[:SITD:]

Live at Safari Sams

Hollywood, CA 9/20/2008

Review by Travis Baumann

[:SITD:] hail from Germany and their name stands for [:Shadows In To Darkness:]. They are reknowned globally in the dark electro dance scene primarily for the club hit "Snuff Machinery" that came out several years ago but they have had a number of popular tracks released since then and they also do quite a bit of remix work for other acts in the genre.

This was the first time that [:SITD:] have played in the United States and this was the first date of a lengthy tour covering North America with two other awesome electro bands, Imperative Reaction as headliners and Aesthetic Perfection as openers. Sandwiched between two talented acts is a great way to get new fans and even those attending solely to see [:SITD:] will not be disappointed with the accompanying artists.

The band consisted of two guys on keyboards to the rear of the stage and another guy wearing a knit cap and sunglasses up front singing. For certain songs, one of the two keyboardists would take over the mic and the other singer would disappear backstage. I personally liked the second singer a little better as it was more in the line of Solitary Experiments with a slightly deeper vocal quality where as the other guy was a bit more spoken or shouted delivery style but still good.

This was my first time at Safari Sams and maybe the last as it was shut down shortly after this show. The sound quality was clear but insanely loud for how small a venue it was. The stage lighting was minimal and could have been a lot better but was adequate without being distracting or annoying.

I saw these guys in 2004 in Germany at the Zillo Fest for that year and in broad daylight they appeared almost to be an electro rap project with only one guy singing and a much more spoken or shouted delivery to the songs than now.

I would have to say they were much better tonight and in a club ambiance much more dark electro. As I said, the other singer really adds a lot to the emotional and harmonial level of the band.

The audience was pretty worked up for them after Aesthetic Perfection so you had some fists in the air and bodies moving which can be a lot for a Los Angeles audience at times to muster. I did not recognize a majority of the songs as I only have a few of their discs but what I did know sounded better than the CD themselves.

They saved "Snuff Machinery" for their set-ender which was what the entire crowd had been waiting for and they cheered when it began and then sang along for the chorus, myself included.

It was good show and they should be happy with the audience involvement as well as their own performance for the evening. It was a good way to start off their North American tour.

I spoke to the keyboardist who also sang right after the set as we both had to get outside since it was so hot. He was really nice and very happy to be here and communicate with their fans. His friend bought him a "Danger Dog", a bacon wrapped sausage from a street vendor so I joined him in an artery clogging bit of a Los Angeles experience and it was a good way to end the night.

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