Despite its name Giraffage is not a zoo-themed Descendents cover band. Instead it’s the moniker by which California-based producer Charlie Yin has explored some seriously diverse high-quality dance music across a handful of albums and EPs. His most recent release last year’s No Reason EP arrived via A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold imprint and demonstrated the performer’s penchant for impossibly suave crystalline production that touches on hazy R&B and dreamy electronica.
Production this creative is no fluke and there’s no doubt that Yin has a long career ahead of him so it’d be wise to catch Giraffage at an intimate venue like the Hifi Club while you still can. He’ll perform on Thursday February 5.
This weekend also marks the second edition of Emmedia’s Particle + Wave festival which runs until February 8 at various venues. The multifaceted media event explores a variety of different art forms through screenings installations lectures and of course musical performances. There’s simply too much to get into here and it’s worth visiting emmedia.ca for the full details. Visiting artists like Tasman Richardson and Shawn Pinchbeck will perform alongside Calgarians like Jennie Vallis Craig Fahner and Evangelos Lambrinoudis II (a.k.a. Corinthian) among many others.
A lot of people like to gripe about stupid band names but I think they’re pretty great. Take for example the Edmonton trio Gender Poutine. I’ve been sitting here staring into space for a good 20 minutes trying to think about what it means. Is it a play on words? Are they making some kind of social commentary? Or are they just hinting at a sloppy snack comprised of fries cheese curds and sex substances? Regardless the band play lo-fi jangly punk-inflected pop that’d make the right crowd gravy their pants. They’ll perform on Friday February 6 at Broken City alongside locals Ashley Soft.
The world has no shortage of vintage soul DJs but no one does it with taste class or attention to detail quite like Brooklyn’s Jonathan Toubin. His legendary Soul Clap dance parties transcend trends and will certainly be worth your time for many years to come. The performer will return to The Palomino on Saturday February 7 with a crate of 45s in tow. He’ll be joined by local DJs Tubbs and Carl Cassidy as well as a slew of bands including Teledrome The Switches Empty Heads Soft Cure and The Shiverettes.
Curiously enough Can-rock veterans The Tragically Hip have managed to stay relevant for both blue-collar Molson-sippers and our country’s artsier types. Thanks to their hybrid of radio-friendly butt-rock riffing poetic lyricism and moments of true frailty they’ll surely bring out a diverse crowd when they perform at the Saddledome on Monday February 9.
Finally the week closes out with the return of legendary Bay Area hip-hop crew Souls of Mischief whose career longevity is really delivering on their promise of ’93 ’Til Infinity. They’ll perform at Commonwealth on Wednesday February 11.
