Bosco Delrey 'Gears' Up for Mad Decent Block Party
It's a vintage sound that nods to the Sun Records classics, yet has a modern, renegade stomp in the vein of King Khan and the Shrines. Simply put, it's some super cool, lo-fi ear candy.
Most artists invited to play a hip, massive free show like New York City's upcoming Mad Decent Block Party (enter to win VIP tix here) would be primarily stoked for the unrivaled exposure. But for Memphis-bred indie minstrel Bosco Delrey, the biggest attraction is the stage gear.
“For me personally, it's one of the few shows where I don't have to bring my own amp, and they've always got killer subs,” he says.
But lest one think he's just a weirdo gear geek, he quickly adds that he's well aware of the far-reaching influence of the annual Mad Decent throwdown.
“There are a lot of people there who wouldn't normally see me play and they get packed into the front so there's no choice but to watch,” he says. “On the up side for them, everyone just wants to lose their minds and scream a bit so it's all good fun.”
Now based in New Jersey, Delrey first turned heads with a two-song Mad Decent EP that included the raw funk of “My My Race Car” and the quirky “Space Junky.” He has since had two tracks remixed by two different Beastie Boys (Mike D and Ad Rock) and dropped his full-length debut, Everybody Wah, in 2011.
“Expelled Spelled Expelled” from the new album is like Beck-meets-The Ventures. “Lovely Sleepy Dead” evokes early Kinks or “Freak Out!”-era Frank Zappa, while “Baby's Got a Blue Flame” is psychedelic surf rock that would be cool in any era.
It's a vintage sound that nods to the Sun Records classics, yet has a modern, renegade stomp in the vein of King Khan and the Shrines. Simply put, it's some super cool, lo-fi ear candy.
Asked what he's got in store for his big Mad Decent set, Delrey says: “I've got a full band and a few new tracks to try out. It's always a good idea to test out new songs for a few thousand people with a brand new band playing their first gig, right?”
“What else,” he continues. “Maybe some belly dancers and an ice luge. It's a free show, come on. I might even sing a bit.”
The daylong party, thrown by Diplo's Mad Decent imprint with help from Société Perrier and Puma, is slated for Sunday at Williamsburg Park in Brooklyn.
In anticipation of the party, we also asked Delrey to give us an adjective to describe each of his friends on the bill. Here's what he gave us:
Major Lazer: DwitchLo
Erol Alkan: Synthie
Reptar: Hippie
Mr. Mutherfuckin EXQuire: monstar
Lunice: smoothncrackn
Zebra Katz: drankdankn
Kito: blondie
Riff Raff: crack
Bonde Do Role: surpreendente (that's “amazing” in Portuguese)
Baauer: yowzers
