by Andre Reddy

Bands like STS9 and the Disco Biscuits paved the way for an explosion in the popularity and breadth of the ever growing livetronica genre. That is why it is certainly no surprise that you can find one of the more accomplished bands in the scene residing on STS9’s own label, 1320 Records. Chicago natives, Future Rock, have been perfecting their own brand of electronic rock for nearly a decade now.  Over the course of 4 albums they have developed a style of pulsating beats, intense loops, bass drops, and synthesized goodness all their own.  The recent album, One Day, is perhaps the culmination of the band’s hard work in perfecting their place in the genre.

The trio, comprised of Darren Heitz (Drums), Felix Moreno (bass guitar & synthesizers), and Mickey Kellerman (Keyboards and Synthesizers), have been touring aggressively in support of their latest release. Not surprisingly, the New York stop, on the “One Day Tour” brought the band to Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Bowl. Billed as a late show, the festivities were not scheduled to begin until midnight, however this did not deter fans, who packed the place out, and were ready to get their dance on.

Philadelphia based sonic duo, Damn Right!, got the crowd nice and warmed up to begin the night. The up and coming livetronica outfit delivered a high energy set with plenty of breaks, samples, and pop synths to please the audience. By the time Future Rock was ready to take the stage just after 1AM, the room was primed for an intergalactic throw down.

Wasting no time getting to the intensity, Future Rock opened the set with the high energy “Tranzmission” and kept the dance frenzy churning one song after another. A lengthy set, the trio played nearly every song from the album One Day as well as its predecessor Nights. Fans were treated to a phenomenal block of groove that perfectly combined the two albums and kept the room wobbling and shaking. “Spark” is a song co-written by Jennifer Hartswick of TAB/Van Ghost/Wyllis & The NY Hustler Ensemble fame. So naturally the crowd was more than amped to see her come out on stage to perform the vocals for the packed room. The anthem “Reaching New Heitz”, another fan favorite, has long been played on the road but only made it to a studio album with the release of One Day. This was immediately followed by the album’s title track which is a beautifully simple layered song with breathy almost “new wave pop” type vocals. Perhaps the high point of the night, Future Rock slayed their own version of the The Chemical Brother’s “Midnight Madness”. Piling on layers and layers of sound and loops, the song brought the crowd into a level of dance intensity of another stratosphere. Collaborator Michael Berg from the band Van Ghost was on hand to support the band in a performance of “Night”, adding another special quality to the evenings show. High energy space rock and a light show which undoubtedly matched the intensity of the music, made the show one not to be missed in Brooklyn.

Perhaps one of the highlights of seeing a future Rock show is watching bassist Felix Moreno. Felix is one of the more animated musicians you will see perform in the scene. His onstage gestures and faces truly help to bring the fan to a level of excitement equaling his own. Live for Live Music had a chance to catch up with Felix after the show and ask him how he felt about the performance.

“…we love performing at the Brooklyn Bowl. There are some great people associated with the venue with whom we are dear friends. The early show included our close friends and collaborators, Van Ghost. Michael Berg wrote the lyrics and melody for ‘Nights;, and Jen Hartswick wrote the lyrics and melody for ‘Spark’. It was awesome to share an evening with them in Brooklyn and be able to have them join us on stage. We thought the crowd was awesome and energetic especially for such a late show. Much love to everyone who came out…”

The One Day Tour continues into December.

You can stream or download the album here:

Setlist:

Tranzmission
$$$$$
FM1000
Ode to a Droid
Milky Way
Spark (with Jennifer Hartswick)
Reaching New Heitz
One Day
Midnight Madness
Nights (with Michael Berg from Van Ghost)
Pyramid
Torture
Glitter Freeze

Check out pictures by Dave Gelb: