VOLTAGE DROP is a new collective of Oakland based artists, DJ’s, musicians, promoters, and music collectors with a deep seated interest in preserving the rich legacy of experimental, beat oriented electronics and industrial music in the Bay Area and beyond. Voltage Drop specifically focuses on the crossroads between early hip hop/electro/beat driven electronics, and industrial/body music. VD boasts influences as vast as Throbbing Gristle / Industrial Records, Cybotron/Juan Atkins, SPK, J Dilla, Coil, Tesco UK, Pierre Henry, DJ Rashad, and a myraid of local and international contemporary, yet esoteric artists, labels, and parties, in which the bay area has such a rich history in. Voltage Drop aims to throw events merging local and international performers, artists, DJs, and VJ’s , and also has a vested interest in attempting to synthesize often fragmented sub scene clicks within the oh so spoiled bay area. The bay area has a rich, bright, and complicated tradition of experimental electronics and industrial music, Voltage Drop is here to cast their own unique archival lens on the history, present, and future of the arc of influence and collective consciousness of sound.
One part of that history is KID606 and Tigerbeat6 Records, run by Miguel Del Pedro of Perpetual Dawn LA, a monthly Berlin inspired, rave/nightclub.
KID606 has been hosting, booking, performing , and archiving and releasing his damaged and unique styles of techno, body music, ambient, remixes, breakbeat and just about every other style of beat driven electronics all throughout the world over the last two decades and Voltage Drop is some proof that there’s still room in the bay to present this always captivating and engaging artist in a somewhat fresh platform! Voltage Drop brings KID606 and their complex, classy, eclectic electronic stylings to the fourth installment of Voltage Drop tomorrow in Oakland with an exclusive live set, at the Legionnaire Saloon, the new monthly home of the Voltage Drop party. The nights opener, Russell E.L. Butler (formerly of Black jeans) , who is no newbie in the scene either opens the gig with a live hardware set, boasting a new cassette release on SF/Berlin based, Jacktone Records. You can stream Russell’s new tape, titled “Visions of The Future” here
The space in between will be filled by Voltage Drop Resident DJ‘s, KOZI, BONUS BEAST, MALOCCULSION, AND FUNKY V and FLOWER PATTERN on the visuals as always. Come out, it’s not to be missed! Vital info for the party below! SF Weekly seems to think you should too, as they just named VOLTAGE DROP in the Top % Parties To Goto This Weekend!
“KID606 (Tigerbeat6 / Perpetual Dawn / L.A.) A native of Venezuela, the Kid (aka Miguel Trost De Pedro) moved to San Diego early in life. After becoming interested in samplers, he began recording and released some material with Spacewurm, Ariel, and Disc (a collaboration with Lesser and Matmos), three acts associated with the Southern California label Vinyl Communications. Kid606 debuted on his own with a full-length for VC, 1998’s Don’t Sweat the Technics. A split CD with Lesser gained release later that year, as well as the VC EPs Unamerican Activity and Dubplatestyle. De Pedro kicked off his Tigerbeat6 label in 2000 with the release of Kid606 and Friends, Vol. 1, an album of remixes and collaborations.”
“RUSSELL E.L. BUTLER (Opal Tapes / Jacktone Records / Oakland) Russell has been making waves in the Bay Area music scene for years. His project Black Jeans evoked the emotional and physical qualities of minimal synth and electronic body music to transport listeners to hidden and forgotten sonic landscapes. For the past few years he has been making a brand of stripped down machine techno that has evolved rapidly with each successive release. It is fitting that transplantation and adoption are themes in Russell’s music, as he based his 2015 album, “God is Change” on Octavia Butler’s Parable series of novels, in which these are central tenets of the philosophy that the books explore. Since its release “God is Change” has received major acclaim, with NPR naming it one of their top 10 favorite electronic albums of 2015.”
D E C A Y C A S T Magazine 