AKUFEN with MIKE SHANNON, DEADBEAT, TIM HECKER, DENISE BENSON and ANDREW ALLSGOOD as part of Glide Wednesdays’ six-year anniversary, at Gypsy Co-op (817 Queen West), Wednesday (February 26). $10 at the door. mentalchatter@sympatico.ca Rating: NNNNN
There are good reasons why Akufen’s debut album, My Way, topped many music critics’ lists last year. Akufen revitalized sampler-based music through the concept of micro-sampling, which means that each bit or piece he uses is under one second long.
Plus, his sound is surprisingly accessible, and funky enough that his records rock dance floors the world over. And major labels have hired Akufen (aka Marc Leclair) to remix high-profile mainstream acts like Massive Attack and Craig David.
Leclair likes to reference popular music without quoting it directly.
“I wanted to use the sampler more like an instrument instead of just lifting hooks. I’m not sampling any melodies, but because I’m getting better at blending the bits together people think they’re hearing an actual loop.
“You can sometimes recognize the tone of the artist. For example, you might recognize a bit of Celine Dion, but it’s just a single vowel. I could still be sued, but I don’t think anyone will bother for a little click or hiccup.”
