South Central – The Owl of Minerva Album Review

The type of electronic-rock hybrid music Americans seem to lap up these days either take the fairly synth-poppy route of the Presets or the funky house route of Daft Punk and Justice. South Central’s The Owl of Minerva is more for the individuals who aren’t afraid to enjoy dark, distorted, and at times industrial-esque electronica. It’s for those who consider electronica to be more than just a simple head beat or background music to do drugs to; it’s for those who consider it to be a legitimate musical artform.

Upon first glance, an electronica-unsavvy individual may not be able to realize that South Central consists of much more than a prancing, holier-than-thou DJ. They are both a 2-man DJ/production duo and a five member live band backed by a full drumset, guitars, turntables, and a vocalist, with a wardrobe consisting of little more than simplistic black hoodies one might find rockers donning at practically any rock show. But the thing about South Central is much more than meets the eye with them. South Central’s tracks are complex and backed by much more than just a simple turntable-mixer combo. They songs are epic and malleable, and their approach is more punk rock than their sound might lead one to believe.

South Central might not have the most amazingly accessible sound, at least to the American musical palate, but they’ve garnered the respect of the electronic music scene in Europe through their remixes of artists like the Klaxons, The Whip, and Van She. The Owl of Minerva is a collection of the band’s best music from the past two years and will hopefully pave the way for their debut album in 2009. Expect much, much more from these guys, because they probably have a lot more up their sleeves.

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Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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luke
luke
15 years ago

love em!!

Written by Vee Hua 華婷婷
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