Santogold lip-synced at SXSW
Don’t get me wrong, I love Santogold. The singles I’ve heard are fun, upbeat dance tracks and I’m definitely looking forward to her first release later this month. But as the release date (April 29) draws closer, and Santogold gets more press I find myself going back to her day show at SXSW.
Santogold lip-synced at the IHeartComix day party. Plain and simple. Diplo was DJing (I use the word loosely) for her and was having trouble locating her tracks on his laptop during the beginning of the set. After playing LES Artistes, my favorite Santogold song, Santogold announced to the crowd that she had not actually sang the last song. That Diplo had accidentally played the album version of her song, complete with vocals.
I’m not questioning Santogold’s cred as a performer. The larger problem I see is that her so-called DJ wasn’t a disc jockey at all. Yes, turntables were present. However, they were mainly there for looks, as the only thing Diplo used to back Santogold was his Apple laptop (pictured below).
The question I’m seeking to answer is if this is another case of mistaken outrage (like when Dylan went electric), or if this style of performance is just a fad. Does a guy with a Mac qualify as a musician now?
Images : Ana Wolken Tags: diplo, iheartcomix, lip-syncing, santogold, SXSW
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2 opinions for Santogold lip-synced at SXSW
Tom Davidson
Apr 14, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Is this news? Hip hop has always had this karaoke element to it. It’s all about MCing, beat production, stage antics and workin’ the crowd.
Who cares if it’s DJ Hurricane nodding along to Beastie Boys instrumentals for an hour with 30 seconds of spotlight scratching, or if it’s Diplo playing Santogold instrumentals for an hour with a 30 second spotlight of him rocking a loop in Reaktor. Turntables are over-rated. The laptop will prove more expressive to the musician and more versatile to the performer throughout the next few years.
Kristin
Apr 14, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I’m not a fan of the guy-with-a-mac musicians — it just seems like something anybody could do. But then again maybe that’s where music is headed. Tom has a good point.
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