LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC – As far as intimate concert venues are concerned, Berlin Under A definitely ranks at the top. It’s located beneath a bar on the corner of Avenue A and East 2nd St in the Lower East Side, giving true meaning to its name. I felt like I was stepping into an underground illegal music hall from the 70’s. There was a unique vibe in that place that I really dug from the start.
My reason for being there that night was to cover Dana Buoy, comprised of Dana Janssen (of Akron/Family) and long time collaborator Justin Miller. Originally from Brooklyn, but currently based in Portland, OR, Dana Buoy is helmed by Janssen’s multi-instrumented talents combined with Miller’s digital/analog sounds. Seeing the multiple synths, pedals, and wide array of electronic music equipment on stage, I was interested to hear how all of that gear would get implemented in a live show.
Pleasantly enough, the beats produced throughout the concert turned out to be really groovy and dance inducing. Dana Buoy performed songs from their upcoming album Ice Glitter Gold, as well as a few songs from earlier released albums Summer Bodies and Preacher.
I thought the synths and electric keyboard that were controlled by Miller set an almost psychedelic mood that was only enhanced when Dana came in with vocals drenched in reverb. What really drew me in to their music was how well they mixed the heavy electronics with a guitar and maracas. The unexpected maracas fit perfectly into the eclectic electro-rhythms in a way I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. It definitely made for a more entertaining concert as Dana was dancing around shaking his maracas as Justin was whipping up a dope synth beat. Those in the audience were dancing and bobbing right along with Dana.
Overall, I had a good time getting to know the music of Dana Buoy and I recommend you do the same. Ice Glitter Gold comes out February 23 on iTunes and will definitely be worth checking out.
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LIVE CLIPS
@DanaBuoy from last Tuesday for @BlurredCulture. Review and Gallery should be up tomorrow pic.twitter.com/FddaxN9SY0
— Mike Golembo (@tweetlembo) February 12, 2018
