My favorite album of 2011 actually started as a group of mp3 mixtapes made by deejays in the new city I moved to. Since I was a big part of the music scene in Louisville, KY, I wanted to be sure to get into local music in San Francisco. I have been attending raves since 1991 but grew bored of the general genres. Instead, I spent a lot of time listening to records from unknown, but more original, djs.
Along the way, I got to know a great duo from San Francisco that called themselves Lazer Sword. Their November 2010 album called “Golden Handshake” or “The Batman Album” made me feel I would finally get to listen to music I liked in a club that was near my geographic location.
Unfortunately, they moved away the year I moved to town. Nonetheless, songs like “Trapperkeeper” and “Beast’s Reprise” were most of what I listened in 2011 and made me realize that there was still hope for unique sounding electronic dance music.
California Attempting a Distinct Sound
When it comes to nation-wide dance music at the moment, there is a lot of similarity and repetitiveness. For this reason, San Francisco deejays like Lazer Sword and Mochipet wanted to incorporate modern themes like dubstep into something that can only be found in the 7X7.
Unfortunately, Lazer Sword relocated to Los Angeles in 2010. Like San Francisco music producers, notables in LA such as Daedelus, Nosaj, Jogger, and Samiam at places like Magical Properties Records are also trying to steer their own individual sound from the mainstream.
Will Lazer Sword Dominate the NYC Scene?
Could high speed rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco mean that we can finally put NYC to bed as the #1 Dance Scene? In my opinion, these two California city club forces are what make the state worth dancing in.
In my observation, the economy is not really showing us what a huge impact Lazer Sword, Daedelus, Jogger, and Mochipet are making on modern dance music culture. However, I think they will all soon be recognized by music producers, marketing firms, and filmmakers as the next big movement in electronic music. Personally, I would love to see the BBC switch their opening music sequence to a Lazer Sword direction.
What Will Lazer Sword Do Next?
Their “Golden Handshake”/”The Batman Album” project released in 2010/2011 is still firing up the tour bus. After being on the road for months, they still have enough energy left to inform Europe that they are free for the entire month of October.
On top of that, they will be releasing a single by the end of the year. Finally, founders Antaeus Roy and Bryant Rutledge will take Lazer Sword to New Orleans, Louisiana for a pre-Thanksgiving hello and holiday season round of hellos.
Honestly, I don’t care what they decide to do next as long as they keep making new music that actually sounds like something new. To hear free full length samples from this unique and bass-heavy dj set, check them out on SoundCloud, Facebook, YouTube, or their self titled website.