The notion of Plaid (Andy Turner and Ed Handley) touring North America inspires the same degree of bewildered excitement as one would likely feel if any number of genre-pioneering electronic musicians decided to tour the same region. I’ve still partially resigned myself to the idea that if I ever want to fully experience IDM (my apologies to opponents of this particular label) live, that it’ll require a trip to Europe, but the fact that Plaid are venturing past the Atlantic this November in support of their latest album on Warp, Scintilli, makes me enormously grateful and giddy. Except for the fact that I can’t actually make it to any of their shows. Shit. Well, I’m grateful at least.
With the release of Mbuki Mvuki in 1991, Plaid have remained steadily active in the two decades since then, honing a relentlessly organic sound which has yet to be replicated to any considerable degree. According to the associated press release, the Latin “scintilli” roughly translates to “I am many sparks” — a phrase which the duo “claim to chant for two hours every morning, before starting work in their newly built studio in North London.” I don’t find this spiritual routine of theirs particularly surprising. If the Earth and nature itself had the potential to give birth to electronic musicians, they would sound like Plaid. You know when you’re hearing a song of theirs, and you’ll surely remember it if you catch them this November.
Dates:
11.09.11 - Montreal, QC - SAT
11.10.11 - Toronto, ON - Wrongbar
11.11.11 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
11.12.11 - Boston, MA - Paradise
11.13.11 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s
11.15.11 - Houston, TX - Stereo Live
11.16.11 - Austin, TX - ND Studios
11.18.11 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
11.19.11 - Denver, CO - Bluebird
11.21.11 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore
11.22.11 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
11.23.11 - Portland, OR - Holocene
11.25.11 - San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine
11.26.11 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
• Plaid: http://www.plaid.co.uk
• Warp: http://warp.net