Recording: Zacht Automaat

Artist: Zacht Automaat

Song: unknown^* + Night of the Assassin (feat. Grasshopper) [Les Rallizes Dénudés cover]

Recorded at Double Double Land, December 29, 2016.

Zacht Automaat - unknown

Zacht Automaat - Night of the Assassin

Bassist Michael McLean didn't come back to this side of the Atlantic this summer, so this was the first in-the-flesh performance for ZA since last year's seasonal show. As usual, though, physical separation doesn't keep the band from working, and there was a whole set of new material, mixed in with a few covers. In line with the work he's been doing solo and with Fake Humans in that time, Carl Didur brought along his taishogoto, which he bowed at the start of the first selection here.

With Didur also able to cover the basslines with the taishogoto, McLean could shift over to guitar, taking vox as well on a run through Pink Floyd's "Lucifer Sam". There was further guitar chaos courtesy of special guest Grasshopper on a set-closing blowout version of Les Rallizes Dénudés' "Night of the Assassin" (which the band had previously essayed on their covers tape) that could have followed its pilfered bassline down some sort of infinite rabbit hole. It might be a year again before we get a chance to see ZA play, but expect new recordings to emerge sooner than that.

Videographer Brandon Caswell Douglas was on the scene and used some of my sounds in his documentation of the night.]

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!