The Martlet

Beats Antique’s electro-acoustic collective will be performing in Victoria’s Club 9one9 on Jan.31. The cultural soundscape and energetic live set that artists Tommy Cappel, David Satori and Zoe Jakes have created hails from San Francisco. Beats Antique creates an eclectic fusion of world beats and electronica, constructing a sound reminiscent of a gypsy circus whirling it’s way through a lightening storm.

Drummer and co-producer Cappel says their unique sound is “influenced by people who break boundaries and break down cultural barriers, and who put a bit of love into their music.” He says the band seeks inspiration from “Indian classical music and Eastern European music” to “hip-hop and the bass music of California.” The band members have travelled extensively, and like their worldly roots, their songs are, as Cappel says, “all over the map,” ranging from the beautiful and dark melodies in the song “Revival” from their album Blind Threshold to the fun and upbeat “Dope Crunk” from their album Collide. Their unique style has made them increasingly popular, especially in the electronica music scene.

“We just love music, and whatever happens happens” says Cappel.

Culture is very important to these musicians and one of the focuses of their work is to introduce electronic music fans to world music, and to present a true representation of the flavor and beauty of Middle East.

“When we first came together we were really challenged by the war and wondering why the hell we were there,” says Cappel. “It really just felt like people really just don’t understand, they think of the Middle East as being this really volatile area and the people being really extreme but nobody focused on the actual music that comes from there…those people play some of the most beautiful music in the world.”

Zoe Jakes, the band’s resident belly dancer, will not be preforming in Victoria this time around. However, with her inspiration behind the music, it can be assured that these deep beats strike that primal chord that makes it almost impossible for people not to get up and dance.

“We write our set to be the most fun experience for the audience” says Cappel. The group loves playing to a crowd.

“If they scream when you ask them to scream, they put their hands up and they clap…you feel like you’re really with them, that’s what we always look for in a show, to have that interaction with the people” he adds. The group was brought together by Jakes’ work in tribal belly dance. In the three years since it’s conception the experiment has blossomed into a growing success. “We didn’t really know what we were doing we just kind of went for it,” says Cappel. “We just went experimenting. I’ve always wanted a band that could play all of it, and I didn’t think it was possible and then this just kind of happened.”

The group has created their own style dance music, something you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. “Whenever someone asks me how do you describe your music, I always have to sit and think for a second,” says Cappel.

The band itself is unsure of what category it falls under.

“Sometimes we want to have more of an orchestra sound, sometimes we want to have more of a dub sound, sometimes we want to have a brass band sound, it’s kind of like we don’t really know what it’s going to be.” In keeping with his group’s unclassifiable sound, Cappel says he hopes he can leave the crowd wondering, “What was that?”

Beats Antique with Filastine, Dew Drop and Joshua James January 31 @ 9 p.m. Club 9one9