Beats Antique is on the road again promoting their latest album Shadowbox with a whole slew of new tracks and performances. Considered somewhat of a retrospective, the album is an adoring nod to the first ten years of their career, while looking forward to future exploration. Their usual eclectic mixture of downtempo world music blended with beats and elaborate interpretive dance.

The tracks of Shadowbox were conceived in the Bay Area, Russia, and Israel, and feature a handful of collaborations. The tour, which includes many dates all over the country throughout the rest of 2016, stopped over in the Midwest recently. Thriftworks opened with his futuristic prehistoric beats and soundscapes. The pterodactyl spirit animal grooved through tracks off his latest album Red Leopard, as well as Low Speed High Drag, and dropped badass bangers like “Money Trees”.  TOO MANY ZOOZ, a brasshouse trio who joined Beats Antique on their new album, played next. Their upbeat stage presence, rowdy horn, and catchy tempos paved the way for the headliners to ascend on us.

Exotic and mysterious, the show was a beautiful representation of light, sonic adventures, and dance. Zoe Jakes, the artistic centerpiece of the group, donned her Middle Eastern inspired belly dancing outfits, several times joined by two female cohorts. Her and her coven flowed and moved intricately to each note. The stage itself was decorated with lots of shadowboxes – structures with holes artistically cut out so the light shines through each one, creating a luminous piece of art. Zoe carried out a small oxygonal shadowbox, the one featured on the album cover, holding it up in the air like it was the holy grail.

She also brought out her giant marching band bass drum and contributed to Sidecar Tommy’s exceptional percussion. Later in the show, she came out with her coven again, this time each donning snare drums which they played with perfectly choreographed movements. A giant inflatable dragon also made a cameo onstage. David Satori, the temporal melody-maker of the crew, always blows my mind by his mastery of every instrument he picks up throughout their shows (which is a many). Banjo, violin, guitar, synthesizers, and more carried both old and new tracks as exquisite bass pulsed and teased.

The glorious, bizarre, and outrageously talented trio has done it again. Be sure to catch them at one of their upcoming dates, or in Portland for a New Year’s bash with Polish Ambassador, Desert Dwellers, CloZee, Thriftworks and more.

Photos by: Lazerbeamz Media