots Collider finished. Luckily everyone had just enough room to breathe and groove, because as usual, Roots Collider came out flying and ready to end things on a high note. These folks mean business when they take the stage and completely reinvigorated the crowd’s energy. Their thumping rhythm section combined with organically produced dance lines successfully pulls off the ultimate goal ofcombining the old with the new; a ‘traditional’ rock band evolving one of the fastest growing genres of music in the last ten years, while acknowledging all the influences along the way. When Roots Collider left the stage, Dub Land Underground was a sweaty, smelly mess (more smelly than usual, which is tough to accomplish) with bittersweet smiling faces making their final walk up the narrow stairwell and out into the icy Rochester weather.

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    With the closing of such a unique and significant venue for local music, the obvious question becomes, “What now?” For a city so rich with local talent and diehard music fans, the void is tremendous. The Northeast certainly has a long lineage of music history, and Western New York has a certain amount of responsibility in maintaining that. Wherever and whenever the next venue pops up, one thing is clear: Dub Land will be deeply missed, but with any luck, will be an important and fondly remembered milestone of things to come from Rochester’s music scene.

    Please enjoy this photo montage video of some of the nights moments featuring the intro to Ghostless (I Want One) from Ocupanther’s Progressor album.