Mountain Oasis Artist Preview: Robert DeLong

Robert DeLong will perform at The Orange Peel
on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Mountain Oasis

When I first found out that I'd be out at Mountain Oasis I began to scour the lineup for acts that I had to see throughout the weekend. Sure there's your standard standouts like Animal Collective, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bassnectar, Disclosure...you get the picture. But, there's a LOT of artists on this lineup that can easily fly under the radar, much like Robert DeLong was doing for me until I did some investigating. The minute I heard the opening seconds of "Global Concepts," I became absolutely addicted to DeLong's brilliance. When Cashmere Cat was announced last week I saw that the two conflicted on the schedule and I kind of died a little on the inside. However, upon checking again it looks like the schedule has been moved around once more and Robert DeLong goes on unopposed for me once again. Thus, I can accordingly plan to rage out to DeLong's entrancing combination of dubstep, house and electronica for as long as I desire on Friday night.

DeLong cut his teeth on indie rock in Seattle, beginning his career with music as a percussionist and slowly gravitating towards the indie world. He found himself entrenched in artists like Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse, Radiohead and Sigur Ros and his current output feels like a wonderful amalgamation of these influences. DeLong is a one-man electronic band whose live shows provide an absolutely awe-inspiring experience. DeLong lays down his slick electronic foundation with a variety of MIDI controllers ranging from a Wii-mote to a joystick to control every aspect of his finely tuned beats. DeLong also fleshes out these rich tracks with a full drum set and some absolutely infectious vocal melodies that you'll find yourself humming or dancing along to long after the music has stopped.

While a lot of electronic acts that you see live can easily be a toss-up in terms of quality, it seems as it DeLong truly prides himself in his live performance. He's not relying on crazy light set-ups or cookie-cutter bass drops, he's providing a visceral and engaging live show that commands every bit of your attention. That's not to say that the visual aspects won't live up to the music that surrounds it, but I'll be finding it hard to focus on anything other than DeLong's steadfast rhythms and exhausting bursts of energy.

Earlier this year DeLong released his debut full length Just Movement on Glassnote Records to high acclaim from critics and fans alike. Just Movement gives DeLong fantastic footing, it's a fantastic debut that is placed perfectly between the EDM and Indie worlds. As EDM begins to creep into all aspects of music, DeLong perfectly combines bass-heavy club-ready instrumentation with indie-leaning vocal patterns to create a truly unique sound of his own. This is without a doubt one of my must see sets for Mountain Oasis because DeLong is absolutely in a league of his own. He's crafted a mind-boggling stage set-up to coincide with his genre-bending sound that will make for a sweaty, dance filled evening once he takes the stage at The Orange Peel at 9:00 on Friday.