Vincent Parker

Following a rousing, eclectic set by Telefoam, a production duo jamming propulsive ramshackle 'lectronica with a live guitarist, Vincent Parker took position behind his PC laptop and Kaoss Pads, and immediately got into his groove while the aforementioned locals disassembled their rig. Clad in a dark muscle shirt that highlighted his wiry frame, his afrolicous hair percolated as he began bobbing to his sounds, Parker obviously feels what he does. As his tracks built up, he would start twitching, jerking out his elbows and kicking up his heels as his neck turned to jello. It was like he was a human version of those sound-responsive light-up T-shirts. Though influenced by French producers like Mr. Oizo and Sébastien Tellier, Parker's woozy, shuffling broken beats tend toward the darker side: heavy dub bass with side-chain compressed distortion, squelching acid stabs and horror movie synth leads. He used a mic as well, somewhat effectively when his voice was layered through delays and reverb, but when clearly audible, it was jarringly off-key, a problem not helped by his abrupt transitions, which also knocked listeners out of the flow. His talent as a producer is certainly among the cream of the burgeoning Vancouver electronic scene, but his vocals and presentation may need a rethink. Sadly, his crowd disintegrated as psych pop buzz band Capitol 6 took the stage in the Cabaret.