Slight Harp

Electronic music would not have been the same without the contributions of minimalist pioneers such as John Cage, Steve Reich, Robert Moog and the late Karlheinz Stockhausen. You can hear their influence coursing through the work of artists as diverse as the Velvet Underground right on through to later electro-adventurists...

By Tom Murphy

January 31, 2008

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Electronic music would not have been the same without the contributions of minimalist pioneers such as John Cage, Steve Reich, Robert Moog and the late Karlheinz Stockhausen. You can hear their influence coursing through the work of artists as diverse as the Velvet Underground right on through to later electro-adventurists like This Heat. Slight Harp (due at Rhinoceropolis on Saturday, February 2) is also firmly rooted in that hallowed soil. The group's use of white noise and samples recalls the sound collages favored by more modern acts such as Broadcast and M83. A bit like the dreamy shoegazers of Slowdive, this trio of experimentalists has fashioned a sound that relies on synths, a theremin and turntables rather than copious amounts of delay or traditional rock instrumentation. The resulting improvised compositions sound like theme music to sunlight dappled daydreams.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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