Lazer Sword
Rock music has its back-to-the-land movements, but in the dance world, all things tend toward the synthetic. Take Lazer Sword, a new electronic duo that traffics in video game sounds, computer-generated whizzes, bassy blurps, and beats that never quite lock into a groove. The effect is that of a laptop producer placing his snare and high hat against the audio for Ms. Pacman. Beatsmiths Low Limit and Lando Kal evidently had little interest in melody when they launched Lazer Sword from two Mac computers, flipping dozens of samples per song. They’ve achieved startling popularity, garnering accolades in international music blogs, and a profile this year in East Bay Express. Chalk it up to their interest in post-modernism (“Cop That Flip” featured an altered version of the Timbaland rap from Aaliyah‘s “Try Again,” which itself is based on a sample, from Eric B. & Rakim‘s “Paid in Full”), or their devotion to old-school nerdery. Maybe it’s those low-down, grimy dance beats. Whatever the case, they’re sure to sell out this Saturday, Dec. 4 at Club Mighty (119 Utah St., San Francisco) 9 p.m. $15 Machinedrum, oOoOO, and DJ Dials open.
Check out Lazer Sword’s video for “Gucci Sweatshirt”: