Etran de l’Air, 75 Dollar Bill, Elias Rønnenfelt, and DJ Nickodemus at Brooklyn Bowl

Etran de l'Ail brought Saharan vibes to Brooklyn Bowl, September 19th, supported by local artists, 75 Dollar Bill, Elias Rennenfelt, and DJ Nickodermous presented by the World Music Institute. 

Feature

Agadez  is a city in Northern Niger, also known as capital of the mountainous Aïr region which rises above the flat saharan plains. It is the home of Etran de l'Air (Stars of Aïr) a hard driving Tuareg guitar band who have distilled regional influences into a spellbinding sound that hits the senses with a forceful immiediacy and, like desert landscape, complexity that reveal themselves to the intent observer more slowly.

The duo’s sound evolved from New York City’s avant-rock improvisation cauldron. Che Chen, guitar, came out of the Williamsburg Brooklyn scene where Glasslands and other small clubs supported avant rock musicians. Rick Brown was drawn to the Lower East Side No Wave scene that evolved from the 1970’s punk movement. Freed from the restraint of cultural ties the duo uses those spaces to inform restless personal expressions and interests including tuning theory and intuitive music, collaborative process.

Tuareg music leverages the power of repetition to build a sound that is entrancing and hypnotic. While the guitar is not native to Tuareg culture, the musical scale of the Sahel region was formative to American blues. The guitar’s introduction into Tuareg music reunited the electric guitar to its rock and roll roots, which Etran de l’Air has honed to a sharp edgy sound.

75 Dollar Bill also builds on repetitive chords, as a foundation for improvisations. 75 Dollar Bill's sound is reflective the gritty urban environment from which it sprung from. The noisy crowded streets of New York City itself, in a perpetual state of tearing down, rebuilding and reimagining .

Elias Bender Rønnenfelt opened the concert with a solo set that leaned on songs of his recently released solo project "HeavyGlory". Elias is lead vocalist and lyricist of Copenhagen punk band Iceage, He also recorded two albums using the name Marching Church.