Last Thursday, The Independent played host to the intriguing bill that combined the LA electro-psyche band, The Frequency, with the Dutch electro-party band, C-Mon & Kypski and Kata Rokkar was invited to check out the scene. Not being one to turn down such offers, I laced up my dancing shoes and headed to NOPA to get a better idea of what these two bands, which were both pretty new to me, are all about.

The Frequency, who just returned to California after playing the Austin Psyche Fest the previous weekend, has devised a unique blend of rock that combines analog synths with a fender rhodes and a heavy dose of classic distorted guitar tones saturated with reverb. Simple hooks and choral vocals lay out over minimal, but driving drums and synth pads amounting to epic songs that are designed to sound big. Some songs are over ten minutes long, but broken up into sections as if they were movements in a classical piece. Their performance was very impressive and the amazing stage lighting at The Independent only heightened the cinematic quality to their sound. Keep an eye out for their upcoming release, Absence of Giants, later this year.

C-Mon & Kypski is a supergroup of sorts made up of the Dutch producer and 6 time DMC DJ champion for the Netherlands, respectively. Since it’s inception, the duo has brought on two other multi-instrumentalists with their own street cred to complete the band. Creating a mash of various genres, their performance flowed from rock infused electronica to polka-like reggae. Being hailed in their home country as innovators for covering such a broad spectrum of sounds, their sound was a bit Euro-kitsch to my ears. Luckily, their energy and stage presence made up for the lack of focus in songwriting as they had no problem getting the entire crowd, including me, to dance the night away. Not to mention, their utilization of the most potent tool in rock and roll history; the double guitar. These guys are definitely a fun party band, but if they hope to break into the American indie scene as many other European acts have, I think they will have to hone their sound some more. They definitely have the talent to do it, so I am not writing them off anytime soon.

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[mp3] THE FREQUENCY – Love Is One from Absence Of Giants (2010)

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