Track of the Day: The Present

By Ian S. Port Wed., Jun. 17 2009 at 11:14 AM

Categories: MP3 of the Day

The Present's sonic collages would sound so good through the pristine speakers at Audium, our very special San Francisco theater made for appreciating audio art. If you were sitting there in Audium's darkness, you could truly hear the individual blurts of repetitive machine hums and sound effects that bring to the imagination everything from icicles breaking to helicopters landing.

As it is, you'll have to make due with homemade sensory deprivation tanks--or just really big headphones--to get the best from Present mastermind Rusty Santos. Santos has worked as a producer on a number of heralded projects from experimental electronic pop acts Gang Gang Dance, Panda Bear, and Animal Collective, and here he pushes the limits of chopped 'n' pasted pop with his own skewed tunes. Check out the single Medman for a sample. And Santos will be coming to town--twice this week, in fact. He's at the Knockout on Thursday, June 18 and Thee Parkside the following night. Close your eyes tight enough when he performs with Jesse Lee (White Magic/Gang Gang Dance) and you can still feel the little audio pricks induced by the music.

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