The New Deal

Toronto, ON

http://radio3.cbc.ca/bands/THE-NEW-DEAL

Genres: Prog-House, Breakbeat
Website:
Email: Hidden
Label: Sound + Light Records

While the New Deal openly ape electronic-music styles like house, breakbeat, trip-hop and drum'n'bass, the band sets itself substantially apart from a typical DJ or producer in several ways. The live-human element and the trio's improv aesthetic are obvious distinctions, manifested through each member's unique contribution. Keyboardist Jamie Shields pours out wave after wave of bouncy ear-grabbing melodies on a stack of analog equipment, providing elements of both smooth house and acid-tinged techno; bassist Dan Kurtz effortlessly switches from enveloping low-end boom to upper-register acid-house bubbles, which alternately propel and mesmerize; and Shearer's drumming adds lightly shaded nuances through hi-hat tension, off-beat snare accents and a bass-drum pulse that never descends into monotony.