It’s rare to see a musician completely ignore all conventions in music and performance. But when it does happen, it’s often groundbreaking. Enter Washington native Robert DeLong, a 27 year-old who’s been thinking outside the musical box for his entire solo career.
Cited as an innovator with a unique take on dance music and indietronica, the multi-instrumentalist performs alone in all his shows, playing all of the drums, synthesizers and controllers, and also singing as the sole vocalist – truly a feat one has to witness to believe.
His debut album Just Movement has been scoring rave reviews, backed up by unorthodox marketing that includes coverage in augmented reality application uView. Alongside lead single “Global Concepts”, which boasts an ingenious music video, it seems that DeLong has been gaining more and more artillery to showcase just how original he is.
With Byron Bay’s Splendour In The Grass famous for bringing out acts that punters seldom dream of being able to see – such as DJ Shadow, Thievery Corporation, Metric and At The Drive-In – it’s no surprise that the bookers saw a value in enlisting DeLong as part of the line-up.
DeLong, fresh to Australian music festivals, explains his understanding of the three-day winter event: “Well this is going to be my first time at the festival, but I’ve heard good things”, he says. “I’ve heard it’s very muddy, which I guess makes sense because it’s a winter festival. I’ve also had a look at some previous line-ups and it’s reminiscent to Coachella festival in California.”
DeLong has been famously rumoured to have established his musical foundations as an indie rock drummer – an incredibly polar situation to his current act. What influenced his change in direction?
“I started music when I was really, really young – around 10 or so” DeLong explains. “I had a drum kit to play on, which led me to practice in middle school and high school bands. I started out in the average jazz bands playing percussion, and that led me to be in some indie rock bands when I was still in my late teens.”
“I guess what caused that change”, he continues, “was that I just wanted to do it all myself. It’s really fun being in a band and playing with friends, but it also comes with a lot of problems such as compromising what you want to play, as well as a lot of organizational issues.”
A self-contained band creates it’s own unique set of circumstances, the 27-year-old artist revealing that not only does he perform alone, he also travels alone. This leaves him to fend for himself when the inevitable stage malfunction occurs and his performance is compromised.
To illustrate this, DeLong tells anecdotes from the previous 12 months detailing unfortunate mishaps he’s had to battle. “I’ve played around 70 shows this year, and I’d say around five of them I’ve had a major screw up. One of them so bad I’ve sort of had to stop playing and reconfigure everything before continuing,” he discloses.
“I guess it all comes down to the fact that I obviously use very technical things such as Nintendo Wii remotes, as well as a ton of controllers and synthesizers, so there are many points where things could mess up. Not only with my choreography, such as when I perhaps didn’t loop something correctly, or missed a beat, but also in the nano mechanics of everything: my computer overheating, poor configuration with the Wii remote, and even just a cable or two going haywire.”
Although this does create some risky performances, his use of old school joysticks and Wii remotes remains a crucial part of the performance. Used as an output for MIDI signals, this slightly geeky foundation does seem a little untraditional – especially for someone who doesn’t actually play video games.
Apparently it isn’t all that hard to set up, as DeLong points out. “You can turn any device into something that can output MIDI,” he explains. “And, hey, it’s so much cheaper than buying expensive gear and a whole lot more enjoyable to use on stage.”
Having released his debut Global Concepts EP last year to critical acclaim with Just Movement following shortly after, it’s no surprise that DeLong has been too busy to visit Australian shores. If anything though, it’s made him extra-keen to see what we have to offer.
“I am pretty excited to see if everything I’ve heard about Australia is true. I’ve heard it’s quite exotic and the people are friendly, if not completely rowdy at shows. I’m doing a couple of shows on the east coast, which means that I’ll get to see more than just the supposedly muddy area that I’m playing in.”
Finally, DeLong has some words designed to get Splendour attendees excited: “My performance is mainly an indie electronic showcase, and I’ll try and bring in as much energy as I possibly could for the festival. As I said before, I’ve played lots of shows this year so there’s no doubt I’ll be well-rehearsed.”
Those at Splendour should check out his Friday electronic set. If you didn’t make the Splendour cut but you’re a true fan of his work, make sure to catch either his Sydney show at the Standard or Melbourne performance at Ding Dong lounge – and don’t forget to mark the famous neon orange x on your cheek and let him “make you fucking dance!”
Robert DeLong Splendour 2013 Sideshows Dates & Tickets
Tue 23 July Melbourne | Ding Dong Lounge (18+)
www.oztix.com.au | Ph: 1300 762 545
Wed 24 July Sydney | The Standard (18+)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1300 438 849
