Thievery Corporation- TORONTO - Wed, May 18th

[Jay Funk Dawg]

Thievery Corporation are a wicked group, they produce that loungy tri-hop vibe that fuses electronica beats with jazzy grooves. If you dig the jazzy electro this is worth checkin' out!

Thievery Corporation

Carlu (College/Younge)

Wednesday, May 18th

Thievery Corporation's fourth album, The Cosmic Game, finds the duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton in their most expansive mood yet, as their latest sonic exploration blurs the boundaries between rock, breaks, future-bossa, dub, and other mind-altering sounds. When dropped, The Cosmic Game is a psychotropic, aural concoction, which clearly opens a new dimension in the ever-evolving Thievery odyssey.

Having expanded on the sound of their last LP, The Richest Man in Babylon, Garza and Hilton have further crossed the sonic boundaries with forays into rock and psychedelia that are fused with their signature dub and tripped-out sound with collaborations with rock legends Perry Farrell, The Flaming Lips and David Byrne.

Garza and Hilton finally met in the summer of 1995 at the now-infamous Eighteenth Street Lounge, in Washington D.C. As the myth goes, Eric and Rob bonded over strong drinks, dub, bossa nova and jazz records, then decided to see what would come of mixing all these in a recording studio. The duo caught the ears of underground deejays with their first two offerings, "2001 Spliff Odyssey" and "Shaolin Satellite". Who could have predicted that those two offerings and a subsequent LP, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi, would define a new genre in electronic music, and connect with an international community of like-minded souls? Even as the terminology and lexicon has come and gone (trip-hop, downtempo, chill out, leftfield and other innocuous record industry monikers), Thievery Corporation have managed to defy the confines of category and creatively tap in to their deep appreciation for by-gone sounds as they deftly re-interpret them in their own innovative fashion.

This deep appreciation for sounds that have come before has never been more apparent on a Thievery disc. On the lead track of The Cosmic Game, "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)", Garza and Hilton, have teamed up with the Flaming Lips, to make something that sounds one part Thievery, one part Lips and one part Pink Floyd. As odd as that sounds, the combination of the lush keys, solid beats, groovy bassline and Wayne Coyne's lead vocal are quite evocative. Coyne clearly intones over this gorgeous ambient-pop opener, "Well, let's start by making it clear who is the enemy here". And on the rest of the album, the Corporation leaves but two options: to struggle or to reflect.

All said, The Cosmic Game, is easily the finest Thievery Corporation moment to date; and that's saying a lot.

Spend an evening with Thievery Corporation at the Carlu May 18th.

Tickets are $35.00 GA, and $40.00 for the Balcony in advance at Ticketmaster.ca, Rotate This, Soundscapes and by phone at 416 870-8000.

/ Doors 8pm // Guests TBA /// 19+

[SaggyBalls]

the only group of artists with free reign over the verve library.

that's gotta say something. i love all things theivery i've heard, but need to hear the new record...i'm getting picky these days.

[The Chameleon]

Sounds freah I'll be there speading the vibe

[Guest Low Roller]

I saw them in Paris last November. I was disappointed that it ended only being a DJ set and not a Thievery Corporation show.