Bombay Masked e- Fiddler – “Common Man” / “Live Set At Shado Room”
Bombay Masked e- Fiddler – “Common Man” / “Live Set At Shado Room”
Anyone that knows anything about me knows I’ve got all the time in the world for something like this. Psychedelic electro and fiddle combined into incredible live experiences and incredibly unique music? Where do I sign and how do I get tickets to the next show? For reals – this is freakin’ awesome!
As much as I was already enjoying the atmosphere & texture of “Common Man” as it began, it was truly from the moment this dude picked up the violin to add in a unique dose of melody that probably hooked me in…for LIFE. I’m sure I’m on record here at the pages at least a dozen times talking about how much love I’ve got for the instrument to begin with, but it’s innovative artists like this man here that are proving how relevant the violin can be in modern-day music. Perhaps more than anything else, I really dig that I didn’t get the sense at all that Bombay Masked e- Fiddler is trying to emulate anything else – these wild combinations of sound and powerfully moving melody are the results of his own genuine instincts. Of course there are electro-artists out there & electric violin players that have pitched similar sounds out there…that much is true – but when you look at how BMeF goes about creating & playing it all as a verifiably one-man show and all DIY – you gotta admire just how killer these end results are. “Common Man” is inventive, innovative, and ambitious…ultimately, a track like this, how it’s assembled & how it’s played, speaks a ton on behalf of just how fearless and willing to experiment Bombay Masked e- Fiddler is…and it’s that openness to ideas, sounds, and exploration that’ll take him a long, long way. There’s not a moment throughout “Common Man” where I didn’t feel completely captivated or on the edge of my seat while listening – which is actually pretty incredible in itself, given how chilled-out the nature of the majority of this single really is. It’s through the smart structure & different ideas that show up throughout “Common Man” that continually engage our ears, and Bombay Masked e- Fiddler’s smart selection of sounds moving from the lefts to the rights, always shifting the sound in one direction or the other, like audio-waves crashing right over you. Adding in the wildly distant vocals was a really cool move – whether or not the people out there will agree in-full on that part or not, it’s harder to say; for myself personally, I thought it was a killer idea to push into the atmosphere of this tune…the vocals are barely, if at all really audible…chances are you won’t even catch a single word, but the effect of putting them into the mix here still gives the entire sound & song another really unique texture & layer to work with. “Common Man” crushes it with ingenuity and artistic integrity…the kind of music that makes such a strong impact when seeing & hearing it for the first time that you’ll immediately know you want more.
The “Live Set” will take a lil’ bit to develop and evolve into its main ideas…but that’s the whole idea here – Bombay Masked e- Fiddler is making all this happen on the fly, clearly right in the moment. So for you music-heads out there, you video creators, you creative types…if you’re anything like me, you’ll really dig listening & watching how everything this artist does snaps together right there in front of you onscreen. There’s no doubt that the “Live Set” probably has a few quirks here & there if you really got under the microscope and examined each transition to the millisecond, but with BMeF’s clever penchant for mixing timing, tempo, tones, and grooves together in all kinds of ways, it’s easy to look past any slight hiccups and continue to concentrate on the multiple layers that are working brilliantly together. Personally I dig these tiny imperfections in the breaks, switches, transitions or moments in between new parts & ideas – it confirms the organic authenticity of the live experience & that that is what we’re really witnessing, without any kind of additional trickery or post-production manipulation. And when 99.9% of what you’re hearing boasts all kinds of sonic awesomeness, really, what’s to complain about? Not much if anything at all as far as I’m concerned…there’s still room for Bombay Masked e- Fiddler to evolve in his own art & music, but this is already seriously impressive stuff for sure. Bottom line is, there are numerous highlights and authentic creativity on display throughout this audio adventure – and you’ll get a clearer dose of BMeF’s vocals through this experience as well; still filtered with effects to add texture to the sound and sink’em into the vibe of the music – ain’t no doubt that this guy can hold his own when it comes to being an entire one-man show. Loved how when we first hear the violin in this live-set, if you closed your eyes, you might even mistake it for a saxophone mixed low into the music…Bombay Masked e- Fiddler finds some extraordinary tones to work with. You gotta admire the catchy electro groove this all becomes – BmeF is clearly right at home in the Shado Room and feelin’ it – and even though we’re all at home watching, that live experience translates for sure. Dude’s having a lot of fun, he’s got a lot of skill, and ultimately, he’s got a great thing going between the electro/violin combo he’s rockin’ as Bombay Masked e- Fiddler – really stoked on the unlimited potential and wild creativity flexed in these two cuts and definitely stoked to hear more from this artist, no doubt.
Join the thousands of bands & artists reviewed at sleepingbagstudios by clicking here!
