Baltimore artist Dan Deacon has built his reputation on live shows: comically unpredictable messes of frenetic dancing, audience participation and theatrics, all powered by Deacon's wildly addictive, electro freak-pop. Deacon shuns the stage, instead planting himself on the dance floor with a tangle of cables, analog drum machines and vintage electronics, where he pushes fans to the point of blissful exhaustion. Deacon's infectious energy is captured on his latest album, Bromst, which can be heard in its entirety on NPR Music, as an exclusive first listen.
When Deacon got his start playing small clubs and parties in 2003, it was hard to take him seriously. Fans were never sure whether his goofy antics and quirky sound were a joke, or simply the result of an artist playing with abandon. But Deacon quickly became a figurehead in the Baltimore area's electronic music scene. He self-released a number of EPs, and put out his first commercially released album, Spiderman of the Rings, on Carpark Records in 2007. Many music critics ranked it among the year's best albums.
Bromst is, by far, Deacon's most fully realized and accessible recording to date. It's also his first to include more traditional analog instruments, such as piano, glockenspiel, marimba and live drums, collaborating in the studio with a number of other artists. He's also touring with a 15-piece band in support of Bromst.
Bromst will be released on Mar. 24. It's available early on NPR Music as part of the Exclusive First Listen series.
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